4th Regiment Royal Artillery
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The 4th Regiment Royal Artillery is a
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
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 ...
in the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. It was formed in 1939 as 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery before being redesignated in 1961. It is currently based at Alanbrooke Barracks in Topcliffe and serves in the light field artillery role, equipped with 105mm light guns.


History

In 1939, the Regiment was formed as 4th Regiment
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 r ...
(RHA) at Helmieh, Egypt on 28 May 1939. The original Batteries were
C Battery The C battery (C size battery or R14 battery) is a standard size of dry cell battery typically used in medium-drain applications such as toys, flashlights, and musical instruments. As of 2007, C batteries accounted for 4% of alkaline primary b ...
, F (Sphinx) Battery, and G Battery (Mercer's Troop), drawn from independent commands in India and equipped with the
Ordnance QF 25 pounder The Ordnance QF 25-pounder, or more simply 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was the major British field gun and howitzer during the Second World War. Its calibre is 3.45-inch (87.6 mm). It was introduced into service just before the war started, comb ...
. During the Battle of Sidi Rezegh in the Western Desert on 23 November 1941,
Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...
John Charles Campbell Major-General John Charles Campbell, (10 January 1894 – 26 February 1942), known as Jock Campbell, was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to ...
, who only a few months earlier had been commanding 4th RHA, won the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
. After World War Two, in 1947, 4th Regiment RHA was based in Germany at Dorset Barracks in
Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
. By 1948, the regiment moved to Alma Barracks at Blackdown Camp and in 1951, the regiment moved to Barracks at
Hohne Hohne is a municipality in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany, east of the county town of Celle. It includes the three former parishes of Hohne, Helmerkamp and Spechtshorn. It should not be confused with the British Army camp of Hohne (German: ' ...
. In 1961, the Regiment became 4th Regiment, Royal Artillery, with three batteries moving to 33rd Parachute Light Regiment Royal Artillery, which immediately became 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. 4th Regiment RA gained 29 (Corunna), 88 (Arracan) and 97 Battery (Lawson’s Company) as gun batteries and was posted to Hong Kong. In 1965, the Regiment deployed on operations to the Malayan Peninsula. It saw active service from February to April and during the confrontation with Indonesia in Borneo until November. By 1966, the Regiment resumed service in West Germany, moving to Munsterlager in support of 1st Armoured Division. Across the 1970s, the Regiment served three emergency tours in Northern Ireland in 1971, 1972, 1974, and 1976. In 1977, The Regiment relieved 7th RHA in
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
in support of 6 Field Force and equipped with the 105mm Light Gun adopted the parachute role. In 1981, 29 (Corunna) Battery deployed to Long Kesh (HMP Maze) in Northern Ireland while in 1982, two gun batteries and the Regimental HQ with mortar locating radar and intelligence sections deployed to retake the
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
. In 1984, The Regiment moved to
Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
and was equipped with the M109 155mm Self-propelled gun, remaining in support of the 1st Armoured Division and in 1986, 88 (Arracan) Battery deployed to Long Kesh (HMP Maze) in Northern Ireland. By 1991, The Regiment undertook an emergency tour of Northern Ireland as the Tyrone Roulement Battalion. In 1994, it deployed to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Equipped with the AS90 gun and returning to Osnabruck in 1997, batteries of the Regiment deployed to
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
. In 2004, parts of the regiment deployed to
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
for Operation TELIC 5 where they were involved in the reconstruction of
Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...
. Two years later, the Regiment deployed on Operation TOSCA on peacekeeping duties as part of the
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following intercommunal violen ...
(UNFICYP). In 2007, the Regiment began its conversion to the 105mm Light Gun and then deployed for
Operation HERRICK Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...
7 in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and later in 2008 it moved from
Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
to Topcliffe. It deployed on
Operation HERRICK Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...
12 in Afghanistan in 2010 and in 2012, the Regiment returned to Afghanistan for the final time for
Operation HERRICK Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...
17. Under the initial
Army 2020 Army 2020, was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army, in light of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Background The British Government gave an indication of its proposals for the future structure of the Army in ea ...
reforms, the Regiment was placed under Force Troops Command and tasked to support the Adaptable Force. The Regiment's Army Reserve pairing is with 103 Regiment RA, based in the North West of England. In 2019 the regiment was deployed to the
Republic of Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
as part of the army's
Operation Tosca British Forces Cyprus (BFC) is the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the UK Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus and at a number of related 'retained sites' in the Republic of Cyprus. The United ...
; the deployment was part of the wider Operation Tosca 30. In 2020, the regiment assisted with the construction of NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, a temporary critical care hospital, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.


Current sub-units

The regiment consists of: *
94 (New Zealand) Battery Royal Artillery 94 may refer to: * 94 (number) * one of the years 94 BC, AD 94, 1994, 2094, etc. * Atomic number 94: plutonium * Saab 94 See also * * List of highways numbered A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: Peopl ...
(HQ Battery) * 3/29 (Corunna) Battery Royal Artillery (
L118 light gun The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in England for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a different ...
battery) * 88 (Arracan) Battery Royal Artillery (
L118 light gun The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in England for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a different ...
battery) * 129 (Dragon) Battery Royal Artillery (Tac group) * 6/36 (Arcot 1751) Battery Royal Artillery (Tac group) * 97 Battery (Lawson's Company) Royal Artillery (Tac Group)


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Official site
{{Royal Horse Artillery Field regiments of the Royal Artillery 1939 establishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1939 Royal Artillery regiments