The Clyde Royal Garrison Artillery and its successors were Scottish part-time coast defence units of the British Army from 1910 to 1967. Although they unit saw no active service, they supplied trained gunners to siege batteries engaged on the Western Front during World War I.
Origin When the Territorial Force (TF) was created from the old Volunteer Force under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, a new 'defended ports' unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) of eight companies was formed from the Dunbartonshire companies of the 1st Renfrew and Dumbarton RGA (Volunteers), part of the 1st Argyll and Bute RGA (Volunteers), and personnel from the 1st Edinburgh City RGA (Volunteers). The new unit was named the Forth & Clyde RGA, but in 1910 it was split up, the Clyde elements being detached as an independent unit while the remainder became the Forth RGA with its headquarters (HQ) at Edinburgh.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 24, 147.Litchfield, p. 307.Litchfield, p. 298.
The Clyde RGA had the following organisation:Army List, various dates.Frederick, p. 696.Maurice-Jones, p. 166.Maurice-Jones, pp. 187–8. HQ at 2 King Street, Port Glasgow No 1 Company at Port Glasgow No 2 Company at HelensburghHelensburgh at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. No 3 Company at Dumbarton
In 1914, the Clyde defences included four 6-inch guns and four 4.7-inch guns.
World War I Mobilisation On the outbreak of war, the Clyde RGA mobilised in Scottish Coast Defences under the command of Major J. Rogerson, TD, while No 1 Company was commanded by Captain James Lithgow of the Port Glasgow shipbuilding firm Lithgows, who had been commissioned into the Renfrew and Dumbarton RGA in 1902.Burke's.Who was Who. Shortly afterwards 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 companies and batteries were created, releasing the 1st Line units to be 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 left the UK, they did supply drafts of trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas. They also provided cadres as the basis on which to form complete new units for front line service. The cadre of the 110th Siege Battery formed in 1916 was provided by the Clyde RGA, while a number of other siege batteries formed later in the Clyde Defences (150th, 191st, 221st, 278th, 286th) may have included trained men from the unit among the recruits, although the Army Council Instructions did not specifically order this.Army Council Instructions, 1915–1916.
Under Army Council Instruction 686 of April 1917, the coastal defence companies of the RGA (TF) were reorganised. The Clyde RGA serving in the Clyde garrison was reduced from five companies (1/2nd, 1/3rd, 2/1st, 2/2nd and 2/3rd) to just three (numbered 1–3), which were to be kept up to strength with Regular recruits.Army Council Instructions April 1917. Later, they were absorbed into No 23 Coastal Fire Command at Gourock. In April 1918, the Clyde Garrison comprised the following administrative batteries under the control of No 23 Fire Command:Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, Annexes 4 and 7.Frederick, p. 647. Cloch Point Battery – 2 × 6-inch Mk VII guns Ardhallow Battery – 2 × 6-inch Mk VII Porthill Battery – 2 × 4.7-inch QF guns Ardeer (Nobel's Explosive Factory) Battery 1 – 1 × 6-inch QF gun Battery 2 – 2 × 12-pdr QF guns These defences never saw action during the war.
110th Siege Battery, RGA
110th Siege Battery was formed at Sheerness under Army Council Instruction 397 of 21 February 1916 from a cadre of three officers and 93 other ranks supplied by the Clyde RGA (almost certainly 1/1st Company),ACIs February 1916.Frederick, pp. 702–4. together with men drawn from the Thames and Medway Defences.110th Siege Bty War Diary, Feb 1916–Dec 1917, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/471/2. The personnel of the battery went out to the Western Front in May 1916 where they took over four old French 220mm 'Mortiers' – 1880 model heavy mortars employed as siege artillery. By the end of July the old mortars were worn out, and the battery spent August without guns, providing fatigue parties before it was armed with four modern 6-inch howitzers.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', TNA file WO 95/5494/4.
Somme
On 12 July, the battery joined in the Somme Offensive. By now, massive quantities of artillery were employed for each phase of the continuing offensive as Fourth Army attacked again and again:Farndale, Western Front, pp. 150–6.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 102–9. Battle of Flers-Courcelette (15–22 September) Battle of Morval (25–28 September) Battle of Le Transloy (1–18 October) Battle of the Ancre Heights (3–11 November) Battle of the Ancre (13–18 November)
Fourth Army's front remained relatively quiet during early 1917, then in the Spring it was involved in following the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich), which entailed much work for the siege gunners in moving their guns over the devastated Somme battlefields to get back into range of the enemy. For most of 1917, the battery was in quiet sectors of the front. On 22 September 1917, 110th Siege Bty was joined by a section from the newly arrived 441st Siege Bty and was made up to a strength of six howitzers.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.
Cambrai In November, the battery was assigned to 21st Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) with Third Army, which was preparing for its surprise attack with tanks at the Battle of Cambrai. There was to be no preliminary bombardment or registration, and the guns were to open fire at Zero hour firing 'off the map' at carefully surveyed targets.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 216–21, Map 32.Miles, 1917, Vol III, pp. 26, 29.
When the battle began with a crash of artillery at 06.20 on 20 November, the German defenders were stunned, and the massed tanks completed their overcome. In most areas, the attack was an outstanding success. Exploitation over succeeding days was less spectacular, though some bombardments were set up to help the infantry take certain villages.Cooper, pp. 85–8.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 221–30.
On 30 November, the Germans put in a heavy counter-attack against the weakened and ill-organised troops in the captured positions, which they quickly overran. 110th Siege Bty with its six 6-inch howitzers was at Sonnet Farm in front of La Vacquerie, alongside 108th Siege Bty (formed by the Forth RGA at the same time as 110th). They suffered badly from the German barrage, but 110th managed to get two howitzers into action, firing until Germans reached the rest of Gonnelieu Ridge. The gunners then removed the dial sights before abandoning their howitzers and joining 60th Infantry Brigade with their rifles. Here, the German advance was halted and the battery withdrawn for refitting.Cooper, pp. 178–80, 194–7.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 249–50, 257, Map 33.Miles, 1917, Vol III, p. 197.
After Cambrai, 110th Siege Bty joined 27th HAG with Fifth Army on 21 December. By now, HAG allocations were becoming more fixed, and on 1 February 1918 they were converted into permanent RGA brigades. 27th Brigade was defined as a Mixed Brigade, with guns and howitzers of several sizes. 110th Siege Bty remained with this brigade until the Armistice.Farndale, Western Front, Annex E.Farndale, Western Front, Annex M.
Spring Offensive
Fifth Army was attacked on 21 March 1918, the first day of the German spring offensive. Artillery Observation Posts (OPs) were blinded by early morning mist and many were overrun along with the infantry in the forward zone. Much of the field artillery was lost, caught up in short-range fighting in the main battle zone, as were a number of RGA units either caught in the fighting or forced to abandon their guns as the Germans advanced rapidly. Others struggled to get their guns back during the 'Great Retreat'.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 259–79. Fourth Army HQ took over all of Fifth Army's formations and units on 2 April, and the first phase of the German offensive was halted on 4 April. Further attacks came on other parts of the front, but none broke through completely.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 114–20. 27th Brigade RGA officially joined Fourth Army on 1 May 1918 and remained with it until the Armistice.
Hundred Days In late July, Fourth Army began secretly massing its artillery for the Battle of Amiens, which launched the Allied Hundred Days Offensive on 8 August. Four hundred rounds of ammunition per howitzer, much of it gas shell, were dumped near the gun positions, which were occupied by night. The guns remained silent, with no prior registration, relying on 'firing by the map' at Zero hour. The main targets were enemy gun positions, which were swamped with gas. As the tanks and infantry advanced, 6-inch howitzer sections began moving up behind them. The attack was a brilliant success.Edmonds, 1918, Vol IV, pp. 22–3.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 287–90.
Fourth Army launched a series of attacks over succeeding weeks (the Second Battle of the Somme). By the Battle of Cambrai on 8 October, it was becoming difficult for the heavy howitzers to keep up with the advance.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 196–7. For the assault crossing of the River Selle on 17 October a massive fireplan was prepared, with the heavy batteries right forward so that they could reach the German line of retreat across the River Sambre.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 295–9, 308–15.Farndale, Western Front, p. 307. Fourth Army pushed on again on 23 October. There was no preliminary bombardment: instead the 6-inch howitzers formed the front part of the Creeping barrage but distributed unevenly to deal with specific sunken roads, fortified farms, strongpoints, etc.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 352–9. By now, the offensive had turned into a pursuit, and many of the heavy batteries had to be left behind. Fighting was ended on 11 November by the Armistice with Germany.
Demobilisation began early in 1919, and 110th Siege Battery was disbanded by the middle of the year.
Interwar With postwar demobilisation, the Clyde RGA was placed in suspended animation during 1919. When the TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920, the unit was reformed with one battery from No 1 Company and one from Nos 2 and 3, under the command of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel James Lithgow. When the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921, it was renamed the Clyde Coast Brigade, RGA, with 171 and 172 Batteries. When the RGA was subsumed into the Royal Artillery in 1924, the unit became the Clyde Heavy Brigade, RA. The Clyde unit had its HQ and 171st Heavy Bty at 2 King Street, Port Glasgow, and 172 Hvy Bty at the Drill Hall, Helensburgh, forming part of the coast defence troops in 52nd (Lowland) Divisional Area.Frederick, p. 613.Frederick, p. 601.Maurice-Jones, p. 206.Titles and Designations 1927.