A Battery, Honourable Artillery Company
A Battery (1st City of London Horse Artillery), Honourable Artillery Company | |
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Active | 1891 – 16 February 1920 2018 – present |
Country | First World War
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A (1st City of London) Battery, Honourable Artillery Company is a
During the
Post-war, the battery, along with
History
Formation
The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) first raised horse artillery in 1860 when Jay's Troop, HAC was formed. This had a brief existence, being disbanded in 1869.[2]
In 1891, the Light Cavalry Squadron, HAC was converted to the Horse Battery, HAC, which in 1899 was redesignated as A Battery (1st City of London Horse Artillery), HAC. At the same time the Field Battery, HAC was converted to horse artillery as B Battery (2nd City of London Horse Artillery), HAC. The Field Battery originated in 1781, but was the second to form a horse artillery battery hence the junior designation.[2]
The batteries sponsored the field battery of the
Territorial Force
The
On 1 April 1908, the battery transferred to the Territorial Force without a change in title.
First World War
London Mounted Brigade
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Organisation on 4 August 1914 |
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In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw.7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. 2nd Line units performed the home defence role, although in fact most of these were also posted abroad in due course. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line batteries.[9]
1/A Battery, HAC
The 1st Line battery was embodied with the London Mounted Brigade on 4 August 1914 at the outbreak of the
In November 1914, the division moved to Norfolk on coastal defence duties.[12] Artillery headquarters was established at Cromer, before joining the divisional headquarters at Hanworth in December, and A Battery, HAC was at Mundesley (London Mounted Brigade was at Hanworth).[16]
- Overseas service
In March 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division was put on warning for overseas service. In early April, the division starting leaving
The 2nd Mounted Division was dismounted in August 1915 and served at
The battery rejoined the division on 13 December, but on 20 December it entrained at Alexandria for the
- Imperial Mounted Division
The
The battery, and its brigade, served with the Imperial Mounted Division in the
- Australian Mounted Division
In June 1917, the Desert Column was reorganised from two mounted divisions of four brigades each (ANZAC and Imperial Mounted Divisions) to three mounted divisions of three brigades each (ANZAC, Australian – Imperial Mounted Division renamed – and the new Yeomanry Mounted Division).[24] On 20 June 1917, the Imperial Mounted Division was redesignated as Australian Mounted Division as the majority of its troops were now Australian.[22] On 12 August 1917, the Desert Column disappeared and the Desert Mounted Corps was formed.[25]
The battery served with the Australian Mounted Division throughout the rest of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. As part of the Desert Mounted Corps, the division took part in the
Still part of the Desert Mounted Corps, the division took part in the
Its final action was the
After the Armistice of Mudros, the division was withdrawn to Egypt and started to demobilise. The last of the Australians returned home in April and May 1919.[23] A Battery, HAC were reduced to cadre in Egypt on 25 October 1919.[3]
2/A Battery, HAC
2/A Battery, Honourable Artillery Company | |
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Active | September 1914 – 1919 |
Country | First World War
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A Battery formed a 2nd line in September 1914, initially designated as the A (Reserve) Battery, HAC. It was redesignated as 2/A Battery, HAC on 26 September.[29]
The battery joined the 2nd line
The batteries of the division were quite unready for war. Three had no horses, the fourth had just 23; three batteries had over 200 men on average, but the other just 91; one battery had no ammunition and another reported that its
In November 1915, the battery received four
- Army Field Brigade
At the Armistice, the battery (six 18 pounders) was still with CXXVI Brigade, RFA[39] serving as Army Troops with the First Army.[40] The battery entered Germany on 17 January 1919,[33] and was disbanded later the same year.[41]
A (Reserve) Battery, HAC
A (Reserve) Battery, HAC was formed in 1915 to replace the original reserve battery which had been redesignated as 2/A Battery on 26 September 1914.[29] It never left the United Kingdom and was disbanded later.[41]
Post war
On 7 February 1920, the Honourable Artillery Company was authorized to reconstitute four batteries of horse artillery in the Territorial Force. Only two were actually formed (A and B Batteries), and authorization for the other two was rescinded in 1921. The batteries were amalgamated with the
- Headquarters at Finsbury Barracks
- A Battery at Armoury House, Finsbury
- B Battery at Armoury House, Finsbury
- C Battery at Bunhill Row, formed by reduction of the City of London Yeomanry.[3]
21st Century
A (1st City of London) Battery, HAC
In 2018 the battery was reformed as A (1st City of London) Battery, Honourable Artillery Company, equipped with the
See also
- List of Territorial Force horse artillery batteries 1908
Notes
- Lieutenant-Colonel. Artillery brigades were redesignated as regiments in 1938. Note that the battery strength refers to a battery of six guns; a four-gun battery would be about two thirds of this.
- ^ The other three batteries were Berkshire RHA, Nottinghamshire RHA, and B Battery, HAC.[22] All four batteries were originally part of the 2nd Mounted Division.[15]
- 2/1st Berkshire RHA formed the other three batteries of the division.[32]
- ^ Not to be confused with the original 1st Mounted Division which became 1st Cyclist Division, also in July 1916.[34]
- 4.5" howitzer brigade[36] and proceeded to France with the division at the end of July 1915.[37] It served with the division on the Western Front until 28 January 1917 when it was broken up.[38]
- ^ Army Field Artillery Brigades were artillery brigades that were excess to the needs of the divisions, withdrawn to form an artillery reserve.
References
- user-generated source]
- ^ a b "1st Regiment, Honourable Artillery Company at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
- ^ a b c d Frederick 1984, p. 112
- ^ Williams, Basil; Childers, Erskine, eds. (1903). The H.A.C. in South Africa : a record of the services rendered in the South African War by members of the Honourable Artillery Company. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 2.
- ^ a b Westlake 1992, p. 3
- ^ Westlake 1992, p. 5
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ Clarke 2004, p. 23
- ^ a b c Baker, Chris. "The Royal Horse Artillery". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914".
- ^ Rinaldi 2008, p. 58
- ^ a b Rinaldi 2008, p. 36
- ^ "The Royal Artillery". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Baker, Chris. "What was an artillery brigade?". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ a b Becke 1936, p. 12
- ^ a b c Becke 1936, p. 16
- ^ James 1978, p. 35
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 17
- ^ a b Becke 1936, p. 14
- ^ Farndale 1988, p. 64
- ^ "4th Australian Light Horse Brigade". Australian Light Horse Studies Centre. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ^ a b c Perry 1992, p. 54
- ^ a b c d e Perry 1992, p. 56
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 34
- ^ Becke 1945, p. 38
- ^ Farndale 1988, p. 95
- ^ Farndale 1988, p. 123
- ^ Farndale 1988, Annex 9
- ^ a b Rinaldi 2008, p. 242
- ^ James 1978, pp. 23, 24
- ^ a b c Becke 1936, p. 25
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 22
- ^ a b c d e f Becke 1936, p. 24
- ^ Becke 1936, p. 6
- ^ Becke 1945, p. 135
- ^ Becke 1945, p. 75
- ^ Becke 1945, p. 78
- ^ Becke 1945, p. 76
- ^ BEF GHQ 1918, p. 79
- ^ BEF GHQ 1918, p. 7
- ^ a b Frederick 1984, p. 113
- ^ "Honourable Artillery Company". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "1947 - Present". HAC. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Future Soldier Guide" (PDF). United Kingdom Parliamentary Publishings. Ministry of Defence. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
Bibliography
- Becke, Major A.F. (1936). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 2A. The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-12-4.
- Becke, Major A.F. (1945). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 3B. New Army Divisions (30–41) & 63rd (RN) Division. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-08-6.
- Clarke, Dale (2004). British Artillery 1914–19 Field Army Artillery. Vol. 94 of New Vanguard Series. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-688-7.
- ISBN 1-870114-05-1.
- Frederick, J.B.M. (1984). Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978. Wakefield, Yorkshire: Microform Academic Publishers. ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
- James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
- Perry, F.W. (1992). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5A. The Divisions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand and those in East Africa. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-25-6.
- Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 978-0-97760728-0.
- Westlake, Ray (1992). British Territorial Units 1914–18. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-168-7.
- Order of Battle of the British Armies in France, November 11th, 1918. France: General Staff, GHQ. 1918.
External links
- "1st Regiment, Honourable Artillery Company at regiments.org by T.F.Mills". Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
- The Royal Horse Artillery on The Long, Long Trail
- The Great War Royal Horse Artillery