But what if the French come?

In 1856 Britain In 1856 Britain and France celebrated victory over Russia. Three years later Britain was galvanised by the fear of a French invasion. Why? Britain’s support for terrorists had brought the former allies to the brink of war.

Nineteenth Century Britain believed in giving asylum to political refugees. One group of Italians and their British supporters believed that the French Emperor Napoleon III was hampering Italian unification. They decided to kill Napoleon. The attempt failed, however France’s invasion of Austrian territory in Italy and the hard line of the French ambassador in London demanding retribution led to fears that Britain was threatened by a new Bonaparte and war.

Thunder of war

Captain John Evat Acklom, former 28th North Gloucestershire Regiment wrote to The Times in December 1858; lobbied Parliament; the War Office; and Prince Albert with his proposals concerning the formation of a Volunteer Rifle Corps. Even the poet laureate joined in.

“THERE is a sound of thunder afar,

Storm in the south that darkens the day,

Storm of battle and thunder of war,

Well, if it do not roll our way.

Form! form! Riflemen form!

Ready, be ready to meet the storm!

Riflemen, riflemen, riflemen form!”

“The War”,

Tennyson 1859

The emphasis on rifleman was the belief that the new accurate and, now, relative quick firing rifle made the old emphasis of the militia obsolete. Quick thinking men with a stake in the community, would be better than traditional troops .

The War Office was now suggesting that two types of volunteer units were required: riflemen to act in the field and others to man batteries constructed for coast town defence. The guidance also suggested small launches with one gun in the bow might be manned by separate volunteers.

Town Hall

All of which brings us to Whitehaven Town Hall, on Tuesday 20 December1859. And a meeting of the great and good of West Cumberland.

There had been an artillery battery defending Whitehaven harbour that had been built in the 18C, though it had not prevented John Paul Jones raiding the town in 1778. However by the mid-19C that had been covered by a land slip and its guns gone.

Artillery or gunboat

The Chair, Thomas Irwin, Deputy Lieutenant the county began the meeting:

“… he felt quite sure that they [the meeting]would all agree with him in saying that there never was better unanimity in. the country than existed on the subject of a volunteer rifle and artillery corps. So far back as nine or ten years ago they had the highest authority for saying that this country was in an utterly defenceless state. They had now the opinion of the highest and best authority of the day, who could not be called simple alarmists,” that such defence was at this time more than ever necessary.”

Whitehaven News Thursday 22 December 1859.

There was one discordant voice . Mr. Lamport asked:

“…considered that gunboats cruising about our ports would be a great deal more effective than any fixed battery on our shores. If a French steamer approached our shores with an hostile intention none of their 32-pounders at the head of the pier would be of any service.”

Whitehaven News Thursday 22 December 1859

But Gun boats lost out and the meeting agreed that there should be two Corps: rifleman and artillery and that the artillery would be called The Whitehaven Artillery Volunteers.

Admin

The rapid growth of volunteer units had led the Government to group units in Administrative Brigades and by July 1860 the Whitehaven Artillery Volunteers had become 1st Administrative Brigade Cumberland Artillery Volunteers under the Command of Major Thomas Salkeld.

The Brigade had five Corps:

1st (Whitehaven) Cumberland Artillery Volunteers

2nd (Carlisle) Cumberland Artillery Volunteers

3rd (Maryport) Cumberland Artillery Volunteers

4th (Workington) Cumberland Artillery Volunteers

5th (Harrington) Cumberland Artillery Volunteers

Officers

The first Commanding Officer of the Whitehaven Volunteers was Captain James Dees, ‘Esquire’ from Whitehaven. Dees was a Magistrate and Town Councillor. First Lieutenant is Charles Fisher ‘Gent’ and Second Lieutenant Robert Jefferson, also ‘Gent’.

The Corps had 148 men according to a roll compiled at the start of the 20th Century1.

The Carlisle Artillery Corps also appointed a surgeon.

The Carlisle Examiner approved:

“Mr. Reeves has been, elected hon surgeon, which is a wise precaution, for there is no saying what may happen.”

Carlisle Examiner and North Western Advertiser - Saturday 18 February 1860

Battery

By July 1860 the Volunteers had started on laying out the battery for their guns.

It was at Seabrows, on high ground to the south of the harbour entrance close to Wellington Colliery.

“…the battery will be mounted with the two large guns with which the company have been practising for some time in the barrack yard. From this position the guns will command the entrance to the harbour, and the Solway for miles around. It is intended that the corps shall commence by firing, at noon on the 24th May, the Queen's birthday, a royal salute of 21 guns. Shot and shell firing at targets in the sea will probably follow a few weeks after.”

Carlisle Journal Friday 17 May 1861

Active service

In May 1861 Lieut.-Colonel Marrvatt, the officer in charge of the Northern District Volunteer Artillery Stores and Coast Brigade inspected Volunteers. He expressed himself as:

“…entirely satisfied with the condition of the arms and stores. Bombardier Gordon2 is responsible for their condition, and great praise is due to him for the clean and orderly state in which they were found.”

Cumberland Pacquet and Ware's Whitehaven Advertiser - Tuesday 21 May 1861.

Though the battery never saw a French steamer, in WW1 a U Boat shelled the area. I

During WW2 a coastal battery was built at Bransty, north of Whitehaven for the 422nd Coast Battery.

The Artillery Volunteers eventually became part of the Royal Artillery.

Sadly we have not ben able to find a photograph of the Whitehaven volunteers. Our picture is from the collection of the Imperial War Museum and is of a typical battery under training.

The Editor