The Tynemouth Volunteer Artillery claims to be the oldest volunteer

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

unit of the

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 ...

. It served coastal and siege guns 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 ...

and

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 ...

, and also served in the infantry role.

Artillery Volunteers 1859-1908

The first artillery unit formed amid the enthusiasm that created 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 ...

in the mid-19th Century was the 1st Northumberland Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVC), which was raised after a public meeting at

Tynemouth Tynemouth () is a coastal town in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, North East England. It is located on the north side of the mouth of the River Tyne, hence its name. It is 8 mi (13 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon T ...

on 7 May 1859. The meeting was held in response to statements by Commander

Bedford Pim Bedford Clapperton Trevelyan Pim (12 June 1826 – 30 September 1886) was a Royal Navy officer, Arctic explorer, barrister, and author. He was the first man who travelled from a ship on the eastern side of the Northwest Passage to one on t ...

, Royal Navy, that a modern ironclad warship could do untold damage to the towns of Tyneside due to the poor state of their defences. The unit was raised by Edward Potter of

Cramlington Cramlington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, 6 miles (9 kilometres) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, and 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of its city centre. The name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxons. T ...

, a local coal mining engineer. By 25 May 1859, the first drill was held for Rifle and Artillery volunteers at Tynemouth, formal enrolment for the 1st Northumberland Artillery Volunteers opened on 2 August, and the corps was formally accepted on 16 August 1859. In November 1859, the new unit held its first gun practice, on two 70-year-old muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon at

Tynemouth Castle Tynemouth Castle is located on a rocky headland (known as Pen Bal Crag), overlooking Tynemouth Pier. The moated castle-towers, gatehouse and keep are combined with the ruins of the Benedictine priory where early kings of Northumbria were buri ...

.Beckett, Appendix VIII.Frederick, p. 667.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 138–43. A 2nd Northumberland AVC was formed at Tynemouth on 12 January 1860 but in May 1860 it was absorbed into the 1st as its second battery; four other batteries were raised at

Willington Quay Willington Quay is an area in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear in northern England. It is on the north bank of the River Tyne, facing Jarrow, and between Wallsend and North Shields. It is served by the Howdon Metro station in Howdon. ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and

North Shields North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...

. Other AVCs were also being formed in the area: the Percy Artillery, raised from tenants of the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke ...

and named after a previous volunteer unit of 1805, was formed as the 3rd Northumberland AVC on 22 March 1860, then took the vacated position as 2nd. A new 3rd Northumberland AVC of two batteries was formed at Blyth on 23 November 1860, but was disbanded in January 1864. In September that year the Newcastle members of the Tynemouth Volunteers left to form a separate 2nd Newcastle AVC and in January 1865 the Willington Quay men became the 3rd Northumberland AVC. The 1st Administrative Brigade of Northumberland Artillery Volunteers was formed at Tynemouth on 4 April 1866 and included the 1st Northumberland (Tyneside Volunteers) and both its offshoots, the 2nd Newcastle and the 3rd Northumberland. (The 1st Newcastle and 2nd Northumberland (Percy Artillery) AVCs remained independent.) The 2nd Newcastle was absorbed into the 3rd Northumberland in 1868, in which year the brigade's HQ moved from Tynemouth to Newcastle. The 1st Durham AVC was added to the Admin Brigade in 1873.''Army List'', various dates. The Volunteers were consolidated into larger units in 1880, and the Administrative Brigade became the 1st Northumberland and Durham Artillery Volunteers on 23 July with its HQ at Newcastle: * Nos 1–6 Companies from 1st Northumberland AVC (Tynemouth) * Nos 7–12 Companies from 3rd Northumberland AVC (Newcastle) * Nos 13–15 Companies from 1st Durham AVC (

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

) However, the Tynemouth Volunteers were withdrawn to become independent again in April 1884. They were supposed to become the new 3rd Northumberland, but objected to the title, asserting their primacy, and in August were renamed The Tynemouth Artillery Volunteers (with emphasis on the definite article 'The'). The unit became part of the RA's Northern Division on 1 April 1882, then the Western Division on 1 July 1889. By now the unit had eight batteries. In the early years, the volunteer gunners practised on whatever guns were available, including those at Tynemouth Castle. But in addition to manning fixed coast defence artillery, some of the early Artillery Volunteers manned semi-mobile 'position batteries' of smooth-bore field guns pulled by agricultural horses. The Tynemouth Artillery Volunteers were supplied with light 9-pounder field guns in 1869. But 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 ...

refused to pay for the upkeep of field guns for Volunteers and they had largely died in the 1870s. In 1888 the 'position artillery' concept was revived and some Volunteer companies were reorganised as position batteries to work alongside the Volunteer infantry brigades. The Tynemouth Volunteer Artillery were re-equipped with 20-pounder field and 40-pounder fort guns in 1889 and on 14 July 1892 they were reorganised as a position battery and six companies: 40_Pounder_RBL,_Woolwich

* HQ at Tynemouth * No 1 Battery at Tynemouth * Nos 2–4 Companies at Tynemouth * No 5 Company at

Backworth Backworth is a village in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England, about west of Whitley Bay on the north east coast. It lies northeast of Newcastle. Other nearby towns include North Shields to the sou ...

* No 6 Company at Blyth and

Ashington Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...

* No 7 Company at Blyth In 1893, the batteries at Tynemouth Castle were equipped with modern 6-inch breechloading guns on hydro-pneumatic disappearing carriages, and the Tynemouth Volunteer Artillery immediately began training to operate them. This was reflected in the War Office Mobilisation Scheme for that year, which allocated the unit to the Tynemouth fixed defences. On 1 June 1899 the RA was split into

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 ...

and

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), which was responsible for all coastal and fortress artillery; the Volunteers were affiliated to the RGA. On 1 January 1902 the RA abandoned its divisional organisation and the unit changed its designation to Tynemouth Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers).

Territorial Force

When the Volunteers 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 Tynemouth RGA was intended to combine with the 1st Durham RGA to form a Northumberland and Durham RGA (and spin off a battery and ammunition column for the local RFA brigade). These plans were radically changed, so that by 1910 the Tynemouth and 1st Durham elements had formed their own units. The Tynemouth RGA (TF) was designated as a Defended Ports unit with the following organisation: * HQ at Military Road, North Shields * No 1 Company at North Shields * No 2 Company at North Shields * No 3 Company at Prospect Avenue,

Seaton Delaval Seaton Delaval is a village in Northumberland, England, with a population of 4,371. The largest of the five villages in Seaton Valley, it is the site of Seaton Delaval Hall, completed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1727. In 2010 the armed robbery of ...

* No 4 Company at Plessey Road/Quayside, Blyth The unit formed part of North Eastern Coast Defences, which also included the Regulars of Nos 12 and 47 Companies RGA at Tynemouth. These units were responsible for the manning the following guns in the Tyne defences: * 2 x 9.2-inch * 6 x 6-inch

World War I

Coast defence

On the outbreak of war, the Tynemouth Volunteer Artillery deployed to its war stations in the Tyne Garrison. Shortly after the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service, and they began forming Second Line units (distinguished from the original First line by a '2/' prefix). By October 1914, the campaign on the Western Front 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 siege artillery to be sent to France. The War Office decided that the TF units were well enough trained to take over many of the duties in the coastal defences, releasing Regular RGA gunners for service in the field. Soon the TF RGA companies that had volunteered for overseas service were also supplying trained gunners to RGA units serving overseas and providing cadres to form new units, although complete defended port units never went overseas. Thus the siege batteries formed in late 1915–early 1916 were a mixture of Regular and TF gunners from the RGA coast establishments together with new recruits. 44th Siege Battery formed at

Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...

in 1915 had its cadre provided by the Tynemouth RGA, while a number of others formed at Tynemouth (14 batteries in 1916 alone) may have included men from the Tynemouth RGA among the Regulars and recruits, although the War Office or Army Council Instructions did not specifically order this. Under Army Council Instruction 686 of April 1917, the coastal defence companies of the RGA (TF) were reorganised. The four serving companies of the Tynemouth RGA (1/1st, 1/2nd/ 1/3rd and 1/4th) were reduced to three (1st, 2nd and 3rd) albeit with a slightly larger establishment of five officers and 100 men, and were to be kept up to strength with Regular recruits.Frederick, p. 698. By early 1918 the companies were serving in No 18 Coastal Fire Command based at Tynemouth. In April 1918 the following guns were in place around the Tyne: BL6inchGunMkVIINewhavenFort1March2008

Tyne Garrison ** Sunderland,

Roker Roker () is a tourist resort and affluent area of Sunderland, North East England, bounded on the south by the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, on the east by the North Sea, to the west by Fulwell and on the north by Seaburn. It is administere ...

Battery – 4 x 4.7-inch Quick Fire (QF) guns * ''Tyne Defences'' ** Kitchener's Battery – 2 x 12-inch guns ** Frenchman's Point Battery 1 – 1 x 9.2-inch Mk X gun ** Frenchman's Point Battery 2 – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII guns ** Spanish Battery – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII ** Tynemouth Castle Battery 1 – 1 x 9.2-inch Mk X ** Tynemouth Castle Battery 2 – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII ** Roberts Battery – 2 x 12-inch * ''Blyth Defences'' ** Blyth Battery – 2 x 6-inch QF gun Following the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

the Tynemouth RGA was placed in suspended animation in 1919.

44th Siege Battery, RGA

12inchRailwayHowitzerHildaYpres7November1917

The battery was formed on 12 July 1915 at

from a cadre provided by the Tynemouth RGA and Regular RGA gunners brought back from the defences of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It went out to the Western Front on 24 January 1916, manning two 12-inch railway howitzers and was involved in the preparatory bombardment for the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( 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. It took place bet ...

later that year.'Allocation of Siege Batteries RGA'
The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/4.'44 Siege Battery War Diary January 1916–February 1918'
TNA file WO 95/545.] The battery remained in action throughout the Somme fighting of 1916. Thereafter the heavy howitzers were in great demand it was frequently shifted around the railway network behind the Western Front from one army to another. It ended the war attached to Fifth Army (United Kingdom), Fifth Army supporting the great Allied

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

. 44th Siege Battery continued in the Regular Army after the Armistice, becoming 16th Medium Battery in 4th Medium Brigade, RGA, in 1920.

Interwar years

Tynemouth Heavy Brigade

The Tynemouth RGA reformed on 7 February 1920 and when the TF was reconstituted as the Territorial Army (TA) the following year, it was redesignated as the Tynemouth Coast Brigade, becoming the Tynemouth Heavy Brigade in 1924 when the RGA was subsumed into the RA. It had the following organisation:Frederick, p. 616. Maurice-Jones, p. 206. * Headquarters moved to Blyth in 1934 * 150 Heavy Battery at North Shields – ''from Nos 1 and 2 Companies'' * 151 Heavy Battery at Blyth – ''from No 4 Company'' * 152 Heavy Battery at Seaton Delaval – ''from No 3 Company'' In 1926 it was decided that the coast defences of the UK would be manned by the TA alone.

64th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade

On 1 October 1932, 152 Heavy Battery at Seaton Delaval left to be converted into 152 Medium Battery in 55th (Northumbrian) Medium Brigade. Then on 1 April 1934 150 Heavy Battery at North Shields also left to be converted into 150 Medium Battery in 51st (Midland) Medium Brigade. However, on 10 December 1936 these two batteries left their new brigades and were converted again into 179 and 180 (Tynemouth) Anti-Aircraft batteries forming a new 64th (Northumbrian) Anti-Aircraft Brigade based at North Shields. This unit could therefore be considered an indirect offshoot of the Tynemouth Volunteer Artillery. It saw service in

during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

and the Newcastle Blitz,

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 ...

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 ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

and the occupation of Germany.Litchfield, pp. 192–4.

World War II

Mobilisation

The TA was expanded in the years of tension leading up to

, and a new 152 Heavy Battery was formed in October 1937. In 1938 the TA replaced wits traditional unit designation of 'brigade' with 'regiment', and the unit was redesignated the Tynemouth Heavy Regiment on 1 October. On the outbreak of war on 3 September the regiment was responsible for manning one 9.2-inch and four 6-inch guns.Named Heavy Regiments at RA 1939–45.
/ref> The invasion threat 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 ...

and

Fall 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 German invasion of France during the Second World ...

led to a massive increase in Britain's coast defences. In addition to the existing fixed defences, a number of Coast Defence Emergency Batteries were established in May and June 1940, including:Farndale, ''Years of Defeat'', Annex B. *

Seaham Seaham is a seaside town in County Durham, England. Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century onwards as a result of investments in its harbour and c ...

(Sunderland) – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII * Whitburn (Sunderland) – 2 x 6-inch Mk VII * Park (

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

) – 2 x 6-inch Mk XII * Gloucester (Blyth) – 2 x 6-inch Mk XII * Frenchman's (South Shields) – 2 x 6-inch MkXII Park, Gloucester and Frenchman's batteries were initially established by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and transferred to the RA when sufficient coastal gunners had been trained.

Coast Regiments

The expansion of the RA's coast defence branch led to the Tynemouth Heavy Regiment being split into three coast regiments on 14 July 1940:Frederick, pp. 606–11, 624–5.

508 (Tynemouth) Coast Regiment

Formed with A, B and C Batteries. On 31 December it was joined by 348 Coast Bty from 554th Coast Rgt at

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

. On 1 April 1941 A Bty was split up and the regiment was reorganised as:508 Coast Rgt at RA 1939–45.
/ref>Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 20: Coast Artillery, 1 June 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/117. * Regimental HQ (RHQ) at Tynemouth Castle in Tynemouth Fire Command * 259 Coast Bty from A/508 – 9.2-inch guns at Tynemouth Castle * 260 Coast Bty from A/508 – 6-inch guns at Tynemouth Castle * 261 Coast Bty from A/508 – 4-inch guns at Tynemouth Castle * 262 Coast Bty from B/508 – at Spanish Battery * 263 Coast Bty from C/208 – at

Clifford's Fort Clifford's Fort was a defensive gun battery established near the mouth of the River Tyne, Tyne during the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century. It subsequently served as a Submarine Mine, submarine mining depot and survives today as a Scheduled An ...

, North Shields * 348 Coast Bty – at Frenchman's Battery, South Shields * 420 Independent Coast Bty joined 10 November 1941 from

Needles Battery The Needles Batteries are two military batteries built above the Needles stacks to guard the West end of the Solent. The field of fire was from approximately West South West clockwise to Northeast and they were designed to defend against enemy ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

509 (Tynemouth) Coast Regiment

Formed with A and B Batteries. On 31 December it was joined by 312 and 314 Coast Btys, and on 1 April 1941 A and B Btys were numbered:509 Coast Rgt at RA 1939–45.
/ref> * RHQ at Sunderland in Sunderland Fire Command * 264 Coast Bty from A/509 – Roker * 265 Coast Bty from B/509 – Barrows * 312 Coast Bty – Whitburn * 314 Coast Bty – Seaham * 397 Coast Bty – joined from 511th (Durham) Coast Rgt 30 June 1942

510 (Tynemouth) Coast Regiment

Formed with A Bty, joined by 311 (formed at Gloucester Battery) and 313 Coast Btys on 31 December 1940:510 Coast Rgt at RA 1939–45.
/ref>Order of Battle of Non-Field Force Units in the United Kingdom, Part 20: Coast Artillery, 16 December 1941, with amendments, TNA file WO 212/118.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, 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. * RHQ at Blyth * 266 Coast Bty from A/510 – Blyth * 311 Coast Bty –

Druridge Bay Druridge Bay is a long bay on the North Sea in Northumberland, England, stretching from Amble in the north to Cresswell, Northumberland, Cresswell in the south. Druridge Bay Country Park is situated on the bay, and part of the bay (the section ...

* 313 Coast Bty – Tynemouth Castle * 68 and 70 Coast Observer Detachments (CODs) – joined August 1941 * 310 Coast Bty – joined from 505th (Forth) Coast Rgt 3 November 1941– Spittal * 19 COD – joined January 1942, replaced by 97 COD by end of year * 20 and 22 Mobile Defence Troops – attached to 311 Coast Bty January 1942 * 80 COD – joined April 1942 * 322 Coast Bty – joined from 565th Coast Rgt at

Hunstanton Hunstanton () is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, which had a population of 4,229 at the 2011 Census. It faces west across The Wash, making it one of the few places on the east coast of Great Britain where the sun sets over the sea. Hunstant ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, 15 May 1942

Mid-war

At their height in September 1941, the Tyne defences contained the following guns: QF12pounder12cwtNewhavenFort1March2008

* Blyth ** 4 x 6-inch * Tyne ** 1 x 9.2-inch ** 6 x 6-inch ** 1 x 4-inch ** 2 x 12-pounders * South Shields ** 2 x 6-inch * Sunderland ** 4 x 6-inch ** 2 x 12-pounders * Seaham ** 2 x 6-inch All three regiments came under the command of

IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to: France * 9th Army Corps (France) * IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial Germ ...

HQ by May 1942. By then the threat from German attack had diminished and there was demand for trained gunners for the fighting fronts. A process of reducing the manpower in the coast defences began. 265/509 Coast Bty was placed in suspended animation on 20 June, just before 397 Bty arrived, and 261/508 Coast Bty was disbanded 10–17 October. 322/510 Coast Bty went to War Office Control on 7 May 1943, but was replaced by 444 Coast Bty, newly formed at Gloucester Battery. 420/508 Coast Bty was disbanded on 20 September 1943. IX Corps HQ left for North Africa (

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

) and was replaced by Corps Coast Artillery HQ, Northumbrian District, by the end of 1942. The manpower requirements 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 ...

) led to further reductions in coast defences in April 1944.Collier, Chapter XXI.
/ref> 509th Coast Rgt was placed in suspended animation on 1 April 1944 and its remaining batteries (264, 312, 314, 397) were regimented with 508th Coast Rgt. 70 Coast Observer Detachment was also disbanded in April 1944.Order of Battle of the Forces in the United Kingdom, Part 7, Coast Artillery and AA Defence of Merchant Ships, with amendments, 1 July 1943, TNA file WO 212/124.

Late war

As the campaign in North West Europe progressed after

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

, the manpower demands of

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 ...

led to further reductions in coastal artillery. By this stage of the war many of the coast battery positions were manned by

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

detachments or in the hands of care and maintenance parties. On 18 October 1944, 510th Coast Rgt was placed in suspended animation and its units (264, 312, 314, 397 Coast Btys, 68 COD) were transferred to 508th Coast Rgt, and the positions manned by 259, 260, 262, 263 and 444 Coast Btys were placed under care and maintenance.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.

616 (Tynemouth) Regiment

Then, in January 1945, the War Office began to reorganise surplus anti-aircraft and coastal artillery regiments in the UK into infantry battalions, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties in North West Europe, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service. On 15 January 1945, all the remaining Tyne batteries were transferred to the command of 526th (Durham) Coast Rgt, while RHQ 508th Coast Rgt and Tynemouth Fire Control HQ were converted into 616 (Tynemouth) Regiment, RA.Frederick, p. 881.616 Inf Rgt RA at RA 1939–45.
/ref> After infantry training in Scotland with 301st Infantry Brigade, the brigade transferred to 21st Army Group on 9 May 1945, and landed on the

Continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

on 15 May (a week after

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

), where it came under the command of

First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army (french: 1reArmée canadienne) was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 ...

. The regiment was placed in suspended animation on 31 October 1945, completing the process on 24 November.

Postwar

When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, 508 and 509 Coast Rgts were reformed as 404/405 (Tynemouth) Coast Regiment in 103 Coast Brigade, while 510 was formally disbanded. 404 and 405 Regiments, based at North Shields and Blyth respectively, had recruited sufficiently to become separate units by September 1948, but as it had been decided to reduce the number of TA coast regiments, 405 Coast Rgt was converted into 405 (Tynemouth) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment that year. On 1 January 1954, 405 HAA Rgt absorbed 464 (Northumbrian) HAA Rgt (the successor of 64th (Northumbrian) HAA Rgt formed in 1936, ''see above'') providing RHQ, P and Q Btys.Frederick, pp. 1005, 1010, 1013, 1016.372–413 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
/ref> When

Anti-Aircraft Command Anti-Aircraft Command (AA Command, or "Ack-Ack Command") was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom. Origin ...

was abolished and the number of AA units reduced on 10 March 1955, 405 (Tynemouth) HAA Rgt was amalgamated into 324 (Northumbrian) HAA Regiment (successor to the 1st Northumberland Artillery Volunteers from which the Tynemouth had separated in 1884 ''see above''). The RA's Coast Artillery branch was also abolished the following year, and 404 (Tynemouth) Coast Rgt amalgamated into 439 Light AA Regiment (the old Tyne Electrical Engineers) at Tynemouth on 30 October 1956, forming P (Tynemouth) Battery. The regiment became 439 (Tyne) Light Air Defence Regiment in 1964.414–443 Rgts RA at British Army 1945 on.
/ref> When the TA was reduced into the

Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve The Army Reserve is the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. It is separate from the Regular Reserve whose members are ex-Regular personnel who retain a statutory liability for service. The Army Reserve was known as the Ter ...

in 1967, 439 (Tyne) LAD Rgt became the HQ Battery of the amalgamated 101 (Northumberland) Regiment RA (V), the battery regaining its subtitle 'Tynemouth Volunteer Artillery' in 1993. In July 2006, the battery was disbanded, but the name was perpetuated in the Radar (Tynemouth Volunteer Artillery) Troop, of 204 Battery, RA (V).

Uniforms and insignia

The original uniform of the Tynemouth Artillery Volunteers was the same as the Rifle Volunteers of the area: a silver-grey tunic with black braid and scarlet

facings A facing colour is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Chartrand, William Younghusba ...

, grey trousers with black stripes, and black belts with bronze ornaments for other ranks, silver for officers wore. The headdress was a grey

Shako A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, plume (see hackle) ...

with scarlet plume. The artillery wore a gun badge on the shako and pouch in place of the riflemen's bugle. This uniform only lasted a short while before Royal Artillery blue was adopted. When the

Home Service helmet The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi) is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish military adaptation of the native ''salakot'' ...

was adopted, the upper scroll on the helmet plate read 'THE TYNEMOUTH' and the lower read 'TYNEMOUTH ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS' with the RA motto 'QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT' with the royal crown. The unit wore brass shoulder titles with the lettering in three tiers: 'THE/RA/TYNEMOUTH'. From 1952, 404 (Tynemouth) Coast Regiment wore the word 'TYNEMOUTH' inserted beneath the 'ROYAL ARTILLERY' on their red-on-blue shoulder badge.

Honorary Colonels

The following served as Honorary Colonel of the unit. *

Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland Algernon George Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland, (20 May 1810 – 2 January 1899), styled Lord Lovaine between 1830 and 1865 and Earl Percy between 1865 and 1867, was a British Conservative politician. He held office under the Earl of Derby as ...

, former Captain,

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, appointed 30 December 1861 and continued in this role with the 1st Admin Brigade (his younger brother, Lt-Gen

Lord Henry Percy General Lord Henry Hugh Manvers Percy, (22 August 1817 – 3 December 1877) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwe ...

, VC, succeeded their father as Hon Col of the Percy Artillery) * R.S. Donkin, appointed 23 January 1886 * Col W.F. Pilter, CB, VD, former commanding officer (CO), appointed 16 February 1901 *

Sir Francis Blake, 1st Baronet, of Tillmouth Park Sir Francis Douglas Blake, 1st Baronet, CB, DL (27 February 1856 – 5 February 1940) was Deputy Lieutenant of Northumberland, Vice Lord Lieutenant in 1920 and 1931, a Justice of the Peace, and a Member of Parliament. The son of Francis Blak ...

, CB, former CO of the Northumberland RGA Militia, appointed 15 May 1925 * Col C.E. Vickery, CMG, DSO, appointed 20 July 1936

Footnotes

Notes

References

* ''Army Council Instructions'', London: HM Stationery Office, various dates. * 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, .
Basil Collier, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Defence of the United Kingdom'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1957.
* Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * Brig-Gen Sir

James E. Edmonds Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier-General Sir James Edward Edmonds (25 December 1861 – 2 August 1956) was an commissioned officer, officer of the Royal Engineers in the late-Victorian era British Army who worked in the Intelligence Corps ...

, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916'', Vol I, London: Macmillan, 1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, . * Major L. F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Volume II: "The Defeat of Germany", London: HMSO, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * 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, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * * Norman E H Litchfield and R. Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859-1908'', The Sherwood Press, Nottingham, 1982, * Norman E H Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908-1988'', The Sherwood Press, Nottingham, 1992, * Alan MacDonald, ''Pro Patria Mori: The 56th (1st London) Division at Gommecourt, 1st July 1916'', 2nd Edn, West Wickham: Iona Books, 2008, . * 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. * * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, .

External links

Amble & District Local History

British Army units from 1945 on

Great War Centenary Drill Halls

Northumbrian Gunner

The Long, Long Trail

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100118221541/http://warpath.orbat.com/index.htm The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918
The Royal Artillery 1939–45

101 Regiment RA (V) site
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Coast defence units and formations of the British Army Artillery Volunteer Corps of the British Army Military units and formations in Northumberland Military units and formations in County Durham Military units and formations in Newcastle upon Tyne Military history of Tynemouth Military units and formations established in 1859