A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery
A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery | |
---|---|
Active | 1 February 1793 – present |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Artillery |
Size | Battery |
Part of | 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery |
Anniversaries | Formation Day (1793) 1 February |
Equipment | AS-90 |
Battle honours | Ubique |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Hew Dalrymple Ross |
A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery is the senior Battery in the
History
Formation and early years
A Troop, Royal Horse Artillery was raised as The Chestnut Troop at Woolwich on 1 February 1793.[1] In 1798 the troop saw action in the Irish Rebellion and in 1799 it fought in the Netherlands. In 1806, Hew Dalrymple Ross assumed command of the unit which he led during campaigns in Spain, Portugal and France. Ross was later knighted and promoted to field marshal.[2] After 1809, it fought in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo. Between 1855 and 1856 it fought in the Crimean War.[3]
World War I
The outbreak of the First World War saw the unit, now enlarged to a battery, deployed to France in 1914. It served during all four years, firing its last round at Orrs on 4 November 1918.[3]
Between the two World Wars
In 1919 the battery was deployed in North West Persia as part of the
World War II
The battery was deployed to France, serving with the British Expeditionery Force until the evacuation from Dunkirk. Later in 1940, the battery was sent to Egypt as part of the Desert Rats. In 1941, it fought as part of the Siege of Tobruk. The battery served continuously in the Western Desert especially in El Alamein in 1942. After El Alamein, elements of the battery were seconded to the newly formed "Long Range Desert Group" because of their intimate knowledge of the desert and survival skills. Afterwards, it was then re-equipped with 105mm SP guns before fighting in Italy for the rest of the World War.[5]
Post war
In the post-war period the battery served in Egypt, the United Kingdom and Germany. Most significantly, between 1965 and 1967 it was deployed to Aden.
See also
- British Army
- Royal Artillery
- Royal Horse Artillery
- List of Royal Artillery Batteries
References
- ISBN 9781781491751.
- ^ "No. 23340". The London Gazette. 7 January 1868. p. 53.
- ^ a b c "Royal Horse Artillery". British Empire. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- OL 25432016M
- ^ "Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division". Desert Rats. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery". British Army Units 1945 on. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
Bibliography
- Clarke, W.G. (1993). Horse Gunners: The Royal Horse Artillery, 200 Years of Panache and Professionalism. Woolwich: The Royal Artillery Institution. ISBN 09520762-0-9.
External links
- "1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Retrieved 18 November 2015.