B Battery, Honourable Artillery Company

B Battery (2nd City of London Horse Artillery), Honourable Artillery Company was a horse artillery battery of the British Army, formed in 1899 from the Field Artillery of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC). It was part of the HAC, a historic London volunteer artillery regiment, and was one of two horse artillery batteries provided by the HAC to the Territorial Force upon its creation in 1908. The battery was based at Armoury House, Finsbury, and was equipped with four Ehrhardt 15-pounder guns, allocated as artillery support to the South Eastern Mounted Brigade. During the First World War, the 1st Line battery (1/B Battery, HAC) was embodied with the South Eastern Mounted Brigade in August 1914 and joined the 2nd Mounted Division. It served overseas in the Middle East from 1915, notably at Aden and in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, fighting at Sheikh Othman in July 1915. A 2nd Line battery (2/B Battery, HAC) was formed in 1914 and served on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918 as part of an Army Field Artillery Brigade, while a 3rd Line reserve battery (B (Reserve) Battery, HAC) was formed in 1915 to provide trained replacements. After the war, the battery was amalgamated with A Battery, Honourable Artillery Company, and the City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) to form the 11th (Honourable Artillery Company and City of London Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. The unit is now defunct as a separate entity, its lineage absorbed into later formations. Its history is tied to the volunteer artillery tradition of the City of London and the Honourable Artillery Company, which remains a reserve regiment of the British Army.

The Battery traces its history back to 22 November 1781, when the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) formed the Matross Division, HAC with two companies of foot artillery. In 1802 it was increased to four companies, and later in the century it was redesignated as the Artillery Division, HAC. In 1853 it was reorganized as a single battery of field artillery and redesignated as the Field Artillery, HAC in 1891. In 1899 it was converted to horse artillery as B Battery (2nd City of London Horse Artillery), HAC. At the same time the Horse Battery, HAC was redesignated as A Battery (1st City of London Horse Artillery), HAC. The Horse Battery originated in 1891 and was the first to form a horse artillery battery, hence the senior designation. The batteries sponsored the field battery of the City Imperial Volunteers for service in the Second Boer War in 1900–02. The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Force, the Honourable Artillery Company and the Yeomanry. On formation, the TF contained 14 infantry divisions and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades. Each yeomanry brigade included a horse artillery battery and an ammunition column. Twelve of these were provided by Royal Horse Artillery batteries of the Territorial Force, the other two by the Honourable Artillery Company. On 1 April 1908, the battery transferred to the Territorial Force without a change in title. The unit consisted of the battery and South Eastern Mounted Brigade Ammunition Column at Armoury House, Finsbury. The battery was equipped with four Ehrhardt 15-pounder guns and allocated as artillery support to the South Eastern Mounted Brigade, though attached to the London Mounted Brigade for training in peacetime. On the outbreak of the First World War on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. TF units were split into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line batteries. The 1st Line battery was embodied with the South Eastern Mounted Brigade on 4 August 1914 and concentrated in the Canterbury area of Kent under Second Army of Central Force. On 2 September 1914, 2nd Mounted Division, with Headquarters at Goring, came into being. The battery joined the division from Canterbury and was attached to the 2nd South Midland Mounted Brigade. I Brigade and II Brigade, RHA (T.F.) were formed for the division and the battery was assigned to II Brigade, RHA at Churn, along with A Battery, HAC and Berkshire and Nottinghamshire Batteries RHA. On 1 November, Warwickshire RHA of I Brigade, RHA (T.F.) was posted to France: the first Territorial Force artillery battery to go on active service. B Battery, HAC was transferred to I Brigade to replace it, though in practice the battery served with 1st South Midland Mounted Brigade, Warwickshire RHA's original brigade. In November 1914, the 2nd Mounted Division moved to Norfolk on coastal defence duties. Artillery headquarters was established at Cromer, before joining the divisional headquarters at Hanworth in December, and the battery was at Gayton. In March 1915, the division was put on warning for overseas service. In early April, the division started leaving Avonmouth and the last elements landed at Alexandria before the end of the month. By the middle of May, the horse artillery batteries were near Ismaïlia on Suez Canal Defences. On 14 July 1915, B Battery, HAC (along with Berkshire RHA and 28th Indian Brigade) left for Aden. They fought a sharp action at Sheikh Othman on 20 July that removed the Turkish threat to Aden for the rest of the war, before returning to Egypt. The 2nd Mounted Division was dismounted in August 1915 and served at Gallipoli. The artillery batteries and ammunition columns, signal troops, mobile veterinary sections, Mounted Brigade Transport and Supply Columns and two of the Field Ambulances were left behind in Egypt. The division returned from Gallipoli in December 1915 and was reformed and remounted. On 13 December 1915, the battery briefly rejoined the division from Ismailia, Suez. The 2nd Line battery – 2/B Battery, HAC – was formed in 1914 and served on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918 as part of an Army Field Artillery Brigade. The 3rd Line – B (Reserve) Battery, HAC – was formed in 1915 to provide trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line batteries. Post war, the battery, along with A Battery, Honourable Artillery Company, was amalgamated with the City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) to form the 11th (Honourable Artillery Company and City of London Yeomanry) Brigade, RHA.

• 1918

  2/B Battery continues to serve on the Western Front.

• 1917

  2/B Battery serves on the Western Front as part of an Army Field Artillery Brigade.

• 1915

  Deploys to Egypt and Aden; fights at Sheikh Othman on 20 July; 3rd Line reserve battery formed.

• 1914

  Mobilised on 4 August; joins 2nd Mounted Division in September; 2nd Line battery formed.

• 1908

  Transfers to the Territorial Force on 1 April without a change in title, equipped with four Ehrhardt 15-pounder guns.

• 1900

  The batteries sponsor the field battery of the City Imperial Volunteers for service in the Second Boer War (1900–02).

• 1899

  Converted to horse artillery as B Battery (2nd City of London Horse Artillery), HAC.

• 1891

  Redesignated as the Field Artillery, HAC; the Horse Battery, HAC originates.

• 1853

  Reorganized as a single battery of field artillery.

• 1802

  The Matross Division is increased to four companies.

• 1781

  Honourable Artillery Company forms the Matross Division, HAC with two companies of foot artillery, the origin of the battery's lineage.

• Post war, amalgamated with A Battery, HAC and the City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) to form the 11th (HAC and City of London Yeomanry) Brigade, RHA.

1. 1B Battery, Honourable Artillery Company - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2B Battery, Honourable Artillery Company - Wikidatawikidata.org