3rd Kent Artillery Volunteers (Royal Arsenal)
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The 3rd Kent Artillery Volunteers (Royal Arsenal) was a unit of the British
Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...
from 1860 to 1920. Originally raised from the workers of Woolwich Arsenal, near London, it later became a London unit of the
Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...
and served on the Western Front during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Postwar it was merged with another London unit.


Origins

When an invasion scare in 1859 led to a flood of volunteers forming new military units to defend
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
, it was natural that men working at Woolwich Arsenal would organise themselves into an Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVC). (They also formed the 26th (Royal Arsenal) Rifle Volunteer Corps, which eventually became the 20th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich).) Formally constituted on 28 February 1860, and designated the 10th (Royal Arsenal) Kent AVC from August that year, the unit was manned by artisans from the Shot and Shell Factory. The nearby Royal Dockyards at
Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...
and
Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...
also raised an AVC, numbered 14th (Royal Dockyard) Kent AVC. However, the dockyards closed in 1869 and the 14th Kent AVC was disbanded the following year. Originally raised as eight batteries, the strength of the 10th Kent AVC declined to six batteries during the 1860s, but it also had the small 2nd and 3rd Essex AVCs attached to it. The 9th Kent AVC, formed in 1860 at Plumstead, near Woolwich, was also absorbed by the 10th in 1873.Frederick, p. 661.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 98–102.3rd Kent Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org
/ref> In 1875, the 10th Kent Artillery Volunteers won the Queen's Prize at the National Artillery Association annual competition held at
Shoeburyness Old Ranges Shoeburyness ( ), or simply Shoebury, is a coastal town in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England; it lies east of the city centre. It was formerly a separate town until it was absorbed into Southend in 1933. I ...
.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 189. In July 1880 many of the AVCs were consolidated, and the 10th Kent became the 3rd Kent Volunteer Artillery (Royal Arsenal), with its HQ and eight batteries at Woolwich, and the Essex and Plumstead units subsequently resumed their independent identities as the 3rd Essex (September 1880) and 2nd Kent (March 1883). All artillery volunteers were attached to one of the territorial garrison divisions of the
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
(RA) on 1 April 1882, when the 3rd Kent joined the London Division, changing to the Eastern Division when the London Division was disbanded on 1 July 1889. As well as manning fixed coast defence 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 The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
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. On 14 July 1892 the 3rd Kent was converted to position artillery with four batteries. The unit did well in this role, winning the Queen's Prize for position artillery at Shoeburyness for 1895, 1897 and 1898. On 1 June 1899 all the Volunteer artillery units became part of the
Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...
(RGA) and with the abolition of the RA's divisional organisation on 1 January 1902, the unit was redesignated 3rd Kent Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers).


Territorial Force

By the time that the
Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...
was formed under the
Haldane reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the e ...
of 1908, Woolwich had been transferred from
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
to the new
County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
, and henceforth the unit was administered by the London TF Association. It became II London Brigade of the
Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...
(RFA), assigned to the TF's
1st London Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War ...
with the following organisation:Frederick, p. 678.Litchfield, p. 151. 2nd County of London Brigade RFA * 4th County of London Battery * 5th County of London Battery * 6th County of London Battery * II London Ammunition Column


World War I


Mobilisation and organisation

Annual training for 1st London Division had just started when war was declared on 4 August 1914, and the II London Brigade promptly mustered at Woolwich for mobilisation.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 141–7. The infantry of the division were soon posted away to relieve Regular Army garrisons in the Mediterranean or to supplement the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. By January 1915, only the artillery and other support elements of the division remained in England, and these were attached to the Second Line TF division (
58th (2/1st London) Division The 58th (2/1st London) Division was an infantry division created in 1915 as part of the massive expansion of the British Army during the First World War. It was a 2nd Line Territorial Force formation raised as a duplicate of the 56th (1/1st L ...
) that was being formed. The unit was numbered 1/II London Bde and formed a separate 2/II London Bde, which served with the 58th Division throughout the war.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 9–15.56th (1st London) Division at Long, Long Trail
/ref>
/ref>


1/II London Brigade

In August 1915 the
36th (Ulster) Division The 36th (Ulster) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitchener's New Army, formed in September 1914. Originally called the ''Ulster Division'', it was made up of mainly members of the Ulster Volunteers, who f ...
was being readied for service. Its infantry were largely drawn from the
Ulster Volunteers The Ulster Volunteers was an Irish unionist, loyalist paramilitary organisation founded in 1912 to block domestic self-government ("Home Rule") for Ireland, which was then part of the United Kingdom. The Ulster Volunteers were based in the ...
and had already received weapons training before the war; the artillery however were newly raised Londoners, and the drivers were still being taught to mount and dismount from wooden horses. The 1st London Divisional Artillery were therefore attached to the Ulster Division until its own gunners were ready for active service. The London field brigades were re-equipped with 18-pounder guns and accompanied the Ulster Division to France, 1/I City of London Bde landing at
Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...
on 4 October 1915. It was in the Line by the middle of the month.Royal Field Artillery at Long, Long Trail
/ref> In December, the Ulster Division's artillery arrived from England, and the London Divisional Artillery was transferred to the
38th (Welsh) Division The 38th (Welsh) Division (initially the 43rd Division, later the 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division and then the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division) of the British Army was active during both the First and Second World Wars. In 1914, the division ...
, which had also arrived in France minus its own artillery. 1/II London Bde served with the Welsh Division from 11 December 1915 to 1 January 1916. It was next attached to IV Corps Artillery until the end of February. By now, 1st London Division (now numbered
56th (London) Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army (United Kingdom), Territorial Army infantry Division (military), division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the Tre ...
) was being reformed in France and its divisional artillery was finally able to rejoin. In April 1916 a Regular battery (109th Battery, from XXIII Brigade Royal Field Artillery, which had been serving in 3rd Division), joined 1/II London Bde. In May, TF artillery brigades were numbered in sequence with the Royal Field Artillery: 1/II London became CCLXXXI Brigade (281 Brigade), and the batteries became A–D. Shortly afterwards D (109th) Battery was exchanged with a battery (formerly 10th County of London Battery) from the divisional howitzer brigade, equipped with 4.5-inch howitzers. Brigade Ammunition Columns were also abolished at this time.Frederick, p. 690.


Gommecourt

The first major action for CCLXXXI (281) Bde came at the
Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...
, and there are detailed accounts of its actions. 56th Division's task for the
opening day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...
of the
Somme Offensive The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...
(the 'Big Push') was to attack the south side of the Gommecourt Salient as a diversion to support the main attack further south. The divisional artillery was disposed in three groups. 281 Brigade under Lt-Col C.C. Macdowell, together with 109 Bty from 283 Bde, formed the Southern Group ('Macart'). During the preliminary bombardment Macart was under
VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...
control, but from Zero Hour it was assigned to support the assaulting infantry of
168th (2nd London) Brigade The 168th (2nd London) Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army that saw service during both the World War I, First and the World War II, Second World Wars. Throughout its existence, serving under many different titles and des ...
. The batteries began moving into position in late May 1916 and then began to register their targets during June, 281 Bde being the first to open fire.MacDonald, pp. 207–11. The Macart Group's role was to 'search' the enemy trenches, villages, woods and hollows. B/281 Battery was in a fold of ground about 1500 yards west of the British-held village of
Hébuterne Hébuterne () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southwest of Arras. History Formerly within the ancient county of Artois, the village was redesignated within the new Department of the Pas de ...
, while C/281 and 109 Bty were beside the Sailly– Hébuterne road, about 500 yards from the latter village and just over 3000 yards from the German trenches. The howitzers of D (H)/281 Bty were dug into the gardens and orchards behind Hébuterne, and could range into the German rear areas.Edmonds, p. 299–300. Five days of intense bombardment were planned leading up to the attack, designated U,V, W, X and Y days, but the whole attack was delayed by two days, so there was seven days of bombardment culminating in Z Day on 1 July. The two additional days were used for
Interdiction Interdiction is interception of an object prior to its arrival at the location where it is to be used in military, espionage, and law enforcement. Military In the military, interdiction is the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy f ...
of enemy movement and repair parties, to complete the
wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
-cutting and
counter-battery Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements (multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command a ...
tasks, and to deceive the enemy. The wear on the guns and the unexpected ammunition expenditure meant that after the intended peak on Y Day (28 June) the Macart Group's firing actually fell away on the additional Y1 and Y2 Days, giving the defenders time to reorganise and repair their positions. The division's batteries and observation posts (OPs) also suffered from German counter-battery fire. Lieutenant John Ball of 281 Bde was killed on 27 June when his OP was hit. Each day of the firing programme had included an intense bombardment starting at 06.25, reaching a crescendo at 07.20 and lifting at 07.45; on Z Day (1 July) this lifted 15 minutes earlier than usual, in an attempt to deceive the enemy. 56th Divisional artillery was allocated 11,600 rounds for this final 65 minutes, amounting to three rounds per minute for each 18-pounder gun and 4.5-inch howitzer. A smoke screen was laid at 07.25, and under its cover the infantry went 'over the top' and assembled in No man's land. Then at Zero Hour, 07.30, the guns lifted to pre-arranged targets in the German support and reserve lines while the infantry began their assault. Having reverted to divisional control at Zero Hour, the 18-pounders had a series of very short lifts, almost amounting to a
creeping barrage In military usage, a barrage is massed sustained artillery fire (shelling) aimed at a series of points along a line. In addition to attacking any enemy in the kill zone, a barrage intends to suppress enemy movements and deny access across tha ...
. The first lift was onto the German reserve trench, on which they fired for four minutes, then they fired for six minutes just beyond it, and then swept the communication trenches for 12 minutes. Next they shifted to the infantry's second objective for eight minutes. This programme was intended to conform to the infantry's plan of attack. At first this went well for 56th Division. Despite casualties from the German counter-bombardment on their jumping-off trenches, the smoke and morning mist helped the infantry, and they reached the German front line with little loss and moved on towards the second and reserve lines. The artillery OPs reported the signboards erected by the leading waves to mark their progress. On 168 Bde's front, the
London Rifle Brigade The London Rifle Brigade was a Volunteer Force (Great Britain), volunteer regiment of the British Army. History The regiment was first raised in the City of London on 14 December 1859 as 1st London (City of London Volunteer Rifle Brigade) Rifl ...
found the wire well cut, except at Point 94 where the shelling had piled it into mounds that still presented an obstacle, and the battalion reached Gommecourt Park and began to consolidate. But the
Queen Victoria's Rifles The 9th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles) was a Territorial Army infantry battalion of the British Army. The London Regiment was formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in ...
struggled to get through narrow gaps in uncut wire and met fierce resistance at the Cemetery, so that the following battalion, the
Queen's Westminsters The Queen's Westminsters were an infantry regiment of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army. Originally formed from Rifle Volunteer Corps, which were established after a French invasion scare of 1859. The unit became part of the newly ...
, got mixed up with them while trying to push through to the second objective, the Quadrilateral. The Germans began counter-attacking about an hour after Zero, and their heavy barrage on No man's land and their own front trenches made it almost impossible for reinforcements and supplies to be got forward to the assaulting battalions, who were now cut off. On the other side of the Gommecourt Salient, the assault of the
46th (North Midland) Division The 46th (North Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, that saw service in the First World War. At the outbreak of the war in 1914, the 46th Division was commanded by Major-General Hon. ...
was a disaster, bogged down in mud and uncut wire, and the defenders could turn all their attention to the 56th Division. Although VII Corps' heavy guns and 56th Division's howitzers tried to suppress the German artillery, the situation was too confused for the OPs and spotter aircraft to allow the divisional artillery to provide close support for the infantry. Several of the field guns were also out of action with broken spring. Even when repaired, the guns had to conserve ammunition later in the day. By 12.30 the counter-attacks were beginning to drive 168th Bde out of its gains and at about 13.00 the isolated battalions in the German lines began to crumble. At 13.30 men were leaving the German positions and returning to the British lines, while the reserve units trying to cross No man's land were virtually destroyed by the German barrage. By mid-afternoon 168th Bde held only a 400-yard stretch of the German front line trench and was cut off. The field batteries were ordered to conserve ammunition in case of a German attack. All remaining gains had to be abandoned after dark.


Somme

The attack at Gommecourt had only been a diversion, so it was not continued after the first day., and 56th Division remained in position, holding its original line. On 13 July the divisional artillery made a demonstration to help the continuing Somme Offensive, and on 17 July all the brigades made raids in the enemy line, but otherwise the period was quiet. On 20 August it was relieved and moved south to rejoin the Somme Offensive and took part in the following actions *
Battle of Ginchy The Battle of Ginchy took place on 9 September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, when the 16th (Irish) Division captured the German-held village. Ginchy is north-east of Guillemont, at the junction of six roads, on a rise overlooking Com ...
, 9 September *
Battle of Flers-Courcelette A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...
, 15–22 September *
Battle of Morval The Battle of Morval, 25–28 September 1916, was an attack during the Battle of the Somme by the British Fourth Army on the villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesbœufs held by the German 1st Army, which had been the final objectives of t ...
, 25–27 September * Capture of Combles, 26 September * Battle of the Transloy Ridges, 1–9 October


Reorganisation

In the winter of 1916–17, TF field artillery batteries were reorganised from a four-gun to a six-gun establishment, so C Battery was split between A and B Batteries, and to make up the numbers 109th Battery rejoined together with a howitzer section from other London Field Brigades which were broken up. For the remainder of the war, therefore, CCLXXXI Brigade had the following organisation: * 109th Battery * A Battery * B Battery * D (Howitzer) Battery CCLXXXI Bde supported 56th Division in the following actions:


1917

* German Retreat to the
Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...
, 14 March–5 April * Battles of Arras **
First Battle of the Scarpe The Battle of Arras, also known as the Second Battle of Arras, was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the We ...
, 9–14 April **
Third Battle of the Scarpe Scarpe may refer to: * Scarpe river, in France * Battle of the Scarpe (disambiguation), four Battles of the Scarpe were fought during World War I * USS Scarpe (SP-713), a United States Navy ship * Scarpe Mountain * A scarpe in heraldry, a diminuti ...
, 3–4 May *
Third Battle of Ypres The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, f ...
** Battle of Langemarck, 16–17 August * Battle of Cambrai ** Capture of Tadpole Copse, 21 November ** Capture of Bourlon Wood, 23–28 November ** German Counter-attacks, 30 November–2 December


1918

* First Battles of the Somme ** First Battle of Arras, 28 March *
Second Battle of the Somme The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to th ...
** Battle of Albert, 23 August * Second Battles of Arras ** Battle of the Scarpe, 26–30 August * Battles of the Hindenburg Line **
Battle of the Canal du Nord The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War by the Allies against German positions on the Western Front. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete porti ...
, 27 September–1 October ** Second Battle of Cambrai, 8–9 October **
Pursuit to the Selle The Battle of the Selle (17–25 October 1918) took place between Allied forces and the German Army, fought during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. Prelude After the Second Battle of Cambrai, the Allies advanced almost and liberate ...
, 9–12 October * Final Advance in Picardy ** Battle of the Sambre, 4 November **
Passage of the Grande Honnelle The Passage of the Grande Honnelle was a battle between troops of the British First Army (United Kingdom), First and Third Army (United Kingdom), Third Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the World War I, First Worl ...
, 5–7 November Throughout this period, even when the infantry of the division were resting, the divisional artillery were frequently left in the Line supporting other formations. 56th Division was relieved and drawn back into support by midnight on 10 November 1918, but its artillery remained in action until 'Cease Fire' sounded at 11.00 on 11 November when the
Armistice with Germany {{Short description, none This is a list of armistices signed by the German Empire (1871–1918) or Nazi Germany (1933–1945). An armistice is a temporary agreement to cease hostilities. The period of an armistice may be used to negotiate a peace t ...
came into force.


2/II London Brigade

After the First Line divisional artillery left for France, 2/II London Bde joined 58th Division on 27 September at
Saxmundham Saxmundham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is set in the valley of the River Fromus about north-east of Ipswich and west of the coast at Sizewell. The town is bypassed ...
with the following composition: 2/II London Brigade RFA * 2/4th London Battery * 2/5th London Battery * 2/6th London Battery * 2/II London Brigade Ammunition Column The division remained in East Anglia, digging trenches, manning coastal defences. and training, until July 1916, when it moved to
Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...
for final training. By then the artillery had received their 18-pounders and 4.5-inch howitzers. As with the other TF artillery, the brigade was assigned a number and 2/II London became CCXCI Brigade (291 Brigade). The batteries were redesignated A–C, a howitzer battery was added and became D Battery, and the brigade ammunition columns were abolished. The division began embarking for France on 20 January 1917 and by early February it was on the Western Front, where it remained for the rest of the war. CCXCI Bde supported 58th Division in the following actions:


1917

* German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, 17–28 March *
Battle of Bullecourt The Battle of Arras, also known as the Second Battle of Arras, was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the We ...
, 4–17 May * Actions on the Hindenburg Line, 20 May–16 June *
Third Battle of Ypres The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, f ...
**
Battle of the Menin Road Ridge The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, sometimes called "Battle of the Menin Road", was the third British general attack of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle took place from 20 to 25 September 1917, in the Ypres Salient ...
, 20–25 September **
Battle of Polygon Wood The Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September to 3 October 1917) was fought during the second part of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle was fought near Ypres in Belgium, from the Menin road to Polygon Wood and thence north, ...
, 26–27 September **
Second Battle of Passchendaele The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating attack during the Third Battle of Ypres of the First World War. The battle took place in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front, in and around the Belgian village of Passchendaele, be ...
, 26 October–10 November


1918

* First Battles of the Somme ** Battle of St Quentin, 21 March–3 April **
Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux (also Actions of Villers-Bretonneux, after the First Battles of the Somme, 1918) took place from 24 to 27 April 1918, during the German spring offensive to the east of Amiens. It is notable for being the f ...
, 24–25 April * Battle of Amiens 8–11 August *
Second Battle of the Somme The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to th ...
** Battle of Albert, 22–23 August **
Second Battle of Bapaume The Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of the First World War that took place at Bapaume in France, from 21 August 1918 to 3 September 1918. It was a continuation of the Battle of Albert (1918), Battle of Albert and is also referred to as the ...
, 31 August–1 September * Battles of the Hindenburg Line **
Battle of Épehy The Battle of Épehy was fought during the First World War on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army under the command of General Henry Rawlinson against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line. The village of Ép ...
, 18 September * Final Advance in Artois and Flanders, 2 October–11 November. After the Armistice came into force, skilled men began to return home. Full demobilisation got under way in March 1919 and the artillery left for England on 4 April.


Postwar

When the Territorial Army was reformed in 1920, the II Londons became 360 (4th City of London) Battery in the 1st (City of London) Brigade alongside which they had fought throughout the war. The battery was based with the rest of the brigade in
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...
, and the link with Woolwich ended. Just before
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, 360 Battery was split off to form a duplicate unit (138th Field Regiment), which fought in
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.


Memorials

The II London Field Brigade is listed on the City and County of London Troops Memorial in front of the Royal Exchange, with architectural design by
Sir Aston Webb Sir Aston Webb, (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in par ...
and sculpture by
Alfred Drury Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury (11 November 1856 – 24 December 1944) was a British architectural sculptor and artist active in the New Sculpture movement. During a long career Drury created a great number of decorative figures such as busts an ...
. The left-hand (northern) figure flanking this memorial depicts a Royal Artilleryman representative of the various London Artillery units. All units listed on the memorial were presented with a brass plaque depicting the memorial; that for II Londons was placed at the Vicarage Lane TA Centre in
East Ham East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Essex, East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a ...
, and moved to Romford after it closed in 2003. A memorial board naming the 192 officers and men of 281st and 291st Brigades, RFA, who died in World War I (and in South Africa 1899–1902) was also at the Vicarage Lane TA Centre. It is now in the collection of the
Royal Artillery Museum The Royal Artillery Museum, which was one of the world's oldest military museums, was first opened to the public in Woolwich in southeast London in 1820. It told the story of the development of artillery through the ages by way of a collection o ...
, having been at the Rotunda Museum in their home town of Woolwich.WMR Ref No 12419.
/ref>


Notes


References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3a: New Army Divisions (9–26)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1938/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3b: New Army Divisions (30–41) and 63rd (R.N.) Division'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1939/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916'', Vol I, London: Macmillan,1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * Norman E. H. Litchfield and R. Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859-1908'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, Nottingham, 1982, * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Alan MacDonald, ''Pro Patria Mori: The 56th (1st London) Division at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916'', 2nd Edn, West Wickham: Iona Books, 2008, . * Martin Middlebrook, ''The First Day on the Somme, 1 July 1916'', London: Allen Lane 1971/Fontana, 1975, . * Mark Quinlan, ''Sculptors and Architects of Remembrance'', Sandy: Authors Online, 2007, . * Maj C.H. Dudley Ward, ''The Fifty Sixth Division, 1st London Territorial Division, 1914–1918'', London: John Murray, 1921/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, .


External sources


Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth (Regiments.org)

''London Gazette''

The Long, Long Trail

UK War Memorials Register
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Military units and formations established in 1860
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
Military units and formations disestablished in 1920 Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Kent Military units and formations in Woolwich