While the parent regiment served in the Battle of France including the Dunkirk evacuation, and later in the Middle East and the Italian campaign, its duplicate fought in Normandy and North West Europe.

Both regiments were reformed postwar, but after a number of amalgamations they and several other Manchester-based units were reduced into 209 (Manchester Artillery) Battery in the present-day Army Reserve.

It formed a 2nd Battery on 14 December 1860, a 3rd and 4th on 22 January 1861, and the 5th and 6th on 6 May 1863, when John Isaac Mawson (director of the Lancashire Steel Company[3] and designer of Blackpool's Central Pier[4]) was commissioned as lieutenant-colonel in command.

The brigade formed part of the divisional artillery for the TF's East Lancashire Division and was equipped with four 15-pounder field guns to each battery From 23 March 1913 the brigade was commanded by Lt-Col Harry Sowler, son of Sir Thomas, the former Hon Col.[6][7][9][8][17][18][19] Units of the East Lancashire Division had been on their annual training when war came: on 3 August they were recalled to their drill halls and at 17.30 next day the order to mobilise was received.

[20][21][22] On 20 August the East Lancashire Division moved into camps around Bolton, Bury and Rochdale, and on 5 September it received orders to go to Egypt to complete its training and relieve Regular units from the garrison for service on the Western Front.

[32][33][34] On 25 December 1916 CCXI Bde was renumbered CCXII (exchanging numbers with the former 1/III East Lancs (Bolton Artillery)) and was reorganised, with C Bty being split between A and B to bring them up to six guns each.

[18][19][37] The 2nd Line units of the East Lancashire Division were raised in September and October 1914, with only a small nucleus of instructors to train the mass of volunteers.

The road congestion and the mud on the Passchendaele ridge was so bad that the batteries could not all get up to their intended positions: only C Bty got into action in time to support the division's attack on 9 October (the Battle of Poelcappelle).

[44][45] 66th Divisional Artillery remained in the line at Ypres during the winter, finally reverting to the command of its parent division when that returned to the sector on 13 January 1918.

The long-anticipated German Spring Offensive began at 04.30 on the morning of 21 March with a heavy 6-hour bombardment of the division's gun positions, which also cut the telephone lines and prevented runners getting through with messages.

That night the surviving units of XIX Corps, slipped away from the meagre defences of the Green Line and joined the 'Great Retreat' towards the Somme Canal.

[38][44] [51] [52][53][54][55] 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division disappeared from the war for many months, its surviving infantry units becoming training cadres for newly-arrived American troops, but 66th DA continued as an independent artillery force.

Communications were cut so runners had to be used, and some of the batteries had to be pulled back into Villers-Bretonneux, but they achieved good results, their SOS fire stopping one attack just short of the positions of 35th Australian Battalion attached to 18th (E) Division.

From 14/15 to 22 May 66th DA was in action near Busseboom supporting counter-attacks by the 14th French Division, and in June and early July it covered small operations by various formations in Second Army.

XIX Corps HQ then moved into the area and assigned 66th DA to support 27th US Division (which had no artillery of its own) under training in the East Poperinghe Line or 2nd Position.

On 11 September, near Steenwerck, CCCXXXI Bde took over responsibility for protecting the division's advance guard and next day it laid down a barrage to help 12th Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment establish a bridgehead on the Lys.

66th Divisional Artillery was not initially involved, but the day before CCCXXXI Bde fired a creeping barrage to support 23rd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers in a small attack to straighten the line on the Lys.

[38][44] 66th Divisional Artillery moved south by train to join Fourth Army and went back into the line on 27 October to support 25th Division of XIII Corps for the Battle of the Sambre.

On 5 November A and C Btys of CCCXXXI Bde, each with a howitzer section from D Bty, crossed the canal at Landrecies to provide close support to 198th (East Lancashire) and 199th (Manchester) Infantry Bdes respectively as they followed the retreating Germans.

On 10 November Bethell's Force picked its way forward with single field gun sections accompanying the South African advance guard.

Partial mechanisation was carried out from 1927, but the guns retained iron-tyred wheels until pneumatic tyres began to be introduced just before World War II.

On that day the decision was made to evacuate the BEF through Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo), but RHQ and 206 Bty took part in a rearguard action on Mont des Cats with the artillery and engineers of 44th (Home Counties) Division.

[83] It continued advancig with short, powerfully supported attacks against stubborn resistance, where artillery ammunition supply became the limiting factor, until winter weather brought an end to operations.

[87][88] For the attack on the Gothic Line (Operation Olive, 8th Indian Division crossed the River Arno on 21 August, and then advanced into the roadless mountains before opening the routes into the Lamone Valley.

[91] In the Allies' spring 1945 offensive, Operation Grapeshot, 8th Indian Division was given the task of an assault crossing of the River Senio, with massive artillery support added to its own guns, and ample ammunition stocks built up during the winter.

[95] The division then moved back to England to join XII Corps in 21st Army Group, training for the Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord).

As a preliminary to Operation Goodwood, an armoured thrust east of Caen, XXX Corps fought continuously from 15 to 18 July, attacking in the Noyers-Bocage area and fighting off repeated enemy counter-attacks (the Second Battle of the Odon).

By the end of July the Allied breakout from the Normandy beachhead was under way and the German forces in front of XII Corps began to withdraw on the night of 3 August.

During the night of 6/7 August the division's infantry waded across the river, but the artillery had to wait for the sappers to build bridges before it could cross the deep and narrow valley.

It was a textbook operation, employing 21st Army Group's superior resources in airpower, engineering and artillery to overcome formidable minefields, anti-tank ditches and fortifications with low casualties.