IT was all matters military at St Mary's Church in Prestwich recently when it hosted a special church service.

On Sunday, September 18, a service was held as part of the bicentenary celebrations of the 103rd Lancashire Artillery Volunteers Regiment, Royal Artillery.

Prestwich Heritage Society secretary Mrs Sandra Grimshaw gives an insight into the history of this regiment:

Founded in 1779 by Sir Thomas Egerton of Heaton Park, it was originally named The Heaton Volunteers - Little Heaton being the name of the village now known as Simister.

The main reasons for the raising of many volunteer regiments at that time was directly as a result of the American War of Independence.

By 1783, Sir Thomas Egerton had become Lord Grey de Wilton and the regiment was disbanded.

However, some ten years later events in Europe had taken a serious turn; 1789 saw the beginning of the French Revolution and in 1793 King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined.

Out of the Revolution came Napoleon Bonaparte and such was the concern from Parliament that in 1794 Lord Wilton was ordered by King George III to raise a regiment that was to be known as the Royal Lancashire Volunteers.

Initially the regiment served in Ireland for five years and returned to England in 1802. Although an attack by Napoleon never took place, the army was prepared for invasion and in 1804 the Duke of Gloucester reviewed Lord Egerton's regiment along with the volunteer regiments of Manchester and Salford on Sale Moor on April 12.

The regiment was then posted to Portugal where they joined the Duke of Wellington's army and served through the Peninsular War.

The Grand Review was celebrated in Heaton Park earlier this year with a 21-gun salute in the presence of today's Duke of Gloucester.

The recent service in St Mary's was in memory of the Earl of Wilton and was attended by present day members of the regiment which still bears the name of the Lancashire Volunteers.