26 Field Artillery Regiment was an artillery

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 conscript ...

of the

South African Artillery South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

History

Origins

This unit was originally formed as the first Field Artillery Regiment for the Northern Transvaal Command on 1 July 1976 and was based in

Voortrekkerhoogte Thaba Tshwane is a military base (or military area) in Pretoria, South Africa. Units and facilities The oldest building in the complex is the South African Garrison Institute, what is now known as the Army College. Lord Kitchener laid the corn ...

, south of Pretoria. Nothling C.J. Editor, Ultima Ratio Regum (The Last Argument of Kings) Military Information Bureau, SADF, Pretoria, 1987.

First Personnel

Its first intake of personnel came from roughly 100 members of 14 Field Artillery Regiment who had served in Operation Savanah as part of Combat Groups Oranje and Zulu that were involved most notably in the battle for Bridge 14.

Headquarters

By 1981 the regiment’s headquarters was transferred to Group 15 in Hendrik Potgieter Street in the CBD, but later returned to Voortrekkerhoogte.

Command

The regiment was transferred to the command of Eastern Transvaal Command in 1984 as a conventional field regiment. The regiment was also affiliated with 8th Armoured Division in the conventional context.

Traditions from the Anglo Boer War

The regiments two senior batteries were named after two guns used in the Anglo Boer War, namely the Martieni and Ras.

Operations

Members of the regiment were utilised in the

Soutpansberg Military Area The Soutpansberg Military Area (SMA) Headquarters was situated in Messina in the Northern Province of South Africa. The size of the area for which the SMA was responsible for was approximately . History After the independence of Zimbabwe and it ...

on the border area with Zimbabwe.

Traditions

On the 100th year celebration of the Ras gun, the regiment celebrated with a salute in Bokfontein near Brits in 1981, the hometown of the guns developer.

Insignia

The regiment's insignia is based on the Ras gun of the Anglo Boer War with the typical artillery colours as background. SADF era 26 Field Artillery Regiment insignia

Commanding Officers

References

* Further reading:

External links

Defenceweb fact file

Gunner's Association
{{SAArmy Units Artillery regiments of South Africa Disbanded military units and formations in Pretoria Military units and formations established in 1976 Military units and formations of South Africa in the Border War 1976 establishments in South Africa