The 2nd Kent Artillery Volunteers, later 4th London Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, popularly known as the Lewisham Gunners, was a volunteer unit of the British Army from 1860 until 1967. Initially raised in suburban West Kent, its recruiting area was later incorporated within the County of London. It provided two active service units in each of the World Wars, operating as far afield as Sicily, Burma and Madagascar, and later provided an airborne unit in the Territorial Army of the 1950s.
Volunteer Force The 9th Kent Artillery Volunteer Corps (9th KAVC) was one of many Volunteer units raised as a result of an invasion scare in 1859.Beckett. Based at Plumstead, then in Kent, it was raised after a public meeting in December. Many of its first members were employed by the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, which manufactured artillery and carried out proofing at Plumstead Marsh.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, p. 3, quoting Kentish Mercury 17 December 1859.Knell, p. 94.
Officially raised as a sub-division within the 1st Administrative Brigade of Kent Artillery Volunteers on 13 February 1860, the date on which its first officers' commissions were issued, and was increased to battery strength on 15 August.Beckett, Appendix VIII.Frederick, pp. 660–1.2nd Kent Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org The first commanding officer (CO) was William Tongue, who was replaced in 1865 by the local politician Edwin Hughes (later Sir Edwin Hughes), who became Captain-Commandant in 1868. The early equipment of the unit appears to have been two 32-pounder smoothbore muzzle-loading cannon, mounted in Hughes's garden; later these were converted into 64-pounder Rifled Muzzle-Loading (RML) cannon. In 1870 the 9th Kent AVC was separated from the 1st Admin Brigade and attached to the 10th (Royal Arsenal) KAVC based at Woolwich. The 9th KAVC reached a strength of 480 men organised in six batteries in 1877, when Hughes was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He retired in 1888 (when he was succeeded in command by his son Edwin Talfourd Hughes) and was immediately appointed Honorary Colonel of the unit.Army Lists, various dates.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, pp. 4–7.
A consolidation of the Volunteers saw the 9th KAVC renumbered as the 2nd Kent Artillery Volunteers on 1 July 1880 and it became independent of the Royal Arsenal unit in March 1883. All artillery volunteers were attached to one of the territorial garrison divisions of the Royal Artillery (RA) in 1882, when the 2nd Kent joined the London Division, transferring to the Eastern Division after the London Division was disbanded in 1889. By 1891, the unit had eight companies (Nos 1 and 2 at Lewisham, Nos 3–8 at Plumstead).
By 1893, the War Office Mobilisation Scheme had allocated the 2nd Kent Artillery Volunteers to the Thames fixed defences.Mobilization Tables. From 1897, the Volunteers were issued with 9-pounder RML guns and the 2nd Kent also had 6.6-inch and 8-inch RML siege howitzers as befitted its role as 'position artillery'. These guns were fired on the practice ranges at Lydd during annual summer camps. In 1899 the Artillery Volunteers were attached to the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), and when the RA's divisional structure as abolished on 1 January 1902 the unit was redesignated 2nd Kent Brigade, RGA (Volunteers) in the South-Eastern Group. Headquarters (HQ) was at Bloomfield Road, Plumstead, from 1888 to 1905, and at 28 Rhyme Road, Lewisham, and Lewisham High Street from 1905 to 1911.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, pp. 7–9, 73–4.
During the Second Boer War, the 2nd Kent RGA sent a detachment to serve in South Africa with the City Imperial Volunteers.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, p. 9.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the 2nd Kent RGA was split to form two howitzer brigades in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA), the IV London at Lewisham, and the VIII London at Plumstead. Armed with Breech-loading 5-inch howitzers, these two units were intended to provide indirect fire support for the 1st London and 2nd London Divisions respectively.Litchfield, pp. 152–3.London Gazette 20 March 1908.
The organisation of the IV (or 4th) London was as follows:Frederick, p. 678.London Gazette 14 October 1910.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 141–7.Barnes, Appendix IV.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, p. 10.
4th County of London (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA 10th County of London (Howitzer) Battery 11th County of London (Howitzer) Battery IV London (Howitzer) Brigade Ammunition Column (added 1910)
The new HQ at Ennersdale Road, Lewisham, opened in 1911, was largely paid for by the Honorary Colonel, Sir Thomas Dewey, 1st Bart, president of the Prudential Assurance Company. The brigade won the King's Prize at the National Artillery Association Competition in 1911, and its excellent turnout at annual camps led to the nickname 'The Shiny Fourth'.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, pp. 9, 12–3.Osborne, p. 190
By the time the First World War broke out in 1914, TF howitzer batteries were each equipped with four of the obsolescent BL 5-inch howitzers.Becke, Pt 2a, Appendix I.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, p. 13.
First World War
Mobilisation Annual training for 1st London Division had just begun when war was declared on 4 August 1914, and the IV London (H) Bde promptly returned from the Redesdale training ranges to Lewisham for mobilisation.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, pp. 13–4.
On the outbreak of war, units of the Territorial Force 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 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 whole of the IV London (H) Bde had done so. 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.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, p. 14.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, p. 25.
1/IV Brigade Once mobilised, the 1/IV (H) Brigade moved to Stringers Common, Worplesdon, then to Maresfield Park, and eventually to Edinburgh for coast defence duty, where it spent four months in overcrowded conditions. In Spring 1915 it moved to Horsham and East Grinstead.
The infantry of the division had been posted away to relieve Regular Army garrisons in the Mediterranean or to supplement the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front. By early 1915, only the artillery and other support elements of the division remained in England, and these were attached to the 2nd Line TF division (2/1st London Division) that was being organised.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 9–15. The 2/1st London Division formed part of First Army of Central Force guarding the East Coast of England. 1/IV London (H) Bde was billeted at Warren Heath, Ipswich, during the early part of 1915.Martin, p. 22.
In August 1915, the 36th (Ulster) Division was being readied for service. Its infantry were largely drawn from the Ulster Volunteers 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 was therefore attached to the Ulster Division until its own gunners were ready for active service, as was part of 10th (Irish) Division's artillery, which had not gone overseas with its parent division. The 1/IV London Brigade moved to Bordon Camp in September where it was re-equipped with modern 4.5-inch howitzers and was joined by B and C Batteries of LVII (Howitzer) Bde from 10th Division. It accompanied the Ulster Division to France, landing at Le Havre on 4 October 1915, and was in the Line by the middle of the month.Anon, Lewisham Gunners, p. 15.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 61–9.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 14–5.
In November 1915, half of the Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC) was sent to reinforce 10th (Irish) Division's Divisional Ammunition Column (DAC) (also attached to 36th (Ulster) Division).Ward, Appendix, p. 319 On 18 November, the two attached batteries left to rejoin 10th (Irish) Division in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In December, the Ulster Division's artillery arrived from England, and the London Divisional Artillery was transferred to the 38th (Welsh) Division, which had also gone to France minus its own artillery. 1/IV London Bde served with the Welsh Division from 12 December 1915 to 3 January 1916.Becke, Pt 3b, p. 83. It was next attached to an ad hoc division of dismounted cavalry, but on 26 February was able to rejoin 1/1st London Division (now numbered 56th (London) Division), which was being reformed in France.Martin, p. 20. The brigade was billeted at Wamlin and Rozieres during March as the reformed division took shape.Ward, p. 8.
On 14 February, B (H) Battery and a subsection of the Brigade Ammunition Column were transferred from the New Army CLXVII (Camberwell) Howitzer Brigade of 33rd Divisional Artillery to 1/IV London (H) Brigade to bring it up to three batteries; it was designated T (H) Battery.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 141–47.
In May 1916, the brigade was completely reorganised. Like the other TF artillery brigades, it was numbered, becoming CCLXXXIII (or 283rd) Brigade, RFA. 10th (H) Bty transferred to CCLXXXI (formerly 1/II London) Bde and 11th (H) Bty to CCLXXX (formerly 1/I London) Bde. In exchange, the brigade received three batteries equipped with 18-pounder field guns which had recently joined the other brigades of the divisional artillery, giving it the following organisation:Frederick, p. 690.MacDonald, pp. 207–8.283 Bde War Diary, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/2941/2.
CCLXXXIII Brigade, RFA A Battery – 93rd Bty from CCLXXX Bde (a Regular battery, from XVIII Brigade, RFA, which had been serving with Indian and Canadian formations) B Battery – 109th Bty from CCLXXXI Bde (a Regular battery, from XXIII Brigade, RFA, which had been serving in 3rd Division) C Battery – R Battery (previously half of 109 Bty) from CCLXXXII Bde
As part of the same reorganisation, the rest of 1/IV London BAC was transferred to the new 56th Divisional Ammunition Column.
Gommecourt The first major action for 283 Brigade came at the Battle of the Somme, and there are detailed accounts of its actions. 56th Division's task for the opening day of the Somme Offensive (the 'Big Push') was to attack the south side of the Gommecourt Salient as a diversion to support the main attack.Edmonds, pp. 252, 257, 308–11, 456–7.MacDonald, pp. 20–37, 59–66.Middlebrook, Somme, pp. 73–4.Ward, pp.19, 36.
283 Brigade was split amongst the different tasks of the divisional artillery: A Bty was with the Northern Group (called 'Southart') under Lt-Col Southam supporting 169th (3rd London) Brigade, 109 Bty was with the Southern Group ('Macart') under Lt-Col Macdowell supporting 168th (2nd London) Brigade, and C Bty was with the Wire Cutting Group ('Peltart') under Lt-Col Prechtel. The batteries began moving into position in late May and then began to register their targets during June.Edmonds, p. 460.MacDonald, pp. 207–9.Ward, pp. 32–4.
The role of the Southart and Macart Groups was to 'search' the enemy trenches, villages, woods and hollowsEdmonds, p. 299–300. while the Peltart Group attempted to cut the wire using Shrapnel shell. One section (two guns) of C/283 Bty was the closest to the German lines, in an orchard on the edge of the British-held village of Hébuterne, firing over Open sights at the wire and a German position at Point 94 in the south-east corner of Gommecourt. 109 Bty with the Macart Group was about 500 yards from Hébuterne, beside the road from Sailly and just over 3000 yards from the German trenches.