1st Devonshire Artillery Volunteers

1st Devonshire Artillery Volunteers IV Wessex Brigade, RFA 51st (Devon) LAA Regiment, RA 55th (Devon) LAA Regiment, RA 256th (Devon) LAA Regiment, RA
Royal Artillery cap badge
Active	1860–1961
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Territorial Army
Role	Garrison Artillery Field Artillery Air Defence Artillery
Size	10 Batteries (RGA) 2 Brigades (RFA) 2 Regiments (LAA)
Garrison/HQ	Exeter
Engagements	3rd Afghan War Norwegian campaign Dunkirk evacuation Battle of Britain Tunisian campaign Italian campaign Burma campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lawrence Palk, 1st Baron Haldon

The 1st Devonshire Artillery Volunteers and its successor units served in the British Army's Reserve Forces from 1859 to 1961. During World War I it carried out garrison duty in British India but went on to see active service in the Third Anglo-Afghan War. Converting to an air defence role before World War II its units participated in the Norwegian campaign and the Dunkirk evacuation, the Battle of Britain and then the campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and Burma

The Volunteer Force came into existence in 1859 as a result of an invasion scare and the consequent enthusiasm for joining local Rifle, Artillery and Engineer Volunteer Corps. By August 1860 there were already enough Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) in Devonshire to form an Administrative Brigade with its Headquarters (HQ) at Teignmouth:

1st Administrative Brigade, Devonshire Artillery Volunteers

In January 1861, a 2nd Administrative Brigade was formed, taking over the units in the west of the county.

Sir Lawrence Palk, 4th Bt, a former officer in 1st The Royal Dragoons, became lieutenant-colonel commanding the brigade on 2 September 1863, and honorary colonel in 1868, when Brent (promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 13 February 1866) took over command and Palk's son, Lawrence, (formerly an officer in the Scots Fusilier Guards) became a major in the unit. In January 1866, the 1st (Lyme Regis), 3rd (Bridport) and 4th (Portland) AVCs from the neighbouring county of Dorsetshire were included in the 1st Devonshire Administrative Brigade, joined by the 5th (Charmouth) and 6th (Swanage) upon formation in 1868 and 1869. All the Dorsetshire AVCs were transferred to the 1st Hampshire Administrative Brigade in January 1873.