Colour plates byMICHAEL ROFFE

OSPREY· MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

EDITOR: PHILIP WARNER

ertillery

Text by W. Y. CARMANFSA, FRHisl.S.

Colour plates by MICHAEL ROFFE

OSPREY PUBLI SHING LIMITED

Published in 1973 byOsprey Publishing Ltd, P.O. Box 25,707 Oxford Road, Reading, Berkshire© Copyright 1973 Osprey Publishing Ltd

This book is copyrighted under the BerneConvention. All rights reserved. Apart from anyfair dealing for the purpose of private study,research, criticism or review, as permitted under theCopyright Act, 1956, no part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photo­copying, recording or otherwise, without the priorpermission of the copyright owner. Enquiries shouldbe addressed to the Publishers.

The author wishes to thank Major P. E. Abbott forhis co-operation with photographs and informationon his badge collection; Captain Hollies-Smith ofthe Parker G.allery; and R. B. Goodall, Photographer.

Printed in Great Britain.Monochrome by BAS Printers Limited,Wallop, HampshireColour hy Colour Reproductions Ltd., Billericay.

early:JiistorJ'

Since the earliest days of artillery, warlike materialin England was stored at the Tower of London.Although the post of Master· Gunner of theOrdance had been in existence for several cen­turies, a corps of artillerymen had not beenestablished. It was not until the restoration ofCharles II in 1660 that the army as we know ittoday was formed. The few men who remainedloyal to the King in exile returned to becomeofficers of His Majesty's forces. The Board ofOrdnance now had such adherents as Sir WilliamCompton acting as Master-General, ColonelWilliam Legge as Lieutenant of the Ordnance andColonel James Weymes as Master Gunner ofEngland. Although cannon and ammunition werekept at the Tower, the actual trains of artillerywhich were to do the fighting and campaigningwere only raised on special occasions when deemednecessary. Wagons and personnel were tem­porarily employed for these trains. Permanenttrained gunners were but few. The Tower hadfifty-two in 1661, but a few years later they wereincreased to 100 in number. In an emergencythese 'fee'd' gunners would train the ordinarysoldiers, and also serve the fortress guns in thestrongholds around the coast. These men worered coats guarded with black velvet, following thefashion of the Yeoman of the Guard and the TowerWarders. The Scottish artillerymen of 1682 alsohad scarlet coats 'laced with black velvet as theYeoman of the Guard at London are'.

7!ie 'Rf1alUlrtillery

By 1671 the gun wharf and storehouse at Wool­wieh were being developed by the Ordnance. InMay 1676 eight field pieces of artillery were pre­sent at the exercise of His Majesty's Horse andFoot Guards in Hyde Park. Gunners and pioneerswere under their own officers.

When the Duke of Monmouth began his rebel­lion in 1685, King .James ordered the Master­General of the Ordnance to prepare a train ofartillery consisting of eight pieces: 4 iron three­pounders and 4 brass falcons. Another train with2 twelve-pounders, 4 demi-culverins, 4 six­pounders, 4 sakers and 2 minions was raised a fewdays later. Apart from gunners, matrosses andpioneers, these trains needed specialists like smiths,

Gun team at practice with rocket overhead. After a litho­graph of 1840

3

carpenters, wheelers, collar-makers and even adrummer.

The gunners each carried a field stave or lin­stock; the matrosses a half-pike; the sergeant ofpioneers carried a partizan and the corporal ahalberd. As well as a sword or hanger, the pioneershad either a pickaxe, shovel or spade. Thesepioneers wore red jackets and red caps; the arti­ficers received higher pay and wore laced redclothing. But all these elaborate preparationsproved ineffective at the Battle of Sedgemoor.Local oxen were pressed into service, and gunswere dragged on to the battlefield with the assis­tance of the coach-horses and their traces whichbelonged to Peter Mews, the Bishop ofWinchester.Even the gunners appear to have been insufficientin number, for Sergeant Weems of the RoyalRegiment of Foot (later the Royal Scots) waslater paid £40 for his good services at Sedgemoorin firing the great guns against the rebels.

In 1686James raised another train of twenty-sixpieces of ordnance to join the army on HounslowHeath, where he kept his forces until 1688. Helater formed the idea of infantry regiments eachhaving 2 three-pounder field pieces which wouldbe accompanied by the regimental grenadiers.Because of the danger of matchlock muskets settinggunpowder on fire, the grenadiers, armed withtheir flintlocks, were the most prudent choice ofmen to guard the cannon safely. In fact, the RoyalFusiliers under the command of Lord Dartmouthwere originally raised as an ordnance regiment,and for a short period had a company of minersattached to them.

When, in October 1688, James heard that aninvasion was imminent, he issued a warrant for alarge train of artillery. This included 10 nine­pounders, 8 five-and-a-quarter-pounders, 4 four­pounders and 4 three-pounders, making 26 artil­lery pieces in all. The matrosses wore stripedjackets, the pioneers red coats, and the conductorsred cloaks, while the Chief Engineer, Sir Bernardde Gomme, had a suit of silk armour.

When William of Orange landed at Brixham,J ames ordered his army, together with the artillerytrain, to proceed towards Salisbury. Althoughthere were minor skirmishes between the opposingforces, the artillery does not seem to have becomeengaged. fhe Prince of Orange had little difficulty

4

in bringing his army into London, and upon hisarrival there James, taking the better part ofdiscretion, fled to France.

The Duke of Schomberg now became the newMaster-General of the Ordnance. James IIorganized his forces and in March 1689 landed atKinsale in Ireland. In the same month Schombergprepared twenty brass pieces of artillery to fightthe deposed monarch on his new battlefield. Thegunners, matrosses and pioneers of this new artil­lery train wore blue coats lined with orange, theNetherlands colours. Many more cannon andmortars were gathered together in Chester andsent to Ireland in August 1689. In June ,690William landed near Belfast to lead his army, andearly in the next month the famous Battlc of theBoyne was fought. Here the deep river valleyred uced the role of artillery considerably, and it issaid that the artillery horses were needed for theurgent task of bringing up supplies for the army.It is interesting to note, however, that the contem­porary artist Wyck showed many large cannon inhis painting of this battle, and they also appearedin the numerous prints which were publishedafterwards. Two small Irish guns made trouble­some attacks, and one shot hit King William onthe shoulder. Schomberg was killed during thebattle.

A new train of artillery was prepared in 1690which, according to Storey, a contemporary his­torian, was 'on a seale heretofore unknown in theBritish Isles'.

The year 169 I saw several English trains ofartillery being prepared and leaving for the cam­paigns in the low Countries. By February 1692two trains, one of seventy-six pieces and the otherof forty-four, were being raised. A kettledrumcarriage was now part of the train. Artillery trainsdid not have the usual musicians, and the idea wasthat two large kettledrums should be mounted orya specially made chariot and accompany the gunsin the field. These drums could be played not onlyon the march but also when the train was in anencampment. Here an evening 'tattoo' might beplayed before 'lights out'. The kettledrummerwore the Royal Livery: in this case a state coatnearly completely covered in gold lace, as maystill be seen today worn by members of the House­hold Cavalry bands on state occasions. The postil-

Kettledrununer's state coat, c. 1750. Back view showingvestiges of hanging sleeves. (National Army Museum)

lion also had a special uniform, as did the coach­man, and there was a leather coat for roughweather.

The artillery train was present in Flanders atthe battles of Steenkirk in July 1692 and Landen(or Neerwinden) in July 1693, but many guns werelost in the latter battle. Even Colonel Borgardadmitted that sixty-three were lost. At the Siege ofHuy in September 1694 the twelve cannon andmortars under Borgard received a commendationfor their work in forcing the surrender of theenemy. When peace came with the Treaty ofRy wick in 1697 there were many trained men inthe artillery, and these now formed the firstpermanent regiment in England. Before a yearhad passed the new regiment, which cost £4,482lOS. od. per annum, was broken up. The men ofthe four companies were disbanded, some goingto the Tower of London and others els where.

When Queen Anne came to the throne, war on

France was again declared. In 1702 two newtrains of artillery were raised and sent to Holland.The Duke of Marlborough was appointed Master­General of the Ordnance and reviewed the Britisharmy and artillery at Breda in August. Furthertrains increased the number in Holland to four.Other trains were raised soon after for service inSpain and Portugal.

At the Battle of the Schellenberg, near Dona­wert, ten cannon under Colonel Holcroft Bloodwere so effective in attacking the French infantrythat the height were captured and victoryattained. Later, at Blenheim in August, theFrench and Bavarian troops expected to hold theirposition, but this was not to be, as the Britishartillery came so close to that of the French, that aheavy artillery duel took place at half-musket shot,or 700 yards. The Duke took a close interestin the positioning of the artillery and orderedColonel Blood to cross the River Nebel in front ofBlenheim. Here, Blood, with nine field pieces,kept the enemy infantry in check and with deadlyaccuracy en ured the success of the Allied troops.In this victory the British captured up to 100

annon, which almost doubled those already underMarlborough's control. The capture of MarshalTallard on this occasion was a great event.

Marlborough brought his artillery to the fore­front of the battle lines at Ramillies in May 1706.Here the french lost the whole of their annon,including twelve pieces of treble cannon. AtOudenarde in July 1708 only a battery wasemployed to cover the flank of the advancingtroops. A few months later artillery battered theFrench troops besieged in Lille, which fortresseventually fell in October 1708.

In June 1709 the British army, including theartillery, marched to Ghent to join the Allied armynear Menin. The citadel of Tournai was besiegedby 104 cannon and other artillery and surrendereda few weeks later.

In September 1709 the Battle of Malplaquettook place, where the massing of forty cannon tosupport the attack on the right and centre of theenemy showed faith in the use of artillery. Whenthe French troops were pushed back, Marlboroughordered this battery of guns forward. The artillerythen spread outwards and decimated the Frenchcavalry. The Siege of Mons began soon after and

5

Funeral of the Duke of Marlborough in 1722, from acontemporary print.. Top row: artillery with 'Cannoniers

continued to the end of October, Colonel Bloodbeing wounded at this place.

When the Allied army took to the field thefollowing April there were 262 pieces of artillery,with 20 mortars and howitzers present. The siegeof Douai occu pied the efforts of 200 of thesecannon, and when the town surrended in June theenemy handed over 200 iron cannon, 40 brasscannon and 8 mortars. July saw the end of thiscampaign, but the Peace of Utrecht was notsigned until April 17 I 3. Simultaneously artillerytrains had been prepared and sent to Portugal andSpain. This artillery had been engaged at Almanzain April 1707, Port Mahon in Minorca in August1708, the siege of Balaguer in 1709 and Sieges ofVilla Nova and Almenara in July 17 10, inSaragossa in August 1710, whcre the artillery losteight men but captured most of the enemy's guns,and Villa Viciosa in December 17 [0. In this latteraction, although the army of Charles - claimantto the Spanish throne - was defeated, ColonelBorgard was wounded and guns were lost.

Artillery was also sent to the New World, onedestination inJuly 17[0 being Port Royal on thecoast of Nova Scotia. When the port was cap­tured by the British from the French in 17 IO it wasrenamed Annapolis in honour of Queen Anne.The artillery from England also accompanied anexpedition against Quebec in May [7 I I, but thiswas not a success. In May [7 I 3 some thirty cannonand thirty mortars and cohorns were established

6

and Bombardiers'; bottom row: kettledrum carriages andtrumpeters. (National Army Museum)

at Placentia in Newfoundland. It was through thePeace of Utrecht in 1713 that Acadia (NovaScotia) and Newfoundland were formally cededto the British. As the result of this long-drawn-outwar Gibraltar and Port Mahon were now alsoestablished as British garrisons.

The rebellion in Scotland in 17 I 5 saw a trainof artillery being sent to the Firth of Forth, but thevessels which took the actual cannon by the searoute arrived too late for them to be used andthey returned to London without being unshipped.

71ie 'Rf1al~iment rf~tillery 17/4-8]

Much had been happening in the making ofhistory to prove continuous need of artillery onthe battlefield. Perhaps it was when George Icame to the throne of Great Britain with his closeknowledge of continental armies that the advan­tages of forming a permanent artillery becameobvious. The petty economy of temporarily raisedtrains was at last abandoned, and in May 17 I 6

the bold step was taken to establish a permanentregiment of artillery, albeit if only of two com­panies. In 1717 the trains of artillery raised forGibraltar and 'Port Mahon were organized intocompanies but did not become part of the RoyalRegiment of Artillery until 1722. Now the regi­ment was entitled to a full colonel, and the firstofficer to be chosen for this post was AlbertBorgard, the Dane who had been with the Englishartillery since 1692. He eventually rose to therank of lieutenant-general.

In 1716 an inventory of the guns installed inthe many garrisons and castles around the BritishIsles totalled 3,219. This number was to bereduced to 1,254 after the artillery requirementshad been satisfied, the six guns doing duty inWhitehall disappearing for ever.

InJune 1719 a detachment of artillery accom­panied General Wightman when he marched toInverness to attack the Spaniards at the Pass ofGlenshiel. These invaders, who had landed inApril, at Kintail in Ross and Cromarty were alltaken prisoner. In July a train of artillery went toVigo in Spain and after bombardment the castlesurrendered in October. Many guns and much inthe way of stores were captured. The expeditionreturned to England in November 1719.

John, Duke of Marlborough, died in 1722, andhis death was the occasion of a fine state funeral.This benefactor of artillery was accompanied onhis last journey by a train of fifteen pieces ofcannon and two mortars. The kettledrum carriagewith its great drums and two companies ofcannoniers and bombardiers were drawn up inHyde Park before making the march to West­minster Abbey and St James's. Contemporaryprints record this occasion with interesting detail.

In 1723 a camp was established in Hyde Parkand the artillery train was present with twentypieces of ordnance under a guard of twenty-fiveinfantrymen.

Trouble with Spain broke .out again in 1727when 20,000 Spaniards with fifty-four cannonbesieged Gibraltar. The original artillery com­pany was re-formed by Lieutenant-Colonel JonasWatson with 520 men from Woolwich. The siege,which lasted four months, was broken by theextra guns and stores which later arrived fromEngland and Mahon, and by a firm and successful

defensive action by the newly formed Regiment ofArtillery.. An artillery captain-lieutenant waskilled in one of the batteries, but the total losseswere comparatively light.

The men of the Royal Artillery also served atsea. In 1729 two bomb-vessels went to theMediterranean with fireworkers, eight bom­bardiers and two gunners. The next month twomore bomb-vessels were fitted out for service inthe Baltic Sea. In 1738 another three bomb-vesselswere prepared and Captain Thomas James wasin charge of six lieutenants and thirty-six men.Each vessel carried a 13-inch mortar and aIO-inch howitzer with 400 shells, as well as 40carcasses for each mortar and howitzer. In 1739the Royal Artillery fitted out three more bomb­vessels, one for the Mediterranean and the othersfor the West Indies. This sea service for what isnormally a land force continued into the nextcentury.

In 1740 a fifth permanent company was raised,and together with other companies under ColonelWatson took part in the preparations for theexpedition assembling that year at Portsmouthunder Charles, Lord Cathcart. But in Decemberthe General died on the island of Dominica, andso Brigadier-General Wentworth took commandof the military force. Arriving at the South Ameri­can port of Cartagena in March 174 I, the landingforces included a battery of twenty twenty-fourpounders. These guns went into action with aterrific cannonade, and eventually the castle ofBona Chica was carried by storm with the com­bined efforts of infantry and artillery. ColonelWatson was killed, as were many others, as aresult of the spirited resistance made by theSpaniards. Other forts near by were attacked butwithout success. A withdrawal had to be madeand the fortifications captured earlier had to bedemolished. This disastrous campaign saw thedeath of some 20,000 men, many from illness. Onthe death of Colonel Watson, Major Lewisappointed himself lieutenant-colonel and pro­moted Captain-Lieutenant Belford to major,promotions which were later confirmed in Englandby the King.

In the War of the Austrian Succession Britishtroops had their first major engagement at theBattle ofDettingen in 1743. It was on this occasion

7

3

1 Sword-belt plate, 4th Battalion Royal Artillery, c. 17802 Gilt belt plate, Sandwich Volunteer Artillery, c. 18063 Gunner's belt plate with thunderbolt below the Garter,

c. 1824

that King George II achieved fame as the lastBritish monarch to fight on a battlefield. When hislarge white horse ran away the monarch foughton foot saying that at least his own legs were notcapable of running away with him. Twenty-fourthree-pounder British guns were present in thebattle to support their Austrian allies in thevictory over the French troops.

The Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 was not aBritish victory. When the Brigade of Foot Guardsadvanced in the late afternoon seven Britishcannon used grape-shot to good effect. There werealso two three-pounder guns attached to each

8

4 Officer's gilt belt plate, c. 1833-'75 Shoulder-belt plate, Bombay Foot Artillery, c. 18356 Shoulder-belt plate, Bengal Foot Artillery, c. 1845

infantry battalion which the artillerymen man­handled to within thirty yards of the Frenchinfantry. In all, the British guns numbered 47whereas the French had 266 pieces, a fact whichmay have influenced the civilian drivers hired bythe British to run away so fast that they reachedBrussels the same day, as harbingers of disaster.

When the Pretender, Prince Charles Edward,came to Scotland to assemble an army for the"45 Rebellion', two companie with a train ofartillery under Colonel Lewis were ordered tomarch north from Woolwich. But informationthat the Scottish forces had retreated from Derby

was received soon after, and the artillerymenreturned to their base without seeing any action.Four companies· in Flanders were ordered home,but it was eamen who handled the guns at theBattle of Prestonpans. Six eighteen-pounders didattack the walled city of Carlisle in December1745 and forced it to surrender.

At the Battle of Culloden the following yearColonel Belford eventually replied to the cannonof the Highlanders by using his ten guns to ploughlanes through the ranks of closely packed Scots­men. He also directed two guns to fire so close tothe Prince that he was bespattered by dirt castabout by the cannon-balls. A man holding a horseby the Prince's side was killed. After half an hour'scannonade Prince Charles gave the order tocharge. The reply of grape-shot from the cannonsdid not allow the Scots force to approach closerthan 100 yards. The artillery casualties in thisaction were 6 men.

The Treaty of Aix-Ia-Chapelle brought an endto the War of the Austrian Succession in 1748.But it did not bring a long peace to Great Britain,for the Seven Years War broke out in 1756.During the peaceful period the Duke of Cumber­land reviewed the artillery annually at Woolwich.New companies were formed at this time and theywent to the East Indies, a term which thencovered the subcontinent of India and the sur­rounding countries. Also in May 1755 a detach­ment of a lieutenant and twenty-four men wassent from Woolwich to Ireland where theybecame the nucleus of the Royal Irish Artillery.It was in April 1756 that the Duke of Cumberlandordered that the artillery was 'to take the right ofall foot on parades and likewise of dragoonswhen dismounted'.

During the Seven Years War the RoyalRegiment of Artillery distinguished itself at theBattle of Minden in 1759. When British andGerman armies advanced against the French,each flank was protected by the fire of thirtycannon. Captain Macbean's brigade of lighttwelve-pounders completely silenced the guns onthe French left flank. Then his heavy sixteen­pounders moved up and at short range forcedthe retiring enemy to surrender forty-three gunsand all baggage. Duke Ferdinand of Brunswickwrote the next day paying Macbean tribute for

his fine work. The descendants of two of 'thebatteries present at this battle were later grantedthe honour title of 'Minden'.

At the Battle of Warburg in July 1760 CaptainPhillips brought up his guns at the gallop, anunprecedented occurrence at that time. Hissubsequent cannonade forced the French to retirein disorder over the River Dymel. Two newcompanies came out that year and served atWilhelmsthal. Peace was signed in ovember andearly in 1763 the artillery marched throughHolland and returned to England.

Across the Atlantic the Royal Artillery werealso fighting thc French, (or the French army wasin a strongly fortified position in Louisbourg. In1758 an artillery train under Colonel Williamsonsupported the troops under General Wolfe andbrought down much of the walls of the Louisbourgfortifications. The successful action is noted todayin the honour title of 'Louisbourg' which isgranted to the modern successor of Captain T.Ord's company. The Battle of Quebec soon fol­lowed in September 1759. There were only fiftyartillerymen present, and two guns of CaptainMacleod's company were employed. It is saidthat the navy did valiant work in helping tohaul the guns up the Heights of Abraham, andCaptain-Lieutenant Yorke received commenda­tion for his use of the light artillery. This valuablesupport contributed to the decisive battle bywhich Wolfe won Canada for the British Empire.The descendant of this company bears the honourtitle of 'Quebec 1759'.

AMER.ICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

In April 1775 the first shots were fired in theAmerican Revolution, and immediately Lieu­tenant-Colonel James of the Royal Artillerymounted a battery of six twenty-four-pounderguns on Cope's Hill which commanded the riverand peninsula of Charlestown. As these guns hadcome from naval battleshi ps the new defence wascalled 'the Admiral's Battery'. In June, whenwarfare became inevitable, the Royal Artilleryarmed the battery with some of its own guns andit was then renamed 'Cope's Hill Battery'. TheAmericans marched across the isthmus which

9.

connected Charlestown with the mainland andthe artillery plied them with gunfire. This didnot stop the rebels from advancing and inflictingmuch damage on the British troops. The artillerywas then ordered to fire carcasses, a kind of bomb,into the town. These set many buildings on fireincluding the steeple of the church. The dangersof the ensuing blaze forccd the American infantryto retirc leaving five guns behind them.

Although the war in America wa one verymuch decided by infantry, artillery continued tobe employed throughout the long-drawn-outconflict.

SIEGE OF GIBRAL TAR

While the British forces were engaged with theAmericans' War of Independence, the Spanishand the French attacked British possessions inEurope. General Elliot, the Governor of Gib­raltar, expected trouble and in '777, although hehad five companies of artillery, asked that thegarrison might be doubled in number, 'especiallyartillerymen'. After two years had elapsed oneextra company was sent out. The siege whichbegan in '779 and lasted until 1783 was verymuch a gunners' affair. In January 1780 theBritish fleet brought a captured convoy intoGibraltar and this was the signal for the Spanishbatteries to open fire. These had been set up onthe land side to the north. Return fire from thegunners on the Rock had an accurate or luckyhit on the St Carlos Battery, which blew up thepowder magazine and silenced the enemy forseveral days.

The Spanish nation instituted a blockade in­tended to starve out the garrison of Gibraltar andthis lasted until April 178 r. As shipping was ableto supply the garrison the Spaniards realized thatstarvation was not the answer and they then beganan intensive bombardment which continued for ayear and a half. Some 200 cannon on the land sideand another 200 from battering ships led to over200,000 shots, shells, etc. being fired at the Britishtroops. To ease this pressure a land sortie wasplanned, and in November 178, a successfulsurprise attack was made: I 14 artillerymen accom­panied this sortie and they were able to spike

10

eighteen twenty-six-pounders and ten IO-inchmortars of the enemy.

The problem of firing down from the heights ofthe Rock which faced the British wa partly solvedwhen Lieutenant Koehler constructed a gun­carriage which enabled the gun-barrel to bedepressed below the horizontal. This had thepiece resting on a wooden bed which hinged infront of the trunnions. Thus the rear end could beelevated while the muzzle remained more or lessin the same place and faced gradually downwards.The idea was successful and twenty-eight out ofthirty rounds entered the St Carlos Batteryalthough it was over 1,400 yards away. Yearslater when Koehler was invited to enter the serviceof the Flemings and fight the Austrians, GeneralElliot gave him permission to do so and he rose tothe rank of major-general.

The floating batteries of the Spaniards was thenext problem to be tackled in breaking the siege,and in September 1782 red-hot shot was used

Artillerymen, from a print by J. A. Atkinson, 1807.(Parker Gallery)

against the enemy for the first time and exceededall expectations. The cannon balls were heated toa red heat in small iron furnaces and when firedin the normal fashion they were able gradually toburn their way through wood and even dampenedleather. The enormous floating batteries of theenemy were armed with 212 new brass guns andhad special shelters over the top. It was on theseshelters that water and wet leather were placed inthe hope that this would stave off the dangers ofthe red-hot shot, However, the intense bombard­ment which the British gave ensured that in timethe heat took effect, and one by one the floatingbatteries caught fire and blew up with terrificexplosions. With these out of the way, the siege waspractically over and peace was signed in February[783. The breadth of the artillery measures in thissiege is to be noted in the fact that five batteriesdescended from those defenders bear the honourtitle of 'Gibraltar 1779-83'.

1!ie~oleonic 'Wars

When Revolutionary France invaded the Neth­erlands in 1793 Britain could not stand by, andentered the conflict. The Duke of York took anarmy to Flanders in which the artillery was underthe command of Major (later Sir William)Congreve. The guns were actually attacheddirectly to the infantry battalions and not organ­ized as an artillery brigade, but at the siege ofValenciennes it was realized that guns were neededto fire in battery and they were thus detached fromthe infantry. After two months' bombardment thegarrison surrendered. Although the campaign hadsome success for the British troops, an engagementwith the French army in May brought defeat andthe expedition returned home early in 1794.

In 1799 another large expedition consisting ofcompanies ofartillery and a troop of horse artillery

went to the Helder in North Holland where it meta Russian force and both combined under thecommand of the Duke of York. This was the firstoccasion that the new body of horse artilleryformed in 1793 went into action. Artillery gunshad some success against the French dragoons, butno useful conclusion came to the expedition.' TheRoyal Artillery was now organized into brigadesand no longer attached to infantry battalions.

The French had been established in Egypt since1799 and so a British expedition set sail in theMediterranean. Under strong fire the troopslanded at Aboukir in 1801, the artillery getting itsfield pieces ashore at the same time as the infantry.The heavy artillery then bombarded the castle ofAboukir which surrendered a few days later. Therewere thirty-four pieces available for use at thesubsequent Battle of Alexandria, but being with­out means of draught these were not used. Hadhorses been available it is possible that the fate ofAlexandria would have been decided that day.

By August two batteries had been established,but not before some strenuous manhandling of theguns over most difficult rocks and countryside. Theonly horses which could have been available werethe offcasts of the weakened cavalry. Once theguns were in position the bombardment wassuccessful and Alexandria had to surrender. Else­where in Egypt the British forces defeated theFrench and remained there until the Peace ofAmiens in March 1802. All those participants inthis campaign were thereafter personally allowedto wear a special badge commemorating Egypt,the first time that such a distinction had beengranted to all ranks in the British forces. Thebadge of a sphinx was worn on the soldier's head­dress, and retained even if he should join anotherunit. Officers of artillery carried the sphinx on thesabretache while other officers in the battalion ortroop did not. The honour title of'Sphinx' is borneby five batteries in modern times.

When the French troops were driven out of theWest Indies, many small though important actionstook place. That in Martinique in 1809 has specialinterest. Fort Royal had fallen but Fort Desaix wasa strongpoint defended by 120 artillery pieces.Gunners and sailors worked day and night for tendays in pouring rain to establish five batteries. Acontinuous bombardment achieved its aim when

II

the main enemy magazine was blown up by amortar shell on 24 February. For its stout work inthe attack Captain Stewart's company was alloweda choice of trophies. It is said that as the men knewthey were soon due for transfer to a new station abeautiful brass one-pounder French gun had to berefused, and in its place a French pioneer's axe anda brass drum were chosen. The drum has disap­peared, but the axe with the badge of an eagleattached is carried by the tallest gunner when'Battle Axe' day is celebrated in the battery on24 February each year. The battery is some­times called the 'Battle Axe' Company. As thiscompany is de. cended from one of the companiesof the old Royal Irish Artillery, one wonderswhether its members had remembered that the oldgalJoglasses of ancient Ireland survived as theBattle Axe Guards in the late seventeenth centuryand took this evocative title.

THE PENINSULAR WAR

When Napoleon put his brother on the throneof Spain the Spaniards took up arms against him.A British army complete with artillery went to thePeninsula in 1808 to free Portugal and Spain. Atfirst the two artillery companies under the com­mand of Colonel Robe were sent to Portugal. InAugust General Wellesley, later the Duke ofWellington, attacked Rolica and there a batteryused shrapnel for the first time in action and togood effect. Captain Shrapnel of the Royal Artil­lery later received a pension of£ 1,200 per annumfor this invention. Later, at Vimiero, the dischargeof spheri al case from the nine-pounder batteriesdrew off the menacing French cavalry. In anevening bat tic when the French infantry nearlyoverwhelmed the British, a delayed and well­timed volley at sixty yards broke the attackingcolumn and the 50th Foot chased the retreatingenemy for nearly three hundred yards.

Sir John Moore and a new army brought 7 I2fresh artillerymen from England, but several diedduring the difficult landing. The French underNapoleon forced their retreat, and inJanuary ISogthe Emperor felt confident enough to hand over toMarshal Soult. Moore decided to usc Corunna ashis base for withdrawal. The artillery beat off theFrrnch attack and successfully covered the retreat.

/2

The following year Wellesley returned toPortugal to force the French out of that country.Within a few days the French were driven out ofOporto. At the Battle of Talavera in July ISogneither horses nor mules could be found to drawthe field guns. However the best was done andBritish, Spanish and Portuguese batteries foughttogether in this battle. The approach of a Frencharmy in his rear caused Wellington to retire, butone of the three British batteries earned the honourtitle of 'Talavera'.

Having occupied most of Spain, in late ISogand the following spring the French army madeready to drive the Briti h out of Portugal. AtBusaco in September a stand was made. Thehorse artillery rendered great service, and afterthe artillery caused heavy losses the French with­drew. Lord Wellington now returned to hisstrongly fortified lines at Torres Vedras.

At Albuhera in May lSI I the British artilleryand that of the King's German Legion were hotlyengaged, the latter being somewhat cut up duringa ferocious charge by the famous Polish Lancers.

A siege-train was formed to take Ciudad Rodrigo,which fell in January 18 I2 after 200 rounds pergun had been fired. Badajoz was the next to fallto the bombardment of the siege-train. Wellingtonwas now able to undertake operations in the fieldin which Portuguese artillery accompanied theBritish. At Salamanca a breach was not initiallyeffected as supplies of ammunition had becomeexhausted, but in July the battle was successfullyengaged. The winter of 1812-13 was spent inreorganizing, and reinforcements were found {orthe artillery.

In April 1813 four mountain guns under Cap­tain Arabin engaged the enemy at Bier. By June,Joseph Buonaparte had his soldiers in front ofVitoria, and his artillery checked the advance ofthe 3rd, 4th and 7th Divisions. The British artilleryjoined the conflict, and after half an hour soweakened the enemy that a general advance wasmade possible in which the heights were carriedand twenty-eight pieces of artillery captured. Thefinal victory saw 150 cannon abandoned on thefield of battle. Wellington's report to the PrinceRegent was sufficient to bring a special cash awardto all the officers commanding artillery.

The French army was now hard pressed. At

Left to right: Lieutenant-Colonel S. G. Adye, c. 1816, ingold-laced coat; Major Henry Baynes, c. 1826. He wasBrigade-Major of the Royal Artillery at Waterloo; Lieu­tenant G. T. Boger, c. 1828, after a miniature

San Sebastian a three-month siege with fifty-ninepieces of heavy ordnance softening the fortress ledto victory by an assault. The storming parties wereastonished to hear artillery firing in their rear,for this was the first occasion that infantry wassupported by artillery bombardment over theirheads. By five o'clock in the evening of 3 1 August1813 San Sebastian was in the hands of the British.

In pursuing the French troops across thePyrenees, the use of mountain artillery waseffected by Lieutenant Robe who instigated thecarrying of three-pounder guns on mules. InNovember the Battle of Nivelle was fought andthe Allies entered France. The artillery continuedin the advance across France and was present atthe crossing of the River Adour, and at the siegesof Bayonne, St Etienne, Aire and Toulouse. By1814 Napoleon realized his impossible positionand abdicated.

The Peninsula was not the only battlefield ofthi period. After extensive preparations theAmericans declared war on Great Britain in 1812.The British achieved a victory at the Battle ofQueenstown, but at the cost of the life of thecommander of the British forces, General Brock.

At Fort Erie in November the militia artillery wassurprised and routed; gunboats were engaged inminor actions; artillery under Captain Jacksontook part in the action at Chrysler's Farm, andlater on their retreat Fort Niagara was captured.For their action in Canada some artillerymenwere allowed to wear the word 'Niagara' on theirappointments, and later a battery was given thisas an honour title.

As the European conflict seemed over, in 1814fresh troops were sent to America. An attack onthe American capital was planned. In August theBattle of Bladensburg saw British rockets success­fully in action, and soon after this governmentbuildings in Washington, including the Capitol,the Arsenal and the Dockyard, were set on fire;194 cannon were captured on this occasion. AtBaltimore in September, where General Ross,commander of the British forces, was killed, theBritish artillery did great execution and createda panic which brought about the defeat of theAmerican forces. But in the new year at the Battleof New Orleans it was the British who suffereddefeat, this unfortunate battle taking place aweek after peace had been concluded.

13

Royal Artillerymen with a rocket in Burma, 1824. From acontemporary print

WATERLOO

Napoleon could not rest in exile in Elba and inFebruary 1815 returned to France to eollect anarmy of I 16,000 men. Artillerymen from Britainand America went to the etherlands to build upthe Allied armies which were assembling tocounter the French threat. Sir George AdamWood was made commander of the artillery on theContinent. In the battlc ranks were six troops ofRoyal Horse Artillery with the cavalry, and twoin reserve, while eight ompanies or batteries ofRoyal Artillery as well as others in reserve wereready for general usc. Most batteries were formedinto brigades of five nine-pounders and one5-~-inch howitzer.

At Quatre Bras the day before Waterloo onlytwo field batteries were engaged, with losses ofnine men killed and one of the majors slightlywounded. At Waterloo Wellington had theartillery on the crest of rising ground with theinfantry just below it, and the cavalry to the left

14

and behind the centre. When the French cavalryattacked, the guns fired to the last moment andthen retired into the infantry squares, none ofwhich were broken. When some guns of theKing's German Legion were overrun by cavalrythe gunners defended themselves with their heavybrass-hilted swords. At the end of the day whenthe Old Guard made three attacks on Welling­ton's front the cannon dual was terrific. TheAllied artillery kept up its fire on the Guard, butwhen they ignored it and reached the top of thecrest Wellington gave the order for the British toadvance and the day was won. Although apoleonwas defeated, the Royal Artillery had to reducethe minor fortresses still resisting on the frontiersuntil all had surrendered.

Waterloo was regarded as a special distinctionfor all those serving in this battle, and for the firsttime every man was given a medal. 'Waterloo' wasan honour to be worn on artillery distinctions, butin 1833 it was decided that as artillery had servedin so many theatres of war there was little purposein awarding separate honours. The Royal Regi­ment of Artillery was now awarded Ubique mean­ing 'Everywhere' and Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt,'Where right and glory lead'. The grant of theRoyal Arms above a gun accompanied thisaward.

In 1826 it was decided to send troops toPortugal because of the attitude of Spain againstthis ancient ally. A four-gun brigade went and it isfortunate that it was not in action, for the materialwas of poor quality and would not have stood upto battle conditions. .

At the time of the Rebellion in Canada in 1837two guns were used against the French-Canadians,while in 1840 a small force went to Syria. Otherswent to China and Kaffraria but no majorconflict arose until the Crimean War.

THE CRIMEA

Because of Russia's overbearing attitude to herweak neighbour Turkey, Great Britain enteredinto an alliance with France, Turkey and Sardiniato curb the Russian bear. The invasion of theCrimean peninsula through the port of Sevastopolled to two years of dreary fighting. A siege-train

Company officers. After a print by W. Heath, 18z8

IS

Epaulettes.Left: lieutenant, Royal Artillery, 1838; right: captain,Bengal Foot Artillery, 1837

and eight field batteries were part of the originalinvading force which comprised five divisions.The Battle of the Alma soon took place on 24 Sep­tember 1854. The Russians were waiting on theheights; the French began by turning the enemy'sleft flank and the British artillery was throwingshot into the Russian redoubts. At one time LordRaglan pushed forward through a gap in theRussian lines made by the withdrawal of theMoscow regiment. He then found himself lookingdown on the Causeway Battery and the Russianreserves. Eventually the Gordon Highlanderscame up the hill and when at last two guns arrivedthe situation was relieved and the General safe.

Heavy siege-guns continually attacked Russianfortified places, including the Redan. Finallywhen the Malakoff fell the Russians evacuated thefortress overnight. The troops withdrew across theharbour and British artillery fire sank the ships.Blowing up the forts wa. the last deed in a cam­paign which may seem to have achieved little.

16

THE INDIAN MDTI Y

For many years India had maintained its ownartillery. In fact each of the three Presidencies hadtheir own horse and field bran he, wi th acommon origin from the British gunner who wentto India in 174-8. The story of the Indian artil­leries is long and complex for they fought in majorand minor battles that took part all over Asia andeven Africa. Egypt, Java, Burma, Kabul andChina are but a few of their battle honours wonbefore the Mutiny. In this rebellion, which brokeout in 1857, many artillery officers wereawarded the Victoria Cross. The Madra andmost of the Bombay Army remained tru as didthe white regiments of Bengal. At Cawnpore inthe first week of the Mutiny thirty-nine men of theBengal Artillery were killed and wounded, whilefiring their guns to the last round. The assaultand capture of Dclhi saw the Bengal Artilleryleading the bombardment, and Lieutenant Remy

gained the Victoria Cross for throwing fused shellsfrom the arsenal wall on to the enemy below,while a siege-train breached its way into Jhansi.Lieutenant Roberts of the Bengal Artillery, betterknown later as Ficld-Marshal Earl Roberts, wonhis Victoria Cross in hand-to-hand fighting tosave a cavalryman.

When the Mutiny was over the Presidentialforces were disbanded and the white artillerymencame directly under the British Crown and werenumbered accordingly. Three mountain batteriesfrom India took part in the Abyssinian Expeditionof 1868. The mountain pas es of Ethiopia sawelephants pulling guns on this odd but successfulventure.

AFGHAN WAR

Fighting continued on the frontiers of India,including that of the Second Afghan War of

Mountain artillery carried by mules. By G. B. Campion,drawing master at Woolwich

1878-80 where lcphant transport was used· onboth sides. The guns of horse artillery were carriedon elephants and on other occasions the heavyforty-pounder guns were drawn by elephants.

In June 1880 in Afghanistan a local risingthreatened the British at Kandahar and so twobatteries, one improvised from captured smooth­bore cannon, advanced to Maiwand. An enemyforce seven times that of the British was on its wayto Kandahar, and attacked. The overwhelmedartillery limbered up the guns in the presence ofthe Afghans and only two were left behind. TwoVictoria Crosses were gained in this action andthe battery was given the honour title of'Maiwand'.

At the same period Britain was fighting theZulus in Africa, not too successfully, at Isandhl­wana. Later at Ulundi, when victory was gained,the artillery had a varie..gated arsenal whichincluded gatlings, seven-pounders, nine-poundersas well as rockets.

17B

Front view of officer's coatee with gold embroidery as introduced in 1838Back view of officer's coatee as worn up to the Crimean War

THE SUDAN AND SOUTH AFRItA

After the massacre of Europeans in Alexandria afull-scale war was undertaken in Egypt in 1882.Sir Garnet Wolseley intended attacking ArabiPasha's army at Tell-e1-Kebir. Seven field bat­teries were in the centre of the approach with theinfantry on the flanks. In the dawn action theleading gun of 'N' Battery was put out of actionby the breaking of a wheel. The other fivesixteen-pounders so devastated the Egyptians thatthe latter had to retreat. The battery advanced infront of the infantry and taking a new positiondrove the enemy out of their trenches and redoubt.The fleeing Egyptians took to three trains, but the

18

guns quickly put one out of action. The batterywas granted the honour title of 'The BrokenWheel Battery', which is still preserved today.

In 1884 Wolseley led an expedition to rescueGeneral Gordon in Khartoum. When crossing thedesert with camel transport for its 2t-inch guns,'I' Battery came across the Mahdi and his troopswho were holding the wells at Abu Klea. As theinfantry square advanced, the guns went forwardby hand to fire on the Arabs. A mounted chargeagainst the square was diverted by a single salvoof case-shot. In the following melee hand-to-handfighting took place, but the square was finally re­formed. As a result of this action a Victoria Crosswas awarded, while the title of 'Abu Klea' was

given to the battery. Gordon, however, hadperished and it was not until 1898 that the victoryof Omdurman finished the power of the Dervishforces. General Kitchener at this time had notonly two British field batteries but also Egyptianhorse and field batteries under Royal Artilleryofficers.

Although there had been a previous war withthe Boers, a major conflict broke out in October1899 over the treatment of British subjects in theTransvaal. The scattered British forces gatheredinto garrisons like Ladysmith and Kimberleywhere they were besieged. When General Buller'srelieving force came to cross the River Tugelaat Colenso the entrenched Boers held off theadvance with deadly fire. The 14th and 66thBatteries rode up to the river and unlimberedwithin 500 yards of the Boer trenches. But one byone the guns were put out of action as the gunnerswere picked off. The men had to be ordered backto shelter. Then strenuous efforts were made to

Left: Io-inch howitzer and (right) eighteen-pounder siegegun advancing. By G. B. Campion

retrieve the guns, and after much effort two weresaved. For this action Victoria Crosses wereawarded to two captain~ and a corporal of theRoyal Field Artillery.

The Royal Horse Artillery made its mark atSanna's Post when 'Q' Battery was awarded fourVictoria Crosses. There are many other occasionsfull of valour and distinction. It was at Itala inSeptember 1901 that a driver of 69th Batteryreceived the Victoria Cross for bringing upammunition under heavy fire, and at Tafelkop inDecember that a certain Shoeing-Smith wasgranted the Victoria Cross when limbers weregalloped away to prevent the Boers from manningthe guns.

During the Boxer Rebellion in China in I goo,British artillery with men of the Hong Kong ISingapore Artillery served in the internationalfield force. In the little-known expedition to Tibetin Ig04, when Lhasa was occupied, men from twomountain batteries were present.

19

'l<r!Jalu1TtillerJ! in twoWorld'Wtrs

WORLD WAR I

The outbreak or war in 19 I 4 saw the BritishExpeditionary Force racing the might or theGerman army. With so many hundreds orartillery units in action during this lengthy warit is difficult to give a general coverage. Thus arew or the outstanding events may be noted.

The five divisions or the Expeditionary Force

Thirteen-inch mortars in action. By G. B. Campion, 1846

were facing overwhelming numbers in Belgium atMons and Le Cateau. When roreed to withdraw,I 19th Battery was part or a flank guard and tookup a position ncar the village or Elouges. Twoguns were checking the German cavalry, butwhen the enemy came within 2 0 yards or theguns the order to withdraw was issued. Then withthe aid or the 9th Lancers all the guns weresuccessfully brought back, the d laying action orthis tremendous effort preventing the Germansrrom enveloping the flank of II Corps. The majorin charge or the battery was awarded the VictoriaCross. There is little doubt that the honour title or'Elouges' would have been awarded to the battery,but it was disbanded in 1922.

In the same withdrawal 37th Battery RoyalField Artillery (Howitzer) had engaged in counter­battery work, while the eighteen-pounder gunscovered the movements of the inrantry. 37thBattery was ordered to dig in and hold the position

20

Top left: shoulder scale forundress jacket, Bengal HorseArtillery, c. 1845; top right:shoulder scale for frock coat,Botnbay Foot Artillery, c. 1840;centre: shoulder cords, tnajoron reserve, Royal Artillery, c.1886; lower left: shoulder scalefor frock coat, Durhatn Artil­lery (Militia), c. 1854; lowerright: shoulder scale, probablyfrotn tunic, Militia Artillery,c. 1856

at all costs. Other batteries successfully withdrewtheir guns, although two howitzers of '37' lookedlike falling into the enemy's hands before twotcams of horses with volunteer drivers successfullylimbered up both of them. Although Germaninfantry was surrounding the place, one teamdashed out at the gallop. The second was shotdown by German rifle fire. The captain and twodrivers of the more fortunate team receivedVictoria Crosses. The battery, later numbered 93,rcceived the honour title of 'Le Cateau' in 1914.

In September 1914 '1.' Battery attached to 1stCavalry Brigade was surprised by Germancavalry. The guns went into action immediately,but one by one they were silenced. However,despite continued enemy efforts the last guncontinued to resist. It was the timely arrival anddetermined efforts of 'I' Battery that forced theGermans to retreat leaving eight guns on the field.Three Victoria Crosses were awarded to men of'L' Battery, and the honour title of 'Nery', theplace of the action, was granted to the battery.

21

Sixty-eight pounder gun in caseDlent of a fortress. ByG. B. Campion, 1846

A bombardier of II 3th Battery was awarded aVictoria Cross for his outstanding gallantry inSeptember near Vendresse when he persisted inlaying his gun - pointing and adjusting prior tofiring - although twice wounded. The Battle ofthe Somme in 1916 and of Passchendaele in 19'7saw much bravery in artillery units. AtMessines in April 1918 'A' battery of 88th Brigadefired over open sights. The Battery Commanderthen rallied the infantry and by his efforts delayedthe Germans' entry into Messines for over twelvehours. Unfortunately he was later killed andreceived his Victoria Cross posthumously.

The Royal Artillery fought not only in Europebut in the Middle East, Egypt, East and WestAfrica and even Russia.

WORLD WAR II

Between the two world wars little battle experi­ence was to be gained by the British army,although the Italians tried their strength inAbyssinia and North Africa while the Germansjoined in the Spanish Civil War. Although fightingtook place in the north of India and in the MiddleEast, as well as a skirmish further east, theartillery was not in special demand. However,great changes in the army were taking place, thehorse had become obsolete and the year of 1938was the time of the increasing and replanning ofthe artillery. Despite these preparations the out­break of the Second World War did not seem to

22

find the British army better prepared than on anyother occasion. The new British ExpeditionaryForce went to join the French army to defend theMaginot Line and the Belgian frontier againsttheir old enemy. When the azis decided to endthe 'phoney war' and begin their blitzkrieg therewas little the British army could do but follow theretreating armies and evacuate, which they did bythe miracle of Dunkirk. It was in May 1940 that'K' Battery, Royal Horse Artillery defended thevillage of Hondeghem by firing point-blank at theenemy. The guns were manhandled up and downthe village street until most were knocked out ofaction. Down to one gun and darkness havingfallen, the Commander escaped under azi fire.The battery was given the honour title of'Hondeghem' .

The centre of land conflict changed to NorthMrica with the Italians occupying the coast ofNorth Africa and the Allies in Egypt. Much timeand effort were spent in advancing and retiringalong the coast road. In June 1940 Graziani hadled his troops towards Egypt. The British counter­attacked, taking Tobruk in February 1941, thetwo divisions destroying an Italian army fivetimes its size. The arrival of Rommel and theAfrika Korps soon pushed the Allies back to theEgyptian border. The Australians in Tobruk hadbeen by-passed by the Germans and the Britishmade a determined effort to relieve them. WhenBritish tanks were suffering severe losses in boththis area and at Sidi-Rezegh, four anti-tankguns of 'J' Battery engaged sixty enemy tanksand prevented the position from being overrun.The lieutenant in command was posthumou lyawarded the Victoria Cro s and the batterynamed the 'Sidi-Rezegh Battery'.

Rommel drove the British army back to theirprepared stand at Alamein. Hc was sure that hewould enter Fgypt with the minimum or delay,but the build-up of' British forces was too much.At the northern end there was one gun to everytwenty-three yard on a f'ront six miles wide.When the barrage for the Allied breakthroughbegan on 23 October 1942 it was the heaviestever put down in the desert. The push forwardtook 30,000 prisoners including nine general.

Rommel successfully withdrew his troops backto the Mareth Line in Tunis. In November the

First Army landed in French Africa and pressedon to the north of Tunis. Rommel had built uphis troops and held the Allies at bay. In the north,Beja was to be the key to the Allied northern line.The Germans made great efforts to prevent this.Thus 155 Field Battery at Sidi Nsir came upagainst infantry groups and tanks of the lothPanzer Division. Eight Messerschmitts swoopeddown to finish off any remaining pockets ofresistance, for fire and destruction seemed to beeverywhere. But the guns of 'E' and 'F' troopsstill continued to knock out Nazi tanks. It wasnot until nightfall that the last men of 'E' troopwere overwhelmed. But the Germans did notreach Beja. Seven Royal Artillerymen out of300 returned to the British lines. A special badgewas produced for them - showing a swordpiercing a Panzer tank.

At Tebourbe, just north of Medjez-el-Bab, 132(Welsh) Field Regiment was under heavy fireincluding dive-bombing, but some of its gunsattacked the German armour in an olive grove,accounting for fourteen tanks and losing all butone of their own guns. In the south at Medeninein Libya, just below the Mareth Line, a gunner

Special badge awarded to CODuneJnorate the Battleof Beja,1944. White Jnetal and dull red cloth with brooch fastening

battle took place in March 1943. The anti-tankguns here were sited to destroy Rommel's tanksrather than support the New Zealand infantry.Six-pounders were manned by the 65th (NorfolkYeomanry) and the 73rd Anti-tank regiments, andthere were also new seventeen-pounders with the7th New Zealand Anti-tank Regiment. At leastten field and medium regiments, totalling in allabout 500 guns, supported this dawn actionagainst the three attacking Panzer divisions. Anti­aircraft gunners kept the attacking Stukas undercontrol. Soon Rommel realized that his attackwas not succeeding, and when counter-attackswere made on his troops he endeavoured to with­draw. The engagement went on throughout thenight. By morning fifty-two of his tanks, one-thirdof his total, had gone - victims of the Britishartillery. The Mareth Line was broken by 9 May.All Axis resistance in North Africa collapsed andGeneral von Arnim was taken prisoner.

InJuly the invasion of Sicily took place. Historywas made when the 1st Air-landing Anti-tankBattery became the first artillery unit to fly intobattle as part of the 1st Parachute Brigade. Twothousand landing craft brought the bulk of theAllied forces to the island, and the German garri­son withdrew across the Straits of Messina.During the short campaign in Sicily there werecontinual bombing attacks, but the anti-aircraftgunners were so devastating that the enemy raidssoon decreased. The mainland defences were nowto be softened up prior to the assault. Once againthe anti-aircraft guns kept the enemy out of thesky while the heavy guns broke up the Germanland concentrations. The 114 guns noted on themainland were reduced to 50 by the time of thecrossing. In all, nearly 30,000 rounds were fired byover 400 guns of all types.

The congested areas of the assault landings atSalerno and Anzio were afforded relief by well­directed artillery fire on the enemy. The pushnorthwards was held up at Cassino, but thedetermined Poles removed this problem in May

1944-The D-Day invasion of Normandy inJune 1944

was an amazingly detailed operation, the stagesof which went like clockwork. Some artillery wasnow self-propelled in tanks, although other moreconventional branches of artillery still had their

23

functional roles to fulfil. In fact the fightinR atCaen and the Falaise Gap brought many types ofguns into play for the ultimate victory. Accuratebarrages and saturation of enemy-held areas didmuch to make rapid advances possible throughFrance and the Low Countries. In October 1944a two-day engagement of the 25th Field Regimentkept back the Tiger tanks from advancing onAsten. On the second day, despite the attacksbeginning at seven in the morning, the tanks werebrought to a halt by 3.00 p.m. only 300 yardsaway from the observation post directing the firewhich was surrounded on three sides. By thisdetermined effort two Panzer divisions were pre­vented from breaking through and capturingH.Q. Second Army. Two of the batteries in thisaction were awarded the honour title of 'Asten'.

The Rhine was not crossed until March of thefollowing year and then the German cities fell oneby one. In May the surrender to Field-MarshalMontgomery took place on Ltineburg Heath andthe war in Europe was over.

The artillery had fought long campaigns onother fronts, that in the Far East being a most

Militia artillery, c. 1856. Left to right: gunner; officer, fulldress; officer, undress. From a contemporary colouredprint

24

sanguinary affair. But by May 1945 the Japaneseforces in Burma had been routed and by the timeof the landing in Malaya in September theJapanese had surrendered.

'Post-War lears

One might consider that the period from 1945onwards was one of peace, but in fact there weremany conflicts throughout the world where theRoyal Artillery was engaged. The troublesbetween Jew and Arab were not to be solved.Even though Britain announced in 1947 that shewas giving up the Mandate ·in Palestine, manyBritish soldiers were killed in a bomb outrage a fewdays later. Eventually in Haifa in January 1948self-propelled guns of the Royal Horse Artilleryopened fire and secured peace for some time.Other field guns supported the actions in thisarea.

In Korea the threat of a third world war arosein 1951. The Commonwealth Division had actionmany times against the North Koreans. Onefamous engagement was that at Imjin Hill on24-25 April when the Gloucestershire Regimentwas supported by the mortars of the 17th LightBattery. To commemorate this heroic occasion aspecial American Presidential Citation was madeand all ranks at Imjin were allowed to wear blurribbon in an embroidered frame. The battery wasalso given the honour title of'Imjin'.

In October 1951 the Egyptian revolutionariesbegan putting pressure on British troops and theirfamilies in the Canal Zone. After many murders,actual fighting broke out and the guns of the 26thField Regiment had to give close support to theGuards Brigade III an action which resulted ineasy victory.

Other place like Cyprus, Kenya, Aden,Sarawak and more recently orthern Ireland arcamong those in which the Royal Artillery has

MICHAel ROFFE

I Sergeant, c. Queen Anne2 Gunner, c. William III3 Gunner, c. Charles II

A

B

1 Officer, c. 17452 Gunner, c. 17483 Drummer, c. 1748

MICHAel ROFFE

MICHAEL ROFFE

1 Officer, c. 17782 Gunner, 17923 Gunner, 1793

c

D

I Gunner, 18072 Gunner, c. 18153 Officer, 1793

MICHAEL ROFFE

MICHAEl ROFFE

1 TrUDlpeter, 18472 Officer, 18543 Officer, 1828

E

F

1 Officer, c. 18602 Officer, 18793 Gunner, 1884

MICHAEl ROffE

1 Bombardier, Boer War2 Officer, First World War3 Officer, full dress, 1928

MICHAEl ROFFE

G

H

I BODlbardier, battledress, I9402 Sergeant, walking-out dress, I9463 Officer, NO.2 dress, I972

MICHAEL ROFFE

Royal Artillery crossing a river on an improvised raft. ByG. B. Campion

been present, even if in an 'infantry' peace­keeping role. But there is no doubt that they willcontinue to serve in future years in the honour­able manner expected from a regiment so steepedin tradition.

growthand'Developmentofthe~al~tillery

The idea of raising a train of artillery only in thetime of need had several defects. First, the avail­able gunners had to be found in ones and twos

c

around the coastal forts and castles throughoutGreat Britain. These strongholds had staticdefensive cannon, but the men who served theguns were frequently old and possibly disabledpensioners. Secondly, the actual cannon andmortars had to be gathered together. This mightbe satisfactory if the train was to move fromLondon, for the Tower was the arsenal, but not soconvenient if the train was needed in some distantpart. Thirdly, the gunpowder and provisioning,which were highly complex, might be deficientfrom poor storage and even insufficient in quan­tity. Fourthly, the actual draught-horses had to befound and hired at the last moment, as also hadthe drivers, who were civilian and as such did notwelcome military discipline.

Thus the e tablishment of two permanentcompanies of gunners and matrosses in May 17 I 6was at least one step forward. New companieswere raised over the years; the third and fourth in

25

1722, the fifth in 1710, the sixth and seventh in1742, the eighth in 1743, the ninth and tenth in1744, the eleventh in 1745, the twelfth in 1747, thethirteenth in 1749, the fourteenth to nineteenth in1755, the twentieth to twenty-third in 1756, andthe twenty-fourth to twenty-seventh in 1757. Thesecompanies were not numbered at this time; eachwas known by the name of its captain. They werestationed abroad if necessary and by 1757 some ofthe earlier companies had been disbanded.

It was decided to organize the remainingtwenty-four companies into two battalions in1757. This would have given twelve companiesto each battalion, but the eldest company had itsofficer promoted to a lieutenant-colonel and themen were dispersed to the other companies. Yetmore companies were raised over the years andthus fresh battalions were created. Even with thebattalion the various companies could serve inwidely dispersed stations.

The 3rd Battalion was raised in December 1759and the 4th in June 177 I. What would have beenthe 5th Battalion was actually an invalid battalionwhich was formed in August 1779 with tencompanies, two from each of the four battalionsand two new companies being raised.

Five companies of the 5th Battalion were raisedat Plymouth in October 1794 and the otherswere raised In the next year. The 6thBattalion was raised at Woolwich in July 1799;the 7th Battalion was formed in April 1801 fromthe Royal Irish Artillery which had been esta­blished in May 1755. These Irish gunners evenserved in North America, but on the Act of Unionin 180 I there was no need for a separate establish­ment.

The 8th Battalion was formed at Woolwich inSeptember 1803 and the 9th Battalion at thesame place in June 1806. The 10th Battalion,which was formed in March 1808, was the firstto be disbanded after the end of the NapoleonicWars. This was in 1817-18 and in the followingyear two companies from each of the other batta­lions were disbanded. An entirely new lothBattalion was raised in April 1846 and in Novem­ber 1848 the I I th and 12th Battalions wereformed. February 185 I saw the 13th Battalion inbeing and the outbreak of the Crimean War wasthe reason for a 14th Battalion in April 1855. The

26

companies could still be stationed anywhere inthe world. Two companies had been speciallyraised in April 179 I for service in the East Indies,but there was little reason to continue thispractice.

The Board of Ordnance who had administeredthe artillery and the engineers ince early daysand had even granted commissions was abolishedin May 1855. The Royal Artillery now camedirectly under the War Office like the rest of thearmy. This left the way open for sweeping changes.In July 1859 a complete reorganization tookplace. Battalion and company gave place tobrigade and battery. The Horse Brigade, theRoyal Horse Artillery which had been raised in1793 had at that time ten troops which wereknown by the letters A to K. The same lettersapplied to the new batteries. The main body of theRoyal Artillery was organized as fourteen fieldand garrison brigades. The field batteries werenow numbered from I to 48 and the garrisonbatteries from I to 64, being grouped into six and

Gunner's busby with white hair pluDle in grenade socket­holder, c. 1860

I 3

6

Waist-belt platesI Bombay Artillery, c. 18352 Royal Artillery, c. 1840' Later worn on undress belt only3 Edinburgh Militia Artillery, c. 1880, bearing devices of

the Duke of Edinburgh

eight brigades respectively. Considerable re­numbering and relettering took place later in thecentury as new groups were made, but these aretoo complicated to be noted here.

But one addition must be noted. In 1861 theartillery of the three Indian Presidencies, thoseof the Bengal, Madras and Bombay, was absorbedinto the British army. The Royal Horse Artillerywas called the 1st Horse Brigade. A 2nd and a 5thHorse Brigade was formed from the Bengal HorseArtillery, the 3rd from the Madras Artillery andthe 4th from Bombay. As the Royal Artillery wasnow grouped in fifteen brigades the new FootArtillery brigades from India were numberedfrom 16 to 25.

Wh n the army was given territorial locationsin 1881-2 changes took place in the artillery.Infantry militia which dated back to Anglo-Saxontimes as the defenders of England had continueda a home defence body. In 1853-4 many militiaregiments were converted to artillery and becamegarrison units operating fixed defences on thecoast and in fortified positions. The volunteer

4 Essex Volunteer Artillery, c. 1885. White metal5 Lancashire Volunteer Artillery, c. 1885. White metal6 1st Yorkshire Artillery Volunteers (North Riding),

c. 1885. White metal

movement to defend Great Britain which becamestrong in 1859-60 brought many artillery volun­teers into being. These also served in fixed defenceas well as on field pieces. Small corps were en­couraged to become part of larger formations.The 1881 changes worked to this end. The garri­son batteries were formed into divisions in 1882,and from 1891 they were called ompanies. In1899 the regular artillery discontinued the brigadesystem and field batteries were numbered con­secu tivel y.

By the beginning of the Boer War therewere 95 field batteries and the Royal HorseArtillery had increased to 21 batteries. The RoyalGarrison Artillery now numbered 91 ompaniesand abroad there were 10 mountain batteries.When it came to going abroad to fight in SouthAfrica it was only the regulars who could go. Lessthan a handful of militia units went on overseasgarrison duty and no volunteer unit as such couldbe included. Thus many had to volunteer forspecially raised wartime units. In 1902 the RoyalGarrison Artillery divisions were abolished and

27

A lOS tntn. pack howitzer of7th Parachute Light Regitnent,R.H.A. in action. October, 1966. (Crown Copyright)

the companies were numbered consecutively. In1908 the volunteer or territorial force was re­organized into fighting divisions with artillery incorrect supporting roles. The new army was nowunder fresh terms which permitted the 'Saturdaynight' soldier to fight abroad.

When the First World War broke out theregular artillery and the volunteers went toFrance, but the militia artillery settled down to areserve and replacement role. A special recruitingdrive by Kitchener produced his own armies andmany artillery regiments which were 'service'or wartime only units.

The re-formation of troops after the First WorldWar saw many artillery regiments disbanded. TheTerritorial Army was still grouped into fightingdivisions, with the addition of new artillery unitscreated from yeomanry corps. The passing of thehorse in warfare lessened the need of these ancientcavalry regiments, hut they soon adapted to theirnew role. Batteries were now organized intoregiments.

In 1924 the Royal Artillery became a large

28

corps, with the difference between Royal FieldArtillery and Royal Garrison Artillery abolished.The tentative mechanization ofpart of the army in1934 saw the gradual disapperaance of the horse­drawn artillery. By 1937 a battery of Royal HorseArtillery was mechanized as well as 9th FieldBrigade. By 1939 the change was complete exceptfor the single Royal Horse Artillery troop kept forceremonial purposes. In 1938 when Chamberlainacquired the paper of the 'Munich Agreement'intense efforts were made to duplicate the unitsof the Territorial Army.

The advent of aircraft in the First World Warbrought ingenious methods of mounting guns sothat they could point in the air and bring downthe enemy. By 1927 both regular and territorialartillery had anti-aircraft.(A.A.) units. By 1939aircraft improvements over the last twenty yearsbrought great threats and new equipment wasdesigned to combat the menace. Many newanti-aircraft and searchlight units were formedbefore war broke out.

Coastal batteries, including very heavy guns on

railway mountings, were still in being but notextensively employed, except on the Straits ofDover. Wartime needs brought forth many newtypes of artillery like the Bofors of Light A.A., the3.7-inch of Heavy A.A. and the popular twenty­five-pounders of field batteries. The violence of thePanzerkorps made necessary the extension of anti­tank weapons. The early Boys rifle was soonreplaced by the six-pounder anti-tank gun. Thebombing of Great Britain saw the creationof an A.A. Command, with three corpsof twelve divisions. This command had at onetime 2,600 heavy A.A. guns, 1,600 light A.A.guns, 5,500 rocket projectors and 4,000 search­lights.

At the beginning of the Second World War,merchant ships were defended by men wearing thetitle 'DEMS' which stood for Defensively EquippedMerchant Ships. In March 1940 the War Officewith the approval of the Admiralty installed

Final adjustments are made to a 'Thunderbird II' surface­to-air missile before firing. (Crown Copyright)

light machine-guns on ships for anti-aircraftpurpose. The original 1,000 men with 500 lightmachine-guns had by March 1941 increased to3,900 men with machine-guns and 1,700 A.A.gunners with 300 Bofors. In May the whole groupwas taken over by the Royal Artillery and theMaritime Anti-aircraft Royal Artillery of threeregiments was formed covering some I 1,200 men.In December the gunners who had defended theports became the fourth regiment and the titlechanged to Maritime Royal Artillery. By 1943there were six regiments and on D-Day the totalstrength was 14,300 men. The official date ofdisbandment of the Maritime R.A. was 31 March1946.

Artillery became airborne in the Second WorldWar. The first unit to fly into battle was the1st Air-landing Anti-tank (AIL A/Tk) Battery in1943. Eight guns went from North Africa ingliders to land in Sicily. The 1st AIL Brigade alsohad a light regiment R.A. as did the 6th AILBrigade. The 53rd (Worcestershire Yeomanry)AITk Regiment became an AIL Light Regimentin 1943 and went into action by glider on D-Day.Since the war the regular artillery has had para­chute artillery in a 'light' role, one of which wentto Bahrein. Commando light regiments haveappeared in the Royal Artillery, one havingservice in Brunei.

By 1953 it was realized that conventional pro­jectiles would no longer be effective against thegreat speed and height of the new aircraft. Thedisbandment of A.A. regiments began, the A.A.Command being disbanded in August 1955.Coastal artillery also began to disband at the sametime. The introduction of guided weapons beganin 1957. Guided Weapons regiments were equippedwith the 'Corporal', a surface-to-surface weapon.Later the 'Thunderbird', a surface-to-groundweapon was introduced into the air defenceregiments. Today the Royal Artillery control thenuclear striking power in the army, a vastresponsibili ty.

29

galloglasses (Irish - gall-oglach) was the namegiven to a class of professional soldier, largelyrecruited in the Hebrides, who formed part ofthe retinue of every chief or noble in Ireland inthe sixteenth century

Non-commissioned officer, c. 1870' Note distinctivearrangement of campaign medals

brass falconsdelDi-culverins

sakersnlinionscohorns

lDatrosses

conductors

partizan

carcassesspherical case

GLOSSARY

varieties of cannon

} types of artillerymen

long-handIed halberd carriedby sergean ts

} ammunition

Front and back views of senior non-commissioned officerin full dress, 1865. Contemporary official photograph

30

Front and back views of a corporal in undress uniform,1865. Contemporary official photograph

'!he Plates

AI Sergeant, c. Queen AnnePatriotic feelings in England led William III todiscontinue the wearing of the blue Dutch coat.It was replaced by the well-known red coat wornby the English soldier since the time of Elizabeth 1,and worn by the train of artillery up to the reignof Queen Anne. The facings or lining were orRoyal blue, at that time lighter than those oftoday. Breeches and waistcoat were also blue. Theloose top garment, which was more of an overcoat,had the buttonholes strengthened with braid ortape. Whereas white tape was used by the infantryregiments the artillery preferred yellow. Officersand senior non-commissioned officers had gold orgold-coloured braid in tead of yellow. Thesergeant had braid around his armholes and downthe sleeves.

The halberd was a staved weapon to indicatethe sergeant's rank and also his position in thefield. This was the uniform worn at Blenheim andother battles fought under the command of theDuke of Marlborough.

A2 Gunner, c. William IIIWhen the Prince of Orange came to England totake over the throne, he brought his own artillery­men. These were dressed in the colours of theNetherlands, the practical dark blue with a liningor facing cloth of an orange colour. Orangeblo som was the chosen flower for this Dutchhouse and one which was adopted later for someEnglish regiments.

The clothing at this time followed the civilianfashion, being loose and sensible for use on thebattlefield. When the wide sleeves were turned upand buttoned back, the facing colour showed asdid the sleeves of the shirt. Although coats couldbu tton from the neck to the bottom of the skirts,it was the practice to leave the top and lowerbuttons unfastened to give ease of movement.

This gunner has a short piece of wood with theburning match wound around it. Slung from ashoulder-belt he has a powder horn to prime thetouch-hole of his cannon. His heavy brass-hiltedsword served to defend him if his guns wereattacked by the enemy.

A3 Gunner, c. Charles IIBefore the Royal Regiment of Artillery wascreated, gunners were stationed at the Tower ofLondon and other fortresses in England withresponsibility for the defensive cannon in thoseplaces. The illustration is based on a contemporarypainting by Godfrey Kneller which shows AntonyPayne, who was called 'captain of the guns', inthe Citadel at Plymouth. As he wa over sevenfeet tall he was nicknamed 'the Cornish Giant'.He was a veteran of the Royalist cause in theEnglish Civil War and no doubt was given thispost as a reward for his loyalty.

This early gunner wears a dull red garmentsomewhat similar to that worn by the Yeomanof the Guard and the Tower Warders. TheseRoyal servants were provided regularly by theGreat Wardrobe of the King with red livery coatsguarded or trimmed with black velvet. Payne alsoappears to have the velvet trimmings as did theScottish artillerymen of the same reign. TheCornishman holds in his left hand a linstock, anartillery aid and weapon with movable arms bywhich the interior diameter of a gun-barrel couldbe measured so that the correct cannon-ball couldbe chosen. What appears to be a cord attachedto the head is the match which burnt lowly andserved to ignite the priming gunpowder at thetouch-hole of the cannon. The gunner held thelinstock at the lower end in order to place himselfat the greatest distance away from the touch-hole.

It is to be noticed that Antony Payne had redsoles and heels to his shoes, a fashion affected atthat time by gentlemen and persons of money.

BI Officer, c. 1745When the Georges of the House of Hanover cameto Great Britain, these Germans had practicalexperience of artillery in war conditions and hadfound that dark-blue coats stood up better to thegunsmoke and trials of the battlefield. Thus thered coat was discontinued for the gunner although

31

the Royal colours of blue and red continued inuse, but reversed.

The uniform depicted is taken from a rarewatercolour once in possession of the RoyalArtillery Institution but now destroyed. Thisshowed an officer in the position of attention atthat time. The feet were placed apart, his lefthand was on his left hip and the right arm fullyextended gripping his lightweight fusil, a specialfirearm carried at that time by officers.

The officer wears a crimson silk sash over hisleft shoulder to indicate his rank. His lace andbuttons were gold and the illustration follows theunusual spacing in the original watercolour. Hiswaistcoat and breeches are scarlet instead of theblue worn by the common gunner or matross.The full skirts of the coat were now turned-backto allow greater freedom of movement of the legs,while the turned-up sleeves had become smallerand more like a normal cuff.

B2 Gunner, c. 1748Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II possesses a largeoil painting (now on view in the National ArmyMuseum, Chelsea) by David Morier, whichshows the Royal Regiment of Artillery in the LowCountries. The gunner of the illustration is based

Waist-belt claspsAbove: Royal Artillery, full dress, c. 1864;below: Territorial Artillery, full dress,c. 1910. The regular artillery had a siInilarclasp with 'UBIQ.UE' engraved on thesnake-hook

32

on one of the figures in this valuable piece ofpictorial evidence.

The dark-blue uniform is relieved by the scarletof the small cuffs, the narrow lapels and theturned-back skirts. The yellow braid on all thebuttonholes, around the flaps of the side pocketand the slash on the sleeve makes elaboratepatterns sometimes difficult to understand.

Black cloth gaiters were worn by the artilleryon service as white gaiters would not have stoodup to the mud and work of handling cannon onthe battlefield.

In the seventeenth century, fusiliers guardedthe train of artillery, but now that the gunnersthemselves had flintlock muskets they mountedtheir own guards. The priming horn hung from along sling. The old Caroline hat which had thebrim partly turned up in the reign of Williamnow had the brim stiffened and turned up onthree sides to become the tricorn.

B3 Drummer, c. 1748The large picture by Morier of the artillery in theLow Countries depicted many interesting varia­tions of the artillery dress including drummers andfifers. These musicians follow the fashion of otherBritish drummers and wear coats of 'reversedfacings'; in this case red coats with blue facings.The coat is profusely covered with special braid,blue with yellow-and-red decorations. The chev­rons on the sleeves are still to be seen today wornby the drummers of the Foot Guards. Thebraiding on the lapels is both elaborate andunusual.

The cloth 'mitre' cap was worn by grenadiersand fusiliers for it remained on the head morefirmly than the three-cornered hat. Infantrycolonels used the front part of this cap to carrypart of their coat of arms or their crest. In thiscase the arms of the Board of Ordnance wereembroidered thereupon. On the front are threecannon-balls in chief with three cannon on theblue field. Below on the little flap is a mortarin a trophy of small arms.

A curved sabre is the sidearm for musicians,more an indication of a military type rather than afighting weapon, as normally the blade was notsharpened.

C/ Officer, c. /778By the time of the American Revolution and theSiege of Gibraltar the dress of the artillery hadbeen refined to a military style popular through­out Europe. The small round cuff had beenadopted in 1768. The narrow, but long, lapelswere ornamental and could not completely buttonacross the body. The hat was cocked ioto anasymmetrical shape and the cord around thecrown was elongated so that one tassel could hangout on the right corner. The black cockade andloop was pushed up high on the left side and theflaps of the hat were firmly fixed into position.

This officer carries a sword to salute with, forthe fusil or fusee had been discontinued in 1770.

The shoulder-knot which had been used to keepthe sash in position had evolved into a fringedshoulder-strap or epaulette. By this date theofficer's sash was wound round the waist and theepaulette remained as a token of rank. Gaiterscould be worn, but here soft leather boots withflaps at the top were more practical.

C2 Gunner, /792Towards the end of the eighteenth centurymilitary dress was very stylish, almost effeminate.This picture based on a watercolour by EdwardDayes catches the spirit of the times. The hat is sococked that it is almost a bicorn and it now carriesa plume, a fashion which gained popularityduring the American Revolution.

The coat is close fitting and the sewn-downskirts could never be loosened. The collar is of the'stand-up' variety and the buttonhole connectswith the top hole on the lapel. The pouch-belthas the Royal Crown and a scroll on the flap,which usually bore the battalion number. a topof the pouch may be seen the small powder hornused for priming. On the chest in white leatherholders are two priming wires to pierce thecartridge and the brass-headed hammer used tospike the touch-hole of cannon.

The hair at this time was elaborately prepared.It was brushed into a plait at the back and heldin place with a strap. After a long and tediousprocess, grease and powder produced the whiteappearance. The elaborate ruffle on the chest

Gunner's pouch, c. 1790. The priming horn is suspendedon a string; hammer and vent picks can be seen on theright. (National Army Museum)

developed from the shirt frill, and althoughelegant for a parade was of little use to a fightingman.

C3 Gunner, /793The famous artist Philippe Jacques de Louther­bourg made many sketches at Valenciennes in1793 and included one of this disabled artillery­man. Although lacking his left arm he still pro­vides useful service in bringing liquid refreshmentto his mates during the battle. The top hat was a

33

popular civilian head-dress. Being less cumber­some than the cocked hat it was provided fortroops on overseas service. Suitable extras likeyellow braid and a red feather in front made itmore militant.

Although overalls were not common issue untilthe next century, these loose trousers were moreserviceable on active duties than the tight gaitersand white breeches. The hair was still curledat the sides and brought to a queue at the backtied with ribbon, but mercifully greasing andpowdering was being discontinued.

D/ Gunner, 1807The gunner shown here is based on a contempor­ary print by]. A. Atkinson. The stovepipe shakohad been generally introduced at the turn of thecentury. The brass plate in front as worn by theartillery had the Royal Cypher in the centrewithin a Garter. All this wa set on a trophy ofarms and below was a mortar between pyramidsof cannon-balls. The coat was now made withshort tails and elosed down the front. The yellowbraid on the buttonholes had 'bastion' ends. Bothlong blue pantaloons with short gaiters as well aswhite breeches with longer gaiters were worn atthis period. One shoulder-belt holds the bayonetwhile the other has the pouch with the powderhorn attached by means of a red cord. A largeoval buckle was worn at this date, the other ranks'belt-plate not appearing until later. The powderedhair is still worn with a large queue, usually false.A few years later the queue was officially abolished,much to the soldier's pleasure. The large ruffieseen in plate Cz has now dwindled to a smallportion of white at the opening of the collar.

Dz Gunner, c. /8/5About 1812 the stovepipe shako gave way to onewith a false front and plaited cords, also knownas the 'Belgic cap'. The white plume was nowworn on the left side, although in the illustrationit is worn with a waterproof cover as is the shakoitself. This was a necessary precaution as in wetweather the rain-sodden shako oon went out ofshape. The jacket remained in the same style.

34

Overalls were now normally worn on service, andthese were white in the Peninsular War but blue­grey at Waterloo and on other occasion. Thecarrying of a musket was considerably an encum­brance to an artillerymen serving a gun, so thiswas sub equently discontinued and instead of abayonet the second belt carried a brass-hiltedsword. Artillerymen at Waterloo when overrunby the French cavalry had occasion to defendthemselves with these heavy weapons.

D3 Officer, /793Loutherbourg also portrayed Sir William Con­greve, father of the man who developed themilitary rocket. Here again is a special dress foroverseas service. The light cavalry had developeda leather helmet with a fur crest, sometimesknown as the 'Tarleton' helmet. As civilian gentle­men had taken up a version of the felt 'bowler'hat, the head-dress depicted here is a combinationof these two. The fur crest gave a superficiallikeness to the leather helmet as did the goldcords, but the lightness of the felt hat producedan article easy to wear and yet capable of wardingoff sword cuts.

The coat has the lapels capable of buttoning,at least for a portion, in the cen tre of the chest.The two gold epaulettes indicate the rank of anofficer. The crimson sash round the wai t is nowslim and elegant, not the earlier pattern whichwent round three times. The straight cut-and­thrust sword was suitable for gentlemanly duelbut not ofmuch value against firearms. The toppedboots were needed for a mounted officer and alsofor a dismounted one who had to combat the mudof Flanders.

E/ Trumpeter, /847The broad-topped shako gave way in 1846 to astraight-sided version called the 'Albert' after thePrince Consort who helped design it. A series ofsketches made in Gibraltar by a French officernoted the red coat as worn by drummers andtrumpeters of the Royal Artillery. This garmentcarried blue wings on the shoulders, usually themark of flank companies but also that of musicians.

The red coat was ordered to be changed to bluein 1849 and gradually disappeared from theartillery.

It will be noted that both bugle and trumpetare carried. As trumpet calls did not carry far inthe open coun try, the bugle was used for signalson the battlefield. The trumpet cords are in red,yellow and blue, the Royal colours. No plumeis carried in the shako's holder as the trumpeteris in marching order.

The grenade on the collar was regulation for allranks, officers as well as men.

1:-·2 Officer, 1854This officer wears the tight-fitting uniform inwhich he was expected to fight in the first yearsof the Crimean War. Sometimes the plume was

removed from the shako and frequently in actionthe ordinary soldier wore the forage cap or a furcap instead.

The gold wire bullion of the expensive epauletteswas an early casualty of this campaign and theywere not often worn. Eventually the coatee itselfwas discontinued for the cheaper shell-jacket, orin the cold weather the locally purchased fur orskin coats. The blue trousers continued in use,frequently tucked into unauthorized high boots.The Adams pistol was popular on the battlefieldas an officer's weapon, for the orthodox swordwas too flim y a weapon to be used for more thana directing instrument. This discontinuance ofuniform garments and the use of almost civilianattire led to the introduction of new clothingin 1855.

£3 Officer, 1828After the defeat of the French at Waterloo newuniforms were found for most of the British army.A new-pattern broad-topped shako had a longcut-feather plumc in front. By ,828, the date ofthe print by E. Hull on which this illustration isbased, a large star-plate and gold cords werebeing worn. The long-tailed coatee had a [ringedepaulette on the right shoulder and a plain strapon the left. This was for company officers, butafter ,830 two epaulcttes were worn. Thc trousers

Full-dress sabretache and belt. Late Victorian period

were now III a bright . hade of blue, but laterchanged to dark blue to match the coatee.

The oakleaf ornamentation on the collar, cuffsand shirt-flaps was embroidered directly throughthe cloth with gold wire, a process which neededvery competent embroiderers. The ornament at thejuncture of thc red turned-back linings of thccoat-tail was also embroidered, the design showingthree cannon inside a laurel wreath with a crownabove. The officers' sword was now a slim elegantaffair of no practical usc.

Fl Officer, c. 1860The new dress introduced during the CrimeanWar included a new head-dress. The Royal HorseArtillery had already worn a fur cap or busby formany years. A version of this was now worn bythe field batteries. This still had the red bag onthe right side, but cords were not worn and ashorter plume was worn on the left side in a giltor brass grenade-holder. Instead of a metal chinscale a simple strap of black leather was deemedsufficient.

The new-style tunic allowed much freedom ofmovement and afforded better protection againstthe weather. Epaulettes were now obsolete and the

35

Mounted sergeant in khaki drill, c. 1900

badges of rank were worn on each side of theofficer's collar. arrow braid on the shoulderskept the pouch-belt in place. The shoulder-beltfor the sword gave way to a waist-belt whichenabled the pouch-belt to be worn over the leftside. This ornament was of gold lace on leather.The poueh worn in the small of the baek had anembroidered flap which included a small gilt gunbadge. Rank between senior and junior officerswas marked by the cuff embroidery and cord. Thejuniors had a complicated gold cord knot on eaehsleeve, while majors and above had a moreelaborate pattern of flat gold lace and tracingbraid. Wide-cut trousers replaced the older tightpattern.

F2 Officer, 1879A helmet of Germanic pattern had been experi­mentally introduced in 1878 and taken into use

36

In the following year. The field artillery patternwas covered with dark-blue cloth and had gilt orbrass fittings. The elaborat plate in front incor­porated the Royal Arms and the 'gun'. Officershad the peak bound with metal but other ranksdid not. A new chinstrap of interlocking metalrings replaced the plain leather strap. The tunicnow became a closer-fitting garment. Badges ofrank were still worn on the officers' collars,although this changed in 1881 when heavyshoulder-cords were introduced to hold the rankbadges. The embroidered crowns and stars werestill used but with a different meaning of rank.

The full-dress abretache had been in use formany years but was discontinued at the turn ofthe century. It had its origins in the 'pocket' orpurse carried by Hungarian hussars who. e tightpantaloons would permit no pocket - much thesame reason as the sporran in kilted regiments.Once used for carrying orders and writingmaterials the sabretache was now an ornament,expensively embroidered in the full-dress version.An undress type in plain black leath r with a giltbadge was also in use, but even this had littlepractical use. Binoculars were occasionally carriedin a special pouch which fitted on the pouch-belt.

F3 Gunner, 1884The other ranks of the field and garrison branchesof the Royal Artillery had the blue cloth helmetwith the spike on top about the same date as theofficers. It is said that the spike con tituted adanger either to the horse when the driver girthedup or to the eyes of other gun-numbers whenlimbering or unlimbering the gun. Whatever thereason by 1881 the artillery adopted the ball finialinstead. It would be interesting to say that thisball ornament represented a cannon-ball, but theArmy Medical Corps also adopted the saferornament.

The full-dress tunic had nine buttons down thefront whereas the service garment had but fivebuttons. Officially the brass grenade was to beworn on each side of the collar by an order ofMarch 1880. Shoulder-straps also carried designa­tions. Embroidered numbers had been used afterthe Crimean War but brass was introduced in

1879. With various reorganizations the letters andnumbers changed. Field Artillery covered thenumbers 1 to 80; the Garrison Artillery had theinitial letter of the division, and the MountainArtillery had an 'M' over the battery number.

GI Bombardier, Boer WarKhaki service dress had been worn in India formany years and also in Egypt during the cam­paigns there, but the first major war in which itwas the general issue was the Boer War of 1899­[902. Khaki drill was officially issued in 1896 tobe worn with the white cloth helmet. Later thishelmet was given a removable khaki cover. Brassfittings were at first worn on the white helmet, butlater these were removed and a combined buttonand ventilator was worn on top. Finally, an all­khaki helmet was introduced with a pleated pugriand a leather chinstrap. Badges of metal were notto be worn, but distinctions of cloth were graduallyadopted; in the case of the artillery these were inred and blue.

The khaki drill tunic and trousers were of a thinfabric which tended to wrinkle and crease. Brassbuttons were still worn but made removable bymeans of a special fastening of wire. Wovenbadges of rank like the chevrons in the picturewere attached to the sleeve by means of hooks andeyes. Thus all extras could be removed and thegarment thoroughly washed, pressed and starchedif necessary.

Dark-blue puttees had been worn in India, andalthough khaki puttees were permitted in 1900many photographs of the Boer War show the oldtype still being worn on the veld.

The bombardier at this time had only onechevron. It was not until 1920 that this rank wasgiven two and the single chevron then indicatedthe lance-bombardier.

G2 Officer, World War J

Service dress or drab clothing was introduced forthe army at home and abroad in 1902. Thepattern of tunic or jacket changed. At first officershad closed collars, a fashion which lasted until1913. Cords were worn on the shoulders butchanged to shoulder-strap. which, during the war

and unofficially, carried the officers' badges ofrank. Initially the badges of rank were on thesleeves, but in the trenches these were not easilyobservable and thus the shoulder rank badgesbecame popular.

Another change brought about by war con­ditions was in the kl1aki forage cap. ormally astiff ring of wire kept the top flat. But cruisingenemy aircraft looking for troop movements couldspot, at a considerable distance, sunlight flashingfrom these cap tops. Thus it became the practice toremove these wires, giving the cap a floppyappearance. Regimental and other badges weregiven a bronze finish to render them incon­spicuous. Buttons were allowed to become dirtyfor the same reason. Artificial colouring wassometimes added, but officers usually adoptedbrown leather buttons whi h stood up well totrench conditions. Although puttees were con­sidered regulation, high boots as well as leathergaiters were very popular in warding ofT the mudof Flanders.

Although a Sam Browne belt was worn, the

Full-dress tunic of a lieutenant. Period of Edward VII

37

- .

~I~~'" ,

• ~ 0,.

sword had little part in that war. A pistol holsterwas usually attached to the wai t-belt. A stoutcase or stick was the mark f mo t offi ers andserved many useful purposes.

G3 Officer, full dress, /928The First World War dealt a sev r blow to thewearing of full dress. It was not to return for theordinary soldier, but King George V restored iteventually to his household tro ps. For theremainder of the army there were certain excep­tions. After several years the use of full dress byregimental bands was allowed, as they served auseful purpose in recruiting. A more immediateneed for full dress was when officers were invitedto Royal levees and similar occasions. Those whowere in possession of their pre-war uniforms wereallowed to wear them. Finally all officers at alevee found full-dress uniforms, even if they wereonly hired for the occasion. Certain units like theRoyal Corps of Signals and the Royal 1 ank Corps,which had not existed before the war, wereallowed to have newly designed full-dress uni­forms. Thus in 1928 a new head-dress was intro­duced to the Royal Artillery. Actually it wa' anold one, the busby, but it replaced the blue clothhelmet. This new fur cap had black cony skin,the cloth bag was scarlet a expe ted, and theplum on the left side was of white goat's-hair.

The rest of the uniform was as worn previously,although in place. the 'G VI R' cypher mightreplace that of 'G V R'. The S ond W dd Warbroke out in 1939 and this time the full-dressuniform disappeared complet ly from the RoyalArtillery, al though the King's Troop keep theRoyal Horse Artillery uniform alive (or ceremonialoccasIOns.

38

Artillery buttonsLeft to right, top to bottoDl: Royal Artillery, c. 1790;Royal Artillery, c. 1815; Royal Artillery, c. 1880;East India CODlpany Foot Artillery, c. 1820;St. Helena Artillery, c. 1830; Royal Horse Artillery,c. 1840; Gold Coast Artillery, c. 1860; East IndiaCODlpany Artillery, c. 1857; 1st Essex ArtilleryVolunteers, c. 1885; 1st Edinburgh (City) VolunteerArtillery, c. 1895.

I-! [ Bombardier, battledress, [940Experiments to find the id al battlcdress beganas far back as 1932, and cvcntually in 1938 theblouse and trousers with the patch pocket hadbeen approved. Battledress remained in usc afterthe Second World War, although it sufferedchanges in material, gas-proofing and in utilityfashioning. Inside thc front opcning of the blouse

Royal Artillery 49 Field Regiment R.A. at Larkhill,Salisbury Plain. A section of Abbot 105 mm self propelledguns of 143 (Tombs Troop) Field Battery, R.A. in 1969.

(Central Office of Information, London. Crown CopyrightReserved)

39

were two deep pockets, reputed to have beendesigned for steel bullet-proof plates but not usedas such. The upper left-hand pocket could holdthe pay book although it was also worn inside,sometimes on a string. On the trousers there wasan 'ever-stitched' pocket on the right thigh whichheld the field dressing.

Attempts were made for smartness by applyingcreases in unusual places on the back. The largepocket on the front of the left leg defied efforts for atrouser crease, although resul ts were sometimesachieved by means of a fine seam stitched all theway down. Later, when gaiters were discontinuedaway from the battle area, the trousers lookedalmost normal although the flap and buttonappeared at the ankle. At the end of the war theseflaps were daringly removed. It was even permiss­ible for the collar to be worn open, and for otherranks to wear a collar and tic.

The helmet was covered with a strong nettingintended to hold twigs and foliage to aid camou­flage. The gas-mask on the chest was in an ever­ready position, but thankfully was never used. Thewhite artillery lanyard can be seen on the rightshoulder.

H2 Sergeant, walking-out dress, 1946No.1 dress officially introduced in May 1947 hada long history of development. The undress bluefrock had been well known at the beginning of thecentury. It made a return in November 1936,being demonstrated for wear at the forthcomingCoronation. After that Royal occasion soldiers inpossession of the Coronation blues were allowedto wear them for walking out.

In June 1946 a parade of three officers and 100men demonstrated the new blue uniform, whichwas very similar to that worn previously exceptthat berets now replaced the forage cap. On13 August 1947 the title 'No.1 dress' was approvedfor this blue uniform. The blue beret gave placeto the coloured forage cap, although the beretcontinued to be worn in distinctive colours byairborne and commando artillery.

The cloth belt with its eight-sided buckleeventually gave place to a girdle with red, blueand yellow stripes. Gold chevrons and gold­embroidered badges were permitted to be worn as

40

was the grenade collar badge. The piping on theshoulder-straps and the I i-inch trouser stripeswere of scarlet cloth. The gun badge was wornon the beret and also on the forage cap.

H3 Officer, No.2 dress, 1972Although No.2 dress is considered a service dre sworn with a khaki forage cap, the No. I dre s caphas been worn with this dress since 1961. The dark­blue cap has a scarlet band and piping on thecrown. For senior officers the black peak has goldwire on the front edge.

The tunic or jacket is of barathea with metalgrenades on the turned-down collar. Buttons, oncegilt, are now made of anodized aluminium; theydo not need polishing but are not so hardy. Therank badge of a gilt crown for a major and abovehas a crimson lining.

Shoes worn with service dress are of browl)leather, straight-laced, and must not be soled andheeled with rubber.

Drum major and band of the Royal Regiment of Artilleryat the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich. July 1970.(Crown Copyright)

Men-at-Arms Series

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THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR ARMIES RUSSIAN ARMY OF THE CRIMEAP". T-V AIHrl s.a.

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w. Y. CARMAN, F.S.A., F.ll.Hist.S., is well known as a military historianand collector of militaria, and among the books and articles he has written onuniforms and weapons are: TIte HistMy ofFirearms; British Milildty Utaiforms fromCD1tInfIJH'rtuy Prittts; /JUlia A"..y Umforms (It voh.) HltUlJruses of 1M British ·it"'!"(It voh.) as well as contributions to the HistMy of 1M British Army. He has beenassociated with the Imperial War MUJeum and National Army MUJeum tor overtwenty yean, and is a Council Member ofthe Army Historical Research .ety.

£1·25 .. (in U.K. only)