The City of Bristol Rifles was a Volunteer unit of the British Army from 1859 to 1955. It became a battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment and fought in France, Flanders and Italy in World War I. As a searchlight unit in World War II it defended the West Country against air raids before moving to the East Coast late in the war. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army (TA) as a heavy anti-aircraft artillery regiment until amalgamated with other Gloucestershire units in 1955.
Precursor units The City of Bristol was one of several English localities that organised an 'armed association' of volunteers for home defence during the Jacobite Rising of 1745, supplementing the professionals of the Regular Army and the embodied Militia.Beckett, Amateur Military Tradition, p. 58. The French Revolutionary War saw the passing of the Volunteer Act, 1794, which encouraged the enlistment of part-time local Volunteer corps under the authority of the county Lords-lieutenant.Fortescue, Vol IV, Pt I, pp. 217–8. A large number of these were formed in Gloucestershire, including the Bristol Volunteer Infantry, officially formed on 23 March 1797 and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Evan Baillie, a Bristol merchant who had served as a junior officer in the West Indies during the Seven Years' War.Brig H. Bullock, 'Gloucestershire Volunteers, 1795–1815', Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol 38, No 154 (June 1960), pp. 76–82. The unit had begun to form on 17 February 1797, but even before being officially accepted its first duty was to guard the French prisoners of war confined at Stapleton Prison after the Militia regiments stationed in the city were sent to deal with the French landing in Pembrokeshire on 22 February 1797 (the Battle of Fishguard). By January 1798 the unit was of battalion strength, with 1000 men enrolled, and an adjutant and permanent staff of Sergeants and drummers. Volunteer units could be called out 'in aid of the civil power': the Bristol Volunteers were on duty during the Bristol food riots of April 1801.The Times (London), 13 April 1801. Service in the Volunteers conferred immunity from conscription into the Militia. Volunteers also received pay while on service: a national shortage of bronze coinage meant that the Bristol Volunteers, like some other units, minted their own tokens.Fortescue, Vol IV, Pt II, pp. 892–3.G.O. Rickword, 'Military Tokens', Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol 19, No 73 (Spring 1940), pp. 50–3.
The Volunteers were disbanded at the Peace of Amiens in 1802, but when the peace broke down the following year and there was a renewed threat of invasion, units were rapidly formed or reformed.Fortescue, Vol V, pp. 202-13. The Bristol unit reformed on 25 October 1803 as the Royal Bristol Volunteers (though no authorisation can be found for the assumption of the 'Royal' title, which it shared with the Royal Bristol Artillery Volunteers). It was once again commanded by Lt-Col Baillie (now MP for Bristol),Baillie at History of Parliament. and had the Mayor of Bristol as its Honorary Colonel. With muskets in short supply, Lt-Col Baillie improvised by buying up all the mop-sticks in the city and having iron spikes mounted on them. The keen Bristol volunteers adopted the motto, 'In Danger, Ready'.Col R.M. Grazebrook, 'Royal Bristol Volunteers, 1803–14', Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol 37, No 150 (June 1959), p. 93.Daniell, pp. 85–6.
The affluent Bristol suburb of Clifton had its own corps, the Clifton Volunteer Infantry, which merged with that at Westbury-on-Trym in March 1804 to form the Loyal United Westbury and Clifton Volunteer Infantry under the command of Lt-Col T. Coke, formerly of the Honourable East India Company's 15th Madras Native Infantry. Clifton was also the headquarters (HQ) of the Somerset Riflemen, raised and maintained at his own expense by Captain Sir John Jervis White Jervis, 1st Baronet, who lived in the area.
Rifle Volunteers The old Volunteers were disbanded at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, but popular enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following a new invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many new Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs).Beckett, Riflemen Form. One such unit was the City of Bristol Rifles formed under the command of Lt-Col Robert Bush, formerly a Major in the 96th Regiment of Foot, who was commissioned on 13 September 1859. By June 1860 the 1st Gloucestershire RVC comprised 10 companies. It was permitted to include 'City of Bristol' as part of its official title, with the Mayor of Bristol as its Honorary Colonel, and it adopted the motto of the old Royal Bristol Volunteers, 'In Danger, Ready'.Beckett, Riflemen Form, Appendix VII.Frederick, pp. 100–1.Westlake, p. 97.Daniell, pp. 188–9.Army List, various dates. Bush was succeeded as commanding officer (CO) on 23 January 1866 by Brevet Colonel Philpotts Wright Taylor, formerly of the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment, who held the position until the 1880s.
Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Volunteers were grouped into county brigades with their local Regular and Militia battalions – Brigade No 37 (Gloucestershire) in Western District for the Bristol Battalion.Spiers, pp. 195–6. The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, and the Volunteers were formally affiliated to their local Regular regiment, in Bristol's case the Gloucestershire Regiment ('Glosters'), and on 1 May 1883 the battalion changed its title to 1st (City of Bristol) Volunteer Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment.Daniell, pp. 191–2. When a comprehensive mobilisation scheme for the Volunteers was established after the Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888, the 1st VB of the Gloucesters was assigned to the Severn Brigade, charged with defending the ports of the Severn Estuary, changing to the Gloucester and Somerset Brigade in 1901–2. The Volunteer Infantry Brigades were reorganised in 1906–07, when all the Gloucester Regiment VBs were assigned for training to the Portland Brigade, defending the Royal Navy's base at Portland Harbour.
A detachment of volunteers from the battalion served with the Regular 2nd Bn in the Second Boer War, winning the unit its first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–1902.Daniell, p. 202.Leslie. The Bristol Grammar School Cadet Corps was affiliated to the battalion in 1900 and an eleventh company was authorised in 1902.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the Territorial Force under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the battalion became the 4th (City of Bristol) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment.Daniell, pp. 204–5.Grist, p. 48. It formed part of the Gloucester and Worcester Brigade in the TF's South Midland Division.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 77–83.48 (SM) Div at Long, Long Trail Battalion HQ was at Queen's Road, Clifton, next to Bristol Museum, together with all the companies except F Company, which had a drill station in the parish of St George's Bristol.Bristol at Drill Hall Project.Conrad 1914.
World War I Mobilisation On the outbreak of war in August 1914 the units of the South Midland Division had just set out for annual training when orders recalled them to their home depots for mobilisation. The Gloucester & Worcester Brigade travelled to Minehead on 2 August, but in view of the international situation the 4th Gloucesters returned to Bristol next day and the men were dismissed to their homes to await orders for mobilisation, which were issued on 4 August. The South Midland Division began concentrating at Swindon in Wiltshire, shortly afterwards moving to Essex as part of Central Force. 4th Gloucesters sent two companies to guard the petrol depots at Avonmouth Docks until the end of the month, while remainder were billeted in villages outside Chelmsford.Gloucesters at Long, Long Trail.Grist, pp. 49–50.James, p. 72.Wyrall, pp. 59–60.
On the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form them 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 battalions, brigades and divisions were created from the recruits who were flooding in. Later they were mobilised for overseas service in their own right and a 3rd Line created.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.Daniell, Appendix I.
1/4th (City of Bristol) Battalion
The South Midland Division underwent progressive training in Essex, and on 13 March 1915 received orders to embark to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. The Gloucester and Worcester Brigade crossed from Folkestone to Boulogne, and by 3 April the whole division had concentrated near Cassel. After final training the battalion went into the line near Ploegsteert ('Plugstreet'). On 12 May 1915 the division was designated 48th (South Midland) Division and the brigade became 144th (Gloucester and Worcester) Brigade.Daniell, p. 211.Wyrall, pp. 128–32.
Somme
The battalion served in the trenches for 16 months Wyrall, pp. 137, 145–6. before it participated in its first major battle, during the Somme offensive. On the First day on the Somme (1 July) the battalion was in bivouacs south of Sailly-le-Sec and did not participate in the division's actions, though it marched up to Mailly-Maillet in reserve. The division later took over the line west of Serre-lès-Puisieux, and 1/4th relieved 1/6th Bn in the front line on the evening of 8/9 July the trenches still in a bad state after the fighting on 1 July. The battalion was relieved on 12 July and bivouacked at Bouzincourt.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 426–7.Wyrall, pp. 151–2.
On the night of 15 July 1/4th Gloucesters went back into the line in front of Ovillers-la-Boisselle and at 16.00 on 16 July was ordered to attack the German lines as part of the Battle of Bazentin Ridge – the battalion's first major attack of the war. The area to be attacked was invisible to the leading companies and to the artillery observers, so it was not until reconnaissance of the German barbed wire had been carried out that Zero hour was set. Meanwhile, the companies assembled at 22.00 for a night attack. D Company formed up in an assembly trench in front of the British line and B Company gathered in the communication trench leading to it. At 23.30 the patrol returned, reporting that the German line was strongly held but the wire was very much cut up. Zero was set for 02.00 on 17 July, preceded by a short (10 minute) bombardment. The attack went well and the German positions were captured, but the attackers could not make contact with 7th Bn Worcestershire Regiment on the right. By daybreak the two companies were being attacked from both flanks, but C Company was ordered to 'bomb' its way along the German frontline trench to fill the gap to 7th Worcesters. When bombs began to run short, the Gloucesters used captured German ones. 1/4th Gloucesters had consolidated the captured trenches by midday. The three attacking companies had each lost about 80 men, but after fighting off violent counter-attacks the battalion went 'over the top' again at 17.00 on 18 July, A Company advancing up the old German front trenches and C Company advancing in parallel up the old German second line. By 20.00 they had successfully captured the northern end of Ovillers. A further attack was ordered for 01.30 on 19 July, but the advance was held up by machine gun fire and the Germans having set alight their abandoned dugouts. In three days' fighting the battalion lost 275 all ranks.Daniell, p. 224.Grist, p. 137.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 101, 115.Wyrall, pp. 155–8.