page_title: South Midland (Warwickshire) Royal Garrison Artillery
section_title: Origins
hierarchical_section_title: South Midland (Warwickshire) Royal Garrison Artillery / Origins
caption_attribution_description: British QF 4.7 inch Gun on 1900 "Woolwich" carriage, UK, circa 1914.
context_page_description: The South Midland (Warwickshire) Royal Garrison Artillery was a volunteer artillery unit of Britain's Territorial Force formed in 1908. It served in Home Defence and provided heavy artillery support to the armies on the Western Front and Italian Front in World War I. In the interwar years it became 204 (Warwickshire) Battery serving in various regiments and formations before being expanded into a full regiment. In World War II it served in the heavy anti-aircraft role defending its home area of the West Midlands against German air attack, and then defended Calcutta against Japanese attacks. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until 1955.
context_section_description: When the Territorial Force (TF) was created in 1908 as part of the Haldane Reforms, each of its infantry divisions included a heavy artillery battery in its establishment. For the South Midland Division a new battery was raised in Birmingham, under the title of South Midland (Warwickshire) Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA). The battery was equipped with four Boer War-era 4.7-inch guns. It was based at the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company works at Saltley, and was organised as follows:
  HQ at Metropolitan Works, Saltley
  Heavy Battery at Saltley
  Ammunition Column at Wednesbury
caption: 4.7-inch gun on 'Woolwich' carriage, ca 1914
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