Only a few men at Easdale would have known the Artillery Volunteers from their creation in 1860 until they were stood down in 1908. John Brown was one.
He was an eight-year-old boy in 1860, living on Easdale Island. He would have watched as three huge 32-pounder guns were delivered by ship just yards from his home. He would have seen drill halls being built, first at Ellenabeich and then a second on Easdale Island, which opened in May 1870.
May 1870 was special for another reason: his 18th birthday was on the 21st. It was the very day he enrolled as a part-time soldier in the Volunteers. He completed recruit training in just five months and then took his place as a member of an eight-man gun detachment.
We know he had an eye for gunnery. He was one of the few gunners allowed both to aim and fire a 32-pounder at a firing practice in 1879, and the report suggests he was accurate. He had an eye for rifle shooting too. Two years earlier he had won the carbine competition and was presented with an inscribed pocket-watch, which survives to this day.
John Brown earned promotion to corporal in 1860. Nine years later he passed the Proficiency Exam and was promoted to sergeant on the same day.
Just eighteen months later, on 11 March 1891, he was promoted to company sergeant-major. His first six months were particularly busy, for new 64-pounder guns had just been issued to replace the old 32-pounders. He had greater responsibility than was normal for a sergeant-major, because at that time Easdale had only one junior officer to command both companies.
The Volunteer Long Service Medal was introduced in 1894 and he was one of the first to receive it. This silver medal, suspended from a plain green ribbon, was awarded for twenty or more years’ service. Its front bears Queen Victoria’s effigy and on the back are the words ‘For Long Service in the Volunteer Force’.
John Brown’s service ended on 20 May 1902, the day before his fiftieth birthday. It was the last possible day that he could serve in the Volunteers. John Brown had seen the Volunteers raised in 1860. He watched as they stood down in 1908. He had served with them loyally for thirty-two years. 
Above – just above the right cuff of his uniform are the Efficiency stars and badge – visible proof of exemplary service. The diamond-shaped badge was earned each year by attending a minimum number of drills (training periods) as well as artillery firing, rifle shooting and the annual inspection. The six stars show how many years he had been declared efficient: one star for every five years.
Top photo – the inscription on the rim of his Volunteer Long Service Medal. It reads: CSM John Brown No 1 Coy Argyle Artillery Easdale 1894.