The 2nd Welsh Brigade was a Royal Field Artillery unit of Britain's Territorial Force (TF) formed in 1908 that served in Palestine during World War I. Between the wars, it was converted to the anti-aircraft (AA) role. It was captured in Java during World War II. Its successor unit continues in Britain's Army Reserve today.
Origin The creation of the Territorial Force under the Haldane Reforms of 1908 saw a widespread reorganisation of existing Volunteer Force units. One new unit formed was the II (or 2nd) Welsh Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. The bulk of the personnel came from the 2nd Volunteer Battalion Welsh Regiment based in Cardiff, originally raised as Rifle Volunteers in 1859, some of whom had seen active service during the Second Boer War. (Other members of this battalion joined the Glamorganshire Royal Horse Artillery, and the remainder formed the 7th (Cyclist) Battalion, Welsh Regiment.) One battery of the new field artillery brigade was provided by the 1st Cardigan Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers), which had been formed at Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, on 28 June 1901 as the Volunteers expanded during the Boer War. This had consisted of two 'position batteries' (later 'heavy batteries'). The new brigade had the following organisation:London Gazette, 20 March 1908.Frederick, pp. 296, 651, 682.Army List, various dates.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 37.Litchfield, pp. 79–80.Westlake, pp. 93-94. Headquarters (HQ) at Drill Hall, CardiffCardiff at Drill HallProject. 3rd Glamorganshire Battery at Drill Hall, Cardiff 4th Glamorganshire Battery at Drill Hall, Cardiff Cardiganshire Battery at Glyndwr Road, AberystwythAberystwyth at Drill Hall Project.Cardiganshire at Great War Centenarr Drill Halls. 2nd Welsh Ammunition Column at Drill Hall, Cardiff
The unit was part of the TF's Welsh Division. The batteries were each issued with four 15-pounder guns.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 117–123.53 (W) Division at Long, Long Trail.Conrad, British Army, 1914.
Joshua Pritchard Hughes, Bishop of Llandaff, was appointed chaplain to the new brigade, with the rank of chaplain 1st class (TF). As a young clergyman he had been appointed chaplain to the 2nd Volunteer Battalion on 10 December 1876 and maintained the link as he rose in the church.
World War I
Mobilisation After the order to mobilise was received on 4 August 1914, the units of the Welsh Division assembled at their drill halls. The 2nd Welsh Brigade mobilised at Cardiff under the command of Lt-Col H.T. Gilling, TD, who had been CO since 1913.
By 11 August, the units had completed their concentration and TF members were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. Four days later, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units, and 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 batteries, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
1/II Welsh Brigade, RFA
At the end of August, the Welsh Division concentrated at Northampton to continue its training. On 18 November, the division was warned for garrison duty in India, but this was cancelled and in December it moved to Cambridge, then to Bedford in May 1915. In July, the infantry of the division (now renamed the 53rd (Welsh) Division) embarked for service at Gallipoli, but the divisional artillery remained at Bedford. In October, the batteries were re-armed with modern 18-pounder guns and on 8 November they handed over their obsolescent 15-pounders to the 2nd Line unit, which had just arrived at Bedford.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 83–90.
53rd (Welsh) Divisional Artillery was now ordered to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front. It embarked on 20 November and had concentrated at Pont-Remy by 25 November, from where parties were sent to various divisional artilleries for instruction in front line duties.
Meanwhile, after suffering appalling casualties at Gallipoli, 53rd (Welsh) Division had been withdrawn to Egypt to refit. On 30 January 1916, the divisional artillery was ordered to rejoin the rest of the division. The batteries entrained at Pont-Remy, embarked at Marseille on 3 February and disembarked at Alexandria on 11 February. By 22 February the artillery had rejoined the division at Beni Salama. For the rest of the year, the recuperating division was stationed in the Suez Canal defences.
In May 1916, the TF field brigades were numbered, the 1/II Welsh being designated CCLXVI Brigade, RFA, (266 Brigade) and the batteries became A, B and C. Then, on 25 December 1916, the divisional artillery was reorganised: A Bty of CCLXVI Bde was broken up between B and C Btys (to make them up to six guns each) and they were redesignated A and B, while the brigade was redesignated CCLXVII Brigade, RFA (267 Bde). 53rd (W) Divisional Ammunition Column had remained in France, and was reformed in Egypt by abolishing the Brigade Ammunition Columns.Frederick, p. 694.Ward, p. 66.
Palestine
Early in 1917, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force launched the Sinai and Palestine Campaign by crossing the Sinai desert and advancing against Turkish forces at Gaza City, but CCLXVII Bde remained in the Suez Canal defences and missed the First Battle of Gaza.Ward, pp. 67, 83.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, p. 81. The brigade rejoined the division on 19 April while the Second Battle of Gaza was in progress but, although it crossed Wadi Ghuzzeh and took up position, it did not fire a shot in the action. Infantry casualties had been high and gains minimal, and the EEF dug in for a summer of trench warfare.Ward, p. 100.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, p. 87. Although the War Office was unable to provide more divisions for the EEF, it could send guns: 53rd (W) Division's batteries were temporarily brought up to a strength of eight rather than six guns, until further troops arrived.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 90–91, 93.
The reorganised EEF renewed its offensive (the Third Battle of Gaza) on 27 October. XX Corps, including 53rd (W) Divisional artillery, moved into position during the night of 30/31 October to capture Beersheba, and the bombardment began at 05.55. After a pause at 07.00 to let the dust settle and determine the effect, the gunfire resumed. Infantry parties advanced to within of the barrage to finish cutting the barbed wire. They then rushed Point 1069 and the 18-pounder batteries began to move up to more advanced positions. Beersheba had fallen to the Desert Mounted Corps and XX Corps could bivouack on the objective.Falls, Vol II, pp. 44–47.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 98–99. On 3 November 53rd (W) Division was ordered to advance to the Tel es Sheria road. The right column consisted of 160th (South Wales) Brigade but only one battery of CCLXVII Bde because of the shortage of water for the horses. It was a difficult march over broken country in hot weather and the gunners had to haul their guns up to the head of the valley to get in range of the Khuweilfe heights. 160th Brigade met determined opposition and could not clear the wells at Khuweilfe before nightfall. The attack was renewed at 05.00 next morning, but the artillery support ceased when the ammunition wagons could not get up to the guns, and the infantry only got as far as Hill 1706. However, on 6 November the division assaulted the Khuweilfe position supported by an intense bombardment by all its own guns and a heavy battery. After confused fighting, the position was held, with the support of the divisional artillery breaking up Turkish counter-attacks.Falls, Vol II, pp. 84–87, 94.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 104–105.Ward, pp. 127–137.
After breaking through the Gaza positions, the EEF pressed on to Jerusalem in appalling weather. XX Corps sent forward a flying column known as 'Mott's Detachment' that included 53rd (W) Division. Jerusalem fell on 8 December, but there was still heavy fighting to the end of the year as the Turks threw in counter-attacks.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 113–116.Falls, Vol II, pp. 238–244. 250–251, 281–282.
XX Corps renewed its advance in March 1918, 53rd(W) Division pushing forward a little on 2 March, then again on 6 March against only slight opposition, before the whole Corps advanced on 8 March. 53rd (W) Division's main objective was the hill of Tell 'Asur, and it was supported by plentiful artillery as well as its own field brigades. The peak was taken, lost, and retaken, followed by four more unsuccessful Turkish counter-attacks. That night the division also took Chipp Hill, which had defied the neighbouring division during daylight, but on 10 March found the wadi in front too steep to climb, only passing over it during darkness on 12 March. The new line was held through the summer months.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, p. 113.Falls, Vol II, pp. 312–321.
In April, a large number of formations and units were stripped from the EEF to reinforce the BEF on the Western Front following the German spring offensive. 53rd (W) Division took over a section of the line from 74th (Yeomanry) Division on 9 April, with 160th Infantry Bde and CCLXVII Bde taking over the right sector.Ward, p. 211.
Unlike most RFA brigades, which had gained a howitzer battery in the 1916 reorganisation, CCXLVII had remained without one. On 8 April 1918 it was joined by 439 (Howitzer) Bty, equipped with four 4.5-inch howitzers passed over by CXVII (H) Brigade in 74th (Y) Division. The new battery had been specially formed with personnel drawn from 53rd (W) and 60th (2/2nd London) Divisional Ammunition Columns and from 9th Mountain Battery, RGA. In the summer of 1918 the 53rd Division was 'Indianised', with three quarters of the infantry battalions sent to the BEF and replaced by others drawn from the British Indian Army, but this did not affect the divisional artillery, which retained its composition to the end of the war.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, p. 124.
At the climactic Battle of Megiddo, 53rd Division attacked late on the first day (18 September), after a 20-minute bombardment. The sound of the infantry's approach march had previously been drowned by slow shellfire on Keen's Hill. The gunners then fired smoke shells to guide the infantry's advance in the moonlight. One Turkish position held out, and a new attack was arranged for 19 November. During the afternoon, a party of Turks was found eating lunch in the open, and every field gun in range was called in to destroy them. When the attack went in at 19.00, it was completely successful, the main enemy position was taken and the guns could move forward. The pressure was kept up on 20 September: 160th Bde was involved in severe fighting without artillery support while the guns were moving up, and was driven off Gallows Hill. But then CCLXVII Bde came into action with a half-hour bombardment of Gallows Hill, breaking up a Turkish counter-attack that was being prepared, and demoralising the defenders of the hill, which was quickly reoccupied. By the end of the next day the Turkish army was shattered, and a general advance was ordered.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, pp. 129–134.Ward, pp. 232–239.
After the battle, the division was withdrawn to Alexandria before the Armistice of Mudros came into effect on 31 October. Demobilisation began on 20 December and was completed in June 1919. CCLXVII Brigade was placed in suspended animation.
2/II Welsh Brigade, RFA