1st Carnarvonshire Artillery Volunteers

The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. One such unit was the 1st Carnarvonshire Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVC) raised at Carnarvon on 12 March 1862 under Captain William Haywood and 1st Lieutenant William Turner. It was a small unit (51 strong in 1871), and for most of the 1860s and 1870s only had one officer, William Turner, promoted to captain on 13 August 1864, and later Sub-Lieutenant William Owen, commissioned on 20 June 1874. It joined the 1st Administrative Brigade, Anglesey Artillery Volunteers when that was formed on 28 August 1863. However, Volunteer recruitment in Anglesey declined and in 1873 the remaining Anglesey and Carnarvon AVCs were transferred to the Administrative Brigade in Cheshire This was consolidated as the 1st Cheshire and Carnarvonshire Artillery Volunteer Corps in 1880, with 1st Carnarvon AVC providing No 8 Company. In 1882 the 1st Cheshire and Carnarvonshire was assigned to the Lancashire Division of the Royal Artillery, but when the divisional structure was reduced in 1889 it joined the Southern Division. On 1 June 1899 all the Volunteer artillery units became part of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and from 1 January 1902 the unit became the 1st Cheshire and Carnarvonshire RGA (Volunteers). However, in 1904 the Carnarvonshire batteries were withdrawn to form a separate unit, the 1st Carnarvonshire RGA (V) of four companies under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Savage, VD, with the following organisation: • No 1 Company at Bangor, formed from part of No 6 Company • No 2 Company at Llanfairfechan, formed from part of No 6 Company • No 3 Company at University College of North Wales, Bangor, formerly No 7 Company • No 4 Company at Carnarvon and Penygroes, formerly No 8 Company ==Territorial Force==

When the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the 1st Carnarvonshire RGA (V) became the Welsh (Carnarvonshire) Heavy Battery RGA, with its HQ at Bangor and a dedicated Ammunition Column at Argyll Road, Llandudno. The former No 3 Company at Bangor College transferred to the Officers' Training Corps. The new unit provided the heavy battery in the TF's Welsh Division, equipped with four 4.7-inch guns. ==World War I==

Mobilisation The units of the Welsh Division had just departed for their annual summer camp when the order to mobilise was received on 4 August 1914. They then returned home and assembled at their drill halls to mobilise. The Welsh (Carnarvonshire) Heavy Battery mobilised at Bangor under the command of Major W.H. Hughes, who had held the command since 20 December 1913. The battery immediately went by train to its war station at Scoveston Fort, above the Royal Navy anchorage of Milford Haven. The battery's horse purchaser was able to impress and buy enough horses for the guns and ammunition column in just four days. The men spent September digging gun positions around the anchorage. The two sections being widely separated – a wagon taking 48 hours by road to travel between Pembroke Dock and Scoveston Fort – battery training proved difficult. By 11 August the Welsh units had completed their concentration and TF members were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. Four days later the War Office (WO) issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. Then on 31 August the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate batteries, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. The Welsh Hvy Bty began forming its 2nd Line battery in October. Finally, on 10 February 1916 the battery was warned for overseas service and on 16 October it moved to Woolwich to mobilise for overseas service with the BEF. It embarked on the transport Karnak at Southampton Docks on 26 February, but after three days at anchor was landed again. It re-embarked on 2 February and landed at Le Havre next day. It then went by train to Doullens and by road to join 23rd Heavy Artillery Group (HAG) in Third Army. It went into action on 17 March in the Vimy Ridge area. Major Hughes was evacuated to hospital on 26 March, and Maj G.H. Nugent arrived next day to take command. During May, Maj Nugent took over temporary command of 23rd HAG and XVII Corps Counter-Battery (CB) Group. 1/1st Welsh Hyv Bty remained active on this front through the summer. On 13 August it was heavily shelled and Maj Nugent was wounded; Capt G. Brymer assumed command and was confirmed in the position on 15 September. The battery was in the bombardment of Beaucourt Redoubt between 05.05 and 08.30 on 3 September, and then engaged in CB fire. On 15 September (the Battle of Flers–Courcelette) it assisted with CB fire in the direction of Courcelette. On 3 October the two guns of Left Section were condemned as unserviceable and sent to the Ordnance workshops, being replaced by two Mk IV 4.7-inch guns. In December 1916 the WO decided that all heavy batteries should be composed of six guns. 1/1st Welsh Hvy Bty received its first four new 60-pdrs on 27 February, and then on 3 March it was joined by a section of one officer and 83 gunners from 200th Hvy Bty (newly arrived in France and immediately broken up) to bring it up to a six-gun establishment. On 7 March it fired off all its 4.7-inch ammunition and passed its old guns over to 1/1st Highland Hvy Bty. Next day it began a four-day march to Verquin to join 31st HAG in First Army on 12 March. That night it emplaced three guns at Bully-Grenay, the other three following on 16 March. As the Arras Offensive continued, the battery advanced three guns to a new position at Cite Calonne on 21 April, the others moving up to Rollencourt on 27 April, and the wagon lines to Petit Sains on 12 May. The battery suffered a number of casualties. The half battery at Cite Calonne was heavily shelled on 11 May when two guns were put out of action, and again on 14 May, this time without casualties. Spring Offensive Second Army HQ was sent to the Italian Front at the end of 1917, and Fourth Army took over the Ypres Salient, with 1/1st Welsh Hvy Bty transferring to 53rd HAG on 18 December. Second Army HQ resumed command of the Ypres sector (including 53rd (Mixed) Bde RGA), in March 1918 and was soon involved in the Battle of the Lys, the second phase of the German spring offensive that involved great loss of ground and rapid retreat for much of the artillery. The German advance on Second Army's front was halted on 29 April. Hundred Days 1/1st Welsh Hvy Bty received an extended rest from 27 July to 17 August. The battery was placed in suspended animation in 1919. It was reduced to a cadre and went to Georgetown, South Wales, for disbandment on 19 September 1919. ==Postwar==

When the TF was reformed in 1920, the Welsh (Carnarvonshire) RGA was initially reformed as 12th (Carnarvon and Denbigh) Medium Brigade, RGA, which was to have had its HQ and two batteries at Colwyn Bay and one battery at Bangor. When the TF was reconstituted as the Territorial Army (TA) the following year the unit was redesignated 61st Medium Brigade, RGA, with probably only one battery (241 Medium Bty) at Bangor. However, wartime experience showed that the army had too many mounted units, and only the 14 most senior Yeomanry Cavalry regiments in the TA were retained as horsed cavalry, the remainder being converted to armoured cars or artillery. On 1 March 1922 the Denbighshire Hussars were merged with the new medium brigade to form 61st (Carnarvon & Denbigh Yeomanry) Medium Brigade, RGA with the following organisation: • HQ at Drill Hall, Colwyn Bay • 241 (Carnarvon) Medium Bty at Bangor, from 61st Medium Bde • 242 (Carnarvon) Medium Bty at Llandudo, from Denbighshire Hussars • 243 (Denbigh) Medium Bty at Colwyn Bay, from Denbighshire Hussars • 244 (Denbigh) Medium Bty at Wrexham from Denbighshire Hussars The commanding officer (CO) was Acting Lt-Col W.F. Christian, DSO of the RGA, with Major W.H. Hughes (the Welsh Heavy Battery's prewar CO) as senior major. No prewar officers of the Denbigh Yeomanry were carried over to the new brigade. ==Uniforms and insignia==

The early AVCs wore simplified versions of the blue RA uniform, usually with a large white metal 'grenade' badge on the head-dress. Dress regulations for the artillery volunteers were issued in 1863, and the units adopted the basic RA uniform, with white metal badges for all ranks and silver lace for officers, rather than the brass badges and gold lace of the regulars. Similarly, the 1878 regulations specify that the Austrian knot on the sleeve and the band on the Forage cap were both red for the volunteers, instead of yellow for the regulars and white for the militia. By that date most of the volunteer units had adopted the Busby with a red cloth bag as the full dress head dress, with a large white metal 'grenade' plume holder. However, the blue cloth Home Service helmet with ball top ornament came in to use in 1880; the helmet plate was of a standard pattern, with the unit's title, 'CARNARVONSHIRE ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS' on the lower scroll. By 1906 most of the volunteer units had adopted the khaki field service dress for all except ceremonial occasions. ==Memorial==

There is a memorial to the 1/1st Welsh (Caernarvon) Bty, RGA, alongside the main City of Bangor war memorial in the memorial gardens at Deiniol Road, Bangor. The flat lead panel carries 37 names of men who died in World War I and 27 from World War II. It was previously at Bangor Crematorium, and before that at the TA Drill Hall in Glynne Road, Bangor. ==Footnotes==