14th Regiment Royal Artillery is a training regiment within the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, part of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

History

14 Regiment Royal Artillery was formed in Woolwich in March 1900, with roots traced through the history of 28th Field Brigade, which saw action in virtually every major battle on the Western Front during the four years of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as part of the East Africa campaign. Of note, the regiment was heavily involved with 25 pounder guns in the successful

Battle of Keren The Battle of Keren ( it, Battaglia di Cheren) took place from 3 February to 27 March 1941. Keren was attacked by the British during the East African Campaign of the Second World War. A force of Italian regular and colonial troops defended th ...

in Spring 1941. Renamed '14th Field Regiment Royal Artillery' in 1947, it has also served in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, Aden and later in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Following disbandment in 1971, 14th Field Regiment Royal Artillery was reformed at

Larkhill Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It lies about west of the centre of Durrington village and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury. The settlement ...

in December 1984 as the Training Support Regiment for the

Royal School of Artillery The Royal School of Artillery (RSA) is the principal training establishment for artillery warfare in the British Army. Established in 1915, it is located at Larkhill, Wiltshire, on the south edge of Salisbury Plain in the United Kingdom. The Scho ...

. Initially, it was composed of 1st

Battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

RA "The Blazers", 132 (The Bengal Rocket Troop) Battery and 176 (Abu Klea) Battery.

Batteries

The batteries are as follows: *1st Battery RA, "THE BLAZERS" the Regimental Headquarter Battery *24 (Irish) Battery RA - Royal Artillery Initial Trade Training *34 (Seringapatam) Battery RA - Training Support Battery

1st Battery RA "The Blazers"

1st Battery RA “THE BLAZERS” is the HQ Bty of 14 Regt RA. Its role previously was to provide the weapons troop but this was changed in January 2018.

24 (Irish) Battery RA

The Phase 2 training establishment for the Royal Artillery. It is the Battery's role to supply the Field Army with professionally trained individuals through its Trade Training in the following areas: *Gunnery (Strike - Surface to surface) *Communications/Signals (Gunner Command Systems) *Driving (Car and Light Goods Vehicles) Organisation The Battery is currently formed with the command element made up of the Battery Commander, and the Battery Sergeant Major. Under the Battery HQ element, there are two main areas. Firstly, the 'Trade Troop', managed by a captain, troop commander, responsible for all Trade training, including driver training, for Phase 2 soldiers. Secondly there is the 'Intake Troop', also run by a captain troop commander who manages all other aspects of Phase 2 training at The Royal School of Artillery.

34 (Seringapatam) Battery RA

At present, the battery operates as the lone firing battery within 14 Regiment. It has 100 members drawn from every Regiment within the Royal Regiment of Artillery. This includes Close Support, General Support, STA,

Air Defence Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

, Parachute and

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units, which gives the sub-unit a unique perspective and is the largest Battery in the Royal Artillery. Equipment *4 x

AS90 The AS-90 ("Artillery System for the 1990s"), known officially as Gun Equipment 155 mm L131, is an armoured self-propelled artillery weapon used by the British Army. It can fire standard charges up to using 39 calibre long barrel (comp ...

*12 x

L118 light gun The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in England for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a different ...

The battery has an extensive diary of varied firing commitments supporting not only the

, but also The Infantry Training Centre (ITC) at

Warminster Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-c ...

, the School of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop, The Royal Military Academy (RMAS) at

Sandhurst, Berkshire Sandhurst is a town and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough in Berkshire, England. It is in the south eastern corner of Berkshire, and is situated west-southwest of central London, north west of Camberley and south of Bracknell ...

, The Royal Military College of Science (RMCS) at

Shrivenham Shrivenham is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Faringdon. The village is close to the county boundary with Wiltshire and about east-northeast of Swindon. The 2011 Census recorde ...

and many others. The battery also supports RSA courses such as Young Officers (YOs), Gunnery Careers Course (GCC), Artillery Command Systems (ACS), Strike and Targeting. High-profile visits are commonplace, and the battery is unique in firing a bombard demonstration, whereby visitors are sealed in a hardened bunker and then shelled in a striking demonstration of the effects of artillery fire.

References

External links

Official website
{{British Army Artillery Regiments Royal Artillery regiments Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Korean War Training regiments of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1947 Training regiments of the Royal Artillery