The 1st Suffolk & Harwich Volunteer Artillery, later the Essex & Suffolk Royal Garrison Artillery was an auxiliary coastal artillery unit of the British Army first raised in 1899. It defended the ports and naval bases (the Haven ports) around the estuaries of the Rivers Orwell and Stour. Although the unit saw no active service, it supplied trained gunners to siege batteries engaged on the Western Front during World War I. It was greatly expanded in World War II to defend the invasion-threatened East Anglian Coast from Harwich to Great Yarmouth. Postwar it continued in the coast and air defence roles until it disappeared in a series of amalgamations from the 1950s.
Volunteer Force The rise of the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. These developed into permanent auxiliary units in the later 19th Century.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–8. On 1 April 1899 two companies of the 1st Essex Artillery Volunteers based in the port of Harwich became the basis of a new unit recruited among the Haven ports straddling the Essex–Suffolk border, with one new battery at Ipswich and three at Felixstowe. Initially designated the 2nd Essex (Harwich) Volunteer Artillery it was soon renamed the 1st Suffolk & Harwich Volunteer Artillery in Eastern Division, Royal Artillery. From 1 June 1899 all volunteer artillery units were part of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA)Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 5–6. and on 1 January 1902 they were redesignated, the Harwich unit becoming the 1st Suffolk & Harwich RGA (Volunteers). It now had eight companies, with its headquarters (HQ) at 6 Church Street in Harwich and No 3 Company detached at Felixstowe.Frederick, p. 657.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 67, 156.Army List, various dates. From 1 July 1905 the unit was commanded by Lt-Col Arthur Churchman (later Lord Woodbridge) of the Ipswich-based W.A. & A.C. Churchman tobacco company and a former Mayor of Ipswich.
Territorial Force When the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the Territorial Force under the Haldane Reforms in 1908,Beckett, pp. 247–53.Spiers, Chapter 10. the unit became the Essex and Suffolk Brigade, RGA, as a defended ports unit,Litchfield, p. 65. with a new headquarters built at Dovercourt in 1911. By 1914 it was organised as follows:Frederick, p. 697.Maurice-Jones, p. 166. HQ at Dovercourt No 1 Company at Harwich No 2 Company at Stratford Green No 3 Company at York Road, Southend-on-Sea No 4 Company at the Drill Hall in Great Gipping Street, Ipswich
The responsibilities of the unit were split between the Defended Ports of Medway and Thames (two companies) and the Defended Port of Harwich (two companies), where in wartime they would man the guns alongside Regular RGA companies:Maurice-Jones, p. 185. Medway & Thames Coalhouse FortSmith, pp. 21–5. – 4 × 6-inch Harwich Landguard Fort – 2 × 6-inch, 2 × 4.7-inch Harwich – 2 × 6-inch, 2 × 4.7-inch
World War I Mobilisation The Essex & Suffolk RGA mobilised in August 1914 on the outbreak of war. 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.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.Maurice-Jones, pp. 200–1.
Although complete defended ports units never went overseas, they did supply trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas. They also provided cadres to form complete new units for front line service, thus the siege batteries formed in late 1915–early 1916 were a mixture of Regular and TF gunners from the RGA coast establishments with new recruits. In August 1915 Harwich was chosen as one of the depots for forming these units, under the command of Major G.W. Horsfield, officer commanding (OC) No 1 Company Essex & Suffolk RGA. The selected Territorials were sent to Beacon Hill Battery under Capt F.A.W. Cobbold (a member of Ipswich's Cobbold brewing family) of No 4 Company to begin their training. The first battery to be formed at Harwich, 76th Siege Battery, consisted of a half battery of men from the Essex & Suffolk RGA, drawn from all four companies, the remainder being returning wounded Regulars, men of the Special Reserve, and 'Kitchener's Army' volunteers.Penstone, pp. 9–14. 90th Siege Battery, RGA was formed at Harwich on 1 December 1915. Although the relevant WO Instruction does not specifically mention this, it is recorded that half the men of the new battery were Essex Territorials, and the remainder Durham miners (presumably Kitchener volunteers).WO Instruction No 276, 24 November 1915.Sir John Eldridge's account in MacDonald, Pro Patria, p. 162. Thereafter four more siege batteries ordered to be formed at Harwich had cadres of four officers and 78 other ranks (ORs) drawn from the Essex & Suffolk RGA:Frederick, pp. 702–8. 148, 220, 245 and 356 (see below). A large number of other siege batteries were formed at Harwich during the war (34, 119, 139, 166, 189, 229, 252, 264, 294, 300, 312) and although no TF cadres are specified, it is likely that the Essex & Suffolk RGA would have assisted in their organisation.
Home defence This process meant a continual drain on the manpower of the defended ports units and under Army Council Instruction 686 of April 1917, the coastal defence companies of the RGA (TF) were reorganised. The Essex & Suffolk RGA serving in the Harwich and Shoeburyness Garrison was reduced from five remaining companies (1/1st, 1/4th, 2/1st, 2/3rd, 2/4th) to just three numbered 1–3. The 1st and 2nd Line TF distinction was dropped and they were to be kept up to strength with non-TF recruits.Army Council Instructions April 1917. In April 1918 the Harwich Garrison comprised the following batteries under the control of No 14 (Essex & Suffolk) Coastal Fire Command based at Landguard Fort:Frederick, p. 646.Farndale, Forgotten Fronts, Annexes 4 and 7.
Beacon Hill Battery No 1 – 2 × 6-inch Mk VII Beacon Hill Battery No 2 – 2 × 4.7-inch Landguard Battery – 2 × 6-inch Mk VII Darrell's Battery – 2 × 4.7-inch Brackenbury Battery – 2 × 9.2-inch Mk X Gorleston Battery – 1 × 15-pounder BLC gun No 1 Company was based at Beacon Hill, No 2 at Brackenbury. These defences never saw action during the war. The TF was demobilised in 1919 after the Armistice with Germany and the Essex & Suffolk RGA entered suspended animation.
Western Front 76th Siege Battery, RGA
In the words of the battery's historian, 'the history of No 76 Siege Battery is to a large extent bound up with that of the Essex and Suffolk R.G.A.'. On 3 November 1915 the half battery from Harwich travelled to Roffey Camp, Horsham, to join the other personnel from Clarence Barracks, Portsmouth under the command of Maj W.H. Brent Clark. Clark had been the Regular Army adjutant of the Essex & Suffolk before the war and had applied to transfer to the battery from command of 67th Siege Bty. After training at Lydd, the battery embarked for the Western Front equipped with four 9.2-inch howitzers.Penstone, pp. 14–7.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.
The battery joined 25th Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) with Fourth Army, which was preparing for that year's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme). 25th HAG supported 32nd and 36th (Ulster) Divisions, which were to attack Thiepval. The infantry went 'over the top' at 07.30 and the heavy artillery bombardment proceeded through its planned phases, lifting from one objective to the next. However, although one brigade of 36th (Ulster) Division had swept through the German positions opposite, the rest of the attack on Thiepval was held up. The guns were ordered to repeat part of the bombardment, but the advance could not be restarted, and counter-attacks drove the Ulstermen out of most of their gains.25th Bde War Diary February 1915–June 1916, TNA file WO 95/303/1.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 144–8.Farrar-Hockley, pp. 124–6, 130–8.Middlebrook, pp. 147, 173–9, 208–10, 223–4.Penstone, pp. 17–22.
The Somme Offensive continued through the summer and autumn, with 76th Siege Bty supporting the attacks on Pozières and Contalmaison. In September the battery was able to move one of its sections forward to support the attacks on Mouquet Farm ('Mucky Farm') and the Schwaben Redoubt. On 13 November the battery swung its howitzers round to fire on Beaumont-Hamel (the Battle of the Ancre), the capture of which ended the offensive.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 150–56.Penstone, pp. 22–37.25th Bde War Diary September–October 1916, TNA file WO 95/303/3.25th Bde War Diary November–December 1916, TNA file WO 95/303/4.
There were minor operations on the Ancre Heights during January 1917, then in March the battery moved to the Arras sector where it supported Canadian Corps' successful attack on Vimy Ridge (9 April).Farndale, Western Front, pp. 164–6, 174–6, Map 23.Penstone, pp. 39–48. The battery was then engaged during the Arras Offensive until it was moved to the Ypres Salient at the end of May. It played a minor role in the Battle of Messines, then joined 90th HAG for the opening of the Third Battle of Ypres.Penstone, pp. 50–7.90th Bde War Diary 1917–19, TNA file WO 95/397/1. At the end of June the battery was brought up to a strength of six howitzers when it was joined by a section (2 officers and 32 ORs) from 356th Siege Bty, which had also been formed with a cadre from the Essex & Suffolk RGA (see below).Penstone, p. 57. But it also suffered serious casualties in the Salient, Maj Cobbold (who had succeeded to the command) being among those wounded).Penstone, pp. 57–61.
The Ypres offensive opened with the Battle of Pilckem Ridge) on 31 July, but after initial successes the attack bogged down before the end of the day. The follow-up attack (the Battle of Langemarck) on 16 August was a failure.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 195–204.Penstone, pp. 63–7.Wolff, pp. 148–9, 157–60. The Battles of the Menin Road (20 September) and Polygon Wood (26 September) were highly successful because of the weight of artillery brought to bear on German positions. But as the offensive continued the tables were turned: British batteries were clearly observable from the Passchendaele Ridge and were subjected to counter-battery CB fire, while their own guns sank into the mud and became difficult to aim and fire. 76th Siege Bty suffered serious casualties before it was finally rested in December.Farndale, pp. 211–13.Penstone, pp. 67–73.Wolff, pp. 223–35, 249–51.
76th Siege Bty joined 62nd HAG on 22 December. By now HAG allocations were becoming more fixed, and on 1 February 1918 they were converted into permanent RGA brigades. 62nd Brigade was defined as a Mixed Brigade, with guns and howitzers of several sizes. Apart from short periods of detachment, 76th Siege Bty remained with this brigade until the Armistice.'Headquarters Heavy Artillery Groups', TNA file WO 95/5494/1.Farndale, Western Front, Annex E.Farndale, Western Front, Annex M.