The North Scottish Royal Garrison Artillery and its successors were Scottish part-time coast defence units of the British Army from 1908 to 1961. Although the unit saw no active service, it supplied trained gunners to siege batteries engaged on the Western Front during World War I.
Origin When the Territorial Force (TF) was created from the old Volunteer Force under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, a new 'defended ports' artillery unit was formed with its headquarters (HQ) at Broughty Ferry, now located within the Dundee City council area on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. It was formed in the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) with personnel drawn from four former Volunteer units: 1st Aberdeenshire RGA, 1st Fifeshire RGA, 1st Forfarshire RGA and Highland RGA. The new unit consisted of three companies, rising to four by the outbreak of World War I in 1914:Frederick, p. 698.Litchfield, p. 275.Monthly Army List, various dates.Conrad, 1914.Maurice-Jones, p. 166.
North Scottish RGA HQ: Broughty Ferry No 1 Company: Territorial Barracks, Fonthill Road, Aberdeen No 2 Company: CromartyCromarty at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. No 3 Company: Broughty FerryAngus at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. No 4 Company, Drill Hall, Montrose
The unit was responsible for manning the guns defending the Tay (2 × 6-inch and 2 × 4.7-inch) and Aberdeen (2 × 6-inch).Maurice-Jones, p. 187.
World War I Mobilisation On the outbreak of war, the North Scottish RGA mobilised in Scottish Coast Defences under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel R.H. Adamson, TD. Shortly afterwards TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and on 15 August 1914, the War Office (WO) 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 companies and batteries were created, releasing the 1st Line units to be sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
By October 1914, the campaign on the Western Front was bogging down into Trench warfare and there was an urgent need for batteries of Siege artillery to be sent to France. The WO decided that the TF coastal gunners were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular RGA gunners for service in the field, and 1st line RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service had been authorised to increase their strength by 50 per cent.WO Instruction No 248 of October 1914.
Although complete defended ports units never left the UK, they did supply drafts of trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas. They also provided cadres to form complete new units for front line service. Two of the siege batteries formed in 1915–16 (67th and 109th) had cadres provided by the North Scottish RGA, while a number of others formed later in the Tay Defences (151st, 192nd, 231st, 254th, 267th, 283rd, 308th) may have included trained men from the unit among the recruits, although the Army Council Instructions did not specifically order this.Army Council Instructions, 1915–1916.
Under Army Council Instruction 686 of April 1917, the coastal defence companies of the RGA (TF) were reorganised. The North Scottish RGA had six companies serving in the Aberdeen and Tay Garrison (1/1st, 1/2nd, 1/3rd, 1/4th, 2/2nd and 2/3rd) and one (2/1st Company) in the Forth Garrison, was reduced to just three (numbered 1–3), which were to be kept up to strength with Regular recruits.Army Council Instructions, April 1917.
The Scottish Coastal Defences never saw action during the war. By April 1918, the Aberdeen and Tay defences under No 22 Coastal Fire Command (Broughty Ferry) consisted of:Frederick, p. 647.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, Annexes 4 & 7.Castle Green Battery at Canmore.Dundee and the Tay in the Second World War. Castle Green Battery, Broughty Ferry – 2 × 6-inch Mk VII guns Broughty Castle Battery – 2 × 4.7-inch guns Torry Point Battery, Aberdeen – 2 × 6-inch Mk VII guns
67th Siege Battery, RGA
67th Siege Battery was formed under War Office Instruction 144 of October 1915 from one company of the North Scottish RGA (TF).WO Instructions October 1915.Frederick, p. 702. The battery went out to the Western Front on 18 March 1916 manning four 8-inch howitzers.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4. At this time, batteries were switched between Heavy Artillery Groups (HAGs) as required.Farndale, Western Front, Annex E. 67th Siege Bty was with 21st HAG by the middle of June.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.
Somme 21st Heavy Artillery Group was with Fourth Army preparing for that summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme).Becke, Pt 4, pp. 102–5. It was one of the groups assigned to XV Corps facing the Fricourt Salient, a position of considerable strength in the German line.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 346–7.Farr, pp. 84–6. The bombardment programme was to extend over five days, U, V, W, X and Y, before the assault was launched on Z day. It began on 24 June, but on several days the weather was too bad for good air or ground observation and the programme was extended by two days (Y1 and Y2).Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 299–300, 304–5. When the infantry launched their assault at 07.30 on Z Day (1 July), XV Corps made better progress than most other parts of the front, capturing Mametz and Fricourt. It could have pushed forward on 2 July if its neighbouring formations had not already suffered disaster, but opposition stiffened as the day went on.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 347–68.Farr, pp. 86–91.Farrar-Hockley, pp. 147–52.
XV Corps continued fighting throughout the Somme Offensive, including the battles for High Wood, Delville Wood, Flers and the Transloy Ridges until the middle of October.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 225–8. 67th Siege Bty was transferred to 3rd HAG on 2 December. It was then taken out of the line for rest on 16 January 1917.
Arras The battery joined VI Corps' Heavy Artillery in Third Army on 2 February 1917, employed in digging positions while their guns were not in action. It was assigned to 10th HAG supporting VI Corps in the forthcoming Battle of Arras. There were many more guns available for this attack and the artillery plan was much more carefully worked out than previous operations. VI Corps' attack on 9 April was relatively successful. However, the follow-up over succeeding days was less successful, the guns having to be moved forward through mud and destruction, and the later bombardments were rushed and less effective.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 171–3.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 164–74.
Ypres
67th Siege Bty transferred to Fifth Army in the Ypres Salient in 19 May. It was then made up to six howitzers and was joined in by personnel from newly arrived 318th Siege Bty.Army Council Instruction 2379 of 20 December 1916. On 29 June, the expanded battery joined 99th HAG in Second Army as Second and Fifth Armies prepared for the forthcoming Third Ypres Offensive. Second Army's role was to provide flank support, but as the campaign bogged down it took over direction of the battle in September. The Battles of the Menin Road, Polygon Wood and Broodseinde were highly successful because of the weight of artillery brought to bear on German positions. But as the offensive continued with the Poelcappelle and First and Second Battles of Passchendaele, the tables were turned: British batteries were clearly observable from the Passchendaele Ridge and were subjected to CB fire, while their own guns sank into the mud and became difficult to aim and fire.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 82–9.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 211–13.Wolff, pp. 223–35, 249–51.
Later war 67th Siege Bty was rested from 23 December to 15 January 1918. On 1 February 1918, the HAGs were converted into permanent RGA brigades. 67th Siege Bty remained with 62nd Brigade with Third Army until the Armistice.Farndale, Western Front, Annex M. Part of Third Army was engaged in the desperate fighting of the German spring offensive, but overall it was not obliged to retreat as far or to abandon as many heavy guns as Fifth Army further south. The German offensive had been halted on Third Army's front by 5 April.Becke, Pt 4, pp. 92–7.
Third Army joined in the Allies' victorious Hundred Days Offensive with the Battle of Albert on 23/24 August, when it swept across the old Somme battlefields.Edmonds, 1918, Vol IV, pp. 247–8. By the end of August, 62nd Bde RGA was with XVII Corps, attacking the Drocourt-Quéant Switch Line on 2 September. The advance was well-prepared by the heavy artillery and the attack was a major successBecke, Pt 4, pp. 235–7.Edmonds, 1918, Vol IV, pp. 404–7.
Third Army continued its advance through the Hindenburg Line positions and across the Canal du Nord. On 8 October 62nd Bde supported XVII Corps in encircling Cambrai and compelling its evacuation by the enemy.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 208–9. On 12 October, XVII Corps probed forwards towards the River Selle. The 8th Battalion Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) went forward supported by 62nd Bde and patrols from the Queen's managed to cross the river by the one remaining girder of a blown bridge.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, p. 253. Third Army resumed its attack (the Battle of the Selle) on 20 October to clear the remaining area west of the Selle. No preliminary barrage was fired, the infantry attacking at 02.00 under a full moon to achieve surprise, supported by 62nd Bde.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 334–6, 342–3.Farndale, Western Front, p. 309.
The last set-piece attack was the Battle of the Sambre. Zero hour for Third Army was 05.30 on 4 November, and XVII Corps attacked with complete success – some units advancing beyond their objectives – supported by 62nd Bde and many other guns, some of which had to move forward during the morning to bring down fire on the further objectives in the afternoon.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 486–8.Farndale, Western Front, p. 39.
By now, the offensive had turned into a pursuit, and many of the heavy batteries had to be left behind. Fighting was ended on 11 November by the Armistice with Germany. 67th Siege Battery was retained in the postwar army, but disappeared before 1922.Frederick, pp. 719, 722.
109th Siege Battery, RGA
109th Siege Battery, RGA, was formed at Dover on 14 February 1916. A cadre of three officers and 78 other ranks (the establishment of a TF RGA company) was sent from the North Scottish RGA to form the basis of the new battery. Although the Army Council Instruction specified that the establishment of this batch of new batteries would be those for 6-inch guns, 8-inch or 9.2-inch howitzers, when 109th Siege Bty went overseas it was equipped with four 6-inch howitzers. It was apparently never raised to the 6-gun establishment that most batteries achieved in 1917.Army Council Instruction 387 of 21 February 1916.