The 2nd Glamorganshire Artillery Volunteers was a part-time unit of the British Army that defended the coast of South Wales from 1890 to 1942. Although it never saw action in its coastal defence role, it formed several siege batteries of heavy howitzers for service on the Western Front and Italian Front in World War I.

Volunteer Force The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 1–3.Spiers, pp. 163–8. A number of Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) were formed for coastal defence in South Wales, and by the 1880s they had been consolidated as the 1st Glamorganshire Artillery Volunteer Corps of 17 batteries. In 1890 the unit's headquarters (HQ) moved from Cardiff to Swansea, and the batteries grouped round Cardiff were separated to form a new 2nd Glamorganshire AVC. After reorganisation these became 11 batteries (companies from 1891) distributed as follows:Frederick, p. 658.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 81.1st Glamorgan Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 5.Army List, various dates. HQ and Nos 1–7 Companies at Cardiff No 8 Company at Bridgend and Tondu Nos 9 and 10 Companies at Penarth No 11 Company at Barry

Sir Edward Hill, VD, MP, who had been Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the 1st Glamorganshire since 22 July 1864, retained the position with both units after 1 June 1890, though each had its own lieutenant-colonel and Honorary Colonel.

The new unit formed part of the Western Division of the Royal Artillery (RA). In 1899 the artillery volunteers became part of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and when the divisional structure was abolished the Cardiff unit was designated the 2nd Glamorganshire RGA (Volunteers) on 1 January 1902.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 6.

Territorial Force

When the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the 1st Glamorganshire transferred to the Royal Field Artillery and the 2nd Glamorganshire became the Glamorgan and Pembroke RGA.Litchfield, p. 81.London Gazette, 20 March 1908. The 'Pembroke' part of the title was dropped in 1910 when a separate Pembroke RGA of three companies was formed.London Gazette, 14 October 1910.Litchfield, p. 204. The Glamorgan RGA was designated as a Defended Ports unit in Western Coast Defences, which was based at Pembroke Dock, and it had the following organisation:Maurice-Jones, p. 166.Conrad 1914. HQ at Cardiff Nos 1–3 Companies at Cardiff No 4 Company at Penarth No 5 Company at Barry

World War I Mobilisation The Glamorgan RGA mobilised in August 1914 as part of No 26 Coastal Fire Command, responsible for the following guns:Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 402, 409.Maurice-Jones, p. 187. Cardiff – 4 x 6-inch guns Barry – 2 x 6-inch guns Swansea – 2 x 4.7-inch QF guns

After the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and on 15 August 1914, the War Office (WO) issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate brigades, companies and batteries were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.

By October 1914, the campaign on the Western Front was bogging down into Trench warfare and there was an urgent need for batteries of siege artillery to be sent to France. The WO decided that the TF coastal gunners were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular RGA gunners for service in the field, and 1st line RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service had been authorised to increase their strength by 50 per cent.WO Instruction No 248 of October 1914. Although complete defended ports units never went overseas, they did supply trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas. They also provided cadres to form new units for front line service, and the Glamorgan RGA is known to have raised at least five siege batteries in this way: 96th, 121st, 172nd, 359th and 402nd.

Under Army Council Instruction 686 of April 1917, the coastal defence companies of the RGA (TF) were reorganised. By this stage of the war, the Glamorgan RGA serving in the Swansea and Severn Defences of Western Command consisted of just three companies, the rest having formed batteries for overseas service. These companies were given a slightly higher establishment (five officers and 100 other ranks) and renumbered, abolishing the 1st and 2nd Line distinction:Army Council Instructions April 1917.Frederick, p. 697. 1/2 Company became No 1 Company 1/3 Company became No 2 Company 2/2 Company became No 3 Company

In April 1918 the Cardiff/Barry Garrison manned guns as follows:Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, Annex 4. Nells Point, Barry Battery – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII guns Penarth Head, Cardiff Battery – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII guns

The Swansea Garrison manned: Mumbles Island Battery – 2 x 4.7-inch QF

96th Siege Battery, RGA

According to WO Instruction No 181 of 16 December 1915, 96th Siege Battery was to be formed at Pembroke Dock by three officers and 78 other ranks (the establishment of a full company) drawn from the Glamorgan RGA.WO Instructions December 1915.Frederick, pp. 702–7. The battery actually formed on 1 January 1916 with three officers and 90 men from the Glamorgan RGA and 64 recruits from the Pembroke Dock RGA establishment, under the command of Major C.H.M. Sturgis.MacDonald, Pro Patria Mori, p. 172. It went out to the Western Front on 21 May 1916 and joined 19th Heavy Artillery Group in Third Army on 25 May, taking over four 9.2-inch howitzers in existing emplacements near Pommier from 62nd Siege Bty.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.MacDonald, Lack of Offensive Spirit, pp. 106, 172; Appendix 3.

96th Siege Battery saw its first action preparing for the Attack on the Gommecourt Salient in the Battle of the Somme.MacDonald, Lack of Offensive Spirit, pp. 216–21; 265.MacDonald, Pro Patria Nori, pp. 172, 188. As the final bombardment began on Z Day (1 July), the battery fired with such intensity that the oil in the guns' hydraulic recoil buffers boiled.MacDonald, Pro Patria Mori, p. 258. However, the Gommecourt attack was a disaster.MacDonald, Pro Patria Mori, pp. 358–422, 456–7.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 467–71.

Later the battery served with First Army at Arras and with Fifth Army in the latter stages of the Battle of Passchendaele, where the British artillery suffered badly from counter-battery fire, while their own guns sank into the mud and became difficult to aim and fire.'Allocation of HA Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 74–8.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 114–20.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 211–13.Wolff, pp. 223–35, 249–51. It then served through the defensive battles of the German spring offensive followed by the victorious Hundred Days Offensive.Farndale, Western Front, Annex M.

96th Siege Battery was disbanded in 1919.

121st Siege Battery, RGA

121st Siege Battery, RGA, was raised at Pembroke Dock on 22 March 1916 under Army Council Instruction 701 of 31 March 1916 with 3 officers and 78 other ranks from the Glamorgan RGA. It went out to the Western Front in July 1916, manning four 9.2-inch howitzers, and joined I ANZAC Corps in Fifth Army on 15 July in time for the Battle of Pozières. It was later engaged at Arras and Passchendaele.Army Council Instructions March 1916.

121st Siege Bty was joined by a section from 428th Siege Bty and expanded to six 9.2-inch howitzers by the end of 1917. The battery was caught up in the 'Great Retreat' of March 1918, but returned during the Hundred Days campaign, including supporting the assault crossing of the St Quentin Canal on 29 September and participating in the crushing artillery barrages of the victorious Hundred Days offensive.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 307–9; 318–20.

121st Siege Battery was disbanded in 1919.

172nd Siege Battery, RGA

172nd Siege Battery, RGA, was raised at Cardiff with three officers and 78 other ranks from the Glamorgan RGA under Army Council Instruction 1239 of 21 June 1916. It went out to the Western Front on 12 September 1916 equipped with four 6-inch 26 cwt Howitzers. It was engaged in the preparation for the Arras Offensive and at Passchendaele. 172nd Siege Bty was joined by a section from 415th Siege Bty on 26 August 1917, and brought up to a strength of six 6-inch howitzers.

In November 1917 the battery was part of the reinforcements sent to the Italian Front after the disastrous Battle of Caporetto. It went into action supporting the Italian army holding the line of the River Piave and in June 1918 supported the defences during the Second Battle of the Piave River.Falls, pp. 89–92, 131–2, 143, 157–67.Campbell, pp. 96–100.Shepard, in Campbell, p. 125.Thompson, pp. 328–30, 344–7.Kurt Peball, 'The Piave: Austria's last Throw', Purnell's History of the First World War, Vol 7, No 6, pp. 2833–8.Philip Warner, 'The Piave: Italian Counterattack', Purnell's History of the First World War, Vol 7, No 6, pp. 2839–47.

The British guns participated in the final battle on the Italian Front, the stunning success of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto on 23 October. By 1 November the Austrian army had collapsed and the pursuing British troops had left their heavy guns far in the rear.Campbell, pp. 101–4.Falls, pp. 169-77.Thompson, pp. 356–64.Franco Velsecchi, 'Vittorio Veneto', Purnell's History of the First World War, Vol 7, No 14, pp. 3064–71.

172nd Battery was disbanded by the end of March 1919.Campbell, pp. 106–19.

359th Siege Battery, RGA

359th Siege Battery formed at Lavernock Battery near Cardiff on 21 January 1917. It trained as a BL 12-inch railway howitzer battery and went out to the Western Front on 10 June 1917, joining 19th HAG with XV Corps on the Flanders coast. 10th HAG transferred to Fourth Army HQ on 1 August. The battery joined 76th HAG with Second Army in the Ypres Salient on 21 September, while Second Army was fighting the last stages of the Battle of Passchendaele. On 14 November the battery transferred to 80th HAG, but that headquarters was sent to the Italian Front, so the battery came under the command of other HAGs until January 1918, when it became 'Army Troops' and was no longer attached to a HAG.

Railway construction lagged during the rapid advances of the Hundred Days Offensive and the battery was left behind in the Salient. It was still serving with Second Army when the Armistice came into force in November 1918.

359th Siege Battery was disbanded in 1919.

402nd Siege Battery, RGA 402nd Siege Battery, RGA, was raised at Lavernock on 17 March 1917 from a nucleus provided by details of the Glamorganshire RGA. It went out to the Western Front on 30 July and joined First Army in August. The battery was then broken up, one section going to reinforce 17th Siege Bty, the other to 68th Siege Bty (itself formed by the Pembroke RGA).

Interwar