The West Riding Artillery was formed as a group of volunteer units 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 ...

in 1860. Its units later formed the divisional artillery of the West Riding Division of the

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

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 ...

. The West Riding Artillery's lineage is continued in a battery of today's

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

Volunteer Force

In 1859, as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

feared invasion from 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 ...

, the government reluctantly accepted the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular

in time of need. The

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

allowed the Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) free access to guns and ammunition for practice. Most of the AVCs were formed in the coastal counties to man fixed coast defence guns but the following corps were raised in the inland

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

:Frederick, p. 672.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 183–6. * 1st (Leeds) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC raised at

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

on 2 August 1860; additional batteries were formed on 6 August and 1 November, and on 4 January, 10 and 17 February 1862; there were eight batteries by the beginning of 18661st West Riding Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.
/ref>'Regimental Family History' at Yorkshire Volunteers Regimental Association.
/ref> * 2nd (Bradford) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC formed at

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

on 10 October 1860; included batteries at

Bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

and

Heckmondwike Heckmondwike is a town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, south west of Leeds. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge. It is mostly in the Batley and Spen pa ...

2nd West Riding Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.
/ref> * 3rd (York) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC formed at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

on 9 February 18611st East Riding Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.
/ref> * 4th (Sheffield) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC formed with two batteries at

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

on 6 February 1861; additional batteries formed on 2 May 1861 (one) and 17 October 1862 (two); there were eight batteries by the beginning of 1866; its subtitle 'The Sheffield Artillery' was authorised in 1864Sheffield Artillery Volunteers at Regiments.org.
/ref> * 5th (Bowling) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC formed from two batteries of the 2nd Corps (including one at

Batley Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...

) on 1 March 1864; absorbed back into 2nd Corps in November 1874 * 6th (Heckmondwike) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC formed from part of the 2nd Corps on 24 May1867 absorbed back into 2nd Corps by April 1875 * 7th (Batley) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC formed from part of the 5th Corps on 24 May 1867; disbanded in August 1877 * 8th ( Halifax) Yorkshire (West Riding) AVC formed on 19 May 1871 The 1st Administrative Brigade of Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteers was formed at Bradford on 21 March 1864 and eventually included the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th AVCs. The 3rd West Riding AVC at York joined the 1st Administrative Brigade of Yorkshire (East Riding) Artillery Volunteers. The larger 1st and 4th West Riding AVCs remained independent.''Army List'', various dates. The West Riding AVCs began as coastal artillery armed with 32-pounder smoothbore muzzleloading guns. In 1868 the 5th West Riding AVC won the Queen's Prize at the annual National Artillery Association competition held at

Shoeburyness Shoeburyness (; also called Shoebury) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. east of the city centre. It was an urban district of Essex from 1894 to 1933, when it ...

. The following year the 7th West Riding AVC won the competition, with the 4th West Riding AVC winning it in 1872. When the Volunteers were consolidated into larger units in 1880, the 1st Admin Brigade became the 2nd Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteers on 16 March with the batteries distributed as follows: * Numbers 1 to 4 at Bradford * Numbers 5 and 6 at Heckmondwike * Numbers 7 and 8 at Halifax The 3rd West Riding AVC was absorbed into the 1st Yorkshire (East Riding) AV. On 1 April 1882, the West Riding AVs became part of the

Northern Division, Royal Artillery The Northern Division, Royal Artillery, was an administrative grouping of garrison units of the Royal Artillery, Artillery Militia and Artillery Volunteers within the British Army's Northern District from 1882 to 1889. Organisation Under Gene ...

, changing to the Western Division on 1 July 1889, and were titled 1st, 2nd and 4th West Riding of Yorkshire Artillery Volunteers, with headquarters at Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield respectively. WestYorksRGA 01

As well as 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. 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 out in the 1870s. In 1888 the 'position artillery' concept was revived and some Volunteer companies (particularly in inland counties) were reorganised as position batteries to work alongside the Volunteer infantry brigades. By 1894 all three West Riding units had been classified as position artillery, each organised in four batteries and equipped with 40 pounder rifled breechloading guns.Litchfield & Westlake, pp. 5–6. On 1 June 1899 all the Volunteer artillery units became part of the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal 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 with the abolition of the RA's divisional organisation on 1 January 1902, the West Riding units became the 1st, 2nd and 4th West Riding of Yorkshire RGA (Volunteers). 'Position artillery' was reclassified as 'heavy artillery' in May 1902, and the batteries were re-equipped with 4.7-inch quick-firing guns drawn by steam tractors.

Territorial Force

Haldane Reforms

After the end of the

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 Sou ...

in 1902, a review of the Army took place and a Royal Commission reported on the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

and

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 ...

. The

was concerned over the different standards of efficiency, but had to concede that this was in the hands of individual

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

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. ...

Allen of the 4th West Riding RGA (V) was one of five Volunteer officers invited to sit on a committee under

Lord Raglan Baron Raglan, of Raglan in the County of Monmouth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 October 1852 for the military commander Lord FitzRoy Somerset, chiefly remembered as commander of the British troops ...

to consider the difficulties of the new efficiency regulations. Eventually, the Secretary for War in the Liberal Government of 1905, Richard Haldane, was given the task of preparing legislation for reform. His

Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 ('' 7 Edw. 7, c.9'') was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the auxiliary forces of the British Army by transferring existing Volunteer and Yeomanry units into a new Territori ...

brought together the Volunteer and

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army, British Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve, descended from volunteer British Cavalry, cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of ...

units to form the

(TF), with the same home defence role as before, but, in addition, giving them the capability of acting as backup to the

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 ...

if the need arose, with a full organisation of infantry divisions and mounted brigades, with supporting arms. In addition, the Act set up County Associations to help co-ordinate the work of the War Office and the new TF, and to recruit, house and administer the units.

West Yorkshire Divisional Artillery

The West Riding Territorial Association was responsible for the whole of the TF's

West Riding The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

Division, including its Divisional Artillery. The majority of TF artillery units 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), with a smaller number remaining as heavy artillery under the RGA. The heavy RGA battery at York was brought back from the East Riding Association, but the West Riding Association still needed to form some new units and subunits to complete the force, which was organised as follows:Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 85–91.Litchfield, pp. 255–65.Magnus, p. 28.49th Divisional Artillery at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> BLC15pdrGunIWM

* Divisional Artillery HQ: Red House, Marygate, York * I West Riding Brigade, RFA – ''from 1st West Riding RGA (V)'' ** Brigade HQ: Fenton Street, Leeds ** 1st West Riding Battery, Fenton Street ** 2nd West Riding Battery, Bramley ** 3rd West Riding Battery, Fenton Street ** 1st West Riding Brigade Ammunition Column, Fenton Street * II West Riding Brigade, RFA– ''from 2nd West Riding RGA (V)'' ** Brigade HQ:Valley Parade, Bradford ** 4th West Riding Battery, Valley Parade ** 5th West Riding Battery, Skircoat Road, Halifax ** 6th West Riding Battery, Artillery Street, Heckmondwike ** 2nd West Riding Brigade Ammunition Column, Valley Parade * III West Riding Brigade, RFA – ''from 4th West Riding RGA (V)'' ** Brigade HQ: Norfolk Barracks, Sheffield ** 7th–9th West Riding Batteries, Norfolk Barracks ** 3rd West Riding Brigade Ammunition Column, Norfolk Barracks * IV West Riding (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA – ''new unit formed from part of 2nd Yorkshire (West Riding) Royal Engineers (V) and C Company, 3rd Volunteer Battalion,

Duke of Wellington's Regiment The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

''4th West Riding Bde at Regiments.org.
/ref> ** Brigade HQ: Nelson Street,

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically a part of the West Ridi ...

** 10th West Riding Battery, Otley ** 11th West Riding Battery, East Parade,

Ilkley Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the ...

** 4th West Riding Brigade Ammunition Column, Peel Place, Burley * West Riding Heavy Battery, RGA – ''from part of 1st East Riding RGA (V), originally 3rd West Riding AVC'' ** Battery HQ: Lumley Barracks, Burton Stone Lane, York ** Battery Ammunition Column, York Each RFA battery was equipped with four 15 pounder guns or four 5-inch howitzers as appropriate; the RGA heavy battery retained its 4.7-inch guns. With the change to the smaller guns, steam tractors were no longer required and the drill halls had to be adapted to accommodate horses. In addition, the 4th West Riding RGA (V) provided the personnel for a new West Riding Royal Horse Artillery at

Wentworth Woodhouse Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Wentworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is currently owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. The building has m ...

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

, for the

Yorkshire Mounted Brigade The Yorkshire Mounted Brigade was a formation of Britain's part-time Territorial Force organised in 1908. Mobilised on the outbreak of World War I, its regiments had been posted away by 1915 so it was broken up. It never saw active service. Prec ...

.West Riding Royal Horse Artillery at Regiments.org.
/ref>

World War I

British_18-pounder_mark_II_field_gun_-_Imperial_War_Museum_1

Mobilisation

During the

Great War 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 ...

(1914–18) the West Riding brigades formed the divisional artillery for the

49th (West Riding) Division The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the divis ...

, going to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1915. Each formed a second line brigade (designated with a '2/' prefix) in the autumn of 1914, which then supported 62nd Division. In May 1916, all the TF RFA brigades were renumbered.

49th (West Riding) Divisional Artillery

49th (West Riding) Divisional Artillery was organised as follows: * 1/I West Riding Bde – became CCXLV (245) Bde * 1/II West Riding Bde – became CCXLVI (246) Bde * 1/III West Riding Bde – became CCXLVII (247) Bde; broken up February 1917 * 1/IV West Riding (H) Bde became CCXLVIII (248) Bde; broken up among 49th Divisional Artillery October 1916 * 49th (West Riding) Divisional Ammunition Column – formed after mobilisation; absorbed the brigade ammunition columns (BACs) May 1916 * 49th (West Riding) Trench Mortar Brigade ** X/49, Y/49, Z/49 Medium TMBs – formed by 4 April 1916 ** V/49 Heavy TMB – formed 18 April 1916 ** W/49 Heavy TMB – formed 17 May 1916, absorbed by W/49 by 7 June 1917 Heavy artillery batteries did not serve with their original divisions. As the war progressed sections and batteries were exchanged between field brigades to bring them up to a final establishment of three 6-gun

18-pounder The Ordnance QF 18-pounder,British military traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately or simply 18-pounder gun, was the standard British Empire field gun of the First World War ...

field gun batteries and one 4.5-inch howitzer battery; this resulted in some brigades being broken up. Divisional artillery then consisted of two of these larger brigades, and the remaining brigades became Army Field Artillery (AFA) brigades. The onset of

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 ...

revealed an urgent need for high angle

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...

. During 1915 the BEF began forming ''ad hoc'' trench mortar batteries (TMBs) manned by a mixture of infantry and RFA gunners. At the end of the year TMBs were defined as light, medium or heavy, with the light batteries (LTMBs) formed in infantry brigades and the medium and heavy forming part of the divisional artillery. 49th (WR) Divisional Artillery was assigned 34, 37 and 48 TMBs from December 1915 until it formed its own batteries. In February 1918 the mortars were reorganised into larger batteries: Z MTMB in each division was split between X and Y and the HTMBs became corps-level units, with W/49 joining

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

. From July 1918 the divisional TMBs became wholly RFA units, the heavies becoming RGA units.Farndale, ''Western Front'', Annex G.TMBs at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> 49th (WR) Division served on the Western Front from April 1915. It took part in the battles of

Aubers Ridge The Battle of Aubers (Battle of Aubers Ridge) was a British offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front on 9 May 1915 during the First World War. The battle was part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a ...

(1915), the Somme (1916), the operations on the Flanders coast and the

Battle of Poelcappelle The Battle of Poelcappelle was fought in Flanders, Belgium, on 9 October 1917 by the British Second Army and Fifth Army against the German 4th Army, during the First World War. The battle marked the end of the string of highly successful Briti ...

(1917). In 1918 it fought through the Battle of the Lys and the final

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 ...

. It was demobilised in 1919.49th (WR) Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>

62nd (2nd West Riding) Divisional Artillery

62nd (2nd West Riding) Divisional Artillery was organised as follows:Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 41–8.62nd (2nd WR) Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> * 2/I West Riding Bde – became CCCX (310) Bde * 2/II West Riding Bde – became CCCXI (311) Bde; left division to become an AFA brigade January 1917 * 2/III West Riding Bde – became CCCXII (312) Bde * 2/IV West Riding (H) Bde – broken up among 62nd Divisional Artillery May 1916 * 62nd (2nd West Riding) Divisional Ammunition Column – absorbed the BACs before embarking for France * 62nd (2nd West Riding) Trench Mortar Brigade ** X/62, Y/62 Medium TMBs ** Z/62 Medium TMB – broken up between X and Y 13–18 February 1918 ** V/62 Heavy TMB – broken up 11 February 1918 After a long period of training hampered by lack of equipment, 62nd (2nd WR) Division served on the Western Front from January 1917. It followed the German retreat to the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...

and took part in the subsequent actions. Later in the year it fought in the Battle of Cambrai. It was engaged in the German spring offensive of March 1918, and then through the Hundred Days Offensive. It was disbanded in 1919. CCCXI Army Field Artillery Bde served with a wide variety of formations in 1917–18. It took part in the battles of

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

, Messines (with the

Anzacs ''Anzacs'' (named for members of the all volunteer army formations) is a 1985 Australian five-part television miniseries set in World War I. The series follows the lives of a group of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion (Austr ...

), and Passchendaele (with the

Canadians Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

). In 1918 it fought in the German spring offensive, and the final advance in Artois, ending the war under Canadian command.'Allocations of Army Brigades, RH & RFA', The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/5494/2.
/ref>

Interwar period

Following the War, the names of the Brigades reverted to their pre-war designations - 1st, 2nd and 3rd West Riding Brigades RFA when they were reformed in the reconstituted TF on 7 February 1920. The 4th West Riding Bde was not reformed: its batteries remained as howitzer batteries with the 1st and 2nd Brigades, while the former West Riding Royal Horse Artillery provided the fourth battery of the 3rd Brigade (from which it had emerged in 1908). In 1921 the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) and the units were redesignated:Frederick, pp. 490, 493, 519, 529–30. * 69th (West Riding) Brigade, RFA ** HQ, Leeds ** 273rd (1st West Riding) Battery, Leeds ** 274th (2nd West Riding) Battery, Bramley ** 275th (3rd West Riding) Battery, Leeds ** 276th (11th West Riding) (Howitzer) Battery, Ilkley * 70th (West Riding) Brigade, RFA ** HQ, Bradford ** 277th (4th West Riding) Battery, Bradford ** 278th (5th West Riding) Battery, Halifax ** 279th (6th West Riding) Battery, Bradford ** 280th (10th West Riding) (Howitzer) Battery, Otley * 71st (West Riding) Brigade, RFA ** HQ, Sheffield ** 281st (7th West Riding) Battery, Sheffield ** 282nd (8th West Riding) Battery, Sheffield ** 283rd (9th West Riding) Battery, Sheffield ** 284th (12th West Riding) (Howitzer) Battery, Rotherham The brigades once again provided the divisional artillery for 49th (WR) Division, which had also reformed in 1920. In 1924 the RFA and RGA were subsumed into the Royal Artillery (RA), and the word 'Field' was inserted into the titles of its brigades and batteries. 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.

Post-Munich

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 ...

, and regiments formed duplicates in 1939. 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

troop 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 ...

s. The West Riding Artillery reorganised as follows: ''First Line'' (49th (West Riding) Divisional Artillery) * 69th (West Riding) Field Regiment, RA ** Regimental HQ (RHQ), Leeds ** 273 (1st West Riding) Field Bty,Leeds ** 274 (2nd West Riding) Field Bty, Bramley * 70th (West Riding) Field Regiment, RA ** RHQ, Bradford ** 277 (4th West Riding) Field Bty, Bradford ** 279 (6th West Riding) Field Bty, Bradford * 71st (West Riding) Field Regiment, RA ** RHQ, Sheffield ** 281 (7th West Riding) Field Bty, Sheffield ** 282 (8th West Riding) Field Bty, Sheffield ''Duplicate'' ( 46th Divisional Artillery) * 121st Field Regiment, RA ** RHQ, Bramley ** 275 (3rd West Riding) Field Bty, Leeds ** 276 (11th West Riding) Field Bty, Ilkley * 122nd Field Regiment, RA ** RHQ, Halifax ** 278 (5th West Riding) Field Bty, Halifax ** 280 (10th West Riding) Field Bty, Otley * 123rd Field Regiment, RA ** RHQ, Sheffield ** 283 (9th West Riding) Field Bty, Sheffield ** 284 (12th West Riding) Field Bty, Rotherham (The duplicate regiments were authorised to adopt the '(West Riding)' subtitle on 17 February 1942.)

World War II

The 69th Field Regiment, as part of the

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the divis ...

, served in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

for two years and later, after their return to the United Kingdom, took part in the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

in June 1944, shortly after the

D-Day landings 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 ...

of 6 June. The regiment served with the 49th Division in the

Normandy Campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

during the

Battle for Caen The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) is the name given to fighting between the British Second Army and the German in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and its vicinity during the larger Battle of Normandy. The battles ...

Operation Astonia Operation Astonia was the codename for an Allies of World War II, Allied attack on the German-held English Channel, Channel port of Le Havre in France, during the Second World War. The city had been declared a ''German World War II strongholds, Fe ...

, garrisoning ''The Island'' in the aftermath of the failure of

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...

, and the

Liberation of Arnhem Operation Anger (sometimes known as Operation Quick Anger), was a military operation to seize the city of Arnhem in April 1945, during the closing stages of the Second World War. It is also known as the Second Battle of Arnhem or the Liberation of ...

in 1945. Originally with the 69th Field Regiment in the 49th (West Riding) Division, the 70th Field Regiment was sent to France in 1940 as part of the

52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowland ...

. When the British Expeditionary Force had to withdraw, the 70th returned to the United Kingdom via

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 ...

with all their guns, vehicles and equipment intact. They were later transferred to 46th Infantry Division and fought with them in the

Tunisia Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the World War II, Second World War, between Axis powers, Axis and Allies of World War II, Allied ...

and later in Italy and the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...

The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU55

The 121st Field Regiment was sent to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

in 1941, fought with the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces, ...

in the North African Campaign and the

American Fifth 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.

in the Italian Campaign before returning to the United Kingdom to take part in the Normandy invasion as a Medium Regiment with 5.5-inch Gun-Howitzers. The 122nd Field Regiment, after training in the United Kingdom, was sent out to the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

in late 1941. The 122nd suffered 13 war casualties during the

Malayan Campaign The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...

up until the naval base at

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

surrendered in February 1942 after the

Battle of Singapore The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of ...

. Thereafter, more than 200 died, mainly as a result of their treatment as

prisoners A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

of the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

Postwar

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...

, unique at the time for a TA unit, was conferred upon the 70th on 5 September 1945. They were granted the

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of Bradford. 269th and 270th (West Riding) Field Regiment RA(TA) reconstituted in the TA in Leeds and Bradford respectively on New Year's Day 1947. Both units were equipped with the 25 pounder

self propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled m ...

(the Sexton), and both became part of 49th (West Riding) Armoured Division. In 1956, they were re-equipped with 25 pounder (towed), familiar to so many. 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 in the mid-fifties, 269th absorbed 321 (West Riding) HAA Regiment and the 270th absorbed 584 LAA Regiment RA (6th West Yorkshire) without changing their titles (although the 270th did move their HQ from

Valley Parade Valley Parade, known as the University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they c ...

to 584's barracks at Belle Vue, Bradford). To mark the centenary of the formation of the 1st Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteer Corps, the Freedom of the City of Leeds was granted to the 269th on 3 February 1960. Shortly afterwards, the 269th and 270th amalgamated with each other to form the 249th (The West Riding Artillery) Field Regiment RA(TA), with headquarters at

Carlton Barracks Carlton Barracks is a military installation in Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. History The barracks were opened as a base for the 4th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Militia in 1865. In 1887 the barracks were bought, with corps funds, to accomm ...

in Leeds and batteries at Leeds, Bramley and Bradford.

TAVR III

This reform saw the Regiment reorganised as The West Riding Regiment RA (Territorials) on 1 April 1967: but, by 1969, the Regiment 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 ...

at Bradford (some of Q Battery was absorbed into ''E Company, The Yorkshire Volunteers; 272 (West Riding Artillery) Field Support Squadron, 73 Engineer Regiment RE(V)'' also formed at Bradford). In 1971, this cadre was expanded to become "A" (West Riding Artillery) Battery, 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers. On 1 April 1975, an independent

observation post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...

battery, 269 (West Riding) OP Battery RA (Volunteers), was formed at Leeds from the cadre (and the cadre disbanded), reviving the ''West Riding Artillery'' lineage in the Royal Artillery.

Footnotes

References

Sources

* 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, ISBN 1-847347-39-8. * 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, ISBN 1-847347-39-8 * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-43-6. * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A Study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot, The Ogilby Trusts, 1982, . * * 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. * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0. * Norman Litchfield & Ray Westlake, ''The Volunteer Artillery 1859–1908 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1982, ISBN 0-9508205-0-4. * Laurie Magnus, ''The West Riding Territorials in the Great War'', London: Keegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1920//Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2004, ISBN 1-845740-77-7. * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, . * 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).

External links

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''
*

* ttps://www.yorkshirevolunteers.org.uk Yorkshire Volunteers Regimental Association