The 9th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery is an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

. It draws lineage from an artillery unit raised in 1903, which provided personnel to artillery units raised for service during

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 ...

seeing action on the Western Front. It was mobilised for service 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 opposin ...

and undertook defensive duties in Australia before being disbanded in 1944. The regiment was re-raised as part of the

Australian Army Reserve The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

in 2018, and currently provides artillery support to the 2nd Division. It consists of six light batteries, which are based at numerous depots around the country. The regiment's headquarters is based in Sydney, New South Wales.

History

First World War

The regiment draws its lineage from the 4th Artillery Brigade that was formed on 1 July 1903 at Victoria Barracks in Sydney. During the

First World War 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 ...

, a large number of the unit's personnel volunteered with the all volunteer Australian Imperial Force and in 1914 a large cadre of trained personnel were provided to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, which was assigned to the 1st Division. This unit went on to serve at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

and on the Western Front. The 9th Field Artillery Brigade, consisting of the 33rd, 34th and 35th Field Batteries, and the 118th Field Howitzer Battery, was also raised in 1916 for service on the Western Front, as part of the 3rd Division. The current regiment claims lineage with this unit. The 3rd Division undertook training in the United Kingdom in mid- to late-1916, before deploying to the Western Front in December 1916; as a result, it missed the fighting on the Somme. Shortly after the division's arrival, the 9th Field Artillery Brigade was disbanded in mid-January 1917 when the decision was made to consolidate the number of guns within each battery and reduce the number of artillery brigades in each division.

Second World War

In 1921, after the AIF was demobilised, Australia's part-time military forces were reorganised. At this time, the 9th Field Brigade was raised at Paddington, assigned to the 2nd Division, and served throughout the interwar years as part of the Militia. During the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

, the 2/9th Field Regiment was raised as part of the all-volunteer

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

. This unit undertook active service in the Middle East and undertook garrison duties in Australia. Meanwhile, the separate 9th Field Brigade was reorganised as the 9th Field Regiment in February 1941, initially consisting of the 19th and 20th Batteries. It was mobilised for defensive duties in December 1941 after Japan's entry into the war. Around this time, the regiment was assigned to the 1st Division. Initially, the two batteries were deployed to support the 28th Brigade around

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

and the 9th Brigade defending the northern beaches around Sydney. A third battery – the 21st – was raised in January 1942, and after the regiment was relieved of its defensive positions, it concentrated at Wallgrove and undertook training under the command of the 2nd Division. After this, the regiment was returned to the 1st Division, and the defensive plan changed, resulting in the regimental headquarters moved to St Ives, and the batteries deployed to support the 9th Brigade. The regiment was moved several times during the final months of 1942, firstly to

Pymble Pymble is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pymble is north of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. West Pymble is a separate suburb ...

and then

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

, and early the following year the 19th Battery supported amphibious warfare training at Port Stephens. A number of personnel were transferred at this time to the 1st Field Regiment and the 2nd Mountain Battery for service in New Guinea. Meanwhile, the regiment continued home service, providing training to underage soldiers before they were posted to operational units. The 20th Battery was detached and converted into a depot battery for the School of Artillery at Holsworthy, and in December 1943 the regiment moved to

Dapto Dapto is a suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size. As at the , the suburb had a population of 10,730. History ...

. They remained there until May 1944 when they moved to

Narellan Narellan is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Narellan is located 60 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Camden Council and is part of the Macarthur region. Narellan is known for it ...

. The regiment was disbanded there in April 1944, while the 20th Battery was disbanded at Holsworthy after being relieved by the 53rd Battery.

21st Century

The regiment was re-raised on 15 January 2018 to provide a regimental headquarters for all

mortar-equipped light batteries assigned to the 2nd Division. To mark the event, a formal ceremony was held at Victoria Barracks in Sydney on 14 April 2018. The same month, Bayside Council announced that they would grant the regiment Freedom of Entry to the city in 2019. Headquartered at Sydney, the regiment currently commands six light batteries: the 2nd/10th, 3rd, 5th/11th, 6th/13th, 7th, and 23rd, which are based at various depots around the country where they support local 2nd Division units.

Structure

* 2nd/10th Battery * 3rd Battery * 5th/11th Battery * 6th/13th Battery * 7th Battery * 23rd Battery

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:9th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery Artillery regiments of Australia Military units and formations established in 1903 1903 establishments in Australia