The Manchester Artillery is a Volunteer unit of the British Army first raised in the City of Manchester in 1860, whose successors continue to serve in the Army Reserve today. It became a brigade of the Royal Field Artillery in the Territorial Force in 1908, and in World War I it served in Egypt in 1915–17 before being broken up. Its second line unit went to the Western Front in 1917, seeing action at Ypres, against the German Spring Offensive, and leading the pursuit in the Allies' victorious Hundred Days Offensive. Just before World War II the Manchester Artillery again formed a duplicate. While the parent regiment served in the Battle of France including the Dunkirk evacuation, and later in the Middle East and the Italian campaign, its duplicate fought in Normandy and North West Europe. Both regiments were reformed postwar, but after a number of amalgamations they and several other Manchester-based units were reduced into 209 (Manchester Artillery) Battery in the present-day Army Reserve.
Volunteer Force The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–8. A large number of independent Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) were formed across Lancashire, including the 19th (Manchester) AVC, formed as a subdivision in Manchester on 17 August 1860, becoming a full battery by the following month. It formed a 2nd Battery on 14 December 1860, a 3rd and 4th on 22 January 1861, and the 5th and 6th on 6 May 1863, when John Isaac Mawson (director of the Lancashire Steel CompanyIsaac Mawson at Grace's Guide. and designer of Blackpool's Central PierHistory of Central Pier.) was commissioned as lieutenant-colonel in command. While many smaller AVCs were grouped into administrative brigades, the 19th Lancashire was large enough to stand on its own, and the single-battery 15th (Garston and Hale) Lancashire AVC (formed at Garston, Liverpool on 2 April 1860) was attached to it between 1863 and 1867. The 1st (Manchester) Lancashire Light Horse Volunteers (formed on 22 March 1860 as the 1st Lancashire (Manchester) Mounted Rifle Volunteers) was also attached to the 19th AVC from 1871 until its disbandment in 1873.Beckett, Appendices VIII & X.Frederick, p. 664.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 107–13.Lancashire Record Office, Handlist 72.Army List, various dates.
On 4 February 1870 Lt-Col Mawson became the unit's Honorary Colonel and Major Thomas Sowler (a newspaper proprietor who had first joined the 19th AVC as a gunner) was promoted to lt-col to succeed him as commanding officer (CO). On 14 June 1876 Maj Ralph Peacock (of the Manchester locomotive manufacturers Beyer, Peacock & CompanyRalph Peacock at Grace's Guide.) was promoted to the command in turn (Sowler later succeeded Mawson as Hon Col). By this time the unit's headquarters (HQ) was given as Hyde Road, Manchester. When the Volunteers were consolidated in 1880 the 19th Lancashire AVC became the 7th Lancashire AVC, and the following year its full title became 7th Lancashire (The Manchester Artillery) AVC. The unit became part of the Lancashire Division of the Royal Artillery (RA) from 1 April 1882. When the RA's divisional structure was reorganised on 1 July 1889, the 7th Lancashire became part of the Southern Division.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 4–5.
As well as manning fixed garrison artillery, some of the early Artillery Volunteers manned semi-mobile 'position batteries' of smooth-bore field guns pulled by agricultural horses. But the War Office refused to pay for the upkeep of field guns for Volunteers and they had largely died out in the 1870s. In 1888 the 'position artillery' concept was revived and some Volunteer companies were reorganised as position batteries to work alongside the Volunteer infantry brigades. By 1890 the whole of the 7th Lancashire Volunteer Artillery was organised as position batteries.Beckett, p. 178.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 6. Lieutenant-Col Richard K. Birley took over as CO on 25 March 1891.
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 7th Lancashire (The Manchester Artillery) Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers). 'Position artillery' was redesignated 'heavy artillery' in May 1902.
Territorial Force
When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Beckett, pp. 247–53.London Gazette 20 March 1908.Gibbon, pp. 3–4. the unit became the II (or 2nd) East Lancashire Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (TF), consisting of the 15th, 16th and 17th Lancashire Batteries and the II East Lancashire Brigade Ammunition Column. The brigade formed part of the divisional artillery for the TF's East Lancashire Division and was equipped with four 15-pounder field guns to each battery From 23 March 1913 the brigade was commanded by Lt-Col Harry Sowler, son of Sir Thomas, the former Hon Col.Litchfield, pp. 116–8.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 35–41.42nd (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.
On 10 August, TF units were invited to volunteer for overseas service. The infantry brigades of the East Lancashire Division volunteered within two days 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/II East Lancashire Brigade
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, the first TF division to go overseas. However, only two brigades of its divisional artillery accompanied it, and 1/II East Lancs was one of those left behind, spending the next few months in Manchester.Gibbon, pp. 6–7.MacMunn & Falls, p. 14.
1/II 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. The brigade remained in Egypt until the remnants of the division returned from the Gallipoli campaign in January 1916. 42nd (EL) Division concentrated at Mena Camp on 22 January before moving into the southern sector of the Suez Canal defences. On 27 February the brigade was rearmed with modern 18-pounder guns handed over by 29th Division as it left for the Western Front. On 31 May 1916 1/II East Lancs Bde was numbered CCXI (211) Brigade, RFA, and the batteries designated A, B and C.Frederick, pp. 688–9.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 70–1.Gibbon, pp. 63–4, 68–9.MacMunn & Falls, p. 156.
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 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. CCXI Brigade was stationed at El Ferdan. The Turkish force 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 canal posts, with A Bty of CCXI Bde at Pelusium.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 73–5.Gibbon, pp. 65–78.MacMunn & Falls, pp. 179–201.
For the next few months the division was part of the Desert Column covering the extension of the railway and water pipeline into the Sinai Desert to permit the Egyptian Expeditionary Force to mount an offensive into Palestine. The head of the Desert Column reached El Arish, near the Palestine frontier, on 22 December.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 77–80.Gibbon, pp. 79–82.MacMunn & Falls, pp. 246–52. On 25 December 1916 CCXI Bde was renumbered CCXII (exchanging numbers with the former 1/III East Lancs (Bolton Artillery)) and was reorganised, with C Bty being split between A and B to bring them up to six guns each.
On 28 January 1917, after the division reached El Arish, orders arrived for it to be sent to the Western Front. It was at Alexandria by 21 February, when CCXII Bde was broken up before the division embarked. A Battery became C Bty of CCX (formerly 1/I East Lancs) Bde, and B Bty became C Bty of CCXI Bde (the Bolton Artillery). The Brigade Ammunition Column did go to France, where it became No 3 Section of the reformed 42nd Divisional Ammunition Column.Gibbon, pp. 82–8.MacMunn & Falls, p. 272. The two Manchester 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/II East Lancashire Brigade
The 2nd Line units of the East Lancashire Division were raised in September and October 1914, with only a small nucleus of instructors to train the mass of volunteers. Training was slow because the 2nd Line artillery lacked guns, sights, horses, wagons and signal equipment.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 67≠74.66th (2nd EL) Division at Long, Long Trail. The 2nd East Lancashire Division, now numbered 66th (2nd EL) Division, began concentrating in Kent and Sussex in August 1915. 2/II East Lancs Bde was given four old French De Bange 90 mm guns for training, but passed these on to 69th (2nd East Anglian) Divisional Artillery in October and it was not until December that it received its 18-pdrs. In September Lt-Col Francis Hill transferred from the IV East Lancashire (Howitzer) Bde to take command of the 2/II. In early 1916 the division moved into the East Coast defences, with its artillery at Colchester.Becke, Pt 2b, Appendix 3.331 Bde RFA War Diary September 1915–February 1916, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/3128/1.London Gazette, 19 October 1915.