The Antrim Artillery was a part-time reserve unit of Britain's

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

based in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, from 1853 to 1919. It numbered 1st on the order of precedence of the Militia Artillery. Volunteers from the unit served in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

it defended Belfast Lough and trained gunners for service overseas. Subsequent units continued the Antrim Artillery traditions.

Background

The long-standing national

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

was revived by the Militia Act 1852, enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the Militia Ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which the men received full army pay. Under the Act, Militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time service in three circumstances:Litchfield, ''Militia'', pp. 1–7.Dunlop, pp. 42–5. # 'Whenever a state of war exists between Her Majesty and any foreign power'. # 'In all cases of invasion or upon imminent danger thereof'. # 'In all cases of rebellion or insurrection'. The 1852 Act introduced Militia Artillery units in addition to the traditional infantry regiments. Their role was to man coastal defences and fortifications, relieving the

(RA) for active service.

History

The Antrim Militia Artillery was raised in November 1854. The first Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant was John Skeffington, 10th Viscount Massereene, KP (1812–1863), and the headquarters was established at Carrickfergus Castle.Frederick, pp. 983–5.Hay, pp. 193–4.Litchfield, ''Militia'', pp. 40–3.''Army List'', various dates. Carrickfergus Castle's obsolete guns (6 × 64-pounders, 7 × 32-pounders and 1 × mortar, with an additional 6 × 24-pounders from 1859) were used for training, and the 64-pounders were fired on 27 May 1856 to salute the peace at the end of the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. A new headquarters was provided at the County Court House in

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...

in September 1856, and in 1876 the War Department acquired land to erect permanent buildings for the militia at the castle. Clotworthy Skeffington, 11th Viscount Massereene, (1842–1905), the eldest son of the first commandant, was appointed Lt-Col on 20 November 1872, having served as

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

since 5 August 1865. Another early officer was the Hon Cecil Howard, a former

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 60th Rifles, who was commissioned as a captain in the unit on 26 July 1879 and was later promoted to major; he succeeded as 6th Earl of Wicklow in 1881. In the Mobilisation Scheme developed in the 1870s, the Antrim Artillery's war station was in the

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a Tilbury Fort, 16th century fort ...

Division of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

and

Medway Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...

Defences. The Artillery Militia was reorganised into 11 divisions of garrison artillery on 1 April 1882, and the Antrim unit became the 2nd Brigade, North Irish Division, RA. When the North Irish Division was abolished on 1 July 1889 the title was altered to Antrim Artillery (Southern Division) RA. In 1888 the ancient castle and obsolete guns at Carrickfergus were replaced by two modern batteries to defend Belfast Lough, armed with 6-inch BL and 9-inch RML guns to be manned by the Antrim Artillery. At the end of the 19th century, the Antrim Artillery was largest militia artillery unit in Ireland, with 739 men enrolled (from an establishment of 980) in 1901. Recruiting was mainly from shipbuilders and agricultural labourers, and the average height of 5 ft 8 ins (1.73 m) was 2 ins (5 cm) greater than that laid down in regulations. The unit also possessed a band.

Embodiments

The unit was embodied for home defence three times: *

: 27 December 1854 to 21 May 1856. The unit volunteered for overseas service, but the offer was not accepted. * Indian Mutiny: 5 April 1859 to 28 February 1861. The unit was first stationed at

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork (city), Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a populatio ...

and then at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

in the summer briefly returning to the Curragh in Ireland and then spending the autumn and winter at Aldershot and Shorncliffe. It remained at Shorncliffe until August 1860 when it moved to Woolwich and then to Pembroke in September until it was disembodied the following year. *

: 8 May to 6 November 1900.

South Africa

Under the Militia Acts, units could also volunteer for overseas service. The Antrim Artillery did so in 1900, and was one of the six Militia Artillery units permitted to form a Service Company of volunteers to serve in South Africa alongside the Regulars. The service company of five officers and 153 other ranks embarked for South Africa in March 1900. There they combined with the service company of the Donegal Artillery to form the Irish Militia Artillery Brigade, RGA, under the command of Lt-Col Eldred Pottinger of the Antrim, with Major G.E. Elmitt in command of the Antrim Company.Litchfield, ''Militia'', p .67. Lieutenant-Colonel Pottinger had been the Antrim's CO since 11 October 1890, and Maj Elmitt Instructor of Artillery since 27 February 1892. The company's duties included escorting Boer prisoners of war to St Helena, and improving the defences of the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula () of South Africa is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good ...

and the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

(ORC). While in the ORC the gunners constructed 'Fort Antrim', which the Inspector of Fortifications described as 'the finest bit of fortification in South Africa'. At the end of September 1900 a detachment of 25 Antrims joined a similar number of Donegals, all under the command of Capt F.H. Crawford,

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the Donegals, and proceeded to Orange River Station. There they took over the manning of three 7-pounder mountain guns and two Maxim guns, being relieved in mid-October by a similar detachment of Antrims and Donegals. While there, they took part in demolishing of railway lines to the north and laying land mines in the kopjes adjoining Zoutpans Drift. The brigade left

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

for home in June 1901, having been relieved by the Norfolk Artillery Militia. The Antrim Artillery lost three gunners who died of disease during the campaign. Lieutenant-Colonel Pottinger, Maj Elmitt, Company Serjeant Major C.S. McCabe and Serjeant J. McIlwaine were all Mentioned in dispatches. In addition, Lt-Col Pottinger was awarded a CMG and CSM McCabe a DCM.

Special Reserve

From 1902 most units of the Militia artillery formally became part of the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Artillery, Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse ...

, the Antrim unit taking the title of 'Antrim RGA (M), changed to Antrim Royal Garrison Reserve Artillery on 19 July 1907. After the Boer War, the future of the Militia was called into question. There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia,

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units and sub-units in the British Army Reserve which are descended from volunteer cavalry regiments that now serve in a variety of different roles. History Origins In the 1790s, following the ...

and

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by St John Brodrick as Secretary of State for War. Some batteries of Militia Artillery were to be converted to field artillery. However, little of Brodrick's scheme was carried out. Under the sweeping Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve, a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for Regular units serving overseas in wartime. Although the majority of RGA (M) units accepted conversion to Special Reserve Royal Field Artillery, most of these units were disbanded in March 1909. The exceptions were the Antrim and the Cork RGA (M), which remained in the RGA's order of battle in the absence of Territorial Force units in Irish Command. The unit took the title Antrim RGA (SR).

World War I

On the outbreak of

in August 1914, the North Irish Coast Defences comprised No 15 Company, RGA, at

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

, and the Antrim RGA (SR) at Carrickfergus. The Antrim RGA manned two Vickers-Maxim Mk VII 6-inch guns at Grey Point Fort, a new battery built at

Helen's Bay Helen's Bay is a village on the northern coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballygrot (), between Holywood, County Down, Holywood, Crawfordsburn and Bangor, County Down, Bangor. It is served by a Helen's Bay rai ...

on the south shore of Belfast Lough between 1904 and 1907. At the outbreak of war the Antrim RGA had a strength of 607 all ranks, but as the war progressed and the likelihood of German attacks on the coast diminished, the Special Reserve's role of supplying and training reinforcement drafts for fighting units of the RGA took precedence. By August 1918 the unit had only 18 men on its books. In October 1918 Army Order 287 formed 'Fire Commands' in the coastal garrisons, which took over all the headquarters and units, whether Regular, Special Reserve, or Territorial Force. Together with No 15 Company RGA the Antrim RGA was split between Nos 34 (Antrim) and 35 ( Donegal) Fire Commands at Belfast and Lough Swilly respectively. After the Armistice with Germany all Special Reserve units were demobilised in 1919 and placed in suspended animation.

Subsequent units

Although the Special Reserve remained in legal existence (reverting to the title of Militia in 1921) it was moribund. The 'Antrim Militia, RA', as it was termed from 1 June 1924, only had two officers listed by 1939. The militia was formally disbanded in 1953. The title 'Antrim Artillery' was revived in 1937 when the first Territorial Army units formed in

included 188 (Antrim) Heavy Battery. This was expanded into the Antrim Heavy Regiment early in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and shortly afterwards designated 525th (Antrim) Coast Regiment.Litchfield, ''Territorials'', p. 310. In 1956 the coast artillery was disbanded, and the Antrim Artillery was converted into

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

(RE) as 146 (Antrim Artillery) Corps Engineer Regiment, RE. In 1961 the unit merged with 591 (Antrim) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, to form 74 Engineer Regiment, including 114 (Antrim Artillery) Field Squadron. In 1967 the regiment was reduced to a single 74 (Antrim Artillery) Field Squadron, RE, which was eventually disbanded in 1999, and 85 (Ulster) Squadron,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

, became custodian of the Antrim Artillery property and adopted the subtitle '(Ulster and Antrim Artillery)'. A new 591 (Antrim Artillery) Field Squadron, RE, was formed at

Bangor, County Down Bangor ( ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to whic ...

, in 2006 and continues the Antrim Artillery traditions.

Honorary colonels

The following served as honorary colonel of the unit: * Lord John Chichester (1811–1873), former MP for

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, appointed 16 June 1863 * Sir Richard Wallace, 1st Baronet (1818–1890) appointed 30 July 1873 *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

James Martin McCalmont (1847–1913), formerly of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars and MP for Antrim East, appointed 4 November 1896 * Brigadier-General Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, KP, KCVO, (1869–1961), appointed 7 June 1913''Burke's'', 'Shaftesbury'.

Notes

References

* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * Lt-Col James Moncrieff Grierson (Col Peter S. Walton, ed.), ''Scarlet into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War'', London: Sampson Low, 1899/London: Greenhill, 1988, .
Col George Jackson Hay, ''An Epitomized History of the Militia (The Constitutional Force)'', London:United Service Gazette, 1905/Ray Westlake Military Books, 1987
ISBN 0-9508530-7-0. * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Militia Artillery 1852–1909 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1987, . * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, . * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Late Victorian Army 1868–1902'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992/Sandpiper Books, 1999, . * Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, .

External sources

British Army

British Army units from 1945 on

Gazette Online

Grey Point Fort

Pillbox Study Group UK

Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, Queen's University Belfast

Royal Artillery 1939–1945
{{British Militia Regiments Coast defence units and formations of the British Army Military units and formations in Northern Ireland Antrim Military units and formations established in 1853 Antrim Carrickfergus