Artillery Volunteer units proved expensive to maintain, and the Secretary of State for War, Edward Cardwell refused to pay for the upkeep of horses, harness and field-guns from the annual capitation grant.

As a result, many Volunteer Field artillery units were wound up in the 1870s and the two batteries of the 1st (Hanover Square) Middlesex AVC were absorbed into the 1st London.

[1][3] Walmisley retired in January 1875 and was succeeded by William Hope, who had won a Victoria Cross in the Crimean war and had afterwards become a City businessman.

[24] The infantry of the division were soon posted away to relieve Regular Army garrisons in the Mediterranean or to supplement the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front.

Its infantry were largely drawn from the Ulster Volunteers and had already received weapons training before the war; the artillery however were newly raised Londoners, and the drivers were still being taught to mount and dismount from wooden horses.

In September 1915 the 1/I City of London Bde moved to Bordon to re-equip with modern guns and prepare for overseas service.

During the preliminary bombardment Southart was under VII Corps control, but from Zero Hour it was assigned to support the assaulting infantry of 169th (3rd London) Brigade.

Then at Zero Hour, 07.30, the guns lifted to pre-arranged targets in the German support and reserve lines while the infantry began their assault.

On 169 Bde's front, the London Rifle Brigade found the wire well cut, except at Point 94 where the shelling had piled it into mounds that still presented an obstacle, and the battalion reached Gommecourt Park and began to consolidate.

The Germans began counter-attacking about an hour after Zero, and their heavy barrage on No man's land and their own front trenches made it almost impossible for reinforcements and supplies to be got forward to the assaulting battalions, who were now cut off.

[50][51][52][53] Although VII Corps' heavy guns and 56th Division's howitzers tried to suppress the German artillery, and the Southart guns dealt with some counter-attacks coming down communication trenches, the situation was too confused for the OPs and spotter aircraft to allow the divisional artillery to provide close support for the infantry.

It was in the front line when the German spring offensive opened on 21 March, and over the next few days was forced back wit heavy casualties.

At 01.00 on 8 October the brigade fired a barrage for a night attack by 1st Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry of 49th (West Riding) Division to break through the Beaurevoir Line.

[69][70][71] In October the brigade was transferred by train to rejoin 58th Division in the Lens area, where it fired its last shots shortly before the Armistice.

[1][25] When the TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920, the brigade was reformed at Handel Street, by Captain and Adjutant (later Lieutenant-Colonel) George Dorrell, who as a Battery Sergeant-Major had won a Victoria Cross at Néry in 1914.

[85] It was only in the autumn of 1940 that the RA began producing enough battery staffs to start the process of changing regiments from a two-battery to a three-battery organisation.

[73][86] In August 1942, the 56th (London) Division embarked for the long voyage to the Middle East, arriving in Iraq in November, where it joined Paiforce.

[83][87] The following March, 168th (London) Infantry Brigade (comprising 1st London Irish Rifles, 1st London Scottish and 10th Royal Berkshire Regiment) and supporting units, including the 90th Field Regiment, was detached from the 56th Division and sent overland to Egypt to join 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, which had suffered heavy casualties in North Africa (including a whole brigade at Gazala), in particular during the Battle of Gazala the year before, and had been withdrawn from the Tunisia Campaign to prepare and train in amphibious warfare for the landings in Sicily (Operation Husky).

[88][89][90] The 90th Field Regiment landed at Syracuse in Sicily on 13 July 1943 and went into action three days later, operating round Mount Etna.

[82][90][91] In October, the 50th Division returned to the United Kingdom[91][92] to prepare for the Normandy landings in which, once again, it would spearhead the amphibious attack.

It also had two troops of the 1st Royal Marine Armoured Support Regiment equipped with Centaur IV tanks mounting 95 mm howitzers.

Unfortunately, two control vessels had been lost on the passage across the Channel, so the field artillery were unable to fire at the village of Hamel, which dominated the East end of Jig Beach.

[93][97][98] In succeeding weeks the division saw hard fighting in Operation Perch and other actions to expand the bridgehead that had been secured – it took a month to take Hottot, for example.

[99][100] On 30 July, the division led British Second Army's push from Caumont towards Mont Pincon (Operation Bluecoat), which resulted in more heavy fighting before the German resistance in Normandy crumbled a month later.

[82][102] Early in 1945, 90 Field Regiment was supporting formations of First Canadian Army, including 1st Polish Armoured Division and 4th Commando Brigade.

[103] After Victory in Europe Day, 90 Field Regiment undertook occupation duties at Lünen, under the command of 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division.

138th (City of London) Field Regiment was placed in suspended animation on 10 November 1945 and formally disbanded when the TA reformed on 1 January 1947.

The memorial was unveiled by the Lord Mayor on Saturday 22 October 1921, with a Guard of Honour, trumpeters and band from 90th (1st London) Brigade RFA.

[1][119] The brigade is also listed on the City and County of London Troops Memorial in front of the Royal Exchange, with architectural design by Sir Aston Webb and sculpture by Alfred Drury.

[120][121] The left-hand (northern) figure flanking this memorial depicts a Royal Artilleryman representative of the various London Artillery units.