M Battery Royal Horse Artillery
M Battery Second World War
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Battle honours | Ubique |
M (Headquarters) Battery Royal Horse Artillery is the
History
Madras Horse Artillery
M Battery, Royal Horse Artillery was formed on 23 January 1809 as 2nd
As a result of the
Late Victorian era
The battery was stationed at
From 1866, the term "
The brigade system was finally abolished on 1 July 1889. Henceforth, batteries were designated in a single alphabetical sequence in order of seniority from date of formation[11] and the battery took on its final designation as M Battery, Royal Horse Artillery.[2]
Equipped with six
Early 20th century
The brigade system was reintroduced on 1 March 1901, this time as tactical formations, and the battery was assigned to the XIV Brigade-Division, RHA (redesignated as
By the time the
Inter-war period
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/3.7inchHowitzerTowedByLightDragonTractor.jpg/220px-3.7inchHowitzerTowedByLightDragonTractor.jpg)
In the aftermath of the First World War, the Royal Horse Artillery was reorganized as it returned to pre-war levels and the battery was assigned to I Brigade, RHA. Further reductions saw the RHA shrink to five brigades (of three batteries each) by March 1920;[27] VIII Brigade, RHA was absorbed in I Brigade[16] and, in particular, M Battery absorbed AA Battery[f] on 4 January 1920 (the batteries were separated again on 11 May 1938).[2][28]
By March 1920, the battery was overseas again, in Egypt.
Two significant changes occurred in 1938. Firstly, artillery brigades were reorganized from three six-gun batteries to two 12-gun batteries. Rather than disband existing batteries, they were instead linked in pairs. As a result, M Battery was linked with
Second World War
By the outbreak of the
In January 1940, the
The regiment left the 7th Support Group on 8 February 1942 (the day before it was reformed as the
It later took part in Operation Overlord.[1]
Post war
In 1993, the battery was amalgamated with the
See also
- British Army
- Royal Artillery
- Royal Horse Artillery
- List of Royal Artillery Batteries
- Madras Horse Artillery Batteries
Notes
- ^ The original Horse Brigade Royal Artillery formed 1st Horse Brigade RA, the 1st Brigade Bengal Horse Artillery became 2nd Horse Brigade RA, the Madras Horse Artillery became 3rd Horse Brigade RA, the Bombay Horse Artillery became 4th Horse Brigade RA and the 2nd Brigade Bengal Horse Artillery became 5th Horse Brigade RA. The 3rd Brigade Bengal Horse Artillery was split between 2nd and 5th Horse Brigades RA. These brigades performed an administrative, rather than tactical, role.[4]
- F Brigade.[7]
- ^ Of the 10 RHA batteries that took part in the Second Boer War:[14]
- A, J and M Batteries were unbrigaded
- T and U Batteries were assigned to 1st Cavalry Brigade
- P Batteries were assigned to 2nd Cavalry Brigade
- O and R Batteries were assigned to 3rd Cavalry Brigade
- ^ Of the other eight RHA batteries in India in August 1914:
- I Indian Brigade RHA assigned to 1st Indian Cavalry Division and sent to the Western Front in 1914[20]
- II Indian Brigade RHA assigned to 2nd Indian Cavalry Division and sent to the Western Front in 1914[21]
- S Battery served with 6th Indian Cavalry Brigade in Mesopotamia from February 1915[22]
- W Battery served with 11th Indian Cavalry Brigade in Mesopotamia from November 1917[23]
- ^ A Subsection consisted of a single gun and limber drawn by six horses (with three drivers), eight gunners (riding on the limber or mounted on their own horses), and an ammunition wagon also drawn by six horses (with three drivers).[24] Two Subsections formed a Section and in a six gun battery these would be designated as Left, Centre and Right Sections.[13]
- ^ From 1 July 1889, RHA batteries were lettered in a single alphabetical sequence in order of seniority from date of formation.[11] When more than 26 batteries were needed, double letters were used, AA,[28] BB,[29] etc.
References
- ^ a b c d "3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Clarke 1993, p. 101
- ^ Clarke 1993, pp. 100–109
- ^ Frederick 1984, pp. 428–429
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 139
- ^ a b c d "M (Headquarters) Battery History". 3 RHA Past & Present Members Association. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ^ a b Clarke 1993, p. 53
- ^ Frederick 1984, p. 431
- ^ Frederick 1984, p. 433
- ^ Frederick 1984, p. 435
- ^ a b Clarke 1993, p. 54
- ^ "Battle of Paardenburg". British Battles.com. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Clarke 1993, p. 45
- ^ a b Clarke 1993, p. 55
- ^ "Royal Horse Artillery - M Battery". Anglo Boer War website. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ a b Frederick 1984, p. 445
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 142
- ^ Conrad, Mark (1996). "The British Army, 1914". Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 36
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 14
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 18
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 31
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 30
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 43
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 60
- ^ Perry 1993, p. 38
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 62
- ^ a b Clarke 1993, p. 99
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 100
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 119
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 120
- ^ a b c Clarke 1993, p. 131
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 50
- ^ Clarke 1993, p. 151
- ^ Joslen 1990, p. 469
- ^ a b c Joslen 1990, p. 19
- ^ Joslen 1990, p. 130
- ^ a b Joslen 1990, p. 218
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.
- Frederick, J.B.M. (1984). Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978. Wakefield, Yorkshire: Microform Academic Publishers. ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
- Joslen, Lt-Col H.F. (1990) [1st. Pub. ISBN 0-948130-03-2.
- Perry, F.W. (1993). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions. Newport, Gwent: Ray Westlake Military Books. ISBN 1-871167-23-X.
External links
- "3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- "M (Headquarters) Battery History". 3 RHA Past & Present Members Association. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- A. Young. "3rd Regiment RHA". British Army units from 1945 on. Retrieved 20 November 2015.