REGULATIONS FOR THE "ROYAL NAVAL ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS."
CONSTITUTION AND ESTABLISHMENT.
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.
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.
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.
Enrolled members are persons of every grade, whose names are duly entered for service in the muster-rolls of a Corps.
Honorary members are persons who contribute to the funds of a Corps, but are not enrolled for service.
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.
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.
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.
The following table contains the authorised establishment for Brigades and the Batteries composing them:—
| Battery | Brigade of four batteries | Brigade of six batteries | Brigade of eight 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 (equivalent to leading seamen and able seamen) | 71/51 | 275/195 | 421/301 | 563/403 |
| Lieutenant-instructor | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| First-class petty officer instructor | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
13. The "Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer Force" takes precedence immediately after the "Royal Naval Volunteers" established by the Act of 1859.
14. The relative precedence of the Brigades forming the Force is determined by the date on which they were first severally established.
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.
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.
17. The relative precedence of Officers of the whole Force is determined solely by the rank and date of their commissions in the Force.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
23. All Officers of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers will be commissioned by the Admiralty.
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.
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.
26. Officers on full pay in the Navy or Army are not eligible for other than honorary commissions.
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.
28. The appointments of an Honorary Chaplain and Staff-Surgeon to a Brigade are allowed at the discretion of the Admiralty.
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.
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.
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.
32. The Petty Officers of a Battery are appointed by the Commanding Officer of the Battery, from among the enrolled members of the Battery.
33. Leading Gunners may be appointed by the Commanding Officer of a Battery, in the proportion of one to every twenty of Enrolled Gunners.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
39. Enrolled Members are classed as Efficients and non-Efficients.
40. An Efficient Member must have fulfilled the conditions prescribed by the Admiralty from time to time.
41. All Enrolled Members who do not fulfil the conditions above referred to are reckoned as non-Efficients.
HONORARY MEMBERS.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
48. The course to be adopted as to the Discipline of the Volunteers will be found in Part III of the Naval Artillery Volunteers Act.
49. Meetings are not to be held in the Corps for the purpose of expressing an opinion upon the acts of a Commanding Officer, or of recommending him to take a particular course of action; nor are memorials to be drawn up to the same effect; and no meetings except those called together by or under the authority of the Commanding Officer of a Brigade or Corps, who will be responsible for doing so, will be recognised.
If any Volunteer has cause to think himself aggrieved, he will represent his case to the Commanding Officer of his Battery. Any appeal against the decision of the Commanding Officer of the Battery will be made through him to the Commander of the Brigade, and any further appeal will be made through both these officers to the Admiralty.
50. Members of the Force are not, individually or collectively, to attend political meetings, or join in public political discussion or demonstrations in uniform.
51. Bands of Volunteer Brigades are not to appear in uniform, for any purpose, without the consent of the Commanding Officer of the Brigade.
52. Members of the Permanent Staff will be held responsible that they do not allow themselves to be complimented, either directly or indirectly, by presents or collective expressions of opinion from persons who are serving or who have served in the Brigade to which they are attached.
53. Officers and men of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, when in uniform, are to pay the customary marks of respect to such Officers of the Navy, Army, and Auxiliary Forces as are entitled to be saluted by Officers and men of corresponding rank in their own Service.
54. Every Officer and Petty Officer shall make himself acquainted with and shall duly observe and obey, and as far as in him lies, enforce the due execution of the "Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer Act, 1873," and the Regulations for the "Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer Force," together with all Regulations, Instructions, and Orders, which may from time to time be given or issued by the Admiralty, or by any Superior Officer, and shall in all respects conform his conduct to the customs and usages of Her Majesty's Naval Service.
55. When Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers are assembled with the Regular Forces of the Army in Camp or for training, they will be under the "Naval Discipline Act, 1866," in the same manner as if they were on actual service, and will be placed under the immediate command of an Officer of Her Majesty's Navy.
Camp rules will apply in all respects to the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers.
The Naval Volunteers must perform the Camp duties of fatigue, cooking, &c.
56. In case of grave misconduct of any of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers whilst on board any of H.M. ships for the purpose of training, the Officer in command of the ship will report the circumstance to the Admiralty through the usual channel.
ASSEMBLIES OF THE FORCE.
57. The Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers are not to assemble under arms for any purpose unconnected with Parade, Drill, or Rifle practice, except with the approval of the Admiralty.
58. The Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers may, when circumstances permit, be brigaded with other Forces, the sanction of the Admiralty having been previously obtained.
59. When any of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers desire to visit any Garrison or Camp as a naval body, the permission of the Secretary at War must first be obtained through the Admiralty.
Upon all occasions of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers entering a Garrison or Camp as a body, the Officer in command must duly report his arrival to the Senior Naval Officer present, or, if there is not one, he will wait on the Officer in command of the Garrison or Camp.
60. When the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers are brought together under arms at Rifle Shooting Matches, on other occasions, with other Volunteer Corps, or with any of Her Majesty's Land Forces on shore, the Officer in Command of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, present, shall take care that everyone under his command complies with all the Regulations of the Land Forces relative to the Camp or ground on which they may be, and he shall confer with the Senior Officer of the Land Forces, and act in concert with him, so that the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer may in all cases act in accordance with the orders under which the Land Forces are acting; but it is to be distinctly understood that nothing in this Regulation is to give a claim to any Officer of Her Majesty's Navy, or of any Naval Volunteer Corps, to assume command of any of Her Majesty's Land Forces, nor to any Officer of Her Majesty's Land Forces to assume command of any of Her Majesty's Naval Forces.
61. When the Volunteers, at the termination of an exercise, are to return by railway or boat to their head-quarters, the arms are to be examined, and all the ammunition which has not been expended must be collected and placed in a metal or leather case, with a view to its being conveyed in safety to the head-quarters.
STORES.
62. The Commanding Officer of a Corps is responsible to the Admiralty for all stores which are supplied by Government for the use of the Corps.
63. Each Corps will be supplied gratuitously with arms from the Government stores to the full number of its enrolled members, if required.
64. The arms to be supplied are in Appendix C.
65. Before any Government arms can be issued, it is necessary that the Admiralty shall be satisfied that one or more places of security for the custody of the arms have been provided at the expense of the Volunteers. The Drill Ships, Coast Guard Stations, or Police Stations will probably be available in some places for the purpose.
66. Commanding Officers of Corps are to apply for the arms required in the prescribed Form of Requisition given in Appendix D, addressed to the Secretary of the Admiralty.
67. The arms of a Brigade will be marked previously to their issue, and a request to that effect is to be inserted in the requisition on which the arms are demanded.
No other marks than those on them when issued are on any account to be put on the arms.
68. All arms issued to the Corps remain the property of Her Majesty's Government, and the Commanding Officer for the time being is held responsible for their being at all times in a serviceable state, and for their being returned into store when required in good condition, fair wear and tear excepted.
69. Great attention should be paid to the proper cleaning and care of the arms entrusted to the Volunteers, and the Commanding Officers are to point out to those under their command that, should rust be allowed to accumulate on any part of a rifle, it must inevitably impair the accuracy and efficiency of the weapon.
70. The arms are to be deposited after drill in the armouries of the Brigade or Corps, except when the Commanding Officer may judge it expedient to permit members of the Brigade to keep their arms at their own houses.
As the Commanding Officer is responsible for the condition of the arms, this permission may be withdrawn by him whenever he may consider it necessary.
The arms retained in private custody will be subject to inspection at any time, and they are to be examined at least once in six months by the Commanding Officer of the Brigade or Officers appointed by him for that purpose.
71. Arms requiring repair are to be deposited with the Gunner of the Drill Ship to which the Brigade is attached.
72. Repairs of arms arising from fair wear, found to be necessary in order to make the arms serviceable, will be executed free of charge; the expense of other repairs will be borne by the Corps.
73. Ammunition in the following proportion, to be reckoned from the 1st April in each year, is allowed:—
For Guns.
| For each Battery of Brigade | Shot | 100 |
| " " " | Shell | 25 |
| " " " | Blank | 30 |
or
| For each Trained Man | Shot | 4 |
| " Efficient | Shot | 2 |
| And for the Battery | Shell | 25 |
| " " | Blank | 30 |
For Small Arms.
| Gratis. | Allowed to be purchased. | Total. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For every Efficient for his first year's service | Rifled Ball | 70 | 50 | 120 |
| Blank | 10 | 50 | 60 | |
| Pistol | 100 | 100 | 200 | |
| Caps | 110 | 110 | 220 | |
| For every Efficient after his first year's service | Rifled Ball | 50 | 70 | 120 |
| Blank | 60 | 60 | ||
| Pistol | 50 | 100 | 150 | |
| Caps | 60 | 110 | 170 |
Requisitions for small arm ammunition, in accordance with the established proportion, are to be forwarded to the Commanding Officer of the nearest Drill Ship or District Coast Guard Ship for transmission to the nearest Control Officer. Special demands should be forwarded to the Secretary of the Admiralty by the Captains of the above ships for approval, on Form given in Appendix E.
74. Every Brigade is required to provide a secure place for the custody of its small arm ammunition; but in cases where the store of ammunition is sufficiently large to make it desirable that it should be stored in the magazines of any of Her Majesty's ships, used as Drill Ships for the Volunteers, Commanding Officers of such ships will afford facilities for its reception.
75. Every care is to be taken in the conveyance and general handling of ammunition, and the Regulations and customs of the Royal Navy in that respect are to be strictly adhered to.
76. Metal cylinders, or leather cartridge cases, for conveying the surplus ammunition collected from the pouches of Volunteers, under the provisions of Article 61, will be supplied at cost price.
77. No article of equipment will be returned into store for the purpose of being replaced, until it has become thoroughly unserviceable. No articles will be returned into store on account of being of an obsolete pattern without the authority of the Admiralty.
78. All arms or other stores supplied free of cost and placed in the custody of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, are, if lost, destroyed, or injured by fault or neglect, to be paid for by the Corps.
79. All demands for stores, in accordance with the established proportion allowed, are to be made out in the War Office Forms in use in Her Majesty's Navy, and are to be forwarded by the Commanding Officers of Brigades to the nearest Drill Ship or Coast Guard Ship for transmission to the nearest Control Officer. Special demands should be forwarded to the Secretary of the Admiralty for approval by the Captains of the above-named ships.
DRILL.
80. The drills of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers will comprise the drills for Great Guns, Rifle, Pistol, and Cutlass, as in the Royal Navy, and no deviation from those drills is to be permitted.
81. All drills will be carried out by the Instructors attached to the Brigades under the Officer Instructor, and when on board any of Her Majesty's ships they will be also subject to the supervision of the Commanding Officer of the ship.
82. The qualification necessary for an Efficient will be found in the Appendix F, and may be amended as the Admiralty may from time to time think necessary.
83. A Badge of Efficiency will be worn by men who were returned as "Efficient" in the last Annual Return of the Brigade.
The Badge will consist of a chevron of silver lace worn on the right arm above the wrist.
Men who have been five times returned as efficient may wear one star, and those who have been returned ten times may wear two stars above the badge.
84. Volunteers who pass the examination for Trained Man, as in the Royal Navy, will be so designated, and will wear two chevrons of silver lace on the right arm above the wrist.
85. Every Volunteer must attend at least two drills a month until he has obtained the standard of an "Efficient."
86. No firing practice with great guns is to be carried on by Volunteers, except under the superintendence of an Officer of the Royal Navy, or of an Officer Instructor of Volunteers, unless a relaxation of this rule has been especially sanctioned by the Admiralty.
87. Sword bayonets are not to be worn at gun-drill, or when moving powder.
No smoking is on any account to be allowed in the vicinity of magazines or cases containing powder.
No persons are to be allowed to congregate round barrels or cases containing powder.
Powder cases or barrels are not to be opened either inside a magazine, or immediately outside the door.
ALLOWANCES.
88. When on actual service the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers will receive the same pay, allowances, and victuals as the Officers and Continuous Service Seamen of the ranks and ratings in the Royal Navy of relative rank, and will have the same means of allotting pay to wives, relatives and friends, and whilst on actual service will be treated in the same manner in every respect.
89. When not on actual service and embarked on board any of Her Majesty's ships for more than forty-eight hours, the Volunteers will be victualled for the whole time they are so embarked, or receive compensation for provisions at the rate of 1s. 6d. per day; but when they are embarked for less than forty-eight hours, they will not receive victuals or an allowance in lieu.