T Battery (Shah Sujah's Troop) Royal Artillery is an

air defence Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

battery of 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 ...

that serves with the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

's 12 Regiment Royal Artillery. It is stationed at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island,

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

. Formed 1838 as Shah Sujah's Troop, it was part of Shah Sujah's force that attempted to restore him to power in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. After the assassination of Shah Sujah in 1842, the battery was transferred to the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

of the

Honourable East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. It remained loyal during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

and took part in the

Siege of Delhi The siege of Delhi was a decisive conflict of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but was essentially sparked by the mass uprising by the ...

where its commander, George Renny, won the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. In the aftermath, it was transferred to the British Army's

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. Although the cavalry link rem ...

(RHA), eventually becoming T Battery Royal Horse Artillery. It took part in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

and the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

( Western Front and in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

). The post-war reductions in the RHA saw the battery revert to the Royal Artillery in 1920. In 1926 it was officially granted its Honour Title "Shah Sujah's Troop". It then took part in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and

again). Since the Second World War, it has seen a wide variety of service as

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

and

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

gunners, as a towed and self-propelled anti-aircraft missile battery and as a

Headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

unit. It has spent much of that time in Germany as part of the

BAOR British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was the name given to British Army occupation forces in the Rhineland, West Germany, after the First World War, First and Second World Wars, and during the Cold War, becoming part of NATO, NATO's Northern Army Gr ...

, but also served in Northern Ireland (

Operation Banner Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was the longest continuous deployment in British military history. The British Army was initia ...

) and took part in the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

and the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. The Bty disbanded on the 31/10/1991 with the bulk of the members of the Battery going to 9 Plassey Bty and forming Friday troop. Temporarily reroled to Javelin prior to being the first Troop to convert to the new weapon system HVM starstreak mounted on the Stormer AFV. The Battle honours and name of the Bty then went to the Regts HQ Bty thus then being called T HQ Bty (Shah Sujah's Troop) RA. The Army 2020 restructuring saw the Battery relinquish its role as a headquarters battery in 2015 and return to being Self Propelled Air Defence Battery Equipped with the HVM Stormer system. 170 (Imjin) Battery RA has been reformed to take on T Batterys previous role as Headquarters Battery.

History

Early history

The battery was formed on 13 September 1838 as Shah Sujah's Troop,

Horse Artillery Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving, and fast-firing field artillery that consisted of light cannons or howitzers attached to light but sturdy two-wheeled carriages called caissons or limbers, with the individual crewmen riding on h ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

. It was raised as part of Shah Sujah's force of 6,000 troops which invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to restore him to power. Equipped with ten 6 pounder guns and two 12 pounder

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

s, it was twice the normal strength of a battery. It was commanded by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

William Anderson of the

Bengal Artillery The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...

. For two years, from the winter of 1839, it served at

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

. After the assassination of Shah Sujah in 1842, the battery was withdrawn to

Ferozepore Firozpur, (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Punjabi, ɪroːzpʊr also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in the Firozpur District of Punjab, India. After the Partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the In ...

. It was transferred to the

of the

and became the 5th (Native) Troop, 1st Brigade, Bengal Horse Artillery on 23 December 1842. It served in the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 around the Firozpur district of Punjab. It resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu ...

and on frontier expeditions.

Indian Mutiny

By the time the

broke out, the Bengal Horse Artillery had grown to 13 batteries, organized as three brigades. Four of these batteries were manned by

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...

s (native Indian soldiers) and two mutinied: 4th Troop, 1st Brigade at

Neemuch Neemuch or Nimach is a city in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. The town shares its northwestern border with the state of Rajasthan and is the administrative headquarters of Neemuch District. Formerly a large British people, British cantonm ...

and 4th Troop, 3rd Brigade at

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

. Shah Sujah's Troop remained loyal and it took part in the

where its commander, George Renny, won the

. All four Native Bengal batteries were promptly reformed as European units. As a result of the Rebellion, the

British Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

took direct control of India from the East India Company on 1 November 1858 under the provisions of the

Government of India Act 1858 The Government of India Act 1858 ( 21 & 22 Vict. c. 106) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on August 2 1858. Its provisions called for the liquidation of the East India Company (who had up to this point been ruling Briti ...

. The

Presidency armies The presidency armies were the armies of the three Presidencies of British India, presidencies of the East India Company's Company rule in India, rule in India, later the forces of the the Crown, British Crown in British Raj, India, composed pr ...

transferred to the direct authority of the British Crown and its European units were transferred to the

. Henceforth artillery, the mutineers most effective arm, was to be the sole preserve of the British Army (with the exception of certain Mountain Artillery batteries). On 19 February 1862, the Bengal Horse Artillery transferred to the

as its 2nd and 5th Horse Brigades. On transfer, Shah Sujah's Troop became E Battery, 2nd Horse Brigade (E/2 in short) at

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

Late Victorian era

A reorganization of the horse artillery on 13 April 1864 saw 2nd Brigade became C Brigade. As battery designations were tied to the brigade the battery was assigned to, the batteries were also redesignated and it became F/C Battery at

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

. This was the first in a bewildering series of redesignations. From 1866, the term "

" appeared in Army List hence the battery was designated F/C Battery, Royal Horse Artillery from about this time. Further reoganisations saw the number of brigades reduced to three (of 10 batteries each) then two (of 13 batteries each) and consequently lead to the redesignation of the battery as F/D (16 January 1873), C/E (1 April 1875), C/C (1 July 1877), and N/B (28 March 1882). 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. The battery took on it final designation as T Battery, Royal Horse Artillery. Equipped with six 12 pounders, the battery was sent to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

with the 1st Cavalry Brigade and saw active service in the

, notably at the

Battle of Paardeberg The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg ("Horse Mountain", 18–27 February 1900) was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near ''Paardeberg Ford (crossing), Drift'' on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free St ...

(27 February 1900).

First World War

On 1 March 1901, a new

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

system was introduced, this time as a tactical, rather than administrative, formation. The battery was assigned to XIII Brigade-Division, RHA along with U Battery. In 1903 this was redesignated as XIII Brigade, RHA and was stationed in South Africa with the battery at

Krugersdorp Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius and Abner Cohen. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a ...

. By 1905 it was in India and it took part in the Rawalpindi Parade. On 1 October 1906, the brigade was redesignated as XI Brigade, RHA. QF13pounderBouncingNYTribune20October1918

QF13pounderBouncingNYTribune20October1918

By the time the

broke out, the battery had been re-equipped with six quick-firing 13 pounders. It was still assigned to XI Brigade (though U Battery was at Lucknow in India) and was stationed at

Abbassia Abbassia ( ) is a neighbourhood that makes up five shiakhas (census blocks) in al-Wayli district in Cairo, Egypt. The Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral is located in Abbassia. The medical faculty of Ain Shams University and its aff ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

serving in the

Force in Egypt The Force in Egypt was a British Army formation established in August 1914 to administer garrisoning armed forces in Egypt at the beginning of the First World War. The force had the objective of protecting the Suez Canal and was originally comman ...

. It returned to Europe and joined XIV Brigade, 7th Division on the Western Front on 21 December 1914. It served with the division on the Western Front until February 1917. It missed the actions in 1914, but saw considerable action serving in the battles of Neuve Chapelle (1013 March 1915),

Aubers Ridge The Battle of Aubers (Battle of Aubers Ridge) was a British offensive on the Western Front on 9 May 1915 during the First World War. The battle was part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive int ...

(9 May), Festubert (1519 May), and Givenchy (15 and 16 June). On 19 June, the battery replaced its 13 pounders with six 18 pounders. It then took part in the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used Chemical weapons in World War I, ...

(25 September8 October 1915), the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

(120 July and 37 September 1916) and the Operations on the Ancre (1115 January 1917). On 10 February 1917, the battery and brigade left 7th Division and became XIV Army Brigade, RHA. It moved to the Italian Front in December 1917, before returning to the Western Front in March 1918. At the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

, it was serving as Army Troops with the Third Army still armed six 18 pounders.

Inter-war period

Post-war plans for the RHA envisioned that it would have 27 batteries in nine brigades. XIV Brigade was disbanded in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in May 1919 and in June the battery returned to the United Kingdom and was stationed at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

and Newbridge. Clarke states that the battery was assigned to IX Brigade, RHA which was based at

Trowbridge Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England; situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, close to the border with Somerset. The town lies south-east of Bath, Somerset, Bath, south-west of Swindon and south-east of Brist ...

with N, S and U Batteries but that it probably did not join the other batteries at Trowbridge as the brigade was broken up very soon after being organized. In contrast, Frederick says it joined IV Brigade, RHA which was at Newbridge and

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

with I and L Batteries. In either case, the new organisation was short-lived as the usual post-war reductions took their toll and the Royal Horse Artillery was reduced to five brigades and 15 batteries. Consequently, on 4 May 1920, T Battery was redesignated as 146th Battery,

RFA RFA may refer to: Groups, organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Renewable Fuels A ...

and joined 1st Brigade Royal Field Artillery. Between 1922 and 1924 it served with the brigade at 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 based at Larkhill, Wiltshire, on the south edge of the Salisbury Plain Training Area. The school is t ...

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 ...

. On 1 November 1922 it was redesignated as 111th Battery, RFA before resuming its original designation as T Battery, Royal Field Artillery on 1 March 1924 when it transferred to 15th Brigade Royal Field Artillery. As the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It was created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of the regiment, the ...

was reamalgamated into the

, it became T Battery, Royal Artillery on 1 May 1924. In commemoration of its origins, the Honour Title "Shah Sujah's Troop" was officially granted to the battery on 13 October 1926. With effect from May 1938, brigades were redesignated as regiments and 15th Brigade became 15th Field Regiment, RA. T Battery was still with the regiment on the outbreak of the

with R, S and U Batteries and was stationed at

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, India.

Second World War

The battery served with 15th Field Regiment throughout the

. In November 1940 they moved from Lahore to

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

. From 1938, field artillery brigades had been reorganized from three or four six-gun batteries to two 12-gun batteries. Rather than disband existing batteries, they were instead linked in pairs. Strangely, this did not happen in 15th Field Regiment until 12 November 1940 (after arrival in Rawalpindi) when T Battery was linked with R Battery as R/T Battery (and S and U batteries were linked as S/U Battery). The experience of the BEF in May 1940 had already shown the limitations of having artillery regiments formed with two 12-gun batteries: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions (or armoured brigade of three regiments). This could not be managed without severe disruption to the regiment. As a result, field regiments were reorganised into three 8-gun batteries but this did not happen in 15th Field Regiment until November 1942. On 27 June 1941 it departed India and arrived in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

on 3 July where it was assigned to the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade Group. It went with the brigade to

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in August and returned to Iraq in October. It was at Quayarrah ''(or Qaiyara)'' on 31 January 1942 and

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

on 31 March. It was unlinked from R Battery at Sheraiba ''(or Shuabia)'' on 9 November and was once again T Battery, RA. 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade (by now renumbered as 252nd Indian Armoured Brigade) came under the command of

31st Indian Armoured Division The 31st Indian Armoured Division was an armoured division of the Indian Army during World War II, formed in 1940, originally as the 1st Indian Armoured Division; it consisted of units of the British Army and the British Indian Army. When it was ...

and the regiment came under the direct command of the division on 1 August 1942. It left the division and Iraq on 1 September 1943 when it was transferred to Egypt, arriving on 11 September. On 21 October, 31st Indian Armoured Division also arrived in Egypt and the regiment rejoined the division. The division was preparing to take part in the Italian Campaign; however more armoured formations were not needed in Italy and division remained in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. On 15 November 1943, the regiment left the Indian establishment and was assigned to the 7th AGRA (

Army Group Royal Artillery An Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA) was a British Commonwealth military formation during the Second World War and shortly thereafter. Generally assigned to Army corps, an AGRA provided the medium and heavy artillery to higher formations within t ...

). By January 1944, the regiment had been equipped with Sexton 25 pounder

self-propelled gun Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

s. In July 1944, it moved to Italy where it served with the British 8th Army and U.S. 5th Army. 15th Field Regiment ended the war in Italy as a

self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

regiment.

Post-war

Plans were put in place at the end of 1946 to create a total of eight RHA regiments to form the artillery element of the 6th and 7th Armoured Divisions in the

British Army of the Rhine British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was the name given to British Army occupation forces in the Rhineland, West Germany, after the First and Second World Wars, and during the Cold War, becoming part of NATO's Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) tasked ...

. 7th Regiment, RHA was to be an Anti-Tank Regiment with R, S, T and U Batteries. T Battery became RHA on 15 November 1946. Initially formed in the BAOR in October 1946, the decision was rescinded in March 1947 before the regiment was fully constituted. On 1 April 1947, the regiment became 12th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery and the battery reverted to Royal Artillery. It has remained with 12th Regiment ever since. Equipped with

17 pounder The Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder (or just 17-pdr)Under the British standard ordnance weights and measurements the gun's approximate projectile weight is used to denote different guns of the same calibre. Hence this was a 3-inch gun, of which ...

guns, it was initially based in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

from May 1947 before returning to England (

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

) briefly in 1948. It then moved to

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

and on to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

in June 1950. In February 1951, it moved to Germany for the first time and joined the

Celle Celle () is a town and capital of the district of Celle (district), Celle in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the river Aller (Germany), Aller, a tributary of the Weser, and has a population of about ...

. On arrival in Germany, 12th Regiment was converted to the

role as part of 6th Armoured Division and the battery was re-equipped with Bofors guns (initially with the L/60 variant, later L/70). It spent most of the 1950s and 1960s in Germany, though from 1963 to 1966 it was at

Tampin Tampin is a town in Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, which borders Pulau Sebang town in Alor Gajah District, Malacca. It is situated at the southern tip of the longest mountain range in Malaysia, the Titiwangsa Mountains. Tampin ...

, Malaya (at the time of the

confrontation Confrontation is an element of conflict wherein parties confront one another, directly engaging one another in the course of a dispute between them. A confrontation can be at any scale, between any number of people, between entire nations or cu ...

). From 25 Nov 1971 to 17 Mar 1972 it undertook the first of nine roulement tours to Northern Ireland (

) in the

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

role, either with 12th Regiment or separately. A Rapier missile speeds towards its target during a live firing

It moved to Rapier Barracks, Kirton-in-Lindsay in August 1972. From July 1973, 9 (Plassey) Battery of the regiment began trials with the

Rapier A rapier () is a type of sword originally used in Spain (known as ' -) and Italy (known as '' spada da lato a striscia''). The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It wa ...

anti-aircraft missile and by September 1975 the regiment was back in Germany fully equipped with the new system. It returned to Rapier Barracks in May 1981 and was there when the

broke out. T Battery was dispatched to the South Atlantic to take part in the conflict. It was back in Germany in January 1985, by now equipped with

Tracked Rapier Rapier is a surface-to-air missile developed for the British Army to replace their towed Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70, Bofors 40/L70 anti-aircraft guns. The system is unusual as it uses a manual optical guidance system, sending guidance comman ...

. From there, it deployed to the Gulf in January 1991 to take part in the

. The Bty disbanded on the 31/10/1991 with the bulk of the members of the Battery going to 9 Plassey Bty and forming F troop. Temporarily reroled to Javelin prior to being the first Troop to convert to the new weapon system HVM starstreak mounted on the Stormer AFV. The Battle honours and name of the Bty then went to the Regts HQ Bty thus then being called THQ Bty Shah Sujah's Troop RA. In April 1993, T Battery rerolled as the

battery of 12th Regiment. It undertook a tour to

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

as part of UNFICYP (December 1995 to June 1996) and to

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

in 1999. It returned to England in 2009 and has been based at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island,

since then.

Current status

Under

Army 2020 Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...

plans, 12th Regiment was reorganized. The battery relinquished its

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

role to 170 (Imjin) Battery and was rerolled as a self-propelled

battery. It is equipped with Starstreak

Surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

s mounted on Stormer armoured vehicles.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links

* * * {{Royal Horse Artillery Royal Horse Artillery batteries Royal Artillery batteries 1838 establishments in British India Military units and formations established in 1838 Honourable East India Company regiments