Second World War: The 4th North Midland Brigade, sometimes known as the 'Derbyshire Howitzers', was a part-time unit of Britain's Royal Field Artillery created in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force.

[13] The first Commanding Officer (CO), appointed on 1 April was Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Chandos-Pole-Gell of Hopton Hall, previously a Major in the Derbyshire Imperial Yeomanry.

Among the officers appointed to 1st Derby Bty were three Derbyshire County Cricket Club players: George Walkden, Guy Wilson and Henry FitzHerbert Wright.

[15] Lieutenant-Colonel Chandos-Pole-Gell retired in 1913 and was appointed Honorary Colonel of the brigade; Major Gisborne was promoted to succeed him, and was in command on the outbreak of the First World War.

Shortly afterwards, the men were invited to volunteer for overseas service, and the majority having accepted this liability, the North Midland Division concentrated at Luton.

On 19 July, the Royal Engineers exploded a mine under the German positions at Hooge, but the infantry of 3rd Division tasked with seizing the crater had not been given a supporting artillery fireplan.

When the Germans attacked the Hooge crater with flamethrowers on 30 July, 139th (Sherwood Foresters) Brigade of 46th Division was able to stabilise the line with the help of the divisional artillery.

The attack was a disaster, most of the leading waves being cut down by machine gun and shell fire from German positions that had not been suppressed by the bombardment.

A (H) Battery from CLIV (Empire) Howitzer Bde, a Kitchener's Army unit recruited from Croydon, joined the brigade from 36th (Ulster) Division on 28 February 1916, and was designated R (H) Bty on 8 March.

Over the first 10 days of the month, the divisional artillery took over the existing battery positions along this front and began digging additional gun pits, observation posts (OPs) and dugouts to new designs.

The British infantry were unable to keep up with the covering barrage of the 18-pounders, which was lifted onto each enemy trench line to a strict timetable: artillery observation during the attack was difficult due to the smoke and confusion.

[6][18][44] At first the 2nd Line recruits had to parade in civilian clothes and train with 'Quaker' guns – logs of wood mounted on cart wheels – but these shortages were slowly made up.

The divisional artillery were joined at Luton by the 1st Line 4th Home Counties (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA, and Wessex Heavy Bty, RGA, which were fully equipped and could lend guns for training.

[6][28][18][44][30][47] In January 1917, the 59th Division was relieved in Ireland and returned to the UK, concentrating at the Fovant training area on the edge of Salisbury Plain preparatory to embarking for France.

The last unit battery of CCXCVIII Bde arrived at Le Havre on 17 March, the day the Germans began their retreat to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich).

Casualties among the gunners rose over the following days as they struggled amongst the mud to bombard the German line for a second attack (the Battle of Langemarck, 16–18 August).

The brigade was assigned to XVIII Corps in Fifth Army for the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge (20–25 September) in which it supported 58th (2/1st London) Division.

This formation was thinly spread along a stretch of line recently taken over from the French army, and quickly crumbled when it was attacked on the first day of the German spring offensive (21 March 1918).

[49][69][70][71] On 13 September 1918, the brigade transferred to IX Corps, which had been reconstituted in Fourth Army to take a leading role in the continuing Hundred Days Offensive.

As 138th (Lincoln & Leicester) Bde advanced up the road, CCXXXI (2nd North Midland) and then CCXCVIII AFA Bdes put down concentrations of fire on the main points of resistance and the Germans began to withdraw.

[86][87] At the same time, at the height of invasion fears after the Dunkirk evacuation, AA Brigades were required to form mobile columns available to combat enemy paratroopers.

[6][81] The Midlands were barely affected during the Battle of Britain, though the Derby Barrage fired for the first time on 19 August 1940,[91] and a series of night raids on Liverpool late in the month passed overhead.

[99][103][104][105][106] In February, the Luftwaffe 's Fliegerkorps X was ordered to neutralise Malta, and it began a series of heavy bombing raids, mainly at night, accompanied by mine-dropping in and around the harbour, and daylight sweeps by Messerschmitt Bf 109 single-engined fighters.

When the fast minelayer HMS Welshman ran in ammunition supplies on 10 May (part of Operation Bowery), the most intense AA barrage yet fired was provided to protect her while unloading.

The gunners stripped down the walls of their emplacements to permit low-angle fire and engaged the tanks with armour-piercing and high explosive rounds.

[140][141] After the fall of Tobruk, the Eighth Army retreated in confusion beyond Fort Capuzzo and the Egyptian frontier, with artillery of all sorts involved in rearguard actions.

[6][81][83][93][100][98][143][144] At the time, the regiment was manning 15 x 3.7-inch and 6 x 4.5-inch guns and formed part of a large AA concentration protecting the build-up of forces in Malta for the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky):[112][145][146] Although the AA defences of Malta were progressively run down as units returned home or joined the campaigns in Sicily and later in mainland Italy,[147][148] 68th HAA Rgt remained part of the permanent garrison of the island until the end of the war and beyond.

[153][154][155] The term '(Mixed)' was added to the designation on 1 July 1951, indicating that members of the Women's Royal Army Corps were integrated into the unit.

[6][157][159][160][161][162] 140 Corps Engineer Rgt was disbanded in 1967 when the TA was reduced to the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, but elements contributed to the formation of the Derbyshire Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters.

[161][163] While stationed on Malta, 222 HAA Bty adopted an embroidered arm badge consisting of a white Maltese cross on a shield divided vertically in the Royal Artillery colours of red (left) and blue (right).