The 2nd Middlesex Artillery was a Volunteer unit of Britain's Royal Artillery. First raised in the Victorian era among Customs officers in the Port of London, it later became the 3rd London Brigade, Royal Field Artillery in the Territorial Force and saw action on the Western Front during World War I.
Origins
The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. Often these were drawn from a single place of work. One such was the Custom House, City of London, whose employees working in the London docks formed both the 26th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps (Customs & Excise) and a year later the 2nd Middlesex Artillery Volunteer Corps (Custom House). The first commissions to the 2nd Middlesex AVC were issued on 26 April 1861, and initially it was attached to the 26th Middlesex RVC.
Later the artillery grew to six companies and became an independent unit, moving its HQ to the Artillery Barracks in Leonard Street, off London's City Road. The artillery inventor Sir William Palliser was appointed Lieutenant-colonel in 1875, and was succeeded by the politician Lord Arthur Hill. In 1883, 1884 and 1886 the 2nd Middlesex won the Queen's Prize at the annual National Artillery Association competition held at Shoeburyness.
The 2nd Middlesex had been included in the London Division when the Royal Artillery (RA) adopted a territorial structure on 1 April 1882, but this was disbanded on 1 July 1889and the unit was assigned to the Eastern Division. By 1893 the War Office Mobilisation Scheme had allocated the unit to the Thames defences.
As of 30 September 1894 the unit had the following organisation: HQ, Nos 1–7 Companies at Leonard Street and at the Tower of London No 8 Company at Sands End, Fulham
On 1 June 1899 the Royal Artillery was split into two branches, and the Artillery Volunteers were assigned to the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA). The divisional organisation was abandoned on 1 January 1902 and the unit was re-titled 2nd Middlesex Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers), ranking 60th in order of precedence.
Territorial Force
Under the Haldane Reforms, the former Volunteers were subsumed into the Territorial Force (TF) in 1908. The 2nd Middlesex RGA (V) was transferred to the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and became III London Brigade (3rd London Bde) in the TF's 1st London Division on 1 May 1908 at City Road with the following organisation: 7th County of London Battery 8th County of London Battery 9th County of London Battery III London Brigade Ammunition Column
World War I
Mobilisation and organisation
Annual training for 1st London Division had just started when war was declared on 4 August 1914, and the III London Brigade promptly mustered at City Road for mobilisation. The infantry of the division were soon posted away to relieve Regular Army garrisons in the Mediterranean or to supplement the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. By January 1915, only the artillery and other support elements remained with the division, and these were attached to the 2nd Line TF division (2/1st London Division) that was being formed. Meanwhile, the artillery brigade formed its own 2nd line, the two units being designated 1/III and 2/III London Bdes.
1/III London Brigade
In August 1915 the 36th (Ulster) Division was being readied for service. Its infantry were largely drawn from the Ulster Volunteers and had already received weapons training before the war; the artillery however were newly raised Londoners, and the drivers were still being taught to mount and dismount from wooden horses. The 1st London Divisional Artillery were therefore attached to the Ulster Division until its own gunners were ready for active service. The London field brigades were re-equipped with 18-pounder guns (four per battery) and accompanied the Ulster Division to France, 1/III London Bde landing at Le Havre on 5 October 1915. It was in the front line by the middle of the month.