The IV (4th) Lowland (Howitzer) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery was a new unit formed when Britain's Territorial Force was created in 1908. Its origins lay in the 1st Lanarkshire Artillery Volunteers formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1860s. During World War I the brigade served at Gallipoli and in Egypt. It was broken up in 1916, but its individual batteries served on with other Scottish artillery units for the rest of the war and into World War II.
Origin
When the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) on 1 May 1908 under the Haldane Reforms, the 1st Lanarkshire Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) split to form two brigades in the Royal Field Artillery, the III (Lowland) Brigade, RFA, armed with field guns, and the IV Lowland (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA, with the following organisation:
IV Lowland (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA
Brigade Headquarters (HQ) at 8 Newton Terrace, Charing Cross, Glasgow (shared with III Lowland Bde) 4th City of Glasgow (Howitzer) Battery at Butterbiggins Road, Govanhill, Glasgow 5th City of Glasgow (Howitzer) Battery at Rider Street, Govan, Glasgow (from Nos 6 and 7 Heavy batteries, 1st Lanarkshire) IV Lowland (Howitzer) Brigade Ammunition Column (BAC) at Butterbiggins Road (added 16 October 1908)
Armed with four horsedrawn Breech-loading 5-inch howitzers each, the batteries of IV Brigade were intended to provide indirect fire support for the TF's Lowland Division. On the outbreak of World War I the brigade was commanded by a Regular officer, Major H.C. Sheppard, who held the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel in the TF.
World War I
Mobilisation
The Lowland Division had been attending annual camp on the Ayrshire coast when the order to mobilise was received at 17.25 on Tuesday August 1914. Mobilisation began the following day at unit drill halls, and units undertook some guard duties until mobilisation was completed on 10 August, when the division went to its war stations as the mobile reserve in Scotland. IV Lowland Bde was stationed at Stirling, later at Tillicoultry.
On the outbreak of war, units of the TF were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 15 August the 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.
During the winter of 1914–15 the 1st Lowland Division underwent war training and served in the Forth defences. It was warned for overseas service on 5 April and on 11 May 1915 it was officially numbered as the 52nd (Lowland) Division. The division was destined for the Dardanelles Campaign but it was decided that the difficulties of operating artillery on the Gallipoli peninsula precluded taking all the divisional artillery. Several brigade were therefore left behind when the division embarked, and remained in the Forth defences, but the obsolescent howitzers of 1/IV Lowland Bde did accompany the division.
1/IV Lowland Brigade
1/IV Lowland Brigade boarded the Mercian at Devonport on 2 June 1916, accompanied by a section of 1/1st Ayrshire Bty and the 2nd Lowland BAC. Although the first ships carrying 52nd (L) Division arrived off Gallipoli only one infantry brigade actually landed and the rest were diverted to Egypt. The Mercianarrived at Port Said on 15 June, but the brigade sailed again two days later and arrived off Mudros on 20 June. Brigade HQ and 1/4th Glasgow Bty landed at Cape Helles on 21 June, followed by 1/5th Glasgow Bty at Anzac Cove on 24 June. High-angle howitzers were deemed more useful among the gullies and trenches of the peninsula than the flat-trajectory 15-pdrs, so the two batteries of 1/IV Lowland Bde were the only artillery from 52nd (L) Division to see action in the campaign.