Military unit
The 1st Wessex Artillery was a volunteer unit of the British Army that existed under various titles from 1860 to 1971, including active service in Mesopotamia in World War I and North Africa and Italy in World War II.
Volunteer Artillery 1859-1908.
An invasion scare in 1859 led to a surge of new Rifle and Artillery Volunteer corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. The 2nd Hampshire (2nd Hants) Artillery Volunteers (AV) was formed in the Volunteer Force at Southsea on 9 May 1860 and quickly formed further batteries:
The unit became part of the 1st Administrative Brigade, Hampshire Artillery Volunteers when that was formed on 11 December 1860, along with the 1st Hants AV at Bitterne, Southampton, and the 3rd Hants (Dockyard) AV raised from civilian staff of Portsmouth Dockyard. In 1871 the 2nd Hants absorbed the Dockyard AV and moved its headquarters (HQ) to Portsmouth. The 2nd Hants AV drilled on the guns at Southsea Castle.
On 13 April 1880 the Administrative Brigade was consolidated as the 1st Hampshire (Hants and Dorset) Artillery Volunteer Corps, with the 2nd Hants AV providing Batteries Nos 5 to 12 at Portsmouth. In 1882 all the artillery volunteers were assigned to one of the territorial garrison divisions of the Royal Artillery (RA), and the unit joined the Southern Division. It was redesignated the 1st Volunteer (Hampshire) Brigade, Southern Division, RA, in September 1886 when the Dorset batteries formed their own corps and the brigade's HQ moved back to Southsea. However, the new brigade was broken up again in 1889, the Southampton batteries forming a new 3rd Volunteer Brigade while the Portsmouth batteries remained in the 1st. The following year they were redesignated 1st and 2nd, but because the original 1st Hants AVC was in the 3rd Brigade, that had seniority and so the 1st Bde with the Portsmouth and Southsea batteries became the '2nd Hants' once more.
The newly independent 2nd Hants had 10 batteries (termed companies from November 1891), and in 1894 these were distributed as follows:
By 1893 the War Office Mobilisation Scheme had allocated the 2nd Hampshire Artillery Volunteers to the Portsmouth fixed defences. An 11th company was raised by 1908
On 1 June 1899 the RA was split into Royal Field Artillery and Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), and the Volunteers were affiliated to the RGA. On 1 January 1902 the RA abandoned its divisional organisation and the unit changed its designation to 2nd Hampshire Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers).
By 1900 the 2nd Hants had a total enrolment of 777 out of an authorised strength of 805 officers and men. In 1904 the unit won the King's Prize for Garrison Artillery at the annual National Artillery Association competition held at Shoeburyness.
Territorial Force.
When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, Nos 1–8 companies of the 2nd Hants RGA formed 1st (Wessex) Brigade Royal Field Artillery (RFA), organised as follows:
Nos 10 and 11 Companies were separated to form the nucleus of the 2nd Wessex (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA, on the Isle of Wight. 
No 9 Company at Cosham also provided the nucleus of the Wessex (Hampshire) Heavy Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery.
As the change of title indicates, 1st Wessex Brigade was now trained and equipped as field artillery rather than garrison artillery. It formed part of the Wessex Division of the TF. When war was declared in August 1914 the whole division was at its annual camp on Salisbury Plain.
World War I.
Mobilisation.
On mobilisation in 1914, the Territorials of the Wessex Division were sent to India to relieve British and Indian Regular troops for the Western Front. The artillery left behind their horses and their ammunition column, which were needed in France.
With the expansion of the army, the division was designated 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division in April 1915 and 1st Wessex Brigade became CCXV (or 215) Brigade RFA. Its three batteries were renamed A, B and C.
All those Territorials who had not volunteered for overseas service, together with the recruits, were left behind to form Second Line units. The 45th (2nd Wessex) Division containing the CCXXV (2/1st Wessex) Bde RFA resulted from this process, and was ready so quickly that it followed the 43rd to India in December 1914. These units remained in garrison in India, supplying drafts to the First Line and other theatres throughout the war until they had virtually disappeared. CCXXV Bde was broken up in April 1917.
Initially, CCXV brigade had been equipped with obsolete 15-pounder field guns, but in July 1916 it re-equipped with 4 x 18-pounders per battery in preparation for front line duty.
Mesopotamia.
With a reformed Brigade Ammunition Column, CCXV Bde moved in October 1916 to Basra to take part in the Mesopotamian campaign, and on 8 December 1916 it joined 3rd (Lahore) Division of the Indian Army on the Tigris front. At this time it had 524 (Howitzer) Battery (4 x 4.5-inch howitzers) attached, which remained with the brigade until September 1917.
From 14 December 1916 until 19 January 1917 the division participated in the advance to the Hai and the capture of the Khudaira Bend. The one-hour bombardment at Khudaira by 3rd Division's guns on 9 January was described by the Turks as 'violent' and caused heavy losses. When the infantry went in they occupied the Turkish front line in minutes with few losses. The Turks counter-attacked under cover of a mist, but when that cleared a 15-minute bombardment enabled the British to secure the position.
After the capture of Baghdad, 524th (Howitzer) Battery was lent to 7th (Meerut) Division for the advance on Hassaiwa and Fallujah, which was captured on 19 March 1917. In parallel, the rest of CCXV Bde was with another force advancing towards Khaniqin, where they were supposed to link up with Russian troops. There was no sign of the Russians, but the Turks were present in force in the Jabal Hamrin hills. A brigade group including B Battery CCXV was ordered to outflank this position, and at one point B/CCXV was engaging the enemy at 1500 yards' range from open positions in the plain. But the Turkish position was too strong and the British force had to fall back towards Baghdad.
In July the British resumed their advance, making for Ramadi. CCXV had its own A and B Batteries, 66th Battery and 524 (Howitzer) Battery under command. Contact was made at Mushaid Ridge, where the force was held by heavy fire from the banks of the Euphrates Canal and from the Regulator House. 2nd Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles and CCXV Bde were ordered to try a left flanking movement. The Turks had about six guns firing very accurately, but 66th and 524th Batteries got the upper hand and by 1830 hours the Gurkhas were across the canal, only to come under heavy fire from the Ramadi trenches. Forward artillery observers saw signs of a Turkish retirement and brought down fire on the Aziziya Ridge to cut them off. But now confusion set in: Turkish shells cut telephone wires, two forward observers were wounded, and a dust storm blew up. Then two guns of B Battery were hit. No effective artillery bombardment was possible and the attack had to be called off. The flanking force had lost 566 casualties, 321 from the effects of heat.
On 7 August 1917 CCXV's 18-pounder batteries were renamed again, as 1086, 1087 and 1088, and 1087 Battery was then broken up (probably to make the other batteries up to 6 guns each). CCXV Bde transferred to 15th Indian Division on 4 October 1917 and gained an extra battery: 2/1st Nottinghamshire Royal Horse Artillery (renumbered 816 Battery RFA in February 1918).
With 15th Indian Division on the Euphrates front, CCXV Bde participated in the occupation of Hīt on 8 March 1918 and the action of Khan Baghdadi on 25 March 1918. At the latter battle, CCXV and CCXXII Brigades advanced by alternate batteries over rough country under heavy enemy fire. 1088 Battery lost a gun and many casualties, but they continued moving forward and kept the momentum of the infantry advance going. By now the gunners were so far forward that they were engaging at ranges of 1800–2200 yards, putting down a steady barrage on the Turkish trenches followed by 15 minutes of intense fire, described by the RA's historian, Gen Sir Martin Farndale, as 'the most accurate seen so far' on the Mesopotamian Front. The infantry were able to enter these trenches with few casualties, taking many prisoners and enemy guns.
After Khan Baghdadi, CCXV was sent to the rear to ease supply problems, and therefore took no part in the pursuit to Kirkuk through April and May. 15th Indian Division played little part in the final battles in Mesopotamia. CCXV Bde was placed in suspended animation in 1919.
Interwar years.
54th (Wessex) Field Brigade.
The 1st Wessex Brigade re-formed on 7 February 1920 with 1–3 (Hampshire) Batteries, and reabsorbed the Wessex Heavy Battery as 4 (Hampshire) (Howitzer) Battery. In 1921 the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) and the brigade now became 54th (Wessex) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, organised as follows:
The RFA was subsumed into the Royal Artillery (RA) on 1 June 1924 and the brigade became 54th (Wessex) Field Brigade.
57th (Wessex) Anti-Aircraft Brigade.
The unit was given a new role and title on 1 October 1932 as 57th (Wessex) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, taking over 219 (Isle of Wight) Battery from 95th (Hampshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment in exchange for 216 (Cosham) Battery (219 (IoW) Battery had originally been part of 2nd Wessex Bde). In February 1938 219 (IoW) AA Bty absorbed 216 (Cosham) Fd Bty returned from 95th Fd Bde and was redesignated 219 (Isle of Wight and Cosham) AA Bty. Then in July 1938 the other three batteries changed their designations, giving the brigade the following organisation on the eve of World War II:
As Britain's AA defences were expanded, on 1 April 1938 the regiment became part of the newly formed 35th Anti-Aircraft Brigade at Fareham, which soon became part of a new 5th AA Division raised in September 1938 with responsibility for the south and south-west of England.
On 1 January 1939 the RA's AA brigades were redesignated 'regiments', eliminating confusion with the new AA formations being created.
World War II.
Mobilisation and Blitz.
Anti-Aircraft Command mobilised in August 1939, ahead of the declaration of war, and 57th AA Regiment was transferred to a new 65th AA Brigade in 5th AA Division, responsible for the AA defence of Southampton. It remained with this brigade through the Battle of Britain and the Southampton Blitz.
In the summer of 1940, along with other AA units equipped with 3-inch or the newer 3.7-inch AA guns, the 57th was designated a Heavy AA Regiment, and 213 Light AA Battery was converted to HAA.
The regiment sent a cadre to 209th Training Regiment at Blandford Camp to form a new 400 HAA Bty on 12 December 1940. This joined 122nd HAA Rgt in 1941. Later, the regiment also provided the cadre for 430 HAA Bty formed on 8 May 1941 at 207th HAA Training Rgt, Devizes.
Mid-war years.
When the Blitz ended in May 1941, the regiment had returned to Portsmouth and 35th AA Bde. Shortly afterwards, 219 Bty was attached to 27th AA Bde in 5th AA Division, and during the summer it was permanently transferred to 124th HAA Rgt in that brigade. It was replaced in 57th HAA Rgt by 430 Bty from the training regiment. However, by December, the regiment had transferred (with just 213, 214 and 215 Btys) to 49th AA Bde covering London as part of 1st AA Division, while 430 Bty went on 17 December to 42nd AA Bde covering Glasgow and the Firth of Clyde in 12th AA Division.
57th HAA Regiment was now under training for mobile operations overseas, and it temporarily left AA Command in January 1942, returning to 34th AA Bde covering Birmingham and Coventry in 11th AA Division. In May it transferred to 61st AA Bde in 9th AA Division in South Wales, but left again by the end of June, leaving AA Command entirely.
North Africa.
In October 1942, 57 (Wessex) HAA Rgt with 213, 214 and 215 Batteries was sent to North Africa to join 12 AA Bde in Eighth Army. Two of the batteries were equipped with the older 3-inch 20 cwt gun on a modernised trailer, rather than the newer 3.7-inch.