1st Durham Volunteer Artillery
| 1st Durham Volunteer Artillery | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1859–1956 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 Territorial Army
|
| Type | Artillery Regiment |
| Role |
Coastal Artillery Siege Artillery Heavy Anti-Aircraft Artillery |
| Garrison/HQ | Hartlepool & West Hartlepool |
| Engagements | Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lt-Col Lancelot Robson, DSO |
The 1st Durham Volunteer Artillery was a unit of Britain's Volunteer Force and Territorial Army from 1860 to 1956. During World War I, it was the only coastal defence unit to engage the enemy, and it also trained siege gunners for service on the Western Front.
An invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. Four Artillery Volunteer Corps (AVCs) were raised in County Durham, with their officers' commissions being issued on 14 March 1860:
The 2nd (Seaham) Corps was initially the largest, and the other three were attached to it for administrative purposes. In 1880 and 1881 the 2nd Durham won the Queen's Prize at the annual National Artillery Association competition held at Shoeburyness. By the end of the 19th Century, however, all four were independent units, attached to the Western Division of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and ranked as 51 to 54 in order of seniority among Volunteer Artillery units. In 1902, the divisional structure was abolished, and the units were renamed 1st–4th Durham RGA (Volunteers).
The first Captain Commandant of the 1st Corps at Sunderland was the local politician Sir Hedworth Williamson, Bt (1827–1900). He commanded it for 28 years and was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 1st Durham Volunteer Artillery in 1888 after command of the unit passed to Lt-Col Edwin Vaux.
Edwin Vaux (1844–1908) was a member of the prominent Vaux brewing family of Sunderland, and the family name frequently appears among the lists of Durham Volunteer Artillery officers. Among them was Major Ernest Vaux, who volunteered for the Imperial Yeomanry during the 2nd Boer War and commanded the Maxim gun detachment of the 5th Imperial Yeomanry, winning a Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The family brewery introduced Double Maxim brown ale in 1901 to celebrate the detachment's return and the beer is still brewed in Sunderland. Ernest Vaux later commanded a Territorial battalion of the Durham Light Infantry throughout World War I.
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Wikipedia