B Battery Royal Horse Artillery

B Battery Royal Horse Artillery are a Close Support Battery of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery They are currently based in Assaye Barracks in Tidworth

Current Role

Battery Structure and Equipment

B Battery has four troops named after famous battles they participated in:
*El Tamar Troop is the Targeting Troop and it is equipped with three Warrior OPV’s, a Warrior BCV and a 432 FPC.
*Corunna Troop is the Logistics Troop containing the BQMS and Motor Transport Departments which are responsible for all the wheeled vehicles both in and out of camp and for all re-supply in the field.
*Downmans Troop is equipped with three AS-90’s, a Command Post 432 and a Gun Line Section Commanders 432
*Sahagun Troop is also equipped with three AS-90’s, a Command Post 432 and a Gun Line Section Commanders 432

Unit Trades

History

Formation

On the 1st February 1793, Napoleon declared war on England. On the same day King George III formed by Royal Warrant. A Troop (now The Chestnut Troop) and B Troop (now B Bty) were formed at Woolwich and equipped with 4 x 6 Pounder smooth bore muzzle loading guns

1800’s

*1798 - Irish Rebellion of 1798 - Battle of New Ross (1798) and Battle of Vinegar Hill
*1808 – Peninsula war – During the Battle of Sahagún, Captain Downman, at the head of his Horse Artillery, charged in line (with guns and limbers attached) with 400 of the 15th Hussars. The combined efforts of the Hussars and Downman’s guns proved very effective and, in a few moments, the French ranks were broken. The Battery also fought at The Battle of Benavente.
*1809 - Peninsula war – The Battle of Lugo and during the Battle of Corunna they took no part in the main action; it only fired a few rounds at long range earlier in the day, and were relieved by Foot Artillery.
*1855 – Crimean War – During the Siege of Sevastopol (1854-1855) B Troop Royal Horse Artillery were re-formed on 1st May 1855, and landed in the Crimea one month later. Its task was to form the ammunition column in support of the light Division
*1900 – China – During the Boxer Rebellion the Battery was the only Horse Artillery unit. It did not encounter much resistance. However it was forced to travel hundreds of miles over almost impassable terrain.

World War One

*1915 – Right section of B Battery was the first Horse Artillery ashore at the Gallipoli landings of April 1915. During the Battle of Gallipoli the Battery fired more ammunition from their 18-pounder guns than any other and, when the Allied forces pulled out, B Battery was the final Battery to leave the Peninsular.
*1916 – The Battery was once again almost continually in action during the Somme Offensive
*1917 – The Battery moved to support the Allied offensives of Battle of Arras (1917), the Third Battle of Ypres, the Battle of Cambrai (1917) and Battle of the Lys. During these years the Battery experienced gas and aerial bombardment for the first time and it was B and L Batteries who saved the day at Battle of Cambrai (1917) on the 20th November 1917 when they stood by their guns until the German infantry were only convert|40|yd away.
*1918 – The Battery fought at theBattle of Passchendaele at Outtersteene and Ypres. They also fought at Gheluvelt and the River Scheldt

*1919 to 1936 – Palestine From 1919 to 1921 the Battery was sent to Egypt and Palestine. It then remained in England until 1932 when it redeployed to Egypt and Palestine to perform police duties during the British Mandate of Palestine and the Arab-Jewish terrorist Campaign. Throughout this time the Battery was equipped with 13-pounder guns.

World War Two

*1939 - In Lille, France the Battery were now equipped with the 25-pounder Guns towed by Morris Quads, and in June 1940, with the 51st (Highland) Division, suffered severe losses in the delaying action at St Valery which did much to make possible the evacuation at Dunkirk
*1940 – After reforming in England, B Battery departed for the Middle East, as part of the Desert Rats. They fought at all the major battles. During the Siege of Tobruk the Battery was in constant use where there was not a day that the Battery did not fire their guns. Of the seven awards for gallantry during the Siege of Tobruk, five belonged to the Battery, including an MC. The Battery also fought at Derna, Bir El Igela, El Adem] , Elvet El Tamar, Deir El Abram, and the First Battle of El Alamein and the Second Battle of El Alamein.
*1942 to 1945 – The Battery then retrained on the 105mm Priest and were involved in the Battles for Gothic Line and River Po in Italy

Cold War

*1947 - B Battery, as part of the1st Armoured Division, returned to Palestine to assist the civil police in attempting to keep the peace.
*1949 - The Battery in the Suez Canal Zone, equipped with 25-pounder self propelled Sextons.
*1952 - Moved to BAOR in Münster and Hildesheim. They were equipped with M44 155mm Howitzers.
*1965 to 1967 – B Battery were trained on the Italian 105 mm Pack Howitzers and were sent to Aden, and fought in the Aden Emergency and engaged in Gunnery actions in the Radfan

Recent and Current Conflicts

Northern Ireland

*1969 – B Battery served in Belfast in Northern Ireland
*1972 / 1974 / 1976 - Served in Northern Ireland

Persian Gulf War

The Battery went into Suspended Animation, and a composite Battery comprising of A Battery, B Battery Royal Horse Artillery|B Battery] and E Battery was formed and deployed with 3 RHA

On the return, from the Persian gulf, B Battery was reformed and moved to Assaye Barracks in Tidworth, where they are now equipped with AS-90 Self-propelled artillery

Balkan Wars

*1996 – The Battery formed as B/L Battery were deployed with IFOR in Glamoc, Bosnia.
*1998 - The Battery were deployed with SFOR in Glamoc, Bosnia.
*1999 – The Battery TAC Group helped spearhead the advance of the NATO led force into Kosovo
*2000 - A troop from B Battery deployed with A Battery to Sanski Most, Bosnia
*2000 – A troop from B Battery deployed with L/N Battery to Luzanne, Kosovo
*2002 - The Battery returned to Sipovo in Bosnia as the UK Artillery Battery.

Operation TELIC in Iraq

*2004 – B Battery deployed with 1 RHA to Basra in Iraq on Telic 4.

References

ee also

*British Army
*Royal Artillery
*Royal Horse Artillery
*List of Royal Artillery Batteries

External links

References

* http://www.army.mod.uk/1rha/organisation/b_battery/history.htm