26th Regiment Royal Artillery
| 26th Regiment Royal Artillery | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1947 to Present |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Role | Field artillery |
| Size | 6 Batteries |
| Part of | 1st Artillery Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Mansergh Barracks, Westfalen Garrison |
| Nickname(s) | The West Midland Gunners |
| Equipment | AS-90 self-propelled guns |
26th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the armoured field artillery role, and is equipped with the AS-90 self-propelled gun and one battery with GMLRS.
History
The regiment was formed from 4th Field Regiment RA in 1947.[1] It saw action in Malaya later that year and deployed to Libya in 1951.[1] It was renamed 26th Airportable Regiment RA in 1962 and re-equipped with 105mm Pack Howitzer.[1] In 1963 it was renamed 26th Medium Regiment RA and re-equipped with 5.5" Howitzer and then deployed to Cyprus.[1] It moved to Hohne in 1965 and was renamed 26th Field Regiment RA when it re-equipped with the Abbot gun.[1] In the 1970s it saw tours in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and during the 1980s it was based at Baker Barracks.[1] It was equipped with AS90 in 1994 and deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina the following year.[1] Units went to Kosovo in 2000, took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and were deployed to Afghanistan under Operation Herrick 9 in 2008.[1]
Batteries
The batteries are as follows:[2]
- 19 (Gibraltar 1779 - 1783) Battery
- 16 (Sandham's Company) Battery
- 17 (Corunna) Battery
- 55 (The Residency) Headquarters Battery
- 159 (Colenso) Battery
- 132 Battery (The Bengal Rocket Troop)[3][4]
26th Regiment Royal Artillery Association
In 1993 the association was formed to enable serving and ex serving members of the regiment to meet bi-annually. Since then the association has grown in membership and currently has approximately 500 full members. The association's website is intended to reach people in all parts of the world that either serve or have served in 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, whatever their cap badge might have been.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "26th Regiment Royal Artillery". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "26th Regiment Royal Artillery". Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ http://forces.tv/46466569
- ^ http://www.army.mod.uk/news/28445.aspx
- ^ 26th Regt RA Association