The 1st Lincolnshire Artillery Volunteers were formed in 1860 as a response to a French invasion threat. They fought on the Western Front during World War I. In World War II, the unit took part in the Battle of France and Dunkirk evacuation, the Anglo-Iraqi War with 'Kingcol', the Western Desert Campaign in which it distinguished itself at the Battle of Sidi Rezegh, and finally fought as infantry in the Chindits. The unit was disbanded in 1947.
Artillery Volunteers 1859-1908 The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–168. Three Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) were formed in Lincolnshire in 1860 and they were brought together under the 1st Administrative Brigade, Lincolnshire Artillery Volunteers in July 1861, with headquarters at Grimsby:Beckett, Appendix VIII.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 114–115.Army List, various dates. 1st Corps formed at Boston on 12 January 1860 2nd Corps formed at Grimsby on 27 January 1860 3rd Corps formed at Louth on 12 November 1860
George Morland Hutton, a former Lieutenant in the 46th Foot, was appointed Major in command in 1862 and promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1866. He retained the command until 1897, when he was appointed Honorary Colonel and was succeeded as Commanding Officer (CO) by Lt-Col A. Bannister.
In May 1880, the Corps were consolidated as the 1st Lincolnshire Artillery Volunteers, with six and a half batteries distributed as follows: Nos 1 and 2 at Boston Nos 3, 4 and 5 at Grimsby No 6 and a further half battery at Louth
All artillery volunteer units were attached to one of the territorial garrison divisions of the Royal Artillery (RA) in 1882, with the 1st Lincolnshire joining the Eastern Division. In 1886, the unit's title was changed to 3rd Volunteer (Lincolnshire) Brigade, Eastern Division, RA. The divisions were reorganised in 1889 when the 1st Lincolns were transferred to the Western Division and took the title became the 1st Lincolnshire AVC (Western Division, RA). By 1890, the unit comprised four Position Artillery batteries (semi-mobile units organised to work alongside the Volunteer Infantry brigades). In 1891, a drill hall was built in Victoria Street North, Grimsby.Osborne, p. 160.
In 1899, the Artillery Volunteers were transferred to the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), and when the territorial divisions were abolished the unit became the 1st Lincolnshire RGA (Volunteers) on 1 January 1902 with the role of heavy artillery.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. it was organised into regional infantry divisions, each with an establishment of four Royal Field Artillery (RFA) brigades. The 1st Lincolnshire RGA (V) became I North Midland Brigade, RFA (TF), in the North Midland Division, with the following organisation:London Gazette 20 March 1908.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 61–67.Conrad, British Army, 1914.Litchfield, pp. 142–143.46 Division at Long, Long Trail.RFA Btys (TF) at Regimental Warpath. HQ at Artillery Drill Hall, Victoria Street, GrimsbyLincolnshire at Great War Centenary Drill Halls.Grimsby at Drill Hall Project. 1st Lincolnshire Battery at Artillery Drill Hall, Main Ridge, BostonBoston at Drill Hall Project. 2nd Lincolnshire Battery at Grimsby 3rd Lincolnshire Battery at 4 Eve Street, LouthLouth at Drill Hall Project. I North Midland Ammunition Column at Grimsby
Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Grange, who had been in command since 1902, continued as CO of the new unit. He was succeeded on 2 July 1910 by Lt-Col J. Tonge, VD, who was still CO on the outbreak of World War I.
World War I Mobilisation
The order to mobilise was received on 4 August 1914. Shortly afterwards, the men were invited to volunteer for overseas service, and the majority having accepted this liability, the North Midland Division concentrated at Luton. In November, it moved to the area round Bishop's Stortford where it completed its war training. At the time of mobilisation, the batteries of I North Midland Bde were each equipped with four 15-pounder guns.Farndale, Western Front, p. 86.
On 15 August 1914, the War Office 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 battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. The flood of recruits coming forward were enrolled in these 2nd Line units.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6. The 2/I North Midland Brigade was assigned to the 2nd North Midland DivisionBecke, Pt 2b, pp. 17–23.
1/I North Midland Brigade The North Midland Division began embarking for France on 25 February 1915, and by 8 March had completed its concentration at Ploegsteert in Belgium – the first complete TF division to deploy to the Western Front with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). It was numbered the 46th (North Midland) Division shortly afterwards.MacDonald, p. 32.
Hooge Over the following months, the artillery supported the infantry in routine trench warfare in the Ypres Salient. On 19 July, the Royal Engineers exploded a mine under the German Army's positions at Hooge, but the infantry of 3rd Division tasked with seizing the crater had not been given a supporting artillery fireplan. As the infantry were being driven out by German artillery, counter-battery fire from 46th Division's guns and other neighbouring artillery helped to rectify the situation. When the Germans attacked the Hooge crater with flamethrowers on 30 July, 139th (Sherwood Foresters) Brigade of 46th Division was able to stabilise the line with the help of the divisional artillery.Farndale, Western Front, p. 113.MacDonald, pp. 33–35.
Hohenzollern Redoubt 46th Division's first offensive operation was the Battle of the Hohenzollern Redoubt. This was an attempt to restart the failed Battle of Loos, and the division was moved down from Ypres on 1 October for the purpose. The Germans recaptured the Hohenzollern trench system on 3 October, and the new attack was aimed at this point. The artillery bombardment (by the field guns of 46th and 28th Division, backed by heavy batteries) began at 12.00 on 13 October and the infantry went in at 14.00 behind a gas cloud. The attack was a disaster, most of the leading waves being cut down by machine gun and shell fire from German positions that had not been suppressed by the bombardment.Cherry, pp. 269–297.MacDonald, pp. 39–46.Rawson, pp. 120–128.
1/I NM Brigade was re-equipped with 18-pounder guns in November. On 23 December, the 46th (NM) Division was ordered to embark for Egypt. It entrained for Marseille, and some of the infantry had actually reached Egypt before the order was rescinded on 21 January 1916. The artillery returned from Marseille and the whole division reassembled on the Western Front near Amiens by 14 February.
Gommecourt On 1 May 1916, the division was ordered into the line facing Gommecourt in preparation for the forthcoming Somme Offensive. Over the first 10 days of the month, the divisional artillery took over the existing battery positions along this front and began digging additional gun pits, observation posts (OPs) and dugouts to new designs.MacDonald, pp. 69, 80, 86. During this period, the field brigades of the BEF were reorganised. On 19 April 1916, an extra battery of four 18-pounders was formed, and on 13 May the brigade was assigned a number as CCXXX (230) Brigade, RFA, the batteries being redesignated A, B, C and D. Then on 23 May the new D Bty was exchanged for the former 1st Derbyshire Howitzer Bty of CCXXXIII (4th NM) Bde, equipped with 4.5-inch howitzers, which became D (H) Bty. Lastly, the Brigade Ammunition Columns were merged into the Divisional Ammunition Column.MacDonald, pp. 86, 108. Lieutenant-Colonel Tonge was awarded a CMG in the June 1916 Birthday Honours List.MacDonald, p. 137.
Preparations were under way for the 46th and 56th (1st London) Divisions to carry out an Attack on the Gommecourt Salient as a diversion from the main offensive further south. 46th Division would attack from the north west, converging with 56th from the south west.Edmonds, 1916, pp. 456–62. On 18 June, 46th Divisional artillery was allocated its tasks for wire-cutting and registration of targets ahead of the attack. It was divided into two groups: CCXXX Bde was grouped with CCXXXIII Bde on the right under Lt-Col Tonge, supporting 137th (Staffordshire) Brigade, which was to make the division's right attack towards Gommecourt Wood. Right Group had its batteries dug in west and south west of Gommecourt with a concentration of three batteries around Chateau de la Haye and three others scattered around Sailly-au-Bois and Foncquevillers intermixed with 56th Division's batteries. Right Group's responsibility was the German line from the westernmost tip of Gommecourt Park to a point just north of the Gommecourt–Foncquevillers road.MacDonald, pp.165–7.
46th Division used a high proportion of its 18-pounder ammunition to bombard enemy trenches and lines of communication, and a smaller proportion (about 27 per cent) of shrapnel shells to cut German Wire entanglements. One lane was to be cut by A/CCXXX Bty through the wire halfway up the side of Gommecourt Park as a diversion from the actual front to be attacked. A/CCXXX Battery had a daily allocation of 350 shells, while the other batteries each had 480.MacDonald, pp. 208–9, 277.
Apart from the wire-cutting batteries, the divisional artillery was under the direction of VII Corps during the preliminary bombardment, which began on 24 June, but at zero hour it reverted to divisional control. Once the infantry went 'over the top' the field guns were to make a series of short 'lifts', almost amounting to a 'creeping barrage'.Edmonds, 1916, pp. 460–461.Farndale, Western Front, p. 147.MacDonald, pp 296. 302–3.
A final 'whirlwind' bombardment by all the guns began at 06.25 on 1 July and at zero hour (07.30) 137th Brigade made its attack with 1/6th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment and 1/6th Bn North Staffordshire Regiment in the lead. Patrols had already established that the German wire was not adequately cut: there were four partially cut lanes on the South Staffs' front and five areas of weakened wire in front of the North Staffs. In addition, German casualties during the bombardment had been few because of their deep dugouts, and when the attack went in their men emerged to receive the attack with heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from their trenches and from Gommecourt Wood. Held up by uncut wire in dead ground and by enemy fire, the brigade's leading two waves only reached the German first line and were forced to take cover in shell holes where they exchanged Grenade attacks with the Germans. The third wave was stopped by machine gun fire short of the first line. The British infantry were unable to keep up with the covering barrage of the 18-pounders, which was lifted onto each enemy trench line to a strict timetable: artillery observation during the attack was difficult due to the smoke and confusion. Meanwhile, the supporting waves were held up in the jumping-off trenches or in No man's land by enemy shellfire. The whole attack had halted in bloody failure by 08.00.Edmonds, 1916, pp. 465–467.MacDonald, pp. 293–343.