CONSTITUTION AND ESTABLISHMENT.
Authority.
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.
Liability to Actual Service.
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.
Corps, definition of.
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.
Enrolled members are persons of every grade, whose names are duly entered for service in the muster-rolls of a Corps.
Honorary Members.
Honorary members are persons who contribute to the funds of a Corps, but are not enrolled for service.
Formation.
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.
How to be named.
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.
Commanding Officers.
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.
Establishment.
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.