The 1st Midlothian Artillery Volunteer Corps was formed in 1859 as a response to a French invasion threat. Originally it served as garrison and heavy artillery but transferred to 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 i ...

(TF) in 1908 as field artillery, in which role it served through both World Wars. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it fought on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

with

51st (Highland) Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

it briefly saw service in France after

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Eighth Army in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its wartime duplicate regiment served with distinction in the Burma Campaign. Postwar the regiment continued in existence until amalgamation in 1967.

Artillery Volunteers 1859-1908

The 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 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. One such unit was the 1st Midlothian Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVC) formed on 16 September 1859 at

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

, near to the

City of Edinburgh The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. In its current form, the counci ...

. In December the title was changed to Midlothian Coast AVC, but by March 1860 it had changed again to 1st Midlothian (Midlothian Coast) AVC. The

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in command was Sir James Gardiner Baird, 7th Baronet of Saughton Hall, a former

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

officer in the

10th Hussars The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince ...

, from which he had been obliged to retire because of an injury sustained in a

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

. He had since served with the part-time East Lothian Yeomanry.''Army List'', various dates. Within months there were four AVCs in the county:Beckett, Appendix VIII.Frederick, pp. 659, 666.Grierson, pp. 130–2.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 128–30. * 1st (Midlothian Coast Artillery) Midlothian AVC (four batteries) at Leith * 2nd (Leith Artillery) Midlothian AVC (two batteries) formed at Leith 28 February 1860 * 3rd (Portobello) Midlothian AVC formed at

Portobello, Edinburgh Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, between the suburbs of Joppa, Edinburgh, Joppa and Craigentinny. Although historically it ...

, 17 December 1859 * 4th (Musselburgh) Midlothian AVC formed at

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

28 February 1860 These were soon consolidated into a single unit (the 2nd being absorbed in 1863) of eight batteries, with Baird commanding in the rank of

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 colonel. ...

: The 1st Haddington AVC, formed at

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...

, Haddingtonshire (or

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

) on 20 January 1860, which had been attached to the 1st Administrative Battalion, Haddington Rifle Volunteers, since 1864, was attached to the 1st Midlothian AVC from 1873. (A proposed 2nd Haddington AVC at

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...

had never been formed.) From 1 April 1882 the unit formed part of 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 ...

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); on 1 July 1889 the Volunteer artillery were regrouped into three large divisions, the 1st Midlothian being assigned to the Southern Division.Litchfield and Westlake, pp. 3–6. It unit dropped the 'Midlothian Coast' subtitle in 1888, and moved its headquarters (HQ) to a new drill hall at 30 Grindlay Street in Edinburgh the following year. There were modern guns available at Portobello and Musselburgh for drill. Gun practice was carried out at the annual camp, and for

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighter ...

practice it used the

Queen's Edinburgh Rifles The Queen's Edinburgh Rifles was a brigade of Rifle Volunteers raised in the City of Edinburgh in 1859. It later formed two battalions of the Royal Scots, which fought in World War I at Gallipoli, in Palestine and on the Western Front. The two b ...

' range at Hunter's Bog in

Holyrood Park Holyrood Park (also called the Queen's Park or King's Park depending on the reigning monarch's gender) is a royal park in central Edinburgh, Scotland about to the east of Edinburgh Castle. It is open to the public. It has an array of hills, loc ...

.Osborne, p.274 RML16pdr12cwtShropshire%26StaffsVolunteers1897

The AVCs were intended to serve as garrison artillery manning fixed coast defences, but a number of the early units manned semi-mobile 'position batteries' of smooth-bore field guns pulled by agricultural horses. In 1886 the 1st Midlothian obtained two 40-pounder rifled breech-loading (RBL) guns on travelling carriages pulled by

Brewer's dray Among horse-drawn vehicles, a trolley was a goods vehicle with a platform body with four small wheels of equal size, mounted underneath it, the front two on a turntable undercarriage. The wheels were rather larger and the deck proportionately hig ...

horses from Younger's and

McEwan's McEwan's is a brand of beer owned by Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company. It was originally brewed by William McEwan's Fountain Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland. The McEwan's brand passed to Heineken in 2008 after their purchase of Scottish & New ...

breweries. Previously the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

(WO) had refused to pay for the upkeep of field guns for the Volunteers, but the concept was regularised in 1888 when some Volunteer batteries were reorganised as 'position artillery' to work alongside the Volunteer infantry brigades. In 1889 the 1st Midlothian AVC was issued with two position batteries of 16-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns, which were manned by four of the garrison batteries (referred to as Companies from 1891). The 1st Haddington AVC was consolidated into the corps in 1897, when it became No 9 Company, with it HQ remaining at Dunbar. In 1899 the artillery Volunteers were transferred to 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) ...

(RGA), and the unit was redesignated 1st Midlothian RGA (V) (MRGAV) when the divisional organisation was abolished on 1 January 1902. In 1901 a further battery of 16-pounders was issued to the corps and manned by the two remaining garrison companies in Edinburgh. In 1903 the RGA (V) position batteries were modernised and became heavy batteries; the 1st MRGAV reorganised as follows: * No 1 Heavy Battery – ''from Nos 1 and 2 Companies'' * No 2 Heavy Battery – ''from Nos 3 and 4 Companies'' * No 3 Heavy Battery – ''from Nos 5 and 6 Companies'' * No 4 Garrison Company at Musselburgh – ''from Nos 7 and 8 Companies'' * No 5 Garrison Company at Dunbar – ''from No 9 Company'' Lieutenant A.H.M. Jamieson of the 1st Midlothian RGA (V) served during 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 Sout ...

as machine gun commander with the 6th (Scottish) Battalion,

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

. In 1902 the unit's 1st Battery won the King's Prize for heavy artillery at the National Artillery Association meeting, and in 1905 the 2nd Bty won the prize, with the other two batteries coming second and third.

Territorial Force

When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new

(TF) under the

Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the ...

of 1908, the MRGAV was transferred to the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...

(RFA) and provided the bulk of the I (or 1st) Lowland Brigade, RFA, with one battery coming from the 1st Edinburgh (City) RGA (V), giving the following organisation:Frederick, p. 678.''London Gazette'' 20 March 1908.
/ref>Litchfield, pp. 295–6. * Headquarters (HQ) at 30 Grindlay Street, Edinburgh * 1st City of Edinburgh Battery – ''from 1st Edinburgh RGA'' * 2nd City of Edinburgh Battery * Midlothian Battery * 1st Lowland Ammunition Column The unit was the senior field artillery brigade in the TF's Lowland Division. The batteries were each issued with four 15-pounder guns.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 109–14.52 (L) Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>Thompson, pp. 3–5.

World War I

Mobilisation

The order to mobilise was received at 17.25 on Tuesday 4 August 1914 when the Lowland Division was at its annual training camp on the

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

coast. It immediately began guarding vulnerable points around

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and the

Clyde estuary The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

. Mobilisation was complete by 10 August and the units proceeded to their designated war stations. For the I Lowland Brigade this was at

Redford Barracks Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks is located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. Redford Barracks was built between 1909 and 1915 by the War Office and designed by Harry Be ...

, Edinburgh. On the outbreak of war, units of the

were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service: the majority of men in every unit of the Lowland Division did so. On 15 August the WO issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. Then on 31 August the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate batteries, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas.

1/I Lowland Brigade

British_18-pounder_mark_II_field_gun_-_Imperial_War_Museum_1

During the winter of 1914–15 the division underwent war training and served in the

Forth Forth or FORTH may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine * ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008 * ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw * Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...

defences. It was warned for overseas service on 5 April and on 11 May 1915 it was officially numbered as the 52nd (Lowland) Division. However, the division was destined for the Dardanelles Campaign and it was decided that the difficulties of operating artillery on the Gallipoli Peninsula precluded taking all the divisional artillery. 1/1st Lowland Brigade was therefore left behind when the division embarked, and remained in the Forth defences. The brigade finally went overseas in October 1915, when it landed at

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the

. On arrival in France the batteries were rearmed with modern 18-pounder guns, and on 10 November the brigade joined the

, with which it would serve for the rest of its career in World War I.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 101–7.51 (H) Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>51 Divisional RA at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> In May 1916 the TF brigades of the RFA received numbers, the 1/I Lowland becoming CCLVII (257) Brigade – though this was changed to CCLX (260) Brigade within a few days – and the batteries became A, B, C and D.Frederick, p. 691. D Battery was then exchanged for 2nd Renfrewshire Howitzer Bty from the 1/III Highland (CCLVIII) Howitzer Bde, which became D (H) Bty, equipped with 4.5-inch howitzers. The brigade ammunition columns were abolished at the same time, and absorbed within the divisional ammunition column. 18pdrStLeger3August1916

Somme

In July 51st (Highland) Division joined in the

Somme Offensive The Battle of the Somme (French language, French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. I ...

. An attack on 14 July had failed to capture the dominating ground of High Wood, and 51st (H) Division was tasked with renewing the attack on High Wood a week later. A night attack was to be tried: the bombardment began at 19.00 on 22 July, under the direction of low-flying artillery observation aircraft. German sources reported that the shelling was of 'painful accuracy' and prevented the troops in High Wood from being relieved, despite the number of casualties. At 01.30 the following morning the division attacked, but by 03.00 they were back on their start line having suffered heavy casualties. British gunners had difficulty supporting attacks on High Wood, because they had to fire over Bazentin Ridge. The low elevation of the guns meant that shells skimmed the British trenches, the margin for error was small and numerous complaints were made that British infantry casualties were caused by

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...

. Worn guns, defective ammunition and inaccurate information about the location of British infantry positions were blamed for short-shooting. The setback seemed to confirm the division's nickname of 'Harper's Duds' (from their commander,

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

George Harper, and their 'HD' formation badge). The division was withdrawn from the front on 7 August for rest and reorganisation. On 23 August CCLX Bde was reorganised again, with C (Midlothian) Bty being split up between A and B to bring them up to six guns each. 51st_(Highland)_Division_objectives_at_Beaumont_Hamel,_November_1916

51st_(Highland)_Division_objectives_at_Beaumont_Hamel,_November_1916

The division returned to the front in October for the

Battle of the Ancre Heights The Battle of the Ancre Heights (1 October – 11 November 1916), is the name given to the continuation of British attacks after the Battle of Thiepval Ridge from during the Battle of the Somme. The battle was conducted by the Reserve Army (re ...

, the final series of actions of the Somme Offensive. A mass of guns was assembled, with the artillery of no less than eight divisions and eight heavy artillery groups supporting 51st (H) Division's attack on

Beaumont-Hamel Beaumont-Hamel () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. During the First World War, Beaumont-Hamel was close to the front line, near many attacks, especially during the Battle of the Somme, one of the larg ...

, which had been an uncaptured objective on the first day of the offensive on 1 July. The operation was planned for 24 October, and the batteries began firing to cut the

barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...

on 20 October, but it was postponed several times because of bad weather. Eventually 13 November was chosen. H hour was 05.45, when the 18-pounders started a

Creeping barrage In military usage, a barrage is massed sustained artillery fire (shelling) aimed at a series of points along a line. In addition to attacking any enemy in the kill zone, a barrage intends to suppress enemy movements and deny access across tha ...

(a recent innovation) moving in front of the infantry at every five minutes. A quarter of the 18-pounders deliberately fired short of the barrage line – this would have suppressed German outposts sheltering in shell craters in

No man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

. The attack was helped by a dense fog, which screened the infantry from retaliatory shellfire as they struggled through the mud towards their objectives. The barrage halted for an hour on the first objective before moving on. Some of the infantry were held up by machine guns in the notorious 'Y Ravine', which had caused so much trouble on 1 July, but reserves were employed and both attacking brigades had reached the third German trench line (the Purple Line) by 07.50. The Green Line was next taken, but the fourth wave of attackers lost the barrage on their way to the final (Yellow) objectives and had to pull back to the Green Line to consolidate a position in captured trenches. Beaumont Hamel had finally fallen, and 51st (Highland) Division had gone some way to shaking off the 'Harper's Duds' slur.

Disbandment

On 18 November 1916 CCLX Bde was joined by the newly-formed 535 (H) Bty from the UK, which became C (H) Bty. However, on 28 January 1917 CCLX Bde was broken up and its batteries distributed as follows: * A (1st City of Edinburgh + half Midlothian) Bty – became C Bty, CCCXV (2/I Northumbrian) Army Field Artillery Brigade * B (2nd City of Edinburgh + half Midlothian) Bty – became C Bty, LXXXVI Army Field Artillery Brigade * C (535) (H) Bty – R Section made D (H) Bty, CCLV (I Highland) Bde, up to six howitzers; L Section made up D (H) CCLVI (II Highland) Bde * D (2nd Renfrewshire) (H) Bty – became D (H) Bty, LXXXIV Army Field Artillery Brigade Army Field Artillery (AFA) brigades were used to support different formations as required. LXXXIV and CCCXV AFA Bdes continued to support 51st (H) Division during the Arras Offensive in early 1917, but thereafter they were regularly moved around. By the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

in November 1918, LXXXIV and LXXXVI were with Fourth Army and CCCXV was with Third Army.

2/1 Lowland Brigade

Recruiting for the 2nd Line unit was good, and 2/I Lowland completed at Grindlay Street by the end of 1914.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 61–5.65 (2nd L) Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> 2nd Lowland Division formed in January 1915 (numbered as

65th (2nd Lowland) Division The 65th (2nd Lowland) Division of the British Army was a second-line Territorial Force division, formed in 1914, which served on home defence duties during the First World War. The division was formed as a duplicate of the 52nd (Lowland) Divisi ...

in August) but the lack of equipment and need to supply drafts to 1st Line units delayed training. 2/I Lowland Brigade remained around the Edinburgh area throughout 1915. In March 1916 the division moved south to

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and joined

Southern Army (Home Forces) Southern Army was a home service formation of the British Army during the First World War, responsible for the defence of South-East England, including both sides of the Thames Estuary. It was formed on 11 April 1916 under the command of Sir Arth ...

. By May, the artillery brigades had received 18-pounders and that month they were numbered: 2/I Lowland became CCCXXV (325) Brigade and the batteries became A.B and C. Later, CCCXXVIII (2/IV Lowland) (H) Bde was broken up, with one battery joining CCCXXV as D (H) Bty.

Ireland

In January 1917 the division moved to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

to relieve

59th (2nd North Midland) Division The 59th (2nd North Midland) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army during World War I. It was formed in late 1914/early 1915 as a 2nd Line Territorial Force formation raised as a duplicate of the 46th (North ...

, which had been the first TF formation to serve in that country. Before the end of the year a decision was made to break up the 65th Division. The infantry units were transferred or disbanded, but a number of divisional units remained in Ireland after the division ceased to exist in March 1918. These included CCCXXV Bde, which stayed at

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dái ...

until it was disbanded on 29 December 1919.

Interwar years

The TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920 and the unit was reformed. When the TF was reconstituted as the Territorial Army in 1921, it was designated the 78th (Lowland) Brigade RFA (TA) with the following organisation:Frederick, pp. 490, 493, 521.WO, ''Titles and Designations'', 1927. * HQ at Grindlay Street * 309 (1st City of Edinburgh) Battery * 310 (2nd City of Edinburgh) Battery * 311 (Midlothian) Battery * 312 (5th City of Glasgow) Battery (Howitzers) at Elder Street,

– ''from the old 4th Lowland (H) Brigade'' In 1924 the RFA was subsumed into the Royal Artillery (RA), and the word 'Field' was inserted into the titles of its brigades and batteries. The unit returned to the reformed 52nd (Lowland) Division in

Scottish Command Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a command of the British Army. History Early history Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The Scottish District was comman ...

. The establishment of a TA divisional artillery brigade was four 6-gun batteries, three equipped with 18-pounders and one with 4.5-inch howitzers, all of World War I patterns. However, the batteries only held four guns in peacetime. The guns and their first-line ammunition wagons were still horsedrawn and the battery staffs were mounted. Partial mechanisation was carried out from 1927, but the guns retained iron-tyred wheels until pneumatic tyres began to be introduced just before

. In 1938 the RA modernised its nomenclature and a lieutenant-colonel's command was designated a 'regiment' rather than a 'brigade'; this applied to TA field brigades from 1 November 1938.

World War II

Mobilisation

The TA was doubled in size after the

Munich Crisis The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

of 1938, and most regiments split to form duplicates. Part of the reorganisation was that field regiments changed from four six-gun batteries to an establishment of two batteries, each of three four-gun

troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

. For the 78th (Lowland) Fd Rgt this resulted in the following organisation from 12 June 1939:Ellis ''France and Flanders'', Appendix I.
/ref>Frederick, p. 531.Sainsbury, pp. 17–20; Appendix 2.Scottish Command 3 September 1939 at Patriot Files.
/ref> 78th (Lowland) Field Regiment, RA78 Fd Rgt at RA 1939–45.
/ref>
/ref> * RHQ at Edinburgh * 309 (1st City of Edinburgh) Field Bty at Edinburgh * 310 (2nd City of Edinburgh) Field Bty at Edinburgh 129th Field Regiment, RA129 Fd Rgt at RA 1939–45.
/ref> * RHQ at Edinburgh * 311 (Midlothian) Field Bty at Edinburgh * 312 (5th City of Glasgow) Field Bty at Glasgow 78th Field Rgt remained part of 52nd (L) Division, while 129th joined its duplicate, the

15th (Scottish) Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served in the First World War. The 15th (Scottish) Division was formed from men volunteering for Kitchener's Army, and served from 1915 to 1918 on the West ...

, formed on 2 September 1939.Joslen, pp. 85–6.Joslen, pp. 58–9.

78th (Lowland) Field Regiment

After the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had been evacuated from Dunkirk, 52nd (L) Division was sent to

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

to form part of a reformed '2nd BEF', arriving on 10 June. However, the situation of the French armies was hopeless and the division was evacuated again after only a week. As one of the few formations that still had its guns and equipment, the division became part of Home Forces' mobile reserve around London. Its field regiments had an almost complete establishment of modern Mk II 25-pounders. 52nd (L) Division returned to Scottish Command in November 1940. One of the lessons learned from the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

was that the two-battery organisation did not work: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions. As a result, they were reorganised into three 8-gun batteries, but it was not until late 1940 that the RA had enough trained battery staffs to carry out the reorganisation. 78th (L) Field Rgt accordingly formed 456 Fd Bty by March 1941. In May 1942 52nd (L) Division began mountain warfare training for a potential operation in Norway, but 78th (L) Fd Rgt left almost immediately.

North Africa

The regiment, together with a signal section of the

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

and a light aid detachment of the

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

, came under direct WO Control in June 1942 preparatory to proceeding overseas. It left in August bound for

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

as part of the reinforcements for Eighth Army.Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional units), 2 April 1942, with amendments, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 212/515. It arrived in time to take part in the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

in October. The regiment was officially attached to 1st Armoured Division, but actually three Troops (12 x 25-pounders were with 51st Highland Division, and the other three with

2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...

. After the pursuit across

, the regiment was involved in the fighting in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. For the final advance on

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

(

Operation Vulcan Operation Vulcan (22 April – 6 May 1943) and Operation Strike (6–12 May 1943) were the final ground attacks by the Allied forces against the Italian and German forces in Tunis, Cape Bon, and Bizerte, the last Axis toeholds in North Africa ...

) it formed part of a battle group of 4th Armoured Brigade (30 April to 21 May 1943). Gunners of 78th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery queuing at a NAAFI refreshment van in Italy, 22 November 1943

Italy

The regiment served in

5th Army Group Royal Artillery Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

(5 AGRA) in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

(Operation Husky).AGRAs at British Artillery in WW2.
/ref> It then landed in

under Eighth Army's command in September 1943.Joslen, p. 467. In January 1944 it formed part of 2 AGRA supporting

56th (London) Infantry Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...

in its assault crossing of the Garigliano on 17 January. It was then switched to the

Anzio beachhead The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The ope ...

, where it supported 1st Infantry Division, firing to disrupt German preparations for a counter-offensive that was finally launched on 7 February and defeated by 12 February.

178th (Lowland) Medium Regiment

In April 1944 the regiment was re-equipped to serve in the medium artillery role. Because there was already a 78th Medium Regiment, the new regiment took the designation 178th (Lowland) Medium Regiment in May. Medium regiments consisted of two batteries, each equipped with eight 5.5-inch guns; 309 and 310 Btys continued with the regiment.Frederick, pp. 724, 742.Farndale, ''Years of Defeat'', Annex M.Medium Rgts at British Artillery in WW2.
/ref> At various times in the latter part of the Italian Campaign the regiment was in 7 AGRA and 10 AGRA serving with

Fifth US Army The United States Army North (ARNORTH) is a formation of the United States Army. An Army Service Component Command (ASCC) subordinate to United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), ARNORTH is the joint force land component of NORTHCOM.

. For the Allies' final

Spring 1945 offensive in Italy The spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allied attack during the Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. The attack into the Lombard Plain by the 15th Allied Army Group started on 6 ...

(

Operation Grapeshot The spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allied attack during the Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. The attack into the Lombard Plain by the 15th Allied Army Group started on 6 ...

) the regiment fired in support of US

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...

in its crossing of the

River Po The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...

, 15–23 April. 178th (Lowland) Medium Regiment was placed in suspended animation on 15 January 1946.

129th (Lowland) Field Regiment

Shortly after the outbreak of war, 15th (Scottish) Division moved to training areas in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

, the artillery going to Selkirk and

Jedburgh Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...

. After three months it went into winter quarters that were chosen for tactical considerations, with 44th Lowland Brigade and 129th Fd Rgt disposed across the

River Forth The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Gaelic name for the upper reach of th ...

. It returned to the Borders for training in April 1940, with 129th Fd Rgt at Selkirk near 44th (L) Bde at

Galashiels Galashiels (; sco, Gallae, gd, An Geal Àth) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive ...

. However, the division had to make room for units returning from the Norwegian Campaign, so it moved south to

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

and then after the German invasion of France and the Low Countries in May 1940 it moved into defensive positions in

, which it was holding when the BF was evacuated from Dunkirk. To cover over of coastline the division's three field regiments each had an average of only eight 18-pounders of World War I vintage. As the threat of invasion receded, the division was able to concentrate on mobile training in 1941. 129th Field Rgt formed its third battery, 493 Fd Bty, on 1 March 1941 when the regiment was stationed at

Great Baddow Great Baddow is an urban village and civil parish in the Chelmsford borough of Essex, England. It is close to the city of Chelmsford, and, with a population of over 13,000,Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. In September the field regiments finally got their full complement of 25-pounders. However, in November the division was placed on a lower establishment and became purely a mobile coastal defence formation in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, with 44th (L) Bde and 129th Fd Rgt around

Wooler Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...

. It was used to supply drafts and complete units for service overseas. 129th (Lowland) Field Rgt was authorised to use its parent's 'Lowland' subtitle on 17 February 1942. It left the division and came under WO Control in May 1942, and embarked in June for the Far East with 311, 312 and 493 Fd Btys.

Burma

129th (Lowland) Field Rgt arrived at

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

on 10 August 1942 and moved up to

Ranchi Ranchi (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area ...

, the base for operations in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, where it joined 70th Infantry Division with 24 x 25-pounders. On 21 November it moved to

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

, where it joined

14th Indian Infantry Division The 14th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. It fought in the Arakan Campaign 1942–43, and was subsequently converted into a Training Division, providing drafts of replacements for units ...

for the First Arakan Campaign.Farndale, ''Far East'', Annex K.Joslen, p. 506. Since September the 14th Indian Division had been advancing into the

Arakan Arakan ( or ) is a historic coastal region in Southeast Asia. Its borders faced the Bay of Bengal to its west, the Indian subcontinent to its north and Burma proper to its east. The Arakan Mountains isolated the region and made it accessi ...

through difficult terrain and appalling weather, road-building as it went. Its objective was Akyab, but only part of its strength could be supported at the front and 129th Fd Rgt was withdrawn on 10 January 1943 without coming into action. It moved to

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

, on the India/Assam border, where it came under the command of

17th Indian Infantry Division The 17th Infantry Division is a formation of the Indian Army. Indian Army during World War II, During World War II, it had the distinction of being continually in combat during the three-year-long Burma Campaign (except for brief periods of refit ...

, which had been refitting as a 'light' division designed for jungle fighting. 17th Indian Division was covering the construction of the Imphal–

Tiddim Tedim (, , ( Zo: ''Tedim Khawpi'', pronounced ; is a town in and the administrative seat of Tedim Township, Chin State, in the north-western part of Burma. It is the second largest town in Chin State. The town's four major boroughs (''vengte'') a ...

road. 129th Field Rgt moved up to the base at

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in ...

on 8 May, but guns could not be moved up the single

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

track to the advanced posts at Fort White and Kennedy Peak in the

Chin Hills The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma, Burma (Myanmar), that extends northward into India's Manipur state. Geography The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Khonu Msung, or Mount Victoria, in southern Chin State ...

, where skirmishing with the Japanese went on through the

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

129th Jungle Field Regiment

The problem of operating artillery in jungle terrain was tackled by converting field regiments into 'Jungle Field Regiments' equipped with jeep-towed 3.7-inch mountain howitzers and 3-inch mortars. 129th (Lowland) was the first unit to convert and build up experience with this equipment. However, neither weapon had sufficient range or weight of shell, but the regimental fitters under

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Farrell and Bombardier Clifford Jones worked out that they could fit a jeep axle and wheels to a 25-pounder, reducing the weight and width of the whole assembly. The regiment tried it out on the Tiddim Road and found that with very few modifications to the gun carriage and trail it remained stable even when firing the highest charges. The CO, Lt-Col Younger, reported the success in October 1943 and the regiment received a gun converted to this 'jury axle' format for trials the following month. By January 1944 the gun had proved its worth and jeep-towed Jury axle 25-pounders began to be issued to one field regiment in each light division. In really rough terrain the whole gun could be broken down into jeep-sized loads like a mountain gun.

Retreat from Tiddim

The regiment moved to the

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

Road with 17th Indian Light Division on 13 November 1943, but by 8 December it was with

5th Indian Infantry Division The 5th Indian Infantry Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II that fought in several theatres of war and was nicknamed the "Ball of Fire". It was one of the few Allied divisions to fight against three differe ...

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

and

. From January it was back with 17th Indian Division, with which it remained for the rest of the war. 17th Division was still skirmishing from Kennedy Peak towards Fort White with a battery of 129th Jungle Fd Rgt supporting

48th Indian Infantry Brigade The 48th Infantry Brigade, was raised as the 48 Indian Infantry Brigade, in October 1941, at Secunderabad, India. After an initial tenure with 19th Indian Infantry Division, it was transferred to the 17th Indian Infantry Division. In Worl ...

. 493 Field Battery was deployed with its jury axle guns at a height of , within of the crest of Kennedy Peak, claiming to be the highest guns in the world. The guns were constantly in action supporting infantry patrols, but enemy strength in the area began to increase in February as a prelude to the forthcoming Japanese offensive (

Operation U-Go The U Go offensive, or Operation C (ウ号作戦 ''U Gō sakusen''), was the Japanese offensive launched in March 1944 against forces of the British Empire in the northeast Indian regions of Manipur and the Naga Hills (then administered as part ...

). 17th Division switched over to a defensive posture, with administrative units in the Imphal Plain grouped into self-contained defensive boxes.Woodburn Kirby, Vol III, Appendix 19; Vol IV, Appendix 18; Vol V, Appendix 29. U-Go was launched in March, with the aim of cutting off 17th Indian Division. The decision to withdraw the division from Tiddim came too late, and although it successfully disengaged from Kennedy Peak it was cut off by a series of roadblocks. On 15 March it was stopped at the Taitum Saddle. Lieutenant-Colonel Younger organised a fireplan with 393 Bty firing from the north and 311 and 312 from the south, which gave the Japanese no reverse slope for protection. The first attack on the block failed, but next day, reinforced by mountain and anti-tank guns, and one 25-pounder firing directly into enemy bunkers, the position was taken on 16 March and the following day the regiment provided Defensive Fire (DF) tasks to prevent it being recaptured. Suffering heavy casualties from the artillery fire, the Japanese suddenly fell back and opened the way to the bridge over the

Manipur River __NOTOC__ Manipur River ( my, မဏိပူရမြစ်), also called Kathe Khyoung (ကသည်းချောင်း), is a river in India's Manipur state that flows into Myanmar, where it merges with the Myittha River, a tributary o ...

. For the final stage of the retreat the division had to clear a block and recapture a supply dump at Milestone 109. A first attack on 22 March failed, but the following day with 311 and 312 Btys firing in support the enemy aa driven of the positions. The regiment's Forward Observation Officers (FOOs) were able to range their guns onto the objective when their own advancing infantry were only away from it. By now ammunition was down to five rounds per gun (the regiment had fired 6900 in three weeks), and attempts to air-drop supplies had failed, but on 4 April the regiment marched into Imphal where it met 5th Indian Division, which had been flown in.

Kohima–Imphal

The whole of IV Corps was now dug in on the Imphal Plain with 17th Indian Division at Imphal in Corps reserve. While the emphasis was on IV Corps' efforts to relieve the besieged base at

in the north, 17th Indian Division at

Bishenpur Bishnupur ( mni, ꯕꯤꯁ꯭ꯅꯨꯄꯨꯔ) is a town in Bishnupur district in the state of Manipur, India. It derived its name from an ancient Vishnu temple located in the town which was established in 15th Century. Bishunupur is the admin ...

on the Tiddim Road was still under pressure from the south. The divisional artillery was disposed in two 'boxes', most in the north, but with RHQ and three troops of 129th Fd Rgt in the southern box. The gunners themselves had to defend their boxes against attacks by Japanese infantry, as well as firing in support of troops fighting to clear the hills and to counter thrusts by Japanese columns. On 23 June the siege of Imphal was broken, and the position of the Japanese troops at Bishenpur became precarious as IV Corps went over to the offensive. By 31 July 17th Indian Division was withdrawn for rest. From the retreat from Tiddim to the end of July 129th Fd Rgt was in action for 244 days in which it fired 121,253 rounds. On 4 September 1944 the regiment left Burma with 17th Indian Division and returned to Ranchi for extended rest and preparation for the 1945 offensive. For example, on 26 October 1944 311 Fd Bty carried out trials on firing 25-pounders from landing craft, which would be necessary for future river crossings and coastal landings. 17th Indian Division was now organised with two brigades motorised and one air-transportable. On 31 January 1945 it completed its retraining and the regiment returned to the front on 6 February.

Meiktila

The division was to cross the

Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River ( Ayeyarwady River; , , from Indic ''revatī'', meaning "abounding in riches") is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar (Burma). It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Origi ...

and then act as a fast striking force towards

Meiktila Meiktila (; ) is a city in central Burma on the banks of Meiktila Lake in the Mandalay Region at the junctions of the Bagan-Taunggyi, Yangon-Mandalay and Meiktila-Myingyan highways. Because of its strategic position, Meiktila is home to Myanmar Ai ...

. It was ferried across the river on 18 February and drove towards Meiktila in a series of short actions. During this fighting a FOO of 129th Fd Rgt was killed; his Observation Post Assistant ('OP Ack') was Lance Bombardier G.C. Huntley, who made his own fire plan to neutralise the enemy, then organised a stretcher party to bring out a wounded officer and the body of his FOO. Huntly was awarded a

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

(DCM) but was killed a few weeks later. 17th Indian Division reached Meiktila by 1 March, but the Japanese cut the road behind the division, which then had to rely on air supply. Nevertheless, the guns came into action and the town was cleared by 4 March where the division prepared to meet the expected Japanese counter-offensive (the

Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay The concurrent Battle of Meiktila and Battle of Mandalay were decisive engagements near the end of the Burma campaign during World War II. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as the Battle of Central Burma. Despite logistical difficulti ...

). There was bitter fighting around the perimeter during March as the Japanese tried to retake the airfield. The gunners used

Airburst round An airburst round is a type of tactical anti-personnel explosive ammunition, typically a shell or grenade, that detonates in midair, causing air burst effect fragment damage to an enemy. This makes it easier to hit enemy soldiers behind a ...

s to dislodge enemy snipers from treetops, and once again had to defend their own gun positions, but the airfield was held and the division's air-transportable brigade was successfully flown in. At the end of the month the road was opened, and reinforcements arrived on 1 April. The regiment had fired 11,721 rounds in March. 17th Indian Division then hurried forward to catch up with the rest of the corps. It took over the lead on 28 April and after running fights along the road it had captured

Pegu Bago (formerly spelt Pegu; , ), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the Bago Region in Myanmar. It is located north-east of Yangon. Etymology The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the Mon lang ...

by 30 April. Although the offensive's objective,

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

, was only away, torrential Monsoon rain halted the advance. The abandoned city was occupied by amphibious forces (

Operation Dracula Operation Dracula was a World War II-airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Anglo-Indian forces during the Burma Campaign. The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccupy ...

). Having made contact with the Dracula force, 17th Indian Division was diverted to trap the retreating Japanese in the Sittang Bend. The

Battle of the Sittang Bend The Battle of the Sittang Bend and the Japanese Breakout across Pegu Yomas were linked Japanese military operations during the Burma Campaign, which took place nearly at the end of World War II. Surviving elements of the Imperial Japanese Army ...

carried on through the Monsoon, with 129th Fd Rgt very active in the fighting as Japanese thrusts were stopped and pockets of resistance mopped up. The next phase of the offensive was due to be an amphibious assault on Malaya (

Operation Zipper During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya, as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore in Operation Mailfist. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it wa ...

), but this was forestalled by the end of the war in mid-August. After a period with the Burma garrison, 129th (Lowland) Field Regiment was placed in suspended animation in 1946, completing the process on 1 March.

Postwar

The TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, when 129th (Lowland) Field Regiment was formally disbanded. 178th (Lowland) Medium Regiment reformed at Edinburgh as 278th (Lowland) Field Regiment in 51st/52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division with the following organisation:Frederick, pp. 1000, 1007, 1013.266–288 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 onwards.
/ref> * P (1st City of Edinburgh) Bty * Q (2nd City of Edinburgh) Bty * R (Midlothian) Bty In 1961, the regiment was amalgamated with the 357th (Lowland) Light Regiment (except R Bty) to form the 278th (Lowland) Field Regiment RA (The City of Edinburgh Artillery). At the same time it absorbed surplus personnel of the Edinburgh-based 432 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, which was converting to

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

When the TA was reduced to the

TAVR Percutaneous aortic valve replacement (PAVR), also known as percutaneous aortic valve implantation (PAVI), transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), is the replacement of the aortic valve o ...

in 1967, the regiment merged with 277th (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) Field Regiment and 279th (City of Glasgow and Ayr) Field Regiment and became Q (City of Edinburgh) Bty in the Lowland Regiment, RA which was reduced to a

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

in 1969 and disbanded in 1975. In 1986 105 (Scottish) Air Defence Regiment was designated as the successor unit to the Lowland Regiment, RA.

Uniforms and insignia

The original uniform of the corps was dark blue tunics and trousers, the latter with broad scarlet stripes. The tunic had a scarlet collar with silver grenades embroidered on both sides, blue cuffs, five rows of black cord lace on the breast, and black cord shoulder cords and Austrian knot. The head-dress was a busby, a round forage-cap with red band being worn in undress, and the belts were black. The 2nd Midlothian at first had scarlet cuffs and collar and white belts, but on amalgamation conformed to the dress of the 1st Corps. This uniform was worn down to the spring of 1881, when the corps changed to the regulation clothing. In the 1930s the CO of 78th (Lowland) Fd Bde introduced silver cap badges and buttons, and trouser turn-ups, for officers in walking-out and mess dress. This custom was revived in the 1950s when white metal beret badges were issued to all ranks at regimental expense. In 1958 the sword and full-dress pouch that had belonged to Sir

Joseph Noel Paton Sir Joseph Noel Paton (13 December 1821 – 26 December 1901) was a Scottish artist, illustrator and sculptor. He was also a poet and had an interest in, and knowledge of, Scottish folklore and Celtic legends. Early life He was born in Woo ...

, the first CO of 1st Edinburgh Bty in 1859, was presented to 278th (Lowland) Fd Rgt by his family, They were worn by the battery commander on every Royal saluting parade until 1967.

Commanding Officers

Commanding Officers (COs) included: * Col Sir James G Baird, Bt, 10 March 1860. * Lt-Col Thomas E O Home, 18 July 1883. * Col Charles G H Kinnear, 26 June 1884. * Lt-Col David Whitelaw, VD, 29 December 1894. * Col James A Dalmahoy, MVO, VD, 8 June 1898. * Lt-Col J.L. Findlay, VD, 7 January 1908 * Lt-Col W.E. Anderson, TD * Lt-Col J.M.B. Scott * Lt-Col R.S. Reid, TD, 21 January 1928 * Lt-Col T. Sturrock, MC * Lt-Col N.P. Cross, 2 January 1936 129th Field Regiment, India and Burma * Lt-Col J.H.E. de Robeck, 6th

Baron de Robeck Baron de Robeck is a title of the head of the Irish Fock family which has its origins in Sweden. Jakob Constantin Fock, a Swedish landowner, had bought the Räbäck estate in the parish of Medelplana, Skaraborg County in the province of Västerg� ...

– ''later

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

, Commander RA, 17th Indian Division''de Robeck at the Peerage.com.
/ref> * Lt-Col C.F.J. Younger * Lt-Col J.A. Stevens

Honorary Colonels

The following served as Honorary Colonel of the unit: *

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Honorary Colonel Sir James Gardiner Baird, 7th Baronet of Saughton Hall, former CO, aide-de-camp to the Queen, appointed 18 July 1883, died 1896 *

Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian, (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of ...

, former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

, appointed 7 January 1903, died 21 May 1929 *

John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch John Charles Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry, (30 March 1864 – 19 October 1935), styled The Honourable John Montagu Douglas Scott until 1884, Lord John Montagu Douglas Scott between 1884 and 1886 ...

, appointed 28 December 1929 * Brig-Gen H.S. Seligman, CMG, DSO, appointed 28 December 1934

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A Study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot, The Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * Nigel Cave, ''Battleground Europe: Somme: Beaumont Hamel, Newfoundland Park'', Barnsley: Leo Cooper, 1994, . * Maj L.F. Ellis
''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1954/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, 978-1-85457-056-6.
* Gen Sir

Martin Farndale General Sir Martin Baker Farndale, (6 January 1929 – 10 May 2000) was a British Army officer who reached high office in the 1980s. Military career Educated at Yorebridge Grammar School, Askrigg, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Farnda ...

, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Western Front 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1986, . * 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, . * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, . * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1939–1946'', London: Brasseys, 2002, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
Maj-Gen J.M. Grierson, ''Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859–1908'', Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1909.
* Gen Sir William Jackson, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I, I: November 1944 to May 1945'', London: HMSO, 1988/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, ''Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/ Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6. * Norman E. H. Litchfield and Ray Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859–1908'', Nottingham: The Sherwood Press, 1982, * Norman E. H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988'', Nottingham: The Sherwood Press, 1992, * Lt-Gen H.G. Martin, ''The History of the Fifteenth Scottish Division 1939–1945'', Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1948/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2014, . * Capt Wilfred Miles, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1916'', Vol II, ''2nd July 1916 to the End of the Battles of the Somme'', London: Macmillan, 1938/Imperial War Museum & Battery Press, 1992, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony,''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol V: ''The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and the Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944'', London: HMSO, 1973/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Mike Osborne, ''Always Ready: The Drill Halls of Britain's Volunteer Forces'', Essex: Partizan Press, 006, * Lt-Col J.D. Sainsbury, ''The Hertfordshire Yeomanry Regiments, Royal Artillery, Part 1: The Field Regiments 1920-1946'', Welwyn: Hertfordshire Yeomanry and Artillery Trust/Hart Books, 1999, ISBN 0-948527-05-6. * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, . * Lt-Col R.R. Thompson, ''The Fifty-Second (Lowland) Division 1914–1918'', Glasgow: Maclehose, Jackson 1923/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * War Office, ''Army Council Instructions Issued During August 1916'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1916. * War Office, ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927 (RA sections also summarised in Litchfield, Appendix IV). * Maj-Gen S. Woodburn Kirby, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan'' Vol II, ''India's Most Dangerous Hour'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1958/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Maj-Gen S. Woodburn Kirby, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan'' Vol III, ''The Decisive Battles'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1961/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Maj-Gen S. Woodburn Kirby, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan'' Vol IV, ''The Reconquest of Burma'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1955/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * Maj-Gen S. Woodburn Kirby, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The War Against Japan'' Vol V, ''The Surrender of Japan'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1969/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, .

External sources

Mark Conrad, ''The British Army, 1914'' (archive site)

British Army units from 1945 on

Great War Centenary Drill Halls.

The Long, Long Trail

Patriot Files orders of battle

* ttps://ra39-45.co.uk The Royal Artillery 1939–45
Graham Watson, ''The Territorial Army 1947''
{{refend

Military units and formations of Scotland Military units and formations in the Lothians Military units and formations in Edinburgh Military units and formations established in 1859 Military units and formations disestablished in 1967 1859 establishments in Scotland

Artillery Volunteers 1859-1908

Territorial Force

World War I

Mobilisation

1/I Lowland Brigade

Somme

Disbandment

2/1 Lowland Brigade

Ireland

Interwar years

World War II

Mobilisation

78th (Lowland) Field Regiment

North Africa

Italy

178th (Lowland) Medium Regiment

129th (Lowland) Field Regiment

Burma

129th Jungle Field Regiment

Retreat from Tiddim

Kohima–Imphal

Meiktila

Postwar

Uniforms and insignia

Commanding Officers

Honorary Colonels

See also

Footnotes

Notes

References

External sources