The 1st Caithness Artillery Volunteers were formed in 1860 as a response to a French invasion threat. They served as a Coast Artillery unit and continued in existence as 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 Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

until being disbanded on the formation of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

in 1908.

Volunteer Force

Enthusiasm for the

Volunteer movement The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in time of need. The 1st Caithness Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVC) was formed on 6 March 1860 at

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placename ...

, a 1st Sub-Division was formed at

Thurso Thurso (pronounced ; sco, Thursa, gd, Inbhir Theòrsa ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Gre ...

on 24 April, was increased to a battery and became the 2nd AVC on 28 December, and the 3rd AVC was formed at

Lybster Lybster (, gd, Liabost) is a village on the east coast of Caithness in northern Scotland. It was once a big herring fishing port. The Waterlines heritage museum is located in Lybster Harbour and provides information on the history and geology ...

on 30 September 1861. In 1863 these units, together with the AVCs from Orkney and

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting o ...

, were formed into the 1st Administrative Brigade, Caithness Artillery Volunteers, with its headquarters (HQ) at Wick, to which other Caithness units were added as they were formed:Frederick, p. 651.Grierson, pp. 152–3.Litchfield & Westlake, p. 34.''Army List'', various dates.Rollo, pp. 12–3. * 1st (Wick) Caithness AVC * 2nd (Thurso) Caithness AVC * 3rd (Lybster) Caithness AVC * 4th (Mey) Caithness AVC formed at Barrogill, Mey, on 1 December 1866, as one battery * 5th (Castletown) Caithness AVC formed at Castletown on 1 December 1866, as one battery * 1st (Kirkwall) Orkney AVC joined 1863 * 2nd (Sanday) Orkney AVC joined 1863 * 3rd (Shapinsay) Orkney AVC joined 1863 * 4th (Stromness) Orkney AVC joined 1863 * 1st (Stornoway) Ross-shire AVC joined 1863 Once a 5th Orkney AVC had been raised in 1865 there were moves for Orkney to have its own brigade, and this was organised on 15 March 1867; at the same time the 1st Ross-shire joined the 2nd Ross-shire in the 1st Inverness-shire Admin Brigade. In their place, the 1st Caithness Admin Brigade took over the AVCs in Sutherland from the Inverness-shire brigade, giving it the following organisation: * 1st (Wick) Caithness AVC, increased to one and a half batteries in 1867, and to two batteries in 1870 * 2nd (Thurso) Caithness AVC, increased to two batteries in 1870 * 3rd (Lybster) Caithness AVC, disbanded 1873 * 4th (Mey) Caithness AVC * 5th (Castletown) Caithness AVC * 6th (Thrumster) Caithness AVC formed at Thrumster on 4 May 1867, as one battery, disbanded 1878 * 1st (Helmsdale) Sutherland AVC formed at

Helmsdale Helmsdale ( sco, Helmsdal, gd, Bun Ilidh) is a village on the east coast of Sutherland, in the Highland council area of Scotland. The modern village was planned in 1814 to resettle communities that had been removed from the surrounding straths ...

26 April 1860, joined 15 March 1867 * 2nd (Golspie) Sutherland AVC formed at

Golspie Golspie ( , gd, Goillspidh) is a village and parish in Sutherland, Highland, Scotland, which lies on the North Sea coast in the shadow of Ben Bhraggie. It has a population of around 1,350. History The name derives from the Norse for "gull ...

18 February 1867, joined 15 March 1867 Volunteer corps were consolidated into larger units on 1 May 1880, when the 1st Admin Brigade became the 1st Caithness (Caithness and Sutherland) Artillery Volunteers, with the individual corps as numbered companies: * Nos 1 and 2 at Wick (late 1st Caithness) * Nos 3 and 4, at Thurso (late 2nd Caithness) * No 5 at Mey (late 4th Caithness) * No 6 at Castletown (late 5th Caithness) * No 7 at Helmsdale (late 1st Sutherland) * No 8 at Golspie (late 2nd Sutherland) From 1 April 1882 all AVCs were affiliated to a division of the

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 ...

(RA), the

Scottish Division The Scottish Division was a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all Scottish line infantry units. It merged with the Prince of Wales' Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division in ...

in the case of the 1st Orkney, moving to the Southern Division when the numbers were reduced on 1 July 1889. In October 1882, the unit's HQ transferred from Wick to Thurso. In 1894, Nos 1 and 2 Companies at Wick ceased to exist, but in 1897 Mo 1 was resuscitated, the corps then consisting of seven garrison companies, No 2 being vacant. It had a drill battery at each station, and possessed six firing ranges for carbine practice.

Royal Garrison Artillery

From 1 June 1899 all artillery volunteers became part of the

(RGA), and when the RA abolished its divisional structure on 1 January 1902 the unit was redesignated the 1st Caithness (Caithness and Sutherland) Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers). The unit's commanding officer,

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

Sir John Sinclair, 7th Baronet of Dunbeath, commanded the

62nd (Middlesex) Company, Imperial Yeomanry The Middlesex Yeomanry was a volunteer cavalry regiment of the British Army originally raised in 1797. It saw mounted and dismounted action in the Second Boer War and in World War I at Gallipoli, Salonika and in Palestine, where one of its offic ...

, in the

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

and was awarded a

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

.''Burke's'': 'Sinclair of Dunbeath'. When the

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

were subsumed into the new

(TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the unit was disbanded on 31 March.

Uniforms and insignia

The first uniform of the Caithness corps was similar to that of the Royal Artillery, but with scarlet cuffs and white cord and piping. Busbies and white belts were worn. The officers had silver lace, and their tunics were piped all round with silver cord, and had silver lace on the skirts. The early pattern brass shoulder title read 'C.A.V.', later '1/RA/Caithness' in three tiers.

Commanding officers

The following served as commanding officer of the 1st Caithness Artillery Volunteers and Caithness RGA * Lt-Col Sir Robert Sinclair, 9th Baronet, of Murkle, former captain in the 38th Foot, appointed 10 October 1864''Burke's'': 'Sinclair-Lockhart'. * Lt-Col

George Sinclair, 15th Earl of Caithness George Philips Alexander Sinclair, 15th Earl of Caithness (30 November 1858 – 28 May 1889), was a Scottish aristocrat. Life George Sinclair was the eldest son of James Sinclair, 14th Earl of Caithness and his first wife Louisa Georgiana Philips. ...

, appointed 17 June 1882, died 25 May 1889''Burke's'': 'Caithness'. * Col George R. Lawson, appointed 25 May 1889 * Lt-Col Sir John Sinclair, 7th Baronet of Dunbeath, DSO, VD, appointed 2 July 1892 * Col Alexander McDonald, VD, appointed 9 May 1900 * Col David Keith Murray, VD, appointed 5 April 1905

Honorary Colonel

The following served as Honorary Colonel of the unit: *

James Sinclair, 14th Earl of Caithness James Sinclair, 14th Earl of Caithness, (16 August 1821 – 28 March 1881), styled Lord Berriedale from 1823 to 1855, was a Scotland, Scottish Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician, scientist and inventor. Life Caithness was the son of Alexand ...

, appointed 21 August 1867, died 28 March 1881 * Sir Robert Sinclair of Murkle, VD, former CO, appointed 27 July 1881 * Sir John Sinclair of Dunbeath, DSO, VD, former CO, appointed 7 November 1900

Notes

{{reflist

References

* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * Maj-Gen James Grierson
''Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859–1908'', Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1909.
* Norman Litchfield & Ray Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859–1908 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1982, ISBN 0-9508205-0-4. * D. Rollo ''The History of the Orkney and Shetland Volunteers and Territorials 1793–1958'', Lerwick: Shetland Times, 1958. * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, ISBN 0-582-48565-7.

External sources

Artillery Volunteers Drill Hall at Mey
Caithness Military units and formations in Caithness Wick, Caithness Thurso Military units and formations established in 1860 Military units and formations disestablished in 1902