An Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA) was a

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

military formation 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 ...

and shortly thereafter. Generally assigned to

Army corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

, an AGRA provided the medium and heavy artillery to higher formations within the British Army.

Background

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 ...

had been the first artillery war, in which the British

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 ...

(RA) advanced enormously in technological and tactical sophistication. Independent Heavy and Siege batteries of the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

(RGA) were grouped into Heavy Artillery Groups, later termed brigades, under the command of a lieutenant-colonel, at the disposal of

Army Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

. Despite much debate, no higher organisational command structure was evolved. By the time of the

, the RGA had been integrated into the RA, and brigades of heavy and siege guns became regiments of medium and heavy artillery, with more modern equipment. There was still an absence of a higher command structure, and a need for one for the central control of artillery above the division had become apparent to the British Expeditionary Force during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

in 1940 and in the early part of the Western Desert Campaign.

Concept

The AGRA concept was developed during Exercise Bumper held in the UK in 1941, organised by General

Alan Brooke Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, (23 July 1883 – 17 June 1963), was a senior officer of the British Army. He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, during the Sec ...

(a gunner), the commander of Home Forces, with Lieutenant-General

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...

as chief umpire. This large anti-invasion exercise tested many of the tactical concepts that would be used by the British Army in the latter stages of the war. The RA developed what became the AGRA, a powerful artillery brigade, usually comprising three medium regiments and one field regiment, which could dominate the battlefield and have the fire power for counter-battery bombardments. AGRAs were improvised until 26 November 1942, when they were officially sanctioned, to consist of a commander and staff to control non-divisional artillery.

Service

AGRAs made their debut with First Army in the

Mediterranean Theatre of Operations The Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre was a major Theater (warfare)#Theater of operations, theatre of operations during the Second World War. The vast size of the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre saw interconnected naval, land, and air ...

and the concept was adopted during the

North West Europe Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically. Geographic definitions Geographically, Northw ...

and

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

campaigns.Farndale, ''Far East''. An AGRA usually had three medium artillery regiments, one heavy artillery regiment and one field artillery regiment. It was commanded by a brigadier and was transferred at need from corps to corps within an army. Each corps in the line usually had an AGRA and when especially heavy fire support was needed, one AGRA could be used to reinforce another, as in

Operation Baytown Operation Baytown was an Allied amphibious landing on the mainland of Italy that took place on 3 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy, itself part of the Italian Campaign, during the Second World War. Planning The attack was ...

, the initial attack on the Italian mainland, when two AGRAs fired across the

Straits of Messina The Strait of Messina ( it, Stretto di Messina, Sicilian: Strittu di Missina) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily (Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria ( Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Se ...

from Sicily or in

Operation Undergo Operation Undergo was an attack by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on the German garrison and fortifications of the French port of Calais, during September 1944. A subsidiary operation was executed to capture German long-range, heavy artille ...

, the battle for Calais in 1944. As the British Army manpower shortage developed, the weight of fire that an AGRA could add to an attack became increasingly important.Fraser, p. 322. AGRAs were not originally provided with their own

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

(REME) workshops, and experience proved that this was a mistake in theatres with limited support services, such as the Italian Front. Switching large groupings of artillery from one corps to another put immense strain on the corps' own REME, and later the AGRAs in Italy were provided with their own workshops, though not specifically attached to any particular AGRA.

Commonwealth AGRAs

Canadian corps artillery was also referred to as an AGRA and was composed of units of the

Royal Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/The ...

as well as the Royal Artillery. Canada had two AGRAs in the Second World War, one in Italy as part of

I Canadian Corps I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War. History From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I C ...

and North West Europe from March 1945 and the other only in North West Europe with

II Canadian Corps II Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I Corps (United Kingdom), I (British) Corps (August 1, 1944 to April 1, 1945) and I Canadian Corps (April 6, 1943 to November 1943, and April 1, 1945 until the end of hostilities), ...

. After the war, 59th AGRA appears to have been transferred to the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

in 1946, becoming 59 Army Group

Royal Indian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery, generally known as the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA), was an operational corps of the British Indian Army. The East India Company raised the first regular company of Artillery in 1748, with a small percentage ...

, retitled 2 Army Group RIA the following year. At Independence in 1947, the order of battle of the RIA included 1 AGRIA, 2 AGRIA and 11 AGRIA (AA).

List of AGRAs during the Second World War

Where known, with area of operation and dates formed and disbanded. * 1st AGRA – formed 29 August 1942 at Hamilton Park,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

; Tunisia and Italy; redesignated 3 AGRA (Field) 1 January 1947, disbanded in Central Mediterranean Forces (CMF) 29 October 1947Frederick, pp. 965–6. * 2nd AGRA – formed 28 August 1942 at Scotch Corner Hotel,

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

; Tunisia and Italy; redesignated postwar as HQ 180 Infantry Brigade * 3rd AGRA – formed at 49 Frant Road,

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

, 11 February 1943; North-West Europe, usually attached to

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII ...

; disbanded in

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...

(BAOR) 15 August 1946Ellis, Appendix IV. * 4th AGRA – formed at Clyde Hotel,

Bothwell Bothwell is a conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, east-south-east of Glasgow city centre. Description and history An ancie ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

, 22 February 1943; North-West Europe, usually attached to

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

; disbanded in BAOR 18 February 1946 * 5th AGRA – formed in Italy 11 February 1943 as HQ AGRA; numbered 17 March 1943; North-West Europe, usually attached to XXX Corps; disbanded in BAOR 15 April 1946 * 6th AGRA – formed in Middle East 15 March 1943 as 'B' HQ AGRA, numbered 17 March 1943; Italy; disbanded in CMF 1 November 1945 * 7th AGRA – formed in

Paiforce Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II. Background During World War I, the British Army defeated the Ottoman Army in the Middl ...

as 'P' HQ AGRA 13 January 1943, numbered 22 March 1943; Italy; redesignated postwar as HQ 181 Infantry Brigade in CMF * 8th AGRA – formed at

Brandeston Hall Brandeston Hall is a grade II* listed house in Old Maids Lane, Brandeston, Suffolk, England. The Hall is the former manor house of Brandeston but is now used for educational purposes. The original house was built around 1550 for Andrew Revett, b ...

Woodbridge, Suffolk Woodbridge is a port and market town in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is up the River Deben from the sea. It lies north-east of Ipswich and forms part of the wider Ipswich built-up area. The town is c ...

, 1 May 1943 from HQ RA

54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division The 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 following the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) as the East Anglian Division. During the First World War the division fo ...

; North-West Europe, usually attached to

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Ar ...

; disbanded 20 November 1945 * 9th AGRA – formed at

Brodsworth Hall Brodsworth Hall, near Brodsworth, north-west of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, is one of the most complete surviving examples of a Victorian country house in England. It is virtually unchanged since the 1860s. It was designed in the Italianat ...

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, 1 May 1943 from HQ RA

79th Armoured Division The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Major-General Percy Hob ...

; North-West Europe attached to

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

; disbanded in BAOR 15 April 1946 * 10th AGRA – formed in Middle East as 'C' AGRA 1 June 1943, numbered 10 July 1943; Italy; units absorbed by 7th AGRA March 1945; HQ disbanded in UK 3 October 1945 * 11th AGRA – formed 1944; Far East * 15th AGRA – formed 1944; Middle East * 16th AGRA – formed at

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

23 August 1943 from HQ Northumbrian District (Artillery) 28 August 1943; Far East; disbanded 1 January 1947 * 17th AGRA – formed from HQ Super Heavy Group RA, 7 March 1945; North West Europe; disbanded in BAOR 9 January 1946 * 18th AGRA – formed at Sefton Park, Buckinghamshire, 28 March 1945; disbanded 27 September 1945 * 59th AGRA – formed 25 August 1944 from HQ RA

59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division The 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was formed during the Second World War and fought in the Battle of Normandy. In March 1939, after Germany re-emerged as a significant military power an ...

; North-West Europe and Far East * 60th AGRA – formed in India 20 August 1945 from 9th Anti-Aircraft (AA) Brigade; Far EastRoutledge, p. 249. * 61st AGRA – formed in India 20 August 1945 from 24th AA Brigade; Far East * 1st Canadian Army Group Royal Artillery – Italy, North-West Europe (from March 1945) * 2nd Canadian Army Group Royal Artillery – North-West Europe usually attached to

The 107th Anti-Aircraft Brigade acted as an AGRA during the Siege of Dunkirk in 1944–45, controlling field and medium artillery as well as AA units firing in both the AA and medium roles.

List of postwar AGRAs

After the Second World War, AGRAs were mainly used to control Territorial Army (TA) units, particularly AA units that did not form part of

Anti-Aircraft Command Anti-Aircraft Command (AA Command, or "Ack-Ack Command") was a British Army command of the Second World War that controlled the Territorial Army anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight formations and units defending the United Kingdom. Origin ...

. Later, a few were created in the regular Army for the

(BAOR). * 1 AGRA (Field) – formed at

Troon Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O Ferrie ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

, 31 May2 1955 from 68 AA Brigade (the wartime 42nd AA Brigade); joined BAOR 1958; became 1 Artillery Brigade 4 October 1961AA Brigades at British Army 1945 on.
* 2 AGRA (AA) – formed 9 December 1954 from Canal Line; suspended animation 1 February 1955; reformed at

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

as 'Y' AGRA (AA) 21 March, numbered by 15 July 1955; suspended animation at Warrington 1 April 1959, formally disbanded 1 January 1962AGRAs at British Army 1945 on.
Routledge, Table LXXV, p. 442. * 3 AGRA (Fd) – formed at Glencorse, Edinburgh 1 January 1951; redesignated 3rd Artillery Bde 4 October 1961 * 4 AGRA (Fd) – formed in BAOR 18 August 1947 from HQ RA Hamburg District; redesignated HQ RA 7th Armoured Division 1 April 1950 * 5 AGRA (AA) – formed in BAOR 1 November 1950 from HQ 5th AA Bde; suspended animation 31 March 1958, formally disbanded 1 January 1962 * 7th Army Group Royal Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) – 7 AGRA had been established in August 1944 in Italy. Postwar, it was formed at Orsett Camp,

Grays, Essex Grays (or Grays Thurrock) is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England. The town which is both a former civil parish and one of Thurrock's traditional Church of England parishes is located on the north ...

, from 7 AA Bde as 'Z' AGRA (AA) 15 July 1955, numbered 1 November 1955. Watson and Rinaldi record that 7 AGRA (AA) moved to Germany in September 1961. 7 AGRA (AA) was redesignated 7th Artillery Bde (Anti-Aircraft) with its headquarters in Gutersloh the next month, on 4 October 1961. On 1 September 1977, both 1st Artillery Brigade and 7th Artillery Brigade (AA) were disbanded, and their units absorbed by the new 1st Artillery Division which had its headquarters at

Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...

.Watson and Rinaldi, p. 77 Active again as a brigade by 1999, and eventually became

7th Air Defence Group 7th Air Defence Group (7 AD Gp) is a formation of the British Army and part of 3rd (United Kingdom) Division. It is responsible for all the army's ground based air defence assets. All of the organisation's subordinate units are drawn from the Roy ...

. * 40 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at Warrington 1 April 1959, disbanded 1 May 1961Lord & Watson, pp 197–201. * 41st (Anti-Aircraft) Army Group Royal Artillery (TA) – formed at

Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south ...

on 1 August 1955 from 74th Anti-Aircraft Brigade as 'W' AGRA (AA). About 1955, it included 282nd (Welsh) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery;

245th (Ulster) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery The 8th (Belfast) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Territorial Army (United Kingdom), Supplementary Reserve), was founded in the wake of the Munich Agreement, Munich crisis, and recruited mainly in the spring of 1939 from young men o ...

;

442nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 442 may refer to: * 442 (number) * AD 442, a year in the 5th century of the Gregorian calendar * 442 BC, a year in the pre-Julian Roman calendar * Area code 442 * 4-4-2, a football formation Astronomy *442 Eichsfeldia, a large asteroid Media L ...

; 443rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery; and 444th (Staffordshire) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. It was disbanded on 1 May 1961. * 42 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

as 'V' AGRA (AA) 1 August 1955 from 69th Anti-Aircraft Brigade. It was disbanded on 1 May 1961. * 84 (Fd) AGRA (Highland) (TA) – formed at

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

1 January 1947; disbanded 3 June 1950Watson.Litchfield, Appendix 5. * 85 (Fd) AGRA (Lowland) (TA) – formed at

Townhead Townhead ( gd, Ceann a' Bhaile, sco, Tounheid) is an area of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated immediately north-east of Glasgow city centre and contains a residential sector (redeveloped from an older neighbourhood in the mid 20th ...

, Glasgow, 1 January 1947; became HQ RA

52nd (Lowland) Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowland ...

1 July 1950 * 86 (Fd) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

1 January 1947 from HQ RA 46th Infantry Division; disbanded 31 October 1956 * 87 (Fd) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

1 January 1947 from HQ RA

55th (West Lancashire) Division The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the out ...

; disbanded 1 May 1961 * 88 (Fd) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

1 January 1947; disbanded 31 October 1956 * 89 (Fd) AGRA (TA) – formed at London 1 January 1947; became HQ RA

54th (East Anglian) Division The 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division was raised in 1908 following the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) as the East Anglian Division. During the First World War the division fo ...

31 October 1956 * 90 (Fd) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Newbury, Berkshire Newbury is a market town in the county of Berkshire, England, and is home to the administrative headquarters of West Berkshire Council. The town centre around its large market square retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbere ...

, 1 January 1947; disbanded 31 October 1956 * 91 (Fd) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, 1 January 1947; disbanded 1 August 1950 Included 342

Royal Devon Yeomanry The Royal Devon Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1920. It participated in the Second World War and now forms a squadron of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry. History Formation Following the experience of the First World Wa ...

Medium Regiment RA TA. * 92 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

1 January 1947; disbanded 9 September 1948 * 93 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

, 1 January 1947; became 93 AA Brigade 1 September 1948 * 94 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury. Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish o ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, 1 January 1947; disbanded 9 September 1948 * 95 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Newport, Monmouthshire Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2011 census, Newport is the third-largest au ...

, 1 January 1947; became 95 AA Brigade 1 September 1948 * 96 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

1 January 1947; disbanded at Manchester 31 October 1955 * 97 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

, 1 January 1947; disbanded 5 December 1950 * 98 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, 1 January 1947; disbanded 9 September 1948 * 99 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Southborough, Kent Southborough is a town and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. It lies immediately to the north of the town of Tunbridge Wells and includes the district of High Brooms, with the A26 road passing through it. Accordin ...

, 1 January 1947; became 99 AA Brigade 1 September 1948 * 100 (AA) AGRA (TA) – formed at

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

1 January 1947; disbanded 9 September 1948

Notes

References

Sir Arthur Bryant Sir Arthur Wynne Morgan Bryant, (18 February 1899 – 22 January 1985) was an English historian, columnist for ''The Illustrated London News'' and man of affairs. His books included studies of Samuel Pepys, accounts of English eighteenth- and ...

, ''The Turn of the Tide, 1939–1943'', London: Collins, 1957. * * Richard Doherty, ''Hobart's 79th Armoured Division at War: Invention, Innovation and Inspiration'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2011, . * Major L. F. Ellis, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: Victory in the West'', Vol II: ''The Defeat of Germany'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1968/Uckfield: Naval & Military, 2004, . * * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Western Front 1914–18'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1986, . * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Years of Defeat: Europe and North Africa, 1939–1941'', Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988/London: Brasseys, 1996, . * Gen Sir Martin Farndale, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: The Far East Theatre 1939–1946'', London: Brasseys, 2002, . * Gen Sir David Fraser, ''And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War'', London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1983, . * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol II, Wakefield, Microform Academic, 1984, . * John Philip Jones, ''Battles of a gunner officer: Tunisia, Sicily, Normandy and the long road to Germany'', Barnsley: Praetorian Press, 2014, . * Chris Kempton, ''A Register of Titles of The Units of the H.E.I.C. and Indian Armies, 1666–1947, (British Empire & Commonwealth Museum Research Paper Number 1), Bristol: British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, 1997, . * Norman E.H. Litchfield, ''The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges)'', Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, . * Cliff Lord & Graham Watson, ''Royal Corps of Signals: Unit Histories of the Corps (1920–2001) and its Antecedents'', Solihull: Helion, 2003, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony,''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol V: ''The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and the Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1973/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Brig C.J.C. Molony, ''History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series: The Mediterranean and Middle East'', Vol VI: ''Victory in the Mediterranean, Part I: 1st April to 4th June 1944'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1987/Uckfield, Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, . {{refend

External links

British Army units from 1945 on

British and Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

Derek Barton, ''Royal Artillery 1939–1945''

– ''dead link 30 March 2016'' Units and formations of the Royal Artillery Military units and formations of the British Army by size