The Pembroke Royal Garrison Artillery was a part-time unit of the British Army that defended the coast of West Wales during both world wars. Although it never saw action in its coastal defence role, it manned a number of siege batteries of heavy howitzers for service on the Western Front and Italian Front in World War I.
Volunteer precursors The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle and Artillery Volunteer Corps (RVCs and AVCs) composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett. Two AVCs were formed in Pembrokeshire in West Wales:Beckett, Appendix VIII.Frederick, p. 668.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 146.Westlake, p. 198. 1st (Tenby) Pembrokeshire AVC, formed 6 January 1860, attached to 1st Administrative Battalion, Pembrokeshire RVCs, from September 1862; disbanded December 1870 2nd (Pembroke Dock) Pembrokeshire AVC formed 6 May 1864 from 2nd (Pembroke Dock) Pembrokeshire RVC with 2 Btys, attached to 1st Pembrokeshire RVC; redesignated 1st Pembrokeshire AVC ca July 1880; attached to the Pembroke Artillery Militia from 1881
The 1st Pembrokeshire formed part of the Welsh Division, Royal Artillery, from 1882, but was disbanded by November 1885, and there were no other Volunteer artillery units in Pembrokeshire until 1910.
Territorial Force In 1910, the Glamorgan and Pembroke Royal Garrison Artillery, which had been reorganised in the new Territorial Force (TF) two years earlier, was broken up into separate Glamorganshire and Pembrokeshire units. The resulting Pembroke Royal Garrison Artillery had the following organisation:London Gazette, 14 October 1910.Frederick, p. 698.Litchfield, p. 204.Litchfield, p. 81.Maurice-Jones, p. 166.Conrad 1914. Headquarters at the Drill Hall, Charles Street, Milford HavenMilford Haven at Drill Hall Project. No 1 Company at Milford Haven No 2 Company at Wogan Terrace, Saundersfoot, with a drill station at TenbyPembrokeshire at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. No 3 Company at Heol Emrys, FishguardFishguard at Drill Hall Project.
It was designated as a Defended Ports unit in Western Coast Defences, which was based at Pembroke Dock and included the Regulars of Nos 44 and 57 Companies, Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA).Monthly Army List August 1914.Lawes. Together, these units were responsible for manning the following guns defending the anchorage at Milford Haven:Maurice-Jones, p. 187. 4 × 9.2-inch 6 × 6-inch 8 × 12-pounder Quick-Firer
World War I Mobilisation The Pembroke RGA mobilised in August 1914 in Western Coast Defences under the command of Major T.W. Price of No 1 Company. On 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 complete new units for front line service, thus the siege batteries formed in late 1915–early 1916 were a mixture of Regular and TF gunners from the RGA coast establishments with new recruits.Sir John Eldridge's account in MacDonald, Pro Patria, p. 162. Three of the siege batteries formed at Pembroke Dock in 1915–16 had cadres provided by the Pembroke RGA (68th, 114th and 171st), two others by the Glamorgan RGA (96th and 121st), while a number of others (88th, 113th, 137th, 146th, 160th, 188th, 203rd, 219th, 250th, 262nd, 292nd and 306th) may have included trained men from the Pembroke and/or Glamorgan RGAs among the regulars and recruits, although the War Office or Army Council Instructions did not specifically order this.Army Council Instructions, 1915–1916.
68th Siege Battery, RGA
68th Siege Battery was formed under War Office Instruction 144 of 9 October 1915 from one company of the Pembroke RGA (TF) with equal numbers of men from the Regular RGA.War Office Instructions for October 1915.Frederick, p. 702.MacDonald, Pro Patria, pp. 188–9. The battery left the UK on 31 March 1916 and landed at Le Havre on 1 April to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). It took over four obsolescent 6-inch 30 cwt howitzers from 28th Siege Bty and joined VI Corps' Heavy Artillery.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.
Gommecourt In June the battery moved to join VII Corps, which was preparing for the Attack on the Gommecourt Salient in the forthcoming 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme). Its main role was to bombard German trenches and strongpoints facing 56th (1/1st London) Division's attack frontage. However, the bombardment was unsatisfactory because of ammunition shortage and the bad weather that hindered observation.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 92–8.Becke, Pt 4, p. 177.MacDonald, Pro Patria, pp. 161, 181, 198–9; Appendix 1.MacDonald, Lack of Offensive Sprit, pp. 106, 219–21, 225–6, 243–4, 248–9, 254–6, 262.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, p. 460.
On Z Day (1 July), the entire artillery supporting the 56th Division fired a 65-minute bombardment of the German front, then lifted onto their pre-arranged targets in the German support and reserve lines as the infantry got out of their forward trenches and advanced towards Gommecourt. However, the German guns laid a Barrage across No man's land preventing supplies and reinforcements from reaching the leading infantry waves who had entered the German trenches. Also, 68th Siege Bty was ordered to change targets to support the 46th (North Midland) Division's failing attack on the other side of the salient. By mid-afternoon the 56th Division's slight gains were being eroded and had to be abandoned after dark.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 462–4, 471–3.MacDonald, Lack of Offensive Spirit, pp. 423–4.MacDonald, Pro Patria Mori, pp. 528–30.Ward, pp. 37–44.
VII Corps' costly attack was only a diversion from the main BEF attack further south, and was not renewed after the first day. 68th Siege Bty was transferred to Fourth Army, which continued the offensive throughout the summer and autumn. On 13 September the battery was rearmed with four modern Vickers-built 6-inch 26 cwt howitzers.
1917–18 It was the policy to switch heavy batteries around as the situation demanded. In late 1916 and early 1917 68th Siege Bty made frequent switches, all in relatively quiet sectors. On 6 August 1917 the battery was joined by a section from the newly-arrived 402nd Siege Bty, and was made up to a strength of six howitzers. The battery then moved to Second Army, in time for the final days of the Battle of Passchendaele. Second Army HQ was sent to the Italian Front shortly afterwards, and the battery moved to join Third Army. Third Army was partially involved in defending against the German spring offensive in 1918, then the battery transferred to Fourth Army, which played a leading role on the Allied Hundred Days Offensive from 8 August. By early October Fourth Army had reached the River Selle. 68th Siege Bty was assigned to the massive fireplan for the Battle of the Selle on 17 October, when the 50th (Northumbrian) and 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Divisions made an assault crossing of the river, with German counter-attacks broken by the guns. The BEF then closed up for the final set-piece engagement, the Battle of the Sambre. 68th Siege Bty was with Fifth Army by the time of the Armistice with Germany. It was disbanded in 1919.'Allocation of HA Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.Blaxland, pp. 251–2.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, pp. 295–8, 308–15, 318, 325.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 307–9; Annex M.
114th Siege Battery, RGA
114th Siege Battery was formed at Pembroke Dock on 3 March 1916 under Army Council Instruction 535 of 8 March, which laid down that it was to follow the establishment for 'New Army' (Kitchener's Army) units, with a cadre of three officers and 78 men (the wartime establishment of an RGA Company of the TF) from the Pembroke RGA.Army Council Instructions for March 1916.Frederick, p. 703. It went out to the Western Front on 14 June 1916 equipped with four modern 6-inch 26 cwt Howitzers and joined 32nd HAG with Reserve Army (later Fifth Army).
The battery moved to 31st HAG with Third Army on 8 July and then to 28th HAG with First Army on 31 July. 28th HAG joined Fourth Army on 10 September for the Battle of Flers-Courcelette (15–22 September). By now massive quantities of artillery were employed for each phase of the continuing offensive as Fourth Army attacked again and again through the autumn. The battery was withdrawn from the line for rest, training etc. from 27 December to 20 January 1917.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 149–56.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 102–9.
Vimy The battery moved to 44th (South African) HAG with First Army on 22 March 1917. The group supported the Canadian Corps at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on 9 April. The artillery plan for the heavy guns emphasised counter-battery (CB) fire. At Zero hour, while the field guns laid down a Creeping barrage to protect the advancing infantry, the heavy howitzers fired further ahead to hit the rear areas on the reverse slope of the ridge, especially known gun positions. The attack went in on 9 April with the Canadian Corps successfully capturing Vimy Ridge. Fighting in the southern sector (the Battle of Arras) continued into May.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 164–6, 174–6, Map 23.Cave, pp. 119–27, Map p. 121.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 74–8.
After a number of transfers 114th Siege Bty joined 88th HAG with II Corps of Fifth Army in the Ypres Salient, during the Battle of Pilckem Ridge) that launched the Third Ypres Offensive. Just before the battle, on 28 July, a section from the newly-arrived 376th Siege Bty joined, bringing 114th Siege Bty up to a strength of six howitzers.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 114–20.