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Although there was a longer history of the ‘Kirkham Battery’ of the Royal Artillery, the ‘Blackpool Battery’ had is beginnings in the Victorian era.
The Blackpool Battery of Artillery was a Territorial unit governed and established by the West Lancashire Territorial Association under the authority of the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, in response to representations made to him. They were designed specifically for local, domestic defence, to counter the threat of invasion, initially during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800’s
137 and its forebear units were and remained Territorial units.
Between 1859 and 1908 the Territorial Force went through constant and substantial review, remodelling and re-designation. A timeline of the main events is at Appendix ‘A’.
As well as abolishing ‘Flogging’ as a punishment, the Cardwell Reforms of 1868/1874 moved the Regular Army away from General Service to a ‘Localisation Scheme’ enabling local recruitment to Local Units, administered within 66 Brigade Districts, with an established ‘connection with the District’. Cardwell also reinforced the need for a reliable and ‘trustworthy’ Reserve Force.
The Gazette on 19 May 1865 reported approval and success of the initial inspection of the Blackpool Battery of the 4th Brigade, Lancashire Artillery Volunteers. A site for the ‘Corps’ was reported as the ‘.. Sandhills beyond the Star Inn; the Corps will Drill in the yard of the Infant School Room in Bank Het Street, every Tuesday evening at half past seven, and on Saturday afternoons at six o’clock. A month later, the Battery was formally sworn in to serve Her Majesty and designated the ‘25th L.A.V. Blackpool Battery’, with a strength of 1 Captain, 1 Lieutenant, and 70/80 men. A week later 60 men were sworn in. A parade followed from Bank Hey St, via Lane Ends St and Central Beach to Talbot Square. Contracts for uniforms and ‘accoutrements’ were placed, but would not be delivered for a couple of weeks. In absence of artillery pieces and an Instructor, the Battery would concentrate on Drill.
It’s interesting to note that locally raised units were dependent on local funds and donations. The Gazette of 30 June reported ‘vigorous’ canvassing for donations and that several ‘Liberal’ contributions had been received already
In June 1865, the first recruit for the 25th Lancashire Artillery Volunteers, the ‘Blackpool Battery’, was Thomas Swarbrick, age 28, 5ft 7in, a Bookseller from South Beach. C.O. Maj Eric Read. Other well known names in the recruits Book include John Bickerstaffe, age 25, 5ft 8in, a Publican of the Wellington Hotel. John was to become Blackpools first Mayor and Tower Company Boss and Knight. Jacob Parkinson, age 37, 5ft 8in, he was working for Lindsay Parkinson (later Sir Lindsay Parkinson, Construction mogul).
By 1875 the unit was still known as the 25th Lancashire Artillery Volunteers and there was a pressing need to find a home for the Battery. Up to that point, they had no permanent home and trained and drilled in the open. In 1890 the Gazette reported a ‘Bazaar’ was held to raise funds for a new Drill Hall, located at Yorkshire Street. The event included a host of entertainers and stalls including Bill Holland, from the Winter Gardens, who hosted a ‘Living Waxworks’.
Over the next 20 years or so the 25th Lancs Arty Bty went through a number of reincarnations in response to changing demands. In 1885 the Battery was renamed in a consolidation of the local Batteries in to a single Corps with its Headquarters in Preston, becoming the 10th Lancashire Volunteer Battery.
By 1891 renamed again to the 9th Position Battery, 5th Lancashire Volunteers. It had 116 Men, including Officers and NCOs.
Again in 1907 there was another change to the 5th Heavy Battery, Lancashire Royal Garrison Artillery including service in South Africa.
Another change in 1908 to the 11th Battery, 2nd West Lancs Brigade and as such was deployed to France in September 1915, where they fought with honour. The first action was at Mount Kemmel, a few miles South West of Ypres. In December of 1915, amongst many letters sent from the front, the Gazette reported one man’s account of the action as ‘giving the Germans hell!’.
In July 1916 as 276 Battery, they fought at Guillemont, on the Somme. Fighting with distinction, the Battery gained 26 awards. Maj Eric Read, the Units first CO remained with them throughout. The Brigade Commander was Lt Gen TE Topping, who would become a well known figure in Blackpool, unveiling the War Memorial in 1923.
The ‘Blackpool Battery’ was re-formed from its remnants in 1922. In 1928 the battery took part in demonstrations at the Great Air Peagant of North, held at Squire Gate.
In April 1939 the local Royal Artillery Battery, the 351st (11 West Lancs) Battery (Blackpool), of the 88th (2nd West Lancs) Field Regiment RA (TA), had its Headquarters in Preston. As such, in October 1939, this Battery was quickly mobilised to France with the British Expeditionary Force, and finally withdrawn from Dunkirk, in June 1940 and like the Blackpool Regiment would go on to serve in Malaya and be captured at Singapore..
From early 1939, proposals were being made to the West Lancashire Territorial Army Association, drawn up by Major Eric Read to move the Unit Annual Camp to later in the year, so as to enable its troops to maximise their earnings during the Summer Season. The same proposals suggested a dedicated Headquarters in Blackpool to accommodate the particular nature of employment in the Resort.
The outcome was an agreement, dependent on recruitment, to establish what we now know as the ‘Blackpool Regiment’, with a strength of 548 Men with 32 Officers, and its Headquarters in Blackpool. The Mayor Cllr Duckworth declared that Blackpool was an ideal centre for the Regiment because of its position as an administrative centre.
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