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The Organisation of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers Explained
The Organisation
Of The
Royal Naval
Artillery Volunteers
Explained
By
Thomas Brassey, M.P.
London
Longmans, Green, And Co.
1874
[Sidenote: Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers.]
It has been thought desirable to publish the following statement, for
the purpose of giving some explanation of the services, duties,
privileges, and general organisation of the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers.
[Sidenote: How to be recruited.]
In inviting persons to enrol themselves in the corps, the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty desire to extend the volunteer movement,
so successfully established as an auxiliary to the land forces, to the
defence of this country by sea. The proposal is novel and unprecedented
in its character. In any other country than our own, it would, in all
probability, be visionary. In England, however, we possess a guarantee
for the success of such an undertaking, which cannot be found elsewhere.
A taste for maritime pursuits pervades this insular nation, and the hope
may therefore be confidently entertained that the appeal, now made to
the patriotism of the nautical and aquatic sections of the community,
will not be urged in vain.
[Sidenote: Naval opinions in favour of such a force.]
Eminent naval authorities have, for many years past, recommended the
formation of a corps, for the purposes of coast defence, composed of
persons who, while not possessing the wider experience of the seaman,
are accustomed to the management of boats, and in the constant habit of
going afloat. The Act for the Royal Navy Artillery Volunteers, passed in
the last session at the instance of the Admiralty, and the regulations
recently issued under that Act, afford the most convincing proof that,
in the estimation of those who are actually responsible for the
efficiency of the naval service, such a force is desirable. The
concurrence of the naval members of the late administration in the
various steps which have been taken, may likewise be quoted, in order to
show that there is a general desire, among those to whom the welfare of
the navy is an especial object of solicitude, for the success of the
movement, which it is the object of the present writer to explain.
[Sidenote: The harbour defence only.]
It has been already stated that coast defence, and not service at sea,
constitutes the especial sphere proposed for the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers. The term coast defence is perhaps, in a certain sense, a
misnomer. The defence of the most important of our commercial harbours
against an attack from the sea could not be effectually conducted by a
force composed exclusively of men trained for the land service alone.
The approach to all the great ports of the United Kingdom from the sea
involves the navigation of extensive estuaries, where floating
batteries, and armed rafts, and the use of torpedoes, are essential to a
complete defence, and would in point of fact effectually prevent the
nearer approach of a hostile fleet. In the laying out of torpedoes on an
extensive scale, a flotilla of boats would be required; and in
furnishing crews for such boats, the well-trained oarsmen, who, it is
hoped, will be found willing to enroll themselves in the Royal Naval
Artillery Volunteers, would be enabled to render valuable service. In
all probability, by their co-operation in the hour of danger, they would
release an equal number of highly trained seamen, who would form the
crews of sea-going cruisers. All our greatest ports, London, Hull,
Newcastle, Leith and Granton, ports for Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol,
Southampton, Belfast, Dublin, Cork, are situated at the head of an
extensive estuary, or at some distance from the mouth of a navigable
river. The mere enumeration of these names is sufficient to show how
large a sphere there might be, in the event of a threatened invasion,
for the employment, in the important and essential task of harbour
defence, of an auxiliary force composed, not of trained seamen, but of
persons who may be described generally as aquatics.
It is to be observed that a mere oarsman, although not trained at the
great guns, or in the use of rifle and cutlass, would be enabled to do
good work in a service in which the use of boats must be largely
resorted to; and that, in order to take a number at a gun mounted on a
raft, such as the 'Nancy Dawson,' which the late Captain Cole improvised
for our naval operations in the Sea of Azof, or to serve in a gun's crew
in a floating battery for harbour defence, neither sea legs nor sea
experience are indispensable qualifications. For such duties those
qualities are required which equally combine to make a good gunner and a
good soldier, whether afloat or on shore--a fair share of physical
strength and activity, intelligence, and, above all, courage and
patriotism.
[Sidenote: The force need not be numerous.]
Designed, as the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers have been, for the
especial work of coast and harbour defence, it is not necessary that the
corps should be very numerous. It certainly need not exceed the numbers
of our amateur yachtsmen and oarsmen, for whom the opportunity, now
offered, of taking their share in the national defence, is chiefly
intended. Enough will have been done, if a brigade can be formed at each
of the principal ports, of a strength varying from 200 to 600 men.
[Sidenote: The training required.]
Having described the general scope of the duties, which would devolve on
the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, in the event of their being called
out for actual service, the nature of the training proposed for the
members of the force may be briefly explained. The first consideration
must be to familiarise them, to some extent, with the management of
boats. This instruction might occupy much time in a corps composed of
men, who had never been in the habit of going on the water; but, as the
Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer corps is to be recruited in a large
proportion from among aquatics, many of their number may be expected to
possess this qualification without the necessity for special
instruction.
The next point to claim attention will be the exercise at the great
guns. Here I may venture to affirm, from personal experience, that the
naval gun drills have been, in every detail, so carefully considered,
the instructors are so completely masters of the subject which they have
to teach, and the mechanical appliances are such effectual substitutes
for heavy manual labour, that a few days of constant attention will
suffice to make a volunteer a useful man in a gun's crew. The class of
recruits required for the Royal Navy Artillery Volunteers possess
advantages of intelligence and education, far beyond those which the
practical seamen can enjoy; and we may anticipate, from the experience
already acquired, that they will form some of the smartest gun's crews
in any branch of the naval service. There is neither insurmountable
difficulty, nor unduly fatiguing labour, in the drill at the great guns.
The intricacies could be mastered in a few days, if the volunteers were
kept continuously at drill, as they necessarily would be, should they
ever be called out for actual service.
The essential point in a volunteer corps is to secure men physically
capable of doing their work, and who may be confidently relied upon as
ready to serve, whenever they may be called upon.
The small-arm exercises are still more easily mastered. A rowing man
will find himself able to use his cutlass efficiently in a few hours;
and, after a couple of days of continuous drill, he would be able to go
through the manual and platoon exercises with satisfactory smartness and
precision.
Rowing and yachting gentlemen will perceive that they will have no
difficulty in acquiring the knowledge of their drills, which is required
in order to make them efficient, in the winter months. They will not
find that their favourite amusements on the water, in the summer months,
are incompatible with service in the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers.
[Sidenote: Facilities for drill.]
Every effort will be made to afford to those, who may be willing to join
the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, the necessary facilities for
learning their drills. For the London brigade, the 'Rainbow,' a gun
vessel well adapted for the purpose, is now being fitted out at Chatham.
This vessel will be ready in two months from the date of this
publication; and, when completed, will be moored in the Thames in a
convenient position, off Somerset House. Should such an arrangement be
found convenient for members of the Corinthian and other yacht clubs at
Erith, it is possible that the 'Rainbow' may be moved, from time to
time, to moorings near the pier at Erith; and, should a desire to that
effect be expressed by the members of the rowing clubs higher up the
Thames, an effort will be made to move the vessel to moorings near the
boat-houses of any rowing clubs, which have their head-quarters below
Kew Bridge.
No positive promise, however, can be given that the 'Rainbow' shall be
moved. There are many points to consider, such as draft of water, height
and width of arches, and obstruction of the navigation of the river.
For those clubs which are established still higher up the river, where
there is not sufficient water to float the 'Rainbow,' facilities for
instruction may be provided by mounting a 64-pounder gun on a raft,
which could be towed from place to place, and moored to the bank of the
river adjacent to the boat-houses belonging to the clubs. An instructor
would accompany the raft; and, during the winter months, arrangements
might be made for giving to volunteers an opportunity of going through
their small-arm drills in a drill-shed, or other convenient place,
available for the purpose. Thus it may be found possible to extend the
system of instruction, by effectual, yet inexpensive, means, far up the
Thames, and so to embrace towns such as Reading, Maidenhead, Henley,
Windsor, and even the headquarters of rowing, the University of Oxford.
Inquiry having been made as to whether members will be expected to
appear in uniform, whenever they attend drill, it may not be superfluous
to mention that the regulations are silent on this point. Members will
only be required to wear uniform on special occasions, of which due
notice will be given.
[Sidenote: Regulations as to drill.]
Members of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer corps may therefore rest
assured that they will have the opportunity of being thoroughly
instructed in the drills, in which it is considered desirable that they
should be proficient.
The drills will comprise those for great guns, rifle, pistol, and
cutlass, as in the Royal Navy, and no deviation from these drills is to
be permitted.
[Sidenote: The Officer-Instructor.]
All drills will be carried out by the instructor, attached to the
brigades, under the officer-instructor. The permanent staff of a brigade
will consist of an officer-instructor and one petty officer instructor
for each battery. The officer-instructor will be commissioned as a
lieutenant in the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, and will be selected
from officers of or retired from the Royal Navy, of and above the rank
of lieutenant. He will keep the muster-rolls, and it will be his duty to
make himself acquainted with all the members of his brigade, and their
qualifications. He will superintend all drills and exercises, and is to
have complete control over the petty officer instructors, and to be
responsible to the Admiralty for their conduct and efficiency.
[Sidenote: Attendances at drill.]
On the important point of the number of attendances at drill, the
regulations require that every volunteer must attend at least two drills
a month, until he has obtained the standard of an efficient. An
efficient must be able to perform in a satisfactory manner the duties of
any number except No. 1 at heavy gun exercise, or at revolving gun
exercise, as applicable to the 64-pounder guns mounted in gunboats; and
he must be possessed of a good knowledge of the manual, platoon, and
cutlass exercises.
[Sidenote: Service afloat not compulsory.]
It has already been explained that these qualifications may easily be
acquired in a fortnight of continuous attendance at drill, by the
application of a very ordinary amount of intelligence and attention. The
regulations expressly avoid the imposition of any compulsory service
afloat in time of peace. Target practice afloat is obviously essential
to the efficiency of a naval gunner; and it is therefore desirable that
every volunteer should have a fair number of opportunities of taking
part in this useful exercise. In a long summer's day, the members of the
London Brigade may embark in a gunboat at Erith or Gravesend, proceed to
the Maplin Sands, off Shoeburyness--which is the most convenient place
for firing practice over a sea range--and return to London by a
convenient hour in the afternoon or evening. It will doubtless be the
desire of every naval volunteer to avail himself of a sufficient number
of opportunities for target practice, to secure his own efficiency. But,
as there are many who will be anxious to have a greater amount of
exercise afloat, every volunteer, who wishes it, may embark once a year,
and remain for a period of eight days in a gunboat, manned by a crew to
be furnished from the battery to which he himself belongs. It should,
however, be observed that, when called out for actual service, the
volunteers will not be liable to embark in sea-going vessels. Whenever
so assembled, they will serve on board any of H.M, ships employed in the
defence of the coasts of the United Kingdom; unless, indeed, they
volunteer for, and are found capable of doing duty in, sea-going
cruisers. They will not be required to go aloft, or to attend to the
fires in the stoke-hole. They will, however, have to accommodate
themselves to the berthing and messing arrangements usual for the seamen
of the Royal Navy.
[Sidenote: Regulations issued by the Admiralty.]
The regulations recently issued contain ample information as to the
organisation of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers; and their
practical effect will be summarised in the following extracts from the
code of rules.
The Volunteers are raised under the Act passed in 1873. They will be
called out by Royal proclamation, and will be liable to serve in any
vessels employed for coast defence. They will be liable to perform all
the ordinary duties of the vessels in which they may be embarked, in the
same manner as those duties are performed by the regular crews of Her
Majesty's ships, except those duties that can only be performed by
practical seamen.
The Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer force, for administrative purposes,
will be formed into brigades, and each brigade will consist of four or
more batteries of from 60 to 80 men. Each brigade will be designated by
a local name.
The following table contains the authorised establishment for brigades
and the batteries composing them:--
Battery Brigade Brigade Brigade
of four of six of eight
batteries batteries batteries
Lieutenant-commander 1 1 1
Sub-lieutenant 1 4 6 8
Chief petty officer 1 4 6 8
First-class petty officer 2 8 12 16
Second-class petty officer 2 8 12 16
Buglers 2 8 12 16
Leading gunners and gunners 71/51 275/195 421/301 563/403
(equivalent to leading seamen
and able seamen)
Lieutenant-instructor 1 1 1
First-class petty officer 1 4 6 8
instructor
Surgeon 1 1 1
Bugle-major 1 1 1
Armourer 1 1 1
Total enrolled 80/60 320/240 480/360 640/480
In this table, two numbers divided by a line signify the maximum and
minimum strength--thus 80/60 means not more than 80 and not less than
60.
Persons wishing to organise a corps to form part of a brigade of Royal
Naval Artillery Volunteers should place themselves in communication with
the Secretary of the Admiralty.
Whenever it is practicable, a brigade will be formed at each of the
large ports in the kingdom, and the batteries composing the brigade will
be raised in the immediate neighbourhood of the port.
When the Volunteers are not of sufficient strength at any port to form a
brigade, the batteries enrolled on a part of the coast formed into a
district will be formed into a brigade, and will be called a district
brigade.
The object of this organisation is to unite separate batteries under one
head, to secure uniformity among them, and to afford them the advantage
of an officer-instructor.
Candidates for enrolment as members of the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers must be of good character, and physically fit for the
service; their eligibility will be judged by the commanding officer of
the corps, assisted by such others of the corps as he may think fit to
appoint for that purpose.
No person below the age of 17 is to be enrolled in the corps without the
special authority of the Admiralty.
Boys of 14 years of age and upwards may be enrolled for the purpose of
being trained as buglers.
Men belonging to any other force liable to be called out for service in
case of war are not to be enrolled.
Apprentices are not to be enrolled without the consent of their masters.
Persons dismissed from any other service or corps for misconduct are not
to be enrolled without the special sanction of the Admiralty.
The commanding officer of a corps is to give to any Volunteer, on his
quitting the corps, a certificate of discharge, when requested to do so
by such Volunteer.
Every member has power to withdraw from the corps upon giving 14 days'
notice to that effect.
Enrolled members are classed as efficients and non-efficients.
All enrolled members who do not fulfil the conditions above referred to
are reckoned as non-efficients.
Each brigade will be commanded by a lieutenant commanding.
Each battery will be commanded by a sub-lieutenant.
In each battery there will be, as it has already been stated, one chief
petty officer, two 1st class, and two 2nd class petty officers.
The petty officers of a battery will be selected by the commanding
officer of the battery.
When assembled for drill or inspection, the Volunteers will be under the
command of the senior naval officer of the district. When the Volunteers
are assembled for drill, the senior officer will be represented by the
officer instructor, a retired commander or gunnery lieutenant of the
Royal Navy, whose duty it will be to see that all drills are properly
carried out.
When afloat, the Volunteers are to be, in all matters whatsoever, under
the command of the captain or commanding officer of the ship in which
they may be.
The authority of the officers commanding batteries is strictly limited
to their own batteries only. The discipline will be the same throughout
the corps, and will be enforced by the lieutenant commanding the
brigade, in conformity with the regulations issued by the Admiralty.
The lieutenant commanding will make arrangements for drill, securing, so
far as it may be necessary, separate hours for each battery. Before
adopting any final arrangements for drill, he will confer with the
officer instructor.
There may be an occasional general muster of the corps, when considered
necessary by the lieutenant commanding.
The batteries will take precedence at general parades according to their
numbers, and not according to the seniority of their respective
commanding officers.
The brigade staff will not be attached to a battery, but will act under
the lieutenant commanding only.
Officers of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers rank with, but after,
officers of the Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve of their respective
ranks.
All officers of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers will be
commissioned by the Admiralty.
The commanding officers of brigades will recommend, for the
consideration of the Admiralty, names of persons for the appointments
and promotion of officers in their brigades.
The appointment of an honorary commander to a brigade is allowed, and
such honorary lieutenants and sub-lieutenants as the Admiralty may think
fit to sanction.
Officers in full pay in the Navy or Army are not eligible for other than
honorary commissions.
The uniform approved for the officers resembles generally that worn by
officers of the Naval Reserve, silver being substituted for gold lace.
[Sidenote: The officers of the corps.]
The principle upon which the Volunteers should be officered has been one
of the most frequent subjects of discussion among those who have
associated themselves with the movement from the commencement, and who
have been provisionally enrolled, with the sanction of the Admiralty, in
anticipation of the passing of the Act of Parliament of last year.
A desire has been expressed that no officers should be appointed to the
corps, but that the Volunteers should serve only under direct naval
command. Practically, the desire, so strongly felt, has been fulfilled
in the arrangements which have actually been made.
Whenever called upon to serve afloat, or when embarked for the purpose
of training, the Volunteers will be under the command of the officer,
commanding the ship, in which they may be. When embarked for their first
cruise in the autumn of the present year, the arrangements were, of
necessity, experimental and provisional. There was a natural desire on
the part of the officer commanding the 'Foam' to meet the wishes of the
Volunteers themselves in every possible way, consistent with the
efficient performance of the service, and the carrying on of the drills
and exercises required. The same considerate spirit will doubtless
prevail on all future occasions; but the Volunteers, who make themselves
acquainted with the regulations, will clearly perceive that, whenever
they embark, they place themselves under direct naval authority; and
that, when afloat, their own officers are never to assume any naval
command or authority whatever, unless ordered to do so by their superior
naval officers.
The officers of the Volunteers will do their utmost to assist the naval
officers to preserve discipline. They may, if they think fit, set an
example to their men by taking an active part in all the duties and
manual exercises. They may fall in at quarters, and take any number at
the gun. In short, they may become, as much as they please, active
working seamen and efficient practical gunners. It is for them to use
their own discretion in determining how much or how little they shall
participate in the manual labour, involved in carrying out the drills
and exercises ordered by the naval officers in command.
When at drill, as it has already been pointed out, the
officer-instructor will superintend the instruction of the Volunteers,
and he will be responsible that all exercises are properly carried out,
in accordance with the regulations from time to time laid down for the
instruction of the Royal Navy. It will thus be evident that the
paramount and undivided authority of the naval officers over the
Volunteers when afloat, and the superior responsibility of the officer
of instruction when the Volunteers are at drill, so largely overshadow
the authority of the officers of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers in
all matters, excepting those which relate to discipline and the civil
administration and organisation of the corps, that it could not
reasonably be expected that retired naval officers of rank should
volunteer to become battery officers in the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteer Corps. Naval officers of less exalted rank do not often
retire, if they have a great zeal for the service. Some exceptions,
however, there must be to this general rule; and it is probable that a
certain number of retired officers from the junior ranks of the Navy
will, hereafter, kindly offer their services to command brigades or
batteries in the ports or districts, in which they may happen to reside.
The Volunteers will at all times feel a pride in availing themselves of
such opportunities of acting under officers, who have received a high
professional training in Her Majesty's naval service.
While the effect of the arrangements, which have been described,
necessarily limits the sphere of the officers of the Royal Naval
Artillery Volunteers, their services, in several important points, are
not the less essential. It is to them that the Admiralty must look for
the exercise of their personal influence, in inducing recruits to join
their respective brigades and batteries; and their moral influence will
be the principal security for the maintenance of good discipline in a
force composed exclusively of Volunteers. Although, under the
regulations, no fixed standard of efficiency is expressly required in an
officer of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer force, those among them,
who can command sufficient leisure for the purpose, will readily
appreciate how excellent an effect must be produced by the personal
example of an officer, who will take pains to make himself acquainted
with the drills and exercises, in which the men under his command are
instructed. He will have the opportunity of obtaining the same
certificate of proficiency, which is given to those officers of the
Naval Reserve, who become qualified to drill the seamen of the reserve
at the great guns, and in the small arm exercises.
With the view of enlisting, in support of the Naval Volunteer movement,
the potent influences which are derived from the esprit de corps,
wherever it may reasonably and prudently be encouraged, it is proposed
to associate certain batteries in the London brigade with some of the
principal rowing and Corinthian yacht clubs on the Thames, and to give
commissions to any gentlemen, otherwise eligible, who are instrumental
in raising a full battery of Naval Volunteers.
[Sidenote: The rowing and Corinthian yacht clubs.]
The following list of some of the principal rowing clubs, will serve to
show the large number of gentlemen, from whom assistance may be
expected, in promoting the success of a movement for extending the
Volunteer service to a certain sphere of naval operations;
Name of rowing club Number of
members
London 480
Kingston 425
Thames 300
Ino 300
Waldegrave 200
Twickenham 175
West London 170
Oscillators 162
North 150
Grove Park 150
Isleworth 100
Ilex 100
Molesey --
The Corinthian yacht clubs on the Thames are equally able to render
assistance, and are indeed capable of raising, if they think fit, an
entire brigade for the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer Corps.
The resources of the clubs located on the banks of the Thames have been
particularly specified; because the present writer, in his connection
with the movement under consideration, is more immediately identified
with that river. Readers of these pages, residing in the vicinity of any
of our great ports, will doubtless be able to discover equally ample
materials for the foundation of a sufficient force, for the purposes of
co-operation in the defence of the coast, in their own neighbourhood. A
corps, though it may be raised at some distance from the sphere of its
intended operations, in the event of threatened invasion, will not be
the less valuable for the defence of a great port.
The railway and the telegraph afford the means of concentrating large
bodies of men in a few hours at any port on the shores of the United
Kingdom. Wherever the coast-guard are stationed, the means exist of
giving instruction to the Naval Volunteers. All the out-ports, at which
men have been enrolled, can be visited by a gunboat at frequent
intervals, to embark the Volunteers for target practice afloat; while
those who wish to go to sea for an eight days' cruise, will have, every
year, the opportunity of doing so.
[Sidenote: The Volunteer movement.]
In conclusion, it may not be superfluous to offer a few observations on
the Volunteer movement generally. The most cogent inducements to
Volunteer activity may appear to be wanting at the present time. Our
country is happily not threatened with the danger of foreign invasion. A
becoming modesty will deter any individual connected with the Volunteer
service from arrogating to himself any share in the prestige and
distinction, which are the special privilege of the regular services. It
is an essential feature of the present movement that there shall be no
contribution from the state in the form of pecuniary reward for services
rendered; and that every effort shall be made by the Volunteers to
impose as small a burden as possible on the Exchequer. The sterner sense
of duty, which is now encouraged among the Volunteers for land service,
is opposed to all attempts to gain popularity for the auxiliary forces
by festivals, holidays, and entertainments.
While, however, all these inducements and attractions are withheld, a
higher standard of efficiency in the officers and the men is properly
insisted on. In presence of the difficulties which arise from the
altered conditions of the service, some earnest friends of the Volunteer
movement have been oppressed with doubts, as to the possibility of
stimulating the patriotism of the country to such a pitch, that
Volunteers shall still be forthcoming in a time of profound peace. I do
not conceal my individual opinion that compulsory service may fairly be
required, from every individual of military age, when the country is in
danger. Unfortunately, so strong a measure would probably meet with an
amount of resistance, which could not be overcome in this free country,
where nothing affecting the social habits and prejudices of the people
can be proposed, which is not universally popular. But I venture to hope
that we may rely, in the absence of direct legal compulsion, on motives
even more powerful than the strong arm of the law. If every man who is
capable of co-operating in the defence of his country should feel
himself compelled, by his sense of duty and patriotism, to enter his
name in the roll of her defenders, the liability to service, thus
imposed by the free will of the Volunteer upon himself, will be a far
more effectual safeguard than legal compulsion, for the security and the
honour of England.
The Volunteer movement affords the occasion for teaching, in the most
practical form, the duty of self-sacrifice in a worthy cause.
In the artificial conditions of modern society, there are multitudes of
men, who, in the ordinary exercise of their vocation, are unduly
deprived of the opportunities for physical exercise and development.
More especially is this true of the younger members of the professional
and commercial classes. To them an appeal is now most earnestly made on
behalf of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers. In taking a part in our
drills and exercises, they will do a work beneficial to themselves
individually, and conducive to the welfare of their country.
N.B.--Any gentlemen wishing to join the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers, may communicate with Mr. Thomas Brassey, M.P., or Commander
St. Vincent Nepean, R.N., at the temporary head-quarters, 4, Great
George Street, Westminster. The regular drills of the corps will not be
commenced until the drill vessel 'Rainbow' has been moored off Somerset
House, and all other arrangements have been completed. Gentlemen are
earnestly invited to send in their names, in the meanwhile,
provisionally, so that the organisation of the brigade may be completed
at an early date; and that the movement at the out-ports may be
encouraged by the example of the metropolis.
REGULATIONS FOR THE "ROYAL NAVAL ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS."
CONSTITUTION AND ESTABLISHMENT.
[Sidenote: Authority.]
1. The "Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers" are raised under the "Royal
Naval Artillery Volunteer Act of 1873."
They are subject to the provisions of that Act, and to all regulations
made with regard to them by the authority of the Admiralty.
[Sidenote: Liability to Actual Service.]
2. By Royal Proclamation, the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers may be
assembled for actual service; and whenever so assembled, they will be
liable to serve on board any of Her Majesty's ships or vessels employed
in the defence of the coasts of the United Kingdom, or in any of the
tenders or boats attached to such vessels.
They will also be liable to perform all the ordinary duties of the
vessel in which they may be embarked, in the same manner as those duties
are performed by the regular crews of Her Majesty's ships, except those
duties that can only be performed by practical seamen.
They will not be required to go aloft, or to attend the fires in the
stoke-hole.
They will accommodate themselves to the berthing and messing
arrangements usual for the Seamen of the Royal Navy.
[Sidenote: Corps, definition of.]
3. A Corps is a body of persons who combine, under common rules, to form
a part of the Naval Artillery Volunteer Force.
The members of a Corps are either enrolled or honorary.
[Sidenote: Enrolled Members.]
Enrolled members are persons of every grade, whose names are duly
entered for service in the muster-rolls of a Corps.
[Sidenote: Honorary Members.]
Honorary members are persons who contribute to the funds of a Corps, but
are not enrolled for service.
[Sidenote: Formation.]
4. The Naval Artillery Volunteer Force, for administrative purposes,
will be formed into Brigades, and each Brigade will consist of four or
more Batteries of from 60 to 80 men.
[Sidenote: How to be named.]
5. Each Brigade will be designated by a local name, in addition to its
number in the Force.
Each Battery will be designated by its number in the Brigade.
Every Corps will bear a local name only.
[Sidenote: Commanding Officers.]
6. Each Brigade will be commanded by a Lieutenant Commanding.
Each Battery will be commanded by a Sub-Lieutenant.
Every Corps will have a Commanding Officer, who will of necessity be the
Senior Officer belonging to the Corps, no matter what his rank may be,
and who will be responsible, under the "Naval Artillery Volunteer Act,
1873," for the management of the internal affairs of the Corps.
[Sidenote: Establishment.]
The following table contains the authorised establishment for Brigades
and the Batteries composing them:--
Battery Brigade Brigade Brigade
of four of six of eight
batteries batteries batteries
Lieutenant-commander 1 1 1
Sub-lieutenant 1 4 6 8
Chief petty officer 1 4 6 8
First-class petty officer 2 8 12 16
Second-class petty officer 2 8 12 16
Buglers 2 8 12 16
Leading gunners and gunners 71/51 275/195 421/301 563/403
(equivalent to leading seamen
and able seamen)
Lieutenant-instructor 1 1 1
First-class petty officer 1 4 6 8
instructor
Surgeon 1 1 1
Bugle-major 1 1 1
Armourer 1 1 1
Total enrolled 80/60 320/240 480/360 640/480
In this table, two numbers divided by a line signify the maximum and
minimum strength--thus 80/60 means not more than 80 and not less than
60.
FORMATION OF CORPS.
[Sidenote: Course to be pursued for the formation of a new Corps.]
8. Persons wishing to form a Corps to form part of a Brigade of Royal
Naval Artillery Volunteers should place themselves in communication with
the Secretary of the Admiralty.
[Sidenote: Reason for formation.]
9. The Admiralty, in considering offers of the services of a new Corps,
will have regard to the number of Corps or Batteries already existing on
the same part of the Coast where the proposed Corps would be.
[Sidenote: New Corps not to be formed under certain circumstances.]
10. The formation of a new Corps will not be sanctioned, unless a
sufficient number of persons to form a Battery are prepared to enrol
themselves, and whilst any Battery already existing in the locality is
below its establishment.
[Sidenote: Information to be given on application.]
11. In offering the services of a new Corps for acceptance, it should be
stated:--
(_a_) The place proposed for its head-quarters.
(_b_) The number of persons who are prepared to enrol themselves.
(_c_) The name and address of some person with whom communications
on the subject may be made.
(_d_) The Brigade of which it will form a part.
(_e_) That a proper place will be secured for the safe custody of
any Government arms and ammunition which may be issued.
(Form in Appendix A.)
[Sidenote: Single Brigade.]
12. Whenever it is practicable, a Brigade will be formed at each of the
large ports in the Kingdom, and the batteries composing the Brigade will
be raised in the immediate neighbourhood of the port.
[Sidenote: District Brigade.]
When the Volunteers are not of sufficient strength at any port to form a
Brigade, the batteries enrolled on a part of the coast formed into a
district, will be formed into a Brigade, and will be called a District
Brigade.
The object of this organization is to unite separate batteries under one
head, to secure uniformity among them, and to afford them the advantage
of an Officer Instructor.
PRECEDENCE AND COMMAND.
[Sidenote: Rank of the Force.]
13. The "Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer Force" takes precedence
immediately after the "Royal Naval Volunteers" established by the Act of
1859.
[Sidenote: Precedence of Brigades.]
14. The relative precedence of the Brigades forming the Force is
determined by the date on which they were first severally established.
[Sidenote: Precedence of Corps.]
15. The relative precedence of Corps is determined by the date on which
the Secretary of the Admiralty has first received a letter offering the
services of the Corps.
[Sidenote: Precedence of Officers with others.]
16. Officers of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers rank with, but
after, Officers of the Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve of their
respective ranks.
[Sidenote: Precedence of Officers with each other.]
17. The relative precedence of Officers of the whole Force is determined
solely by the rank and date of their commissions in the Force.
[Sidenote: Precedence of Officers of same date.]
18. The relative precedence of Officers bearing commissions of the same
date is determined by the order in which their names appear in the Navy
List.
Nothing in these Regulations is to give a claim to any Officer of the
Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers to assume command of any of Her
Majesty's Land Forces on shore, nor to any Officer of Her Majesty's Land
Forces to assume command of any of Her Majesty's Naval Forces.
But when Officers of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers are employed
on shore on joint service with Her Majesty's Land Forces, their relative
rank shall carry with it all precedence and advantages attaching to the
rank with which it corresponds, except command as aforesaid.
[Sidenote: To be under command of Senior Naval Officer whenever
assembled.]
19. All Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, when assembled for drill or
inspection, or voluntarily doing any naval duty either afloat or on
shore, will be under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, or Senior
Naval Officer of the district within which such Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers are undergoing drill or inspection, or doing duty.
[Sidenote: Not to assume Naval Command unless specially ordered.]
20. The Officers and Petty Officers of the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers shall command each other, and the Gunners and Buglers of the
Force, agreeably to their respective ranks, in all matters relating to
their duties; but none of them are ever to assume any naval command or
authority whatsoever, unless ordered to do so by their Superior Naval
Officers, and they are to be, in all matters whatsoever, under the
command of the Captain or Commanding Officer of the ship in which they
may be, and of the Officer of the Watch for the time being whatsoever
his rank may be.
HONOURS AND DECORATIONS.
[Sidenote: Guards.]
21. A Guard of Honour may be provided as a matter of course for a member
of the Royal Family, or the Admiralty, on arrival in the neighbourhood
of the headquarters of a Brigade; but in no other case will any body of
the Naval Artillery Volunteers take part in any public procession or
ceremony, or form a Guard of Honour, without the special authority of
the Admiralty or the Senior Naval Officer of the district.
[Sidenote: Decorations.]
22. The only decorations that may be worn on the left breast are those
given by the Queen or by a Foreign Sovereign.
In the last case mentioned, Her Majesty's permission to accept and wear
the decoration must have been granted.
The medal of the Royal Humane Society may be worn.
OFFICERS.
[Sidenote: Appointment.]
23. All Officers of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers will be
commissioned by the Admiralty.
[Sidenote: Commanding Officers to recommend.]
24. The Commanding Officers of Brigades will recommend for the
consideration of the Admiralty, names of persons for the appointments
and promotion of Officers in their Brigades.
In order to enable the Admiralty to judge the qualifications of the
persons recommended, the Commanding Officer will forward, with his
recommendation, a statement giving the name, age, residence, place of
education, and occupation or profession of the Candidate, as well as a
Medical Officer's Certificate, stating that the Candidate is in good
health and fit to perform the duties of an Officer.
[Sidenote: Holding a commission in other Forces.]
25. If any person recommended for an appointment as an Officer holds a
commission in the Royal Navy or other Force, the nature of such
commission should be stated in the letter of recommendation.
[Sidenote: Eligibility of Full Pay Officers.]
26. Officers on full pay in the Navy or Army are not eligible for other
than honorary commissions.
[Sidenote: Honorary Commander.]
27. The appointment of an Honorary Commander to a Brigade is allowed,
and such Honorary Lieutenants and Honorary Sub-Lieutenants as the
Admiralty may think fit to sanction.
[Sidenote: Honorary Chaplain and Surgeon.]
28. The appointments of an Honorary Chaplain and Staff-Surgeon to a
Brigade are allowed at the discretion of the Admiralty.
[Sidenote: Honorary appointments when to cease.]
29. The appointments of all Honorary Officers will cease whenever the
Force is called out for actual service, unless the Admiralty shall see
fit to accept the services of any such Officers who may volunteer for
active service.
[Sidenote: Precedence of Honorary Officers.]
30. No Officer holding an honorary commission can, in virtue of it, take
precedence of any Officer holding a substantive commission of the same
rank.
[Sidenote: Officers to possess a knowledge of duties, &c.]
31. Every Officer is required to possess a competent knowledge of his
duties, and to give a proper attendance at the drills of his Corps.
Any Officer who does not attend the number of drills prescribed for the
enrolled Volunteers of his Corps, to qualify them for certificates of
efficiency, will not be allowed to retain his commission unless the
Admiralty may see special reasons for a relaxation of this Regulation.
PETTY OFFICERS.
[Sidenote: Appointment.]
32. The Petty Officers of a Battery are appointed by the Commanding
Officer of the Battery, from among the enrolled members of the Battery.
[Sidenote: Leading Gunners.]
33. Leading Gunners may be appointed by the Commanding Officer of a
Battery, in the proportion of one to every twenty of Enrolled Gunners.
[Sidenote: Reduction.]
34. A Petty Officer or Leading Gunner may be reduced by the Commanding
Officer of a Brigade, for any sufficient cause; such cause to be judged
by the officers of the Brigade sitting as a Court of Inquiry.
ENROLLED MEMBERS.
[Sidenote: Qualification.]
35. Candidates for enrollment as Members of the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers must be of good character and physically fit for the Service;
their eligibility will be judged by the Commanding Officer of the Corps,
assisted by such others of the Corps as he may think fit to appoint for
that purpose.
[Sidenote: Age.]
36. No person below the age of 17 is to be enrolled in the Corps without
the special authority of the Admiralty.
Boys of 14 years of age and upwards may be enrolled for the purpose of
being trained as Buglers.
[Sidenote: Disqualification.]
37. Men belonging to any other force liable to be called out for service
in case of war are not to be enrolled.
Apprentices are not to be enrolled without the consent of their masters.
Persons dismissed from any other Service or Corps for misconduct are not
to be enrolled without the special sanction of the Admiralty.
[Sidenote: Certificate of Discharge.]
38. The Commanding Officer of a Corps is to give to any Volunteer, on
his quitting the Corps, a Certificate of Discharge, in Form B of the
Appendix, when requested to do so by such Volunteer.
[Sidenote: Classification.]
39. Enrolled Members are classed as Efficients and non-Efficients.
[Sidenote: Efficients.]
40. An Efficient Member must have fulfilled the conditions prescribed by
the Admiralty from time to time.
[Sidenote: Non-Efficients.]
41. All Enrolled Members who do not fulfil the conditions above referred
to are reckoned as non-Efficients.
HONORARY MEMBERS.
[Sidenote: Number and position.]
42. The number of Honorary Members attached to any Corps is not
regulated by the Admiralty, and such Members are not included in the
muster-roll of the Corps to which they are attached.
They are not subject to discipline nor allowed to interfere with the
duties of the Corps, but they are permitted to wear its uniform, unless
a special provision to the contrary is contained in the authorised Rules
of the Corps.
RULES.
[Sidenote: Must be approved.]
43. In order to give legal force to the Rules of a Corps for the
management of its affairs, they must be submitted to the Admiralty for
approval.
[Sidenote: To be transmitted in duplicate.]
44. All Rules which are to be forwarded for approval must be transmitted
in duplicate, one copy to be retained at the Admiralty, the other to be
returned to the Corps, with any alterations that may be required.
COURTS OF INQUIRY.
[Sidenote: Nature of.]
45. A Court of Inquiry is not a judicial body; it has no power to
administer an oath.
It is to be considered as a Board of which the Admiralty or an Officer
in command of a Brigade or Corps may make use, to assist him in arriving
at a correct judgment on any subject upon which it may be expedient to
institute an inquiry.
[Sidenote: Duties of.]
46. The duties of a Court of Inquiry depend on the instructions which
the convening authority may think proper to give.
It may be either employed merely in collecting and arranging evidence,
or it may, in addition, be directed to give an opinion as to the facts
established by that evidence; but it has no power to pronounce any
judgment as to the course to be taken by the convening authority in
dealing with those facts.
When facts connected with the conduct of an individual are submitted to
the investigation of a Court of Inquiry, it is necessary that the
instructions for the guidance of the Court should be sufficiently
specific, as regards matter, names, dates, and places, to convey clearly
to the Court the nature of the subject into which it is appointed to
inquire, and also to enable the person whose conduct is called in
question to know what he has to answer.
It rests with the authority who orders the assembly of the Court of
Inquiry to decide whether it shall be open or closed.
All evidence taken by a Court of Inquiry is to be recorded as nearly as
possible in the words of the witness and in the order in which it is
received.
The proceedings when closed are to be signed by the President and
Members, after which they are to be forwarded by the President to the
convening authority.
[Sidenote: May be re-assembled.]
47. A Court of Inquiry may be re-assembled as often as the superior
authority may deem necessary, and on every occasion of its meeting it is
competent to receive and record new evidence.
[Sidenote: Power of Commanding Officer to assemble.]
The Commanding Officer of a Brigade is authorised to assemble a Court of
Inquiry, to investigate any matter with which he himself has the power
of dealing.
DISCIPLINE.