The 2nd Devonshire Artillery Volunteers was a unit of the British

Volunteer Force 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 ...

and Territorial Army. The unit and its successors defended Plymouth Dockyard and the

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

coast from 1861 to 1961.

Origin

The 2nd Administrative Brigade, Devonshire Artillery Volunteers was formed at Devonport, Plymouth on 3 January 1861 as a headquarters for a number of Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) that had been raised in Devonshire in response to the invasion scare of 1859. A 1st Administrative Brigade had been formed the previous year, but the number of units in the county had continued to grow and they were split between the two headquarters. The 2nd Admin Brigade took the units in the western part of the county and was based at Devonport, Plymouth, with the following composition:2nd Devonshire Volunteer Artillery at Regiments.org
/ref>Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 52–3.Frederick, p. 654.Maurice-Jones, pp. 164–5. * 6th (

Dartmouth Dartmouth may refer to: Places * Dartmouth, Devon, England ** Dartmouth Harbour * Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States * Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada * Dartmouth, Victoria, Australia Institutions * Dartmouth College, Ivy League university i ...

) Devonshire AVC, raised 25 January 1860; transferred from 1st to 2nd Administrative Brigade in January 1861 * 10th (

Salcombe Salcombe is a popular resort town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, mostly built on the steep west side of the estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area of ...

) Devonshire AVC, raised 7 July 1860; transferred from 1st to 2nd Administrative Brigade in January 1861 * 12th ( Devonport Dockyard) Devonshire AVC, raised 20 December 1860; transferred from 1st to 2nd Administrative Brigade in February 1862 * 13th ( Keyham) Devonshire AVC, raised 7 December 1860; the nucleus came from the Keyham Steam Factory The unit's HQ moved from Devonport to Dartmouth in 1874 before returning three years later. The commanding officer from 1864 was

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. ...

Charles Hayne, who was also a

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

in the

South Devon Militia The South Devon Militia was a part-time military unit in the maritime county of Devonshire in the West of England. The Militia had always been important in the county, which was vulnerable to invasion, and from its formal creation in 1758 the regi ...

. He was succeeded by Lt-Col Alex Ridgway, a former captain in the

1st Devon Militia First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

(appointed 1873). By 1866 the 12th AVC had four companies and the 13th had two. A cadet corps was attached to the unit from 1871 to 1879.''Army Lists''. In February 1880, the AVCs were consolidated, and the 2nd Devonshire Administrative Brigade became the 6th (soon changed to 2nd) Devonshire AVC with the following composition: * No 1 Battery at Dartmouth, former 6th Corps * No 2 Battery at Salcombe, former 10th Corps * Nos 3, 4, 5 & 6 Batteries at Devonport, former 12th Corps * Nos 7 & 8 Batteries at Keyham, former 13th Corps In 1893 the HQ and Nos 1 and 3–9 Companies were based at 14 Paradise Place at Stoke in Devonport,Devonport at Drill Hall Project.
/ref> and No 2 Company was at Ridge Park Road, Plympton,Plympton at Drill Hall Project.
/ref> and Fore Street, Salcombe at Fore Street, Salcombe.
/ref> In the same year the War Office Mobilisation Scheme had allocated the 2nd Devonshire Artillery Volunteers to the Plymouth fixed defences. The corps was attached to the Western 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) in April 1882 and changed its name to 2nd Devonshire Volunteer Artillery in November 1891. All the artillery volunteers were attached 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) in 1899, and when the divisional structure was abolished the units were retitled, the unit was retitled 2nd Devonshire RGA (Volunteers) on 1 January 1902. A new cadet corps was formed at Plymouth and Mannamead College in 1900, but was transferred to the

2nd (Prince of Wales's) Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

in 1907.

Territorial Force

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

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) 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 2nd Devonshire RGA became simply the Devonshire RGA as a Defended Ports unit with the following composition:Frederick, pp. 697–8.Litchfield, pp. 42–8. * HQ at Lambhay Hill, Plymouth * No 1 Heavy Battery at Drill Hall, Avenue Road, Ilfracombe, with Left Section detached at

Lynmouth Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the northern edge of Exmoor. The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, which was the only place to expand to once Lynmouth became as built ...

* No 2 Heavy Battery at Devonport, with detachments at Plympton and Salcombe * Nos 3 & 4 Companies at Plymouth * Nos 5 & 6 Companies at Devonport Until 1908, the battery at Ilfracombe (two new 6-inch breechloading guns were installed at Beacon Point in 1905) had been the responsibility of No 10 Battery of the 1st Devonshire RGA (V), which was converted into a field artillery unit under the Haldane Reforms. The companies were responsible for manning the batteries of fixed coastal guns, while the heavy batteries were mobile and responsible for the landward defences (TF heavy batteries were usually armed with obsolescent 4.7-inch guns).

World War I

The unit was mobilised in the South Western Coast Defences on the outbreak of

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 ...

in August 1914, and raised two additional companies, Nos 1 & 2. Although the unit did not serve overseas, it is probable that volunteers did serve with other RGA units, and there is a memorial to men of the unit who died during the war.IWM WMR ref 25636.
/ref> BL 9

On the outbreak of

, together with Nos 36 and 45 Companies of the Regular RGA in the Eastern Section and Nos 38 and 41 Companies in the Western Section, the Devonshire RGA manned the following coast guns in the Plymouth defences: * 8 x 9.2-inch * 13 x 6-inch * 3 x 4.7-inch * 15 x 12-pounders

Mobilisation

After the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and on 15 August 1914, 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) issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. 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 brigades, companies and batteries were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. By the autumn of 1914, the campaign 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 ...

was bogging down into

Trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became a ...

and there was an urgent need for batteries of heavy and siege artillery to be sent to France. The WO decided that the TF coastal gunners were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular RGA gunners for service in the field, and 1st line TF RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service had been authorised to increase their strength by 50 per cent. In addition the Devonshire RGA also seems to have formed a new No 1 Company. Although complete defended ports units never went overseas, they did supply trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas. They also provided cadres to form complete new units for front line service. The personnel of 1/1st, 2/1st and 2nd Heavy Btys all appear to have served overseas (164th and 165th Heavy Btys are known to have formed at Plymouth in April 1916). Plymouth was also the prewar depot for some of the Regular siege artillery, and at least 15 siege batteries were raised at Plymouth during the course of the war. In addition, 48th Siege Battery, RGA, was formed on 30 July 1915 at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

with a nucleus from the Devonshire RGA. Equipped with 9.2-inch howitzer it went out to the Western Front in January 1916 and served there for the rest of the war, latterly in 34th Brigade, RGA, supporting First Army.Frederick, pp. 702–8.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA'
The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.

Home defence

After so many TF coast gunners had departed to units in the field, the remaining companies of the defended ports units were consolidated in April 1917. By now the companies remaining in the Plymouth Garrison were the 1/3rd, 1/5th, 2/3rd, 2/6th Devon and the 1/8th of the Cornwall (Duke of Cornwall's) RGA. These were reduced from to just four (numbered 1–4 Devon RGA), which were to be kept up to strength with Regular recruits (conscripts).Army Council Instruction No 686 of 26 April 1917. By April 1918 the guns of the Plymouth Garrison were deployed as follows: ''Western Section'': *

Rame "Rame" is a rare word in English which means branch. Rame is also the name of two villages in Cornwall: Rame may also refer to: Geography * Rame, Maker-with-Rame, in southeast Cornwall **Rame Head, a coastal headland near the first of these, as we ...

Church Battery – 2 x 9.2-inch Mk VI *

Hawkins Battery Hawkins Battery is a former coastal artillery battery, built to defend the Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport. The battery was originally built between 1888 and 1892 to mount four 9-inch Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) guns on high angle mountings ...

– 2 x 9.2-inch Mk VI * Penlee Point Battery – 3 x 9.2-inch Mk X *

Picklecombe Fort Fort Picklecombe stands on the extreme south eastern coast of Cornwall, a couple of miles west of the city of Plymouth. The fort has been a residential complex since the early 1970s but has a history dating back 150 years. Founding Fort Pickleco ...

– 2 x 6-inch Mk VII * Piers Cellars Battery – 2 x 12-pounder Quick-Firers * Grenville Battery – 3 x 4.7-inch QF *

Whitesand Bay Battery Whitsand Bay, situated in south east Cornwall, England, runs from Rame Head in the east to Portwrinkle in the west. It is characterised by sheer, high cliffs, dramatic scenery and long stretches of sandy beaches. The South West Coast Path runs t ...

– 3 x 12.5-inch Rifled Muzzle-Loaders ''Eastern Section'': * Drake's Island Battery 1 – 3 x 6-inch Mk VII * Drakes Island Battery 2 – 5 x 12-pdr QF * Eastern King's Redoubt – 2 x 12-pdr QF *

Western King's Redoubt The Western King's Redoubt is an 18th and 19th-century artillery battery in Plymouth, Devonshire, England, upgraded as a result of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom of 1859. Part of an extensive scheme known as Palmerston ...

– 4 x 12-pdr QF * Devil's Point Battery – 1 x 12-pdr QF * Garden Battery – 2 x 12-pdr QF * Bovisand Battery – 4 x 12-pdr QF *

Watch House Battery Watch House Battery is a former 19th-century gun battery, built as one of a number of batteries to defend the Eastern approaches to Plymouth Sound, for the defence of the Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport. The battery was originally built as a ...

– 2 x 6-inch Mk VII * Renny Point Battery – 3 x 9.2-inch Mk X * Lentney Battery – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII The four Devon RGA companies, together with the four regular RGA companies of the Plymouth Garrison, were split between three fire commands in 1918: * No 2 Fire Command (formed as A and B Administrative batteries, including 38 and 41 Cos RGA): manning Penlee and Picklecombe among others * No 3 Fire Command: Eastern Section, manning King's Bty among others * No 4 Fire Command (including 36 and 45 Cos RGA): manning Renny and Bovisand among others

Interwar

When the TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920 the Devonshire RGA reformed at Lambhay Hill, with one battery (later numbered 157) from the former Nos 3 and 4 Companies at Lambhay Hill and another battery (later 158) from Nos 1 and 2 Heavy Btys and 5–7 Companies at Plympoton. The TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921 and the unit was redesignated the Devonshire Coast Brigade, RGA, with 157 and 158 Btys.Frederick, p. 613.Maurice-Jones, p. 206. When the RGA was subsumed into the rest of the RA on 1 June 1924, the unit was redesignated as the Devonshire Heavy Brigade, RA. In 1927 it was decided that the coast defences of the UK would be manned by the TA alone. In 1932 the Devon Heavy Brigade was amalgamated with the Cornwall Heavy Brigade to form the Devonshire and Cornwall Heavy Brigade, with the following composition:Litchfield, p. 34. * 157 (Devon) Battery at Artillery Drill Hall, Lambhay Hill * 158 Battery at Drill Hall, Plympton * 164 (Cornwall) Battery moved from

Redruth Redruth ( , kw, Resrudh) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England. The population of Redruth was 14,018 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also inc ...

to new Drill Hall, Ker Street, Devonport, opened in 1938. In 1936 'Cornwall' was dropped from the title, and when the RA replaced its unit designation of 'brigade' by the more normal 'regiment' in November 1938, the unit became the Devonshire Heavy Regiment, RA. As the TA expanded in the months leading up to the outbreak of

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 ...

, a new 193 Heavy Battery at Falmouth, Cornwall was added to the regiment in August 1939.

World War II

Mobilisation

When war was declared on 3 September 1939, the Devonshire Heavy Rgt was responsible for the following guns: ''Plymouth'': * 6 x 9.2-inch * 4 x 6-inch * 11 x 12-pdrs ''Falmouth'': * 2 x 6-inch

Mid-war

With the threat of invasion after the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

, the coastal artillery defending the United Kingdom was greatly increased. On 14 July 1940 the Cornish element of the regiment regained its independence as the Cornwall Heavy Regiment, later 523rd (Cornwall) Coast Regiment.Farndale, ''Years of Defeat'', Annex M. Then in April 1941, the Devonshire Heavy Regiment was reorganised to form three Coast Regiments, numbered 566–568. All three regiments came under the control of

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars *VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army ...

, responsible for the defences of South West England.Frederick, pp. 604–5, 642Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 30: Coast Artillery, Defence Troops, Royal Artillery, and AA Defence of Merchant Ships, 14 May 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/122.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 30: Coast Artillery, Defence Troops, Royal Artillery, and AA Defence of Merchant Ships, 12 December 1942, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/123. As radar began to be deployed in coast defences, Coast Observer Detachments (CODs) began to appear, linked to Coastal Artillery Plotting Rooms (later called Army Plotting Rooms), of which No 6 was formed at Plymouth by July 1942 under the Commander, Coast Artillery, of VIII Corps. 566 (Devon) Coast Regiment, RA566 Coast Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> * Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) at Drake's Island in Drake Fire Command by 7 December 1942 * 159 Bty – 6-inch guns at Drake's Island * 160 Bty – 12-pdrs at Drake's Island; moved to Mount Batten, Plymouth Sound, by 10 April 1942 * 161 Bty – Western Kings * 195 Bty – independent battery from

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...

defences joined 10 April 1942 * 196 Bty – independent battery from

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 joined 10 April 1942 * 3 COD – from 552nd Coast Rgt by December 1942 567 (Devon) Coast Regiment, RA567 Coast Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> * RHQ at Rame in Rame Fire Command by 7 December 1942 * 162 Bty – 6-inch guns at Picklecombe * 163 Bty – 12-pdrs at Picklecombe * 164 Bty – at Penlee * 84 COD – formed by April 1942 * 104 COD – formed by October 1942 568 (Devon) Coast Regiment, RA568 Coast Rgt at RA 39–45.
/ref> * RHQ at Wembury in Wembury Fire Command by 7 December 1942 * 156 Bty – Renny * 157 Bty – Watch House * 158 Bty – Bovisand; to

Houton Houton is a settlement southeast of Stromness on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. The settlement is within the parish of Orphir, and is situated on a minor road off the A964. From here, a ferry sails to Lyness on Hoy, Longhope on So ...

Orkneys Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, to join 534th (Orkney) Coast Rgt 8 June 1941 * 137 Bty – joined 26 May 1941 from 533rd (Orkney) Coast Rgt * 174 Bty – joined 8 September 1942 from 564th Coast Rgt; regimented with 565th Coast Rgt 1 November 1942 * 185 Bty – attached 8 September 1942 from 536th Coast Rgt; regimented with 523rd (Cornwall) Coast Rgt 12 October 1942 * 107 COD – Formed by December 1942

Later War

As the threat from German attack diminished after 1942 there was demand for trained gunners for the fighting fronts. A process of reducing the manpower in the coast defences began.Maurice-Jones, p. 240. In 568th (Devon) Coast Rgt, 157 Bty was disbanded on 15 March 1943, 107 COD was disbanded by 13 April, 137 and 156 Btys were transferred to 566th (Devon) Coast Rgt on 19 April, and finally RHQ 568th was placed in suspended animation on 9 May. Meanwhile, 160 Bty of 566th was transferred to

Newhaven, East Sussex Newhaven is a port town in East Sussex in England, lying at the mouth of the River Ouse. The town developed during the Middle Ages as the nearby port of Seaford began drying up, forcing a new port to be established. A sheltered harbour was b ...

, under 521st (Kent and Sussex) Coast Rgt on 1 May and was replaced at Mount Batten by a newly formed 443 Bty. By July 1943 the two remaining regiments had seen their CODs posted away.Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 7: Coast Artillery, Defence Troops, Royal Artillery, and AA Defence of Merchant Ships (July 1943), with amendments, TNA file WO 212/124. When VIII Corps was assigned to

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

in early 1943 for the forthcoming Allied invasion of Normandy (

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

), the Plymouth defences came under 'South Western District Coast Artillery' in Southern Command. The manpower requirements for Overlord led to further reductions in coast defences in April 1944. By this stage of the war many of the coast battery positions were manned by Home Guard detachments or were in the hands of care and maintenance parties. 567th (Devon) Coast Rgt passed into suspended animation on 1 April 1944 and 162, 163 and 164 Btys also joined 566th.Order of Battle of the Forces in the United Kingdom, Part 7, Coast Artillery and AA Defence of Merchant Ships (1 April 1944), with amendments, TNA file WO 212/120. When the war in Europe ended, this process was accelerated. 566th Coast Regiment was redesignated 566th (Devon and Cornwall) Coast Regiment once more on 1 June 1945, when 159 and 161 Btys (TA) passed into suspended animation and the war-formed batteries (196 and 443) were disbanded. RHQ and the remaining batteries (137, 56, 162, 163, 164 and 195) went into suspended animation on 10 January 1946, and the regiment had dispersed by the end of the month.

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, the 566th and 567th Regiments were reformed as 407th/408th (Devon) Coast Regiment, separating into two regiments the following year; 568th was not reformed. Both 407th and 408th were part of the 102nd Coast Artillery Brigade. However, it was soon afterwards decided to reduce the number of TA coast regiments, and on 1 September 1948 the 408th was redesignated 408th (Devon) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, but was placed in suspended animation on 1 May 1949 and subsequently disbanded.Frederick, pp. 1010–1.372–413 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
/ref> 407th (Devon) Coast Regiment continued at Plymouth until 31 October 1956, when the Coast Artillery Branch of the RA was disbanded. The regiment was absorbed by 256th (Wessex) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA (which had originally been the 1st Admin Brigade of Devonshire Artillery Volunteers, ''see above'').

Honorary Colonels

The following officers served as Honorary Colonel of the regiment:''Burke's''. * Lt-Col Alex Ridgway, former Commanding Officer, appointed 15 August 1883. * Sir William Pearce, 2nd Baronet, appointed 10 June 1893. * Lt-Col E.B. Jeune, former Commanding Officer, appointed 1 April 1913. * Brig-Gen John, 2nd Lord St Levan, CB,

CVO CVO may refer to: Science and technology * Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington, US * Chief veterinary officer, the head of a veterinary authority * Circumventricular organs, positioned around the ventricular system of the brain * Co ...

, appointed (to Cornwall RGA) 5 July 1913 * Waldorf, 2nd Viscount Astor, appointed (to Devonshire Heavy Bde) 5 April 1929 (Lords St Levan and Astor served as joint Honorary Colonels after their regiments were merged.)

Memorial

There is a memorial tablet on a wall in Newton Ferrers to the men of the Devonshire RGA who died during World War I.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A Study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953.
Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004
ISBN 978-1-84574-055-9. * 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, ISBN 1-870114-00-0. * 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, ISBN 1-870114-05-1. * 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, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X. * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Norman Litchfield & Ray Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859–1908'' (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1982, . * Col K. W. Maurice-Jones, ''The History of Coast Artillery in the British Army'', London: Royal Artillery Institution, 1959/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-845740-31-3. * War Office, ''Instructions Issued by The War Office During August, 1914'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1916. * War Office, ''Instructions Issued by The War Office During September, 1915'', London: HM Stationery Office. * War Office, ''Instructions Issued by The War Office During October, 1915'', London: HM Stationery Office. * War Office, ''Army Council Instructions issued during April, 1917'', London: HM Stationery Office. * War Office, ''Titles and Designations of Formations and Units of the Territorial Army'', London: War Office, 7 November 1927.

External links

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

British Army units from 1945 on

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

John Moore, ''A History of Hele''

Royal Artillery 1939–45.

Victorian Forts

{{refend Military units and formations in Devon Military units and formations in Plymouth, Devon

Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1961