The Cumberland Artillery was a group of Volunteer artillery batteries formed in the county of Cumberland, England, in 1860. They became part of the Royal Garrison Artillery, and when the Territorial Force was created in 1908 they formed a Royal Field Artillery howitzer brigade for the East Lancashire Division. In World War I the brigade served at Gallipoli and in Egypt, then was broken up amongst the divisional artillery: its batteries fought on the Western Front for the rest of the war. In the 1920s the Cumberland Artillery batteries combined with the Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry to form a new field regiment of the Royal Artillery that saw considerable action in World War II.
Volunteer Force The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle and Artillery Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 1–4.Spiers, pp. 163–8. Five Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) were quickly formed in Cumberland:Beckett, Appendix VIII.Frederick, pp. 653–4.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 51.Cumberland Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.Saunders, pp. 4–7. 1st (Whitehaven) Cumberland AVC formed on 7 May 1860 2nd (Carlisle) Cumberland AVC formed on 15 February 1860, second battery formed April 1860 3rd (Maryport) Cumberland AVC formed on 28 April 1860 4th (Workington) Cumberland AVC formed on 5 March 1860, disbanded January 1866 5th (Harrington) Cumberland AVC formed as a section on 11 May 1860, disbanded May 1876
In the absence of support from the War Office, the corps selected their own uniforms and elected their officers. From 10 July 1860 these independent corps were attached to the 1st Administrative Brigade, Cumberland Artillery Volunteers, based at Carlisle under the command of Major Thomas Salkeld, a former lieutenant in the 11th Hussars. The 1st Cumberland Engineer Volunteer Corps at Cockermouth, formed on 17 September 1861, was also attached to the administrative brigade from August 1862 until its disbandment in May 1864.Beckett, Appendix IX.Westlake, p. 5.Army List, various dates.
The 4th and 5th AVCs established an armoury at the old chapel on the coast known as Howe Michael and practised with two 6-pounder field guns brought from Whitehaven Castle and later with two 32-pounder smoothbore guns. In 1865 the 2nd AVC received two 9-pounder rifled muzzle-loading (RML) field guns, which were kept at Carlisle Castle and trained with them as a horse-drawn battery until 1871. Some AVCs around the country later established semi-mobile 'position batteries' of 40-pounders to operate alongside the volunteer infantry brigades, but the Cumberland Artillery was refused these, and continued as garrison artillery, training on coastal defence guns. Later, when the corps was offered 40-pdrs, and afterwards a four-gun battery of RML 16-pounders in 1889. it turned them down.Saunders, pp. 8, 12.Beckett, p. 178.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 6.
On 15 May 1880 the admin brigade was consolidated as the 1st Cumberland Artillery Volunteers with four batteries, later augmented to seven:Saunders, pp. 10–1. Headquarters (HQ) at Carlisle No 1 Battery at Whitehaven from 1st AVC No 2 Battery at Carlisle from 2nd AVC No 3 Battery at Maryport from 3rd AVC No 4 Battery at Carlisle from 2nd AVC No 5 Battery at Workington formed on 26 May 1883 No 6 Battery at Silloth formed on 3 May 1884 No 7 Battery at Workington formed on 23 June 1886
The increase in companies entitled the corps to a lieutenant-colonel in command from 1884. The new battery at Silloth had two 64-pounder guns in the Proof Works of Armstrong Mitchell's engineering works.
The last smoothbore guns were withdrawn from the practice batteries at Whitehaven and Maryport in 1891 and replaced with RML 64-pounders. In 1893 the corps received its first breechloading gun, an RBL 40-pounder at Carlisle. In 1897–8 the corps introduced an ambulance detachment and a signal section. During the Second Boer War over 200 officers and men of the corps volunteered for active service, and over 60 more for home service. These offers were not accepted, but 18 members of the Cumberland Artillery did serve in South Africa in the Regulars, the Imperial Yeomanry or colonial units.Saunders, pp. 13–6.
The 1st Cumberland was included in the Northern Division of the Royal Artillery (RA) from 1 April 1882, transferring to the Southern Division when the Northern Division was abolished on 1 July 1889. On 1 June 1899 all the Volunteer artillery units became part of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and with the abolition of the RA's divisional organisation on 1 January 1902, the unit became the 1st Cumberland RGA (Volunteers). In 1901 the corps opened the first drill hall that it owned outright, at Edkin Street, Workington.Saunders, p. 17.Workington at Drill Hall Project. Its HQ was at Artillery Hall, Albert Street, Carlisle.Carlisle at Drill Hall Project.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Beckett, pp. 247–53.Spiers, Chapter 10. the 1st Cumberland RGA (V) became the IV (or 4th) East Lancashire (Howitzer) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery and it gained the subtitle The Cumberland Artillery the following year.Frederick, 677.Litchfield, p. 36.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 35–41.
Brigade HQ at Edkin Street Drill Hall, Workington 1st Cumberland Battery (Howitzer) at Carlisle 2nd Cumberland Battery (Howitzer) at Workington 4th East Lancashire Ammunition Column at Workington, Right Section at 51 Curzon Street, MaryportMaryport at Drill Hall Project.
The brigade formed part of the divisional artillery for the TF's East Lancashire Division. Before World War I broke out, the brigade was equipped with four 5-inch howitzers to each battery, and commanded by Lt-Col J.H. Dudgeon, VD.42nd (EL) Division at Long, Long Trail.
World War I Mobilisation Units of the East Lancashire Division had been on their annual training when war came: on 3 August they were recalled to their drill halls and at 17.30 next day the order to mobilise was received. The men were billeted within reach of their drill halls while the mobilisation process went on.Gibbon, p. 4.
On 10 August, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. The infantry brigades of the East Lancashire Division volunteered by 12 August and soon 90 per cent of the division had signed up. On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had opted 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 and would absorb the flood of volunteers coming forwards. In this way duplicate batteries, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.WO Instructions Nos 108 & 310 of August 1914.Gibbon, p. 5.
1/IV East Lancashire Brigade, RFA On 20 August the East Lancashire Division moved into camps around Bolton, Bury and Rochdale, and on 5 September it received orders to go to Egypt to complete its training and relieve Regular units from the garrison for service on the Western Front. It embarked on a convoy of troopships from Southampton on 10 September, and landed at Alexandria on 25 September, the first TF division to go overseas. However, only two brigades of its divisional artillery accompanied it, and 1/IV East Lancs was one of those left behind.Gibbon, pp. 6–7.MacMunn & Falls, p. 14. On 10 October the brigade moved, with its 2nd Line recruits, to Crownhill Fort, Devon, and then on 17 November it went to Newcastle upon Tyne to continue its training.Becke Pt 2b, pp. 67–74.
1/IV East Lancs Bde did not reach Alexandria until 14 June 1915, by which time the rest of the East Lancashire Division (now designated 42nd (East Lancashire) Division) had been landed at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli Peninsula and taken part in the Second and Third Battles of Krithia. From Alexandria the brigade (without its ammunition column) landed at Helles between 9 and 11 August 1915 where the division had just fought the bloody Battle of Krithia Vineyard.Aspinall-Oglander, pp. 175–6.Gibbon, p. 42. After a short period in reserve, 42nd (EL) Division then spent the following months engaged in Trench warfare, suffering from sickness, and then from bad weather as winter set in.Aspinall-Oglander, p. 177.Gibbon, pp. 46–58.
Between 27 and 31 December the exhausted infantry of 42nd (EL) Division were evacuated from Helles to Mudros, but the divisional artillery stayed behind, supporting 13th (Western) Division. The last Turkish attack at Helles was beaten off on 7 January 1916, but a full evacuation was already under way. As 13th (W) Division's modern guns were withdrawn, they were replaced with the old ones of 42nd (EL) Division, so that fire was maintained without obvious slackening. Finally, those old guns that could not be got away were destroyed, and 13th (W) Division was evacuated to Mudros on the night of 8/9 January.Becke, Pt 3a, p. 42.Aspinall-Oglander, pp. 466, 472–8.Gibbon, pp. 59–62.
CCXIII Brigade, RFA
42nd (EL) Division was then sent from Mudros back to Egypt, the bulk of the RFA embarking on 14 January in a storm. The division concentrated at Mena Camp on 22 January before moving into southern sector of the Suez Canal defences. Once back in Egypt 1/IV East Lancs Bde was reunited with its ammunition column.Gibbon, pp. 63–4.MacMunn & Falls, p. 156. On 31 May 1916 1/IV East Lancs Bde was numbered CCXIII (213) Brigade, RFA, and the howitzer batteries designated A (H) and B (H). In the summer they were rearmed with modern 4.5-inch howitzers.Frederick, p. 689.Gibbon, pp. 69–70.
The canal defences were situated east of the waterway, with a string of self-contained posts, each garrisoned by an infantry battalion and an artillery battery. The division did out much of the construction and trained in the desert, the gunners carrying out field firing with their new guns. The gun wheels were fitted with 'ped-rails' to assist movement across soft sand, for which 12 rather than 6 horses were harnessed to gun-carriages and limbers. In late July the division was ordered north, where a Turkish column was advancing on the defences. This column was defeated at the Battle of Romani near Pelusium on 4–5 August, after which 42nd (EL) Division set off in pursuit. The men and horses suffered badly from lack of water, but the Turks lost heavily. The division then returned to the Romani and Pelusium area by 15 August, with the bulk of the artillery and ammunition columns at Kantara and Ballah.Gibbon, pp. 65–78.MacMunn & Falls, pp. 179–201.
The policy now was to distribute the howitzer batteries among the field gun brigades of divisional artillery. CCXIII Brigade was thus broken up on 26 December 1916: A Bty became C (H) (later D (H)) Bty of CCXI (1/II East Lancashire) Bde and B Bty became C (H) (later D (H)) Bty of CCX (1/I East Lancashire) Bde.
In January 1917 42nd (EL) Division was ordered to the Western Front and it embarked in February.Gibbon, pp. 84–5.MacMunn & Falls, pp. 272–3. The two Cumberland batteries fought with their new brigades in 42nd (EL) Division for the rest of the war on the Western Front, including the operations on the Flanders coast in 1917, the defence against the German Spring Offensive in March 1918, and the Allies' final Hundred Days Offensive.Gibbon, passim.
2/IV East Lancashire Brigade, RFA