The South Midland (Warwickshire) Royal Garrison Artillery was a volunteer artillery unit of Britain's Territorial Force formed in 1908. It served in Home Defence and provided heavy artillery support to the armies on the Western Front and Italian Front in World War I. In the interwar years it became 204 (Warwickshire) Battery serving in various regiments and formations before being expanded into a full regiment. In World War II it served in the heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) role defending its home area of the West Midlands against German air attack (particularly in the notorious Coventry Blitz), and then defended Calcutta against Japanese attacks. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until 1955.
Origins
When the Territorial Force (TF) was created in 1908 as part of the Haldane Reforms, each of its infantry divisions included a heavy artillery battery in its establishment. For the South Midland Division a new battery was raised in Birmingham, under the title of South Midland (Warwickshire) Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA). The battery was equipped with four Boer War-era 4.7-inch guns. It was based at the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company works at Saltley, and was organised as follows: HQ at Metropolitan Works, Saltley Heavy Battery at Saltley Ammunition Column at Wednesbury
World War I
Mobilisation
The South Midland Division mobilised on the outbreak of World War I and took up its war stations around Chelmsford in Essex as part of Central Force. Shortly afterwards, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service, and the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. Hence the South Midland RGA formed 1/1st South Midland (Warwickshire) Heavy Battery) for overseas service (usually referred to as 1/1st Warwickshire Heavy Battery in army documents) and the 2/1st South Midland (Warwickshire) Heavy Battery for Home Defence and to provide drafts to the 1st Line.
1/1st Warwickshire Heavy Battery
Western Front
The South Midland Division was ordered to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France on 13 March 1915, and the artillery embarked at Southampton for Le Havre, the 1/1st Battery disembarking on 31 March. By 4 April the division had taken over a section of the front line near Cassel.
However, artillery policy in the BEF was to withdraw heavy batteries from the divisions and group them into dedicated heavy artillery brigades, so on 16 April the battery left the South Midland Division to join Second Army Artillery in time for the Second Battle of Ypres. At this time the practice was to move batteries between heavy brigades (later heavy artillery groups or HAGs) as required, so the 1/1st Warwickshire Bty moved to XVI Brigade RGA on 10 June, to VIII Brigade RGA on 3 July, to III Corps Artillery with First Army on 21 August, and IV Heavy Bde on 10 November.
In early 1916 the battery was moved again, to 12th HAG with Second Army (10 April), to 'Loring's Group' with I ANZAC Corps (19 May), then to 44th (South African) HAG (5 August), and on to 34th HAG (27 August), which joined Fourth Army on the Somme in September. After the Somme fighting died down, the battery moved within Fourth Army to 7th HAG (30 November) and back to 44th (SA) HAG (23 December).
By the end of 1916 the obsolete 4.7-inch gun had been largely superseded on the Western Front by the modern 60-pounder. On 28 February 1917 the battery was made up to a strength of six guns when it was joined by a section from the newly arrived 199th Heavy Bty. It then moved north on 13 March to join 15th HAG with First Army, arriving on 21 March. Soon afterwards (15 April) it was switched south again to Fifth Army where it joined 9th HAG on 20 April. Through the early summer the battery continued to be switched rapidly from one HAG to another: 42nd (arriving 19 May), 16th with Third Army (5 July), 52nd with Second Army (9 July), 99th (12 July), then back to 52nd (6 August), and finally 11th (7 September).