1.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
2.
British Army
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The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. As of 2017 the British Army comprises just over 80,000 trained Regular, or full-time, personnel and just over 26,500 trained Reserve, or part-time personnel. Therefore, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, day to day the Army comes under administration of the Ministry of Defence and is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the leading military. In 1660 the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II, Charles favoured the foundation of a new army under royal control and began work towards its establishment by August 1660. The Royal Scots Army and the Irish Army were financed by the Parliament of Scotland, the order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, after William and Marys accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Marys father, James II. Spain, in the two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to Englands early transatlantic ambitions. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. From the time of the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Great Britain was the naval power. As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought the Kingdoms of Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years War, the British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in campaigns across Europe. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington, the English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, the English Army stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution, the British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster in the 1798 rebellion. The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Armys volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, Great Britains dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, in the 20th century, most notably Germany
3.
Field artillery
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Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and this was in contrast to horse artillery, whose emphasis on speed while supporting cavalry units necessitated lighter guns and crews riding on horseback. Modern artillery has also advanced to rapidly deployable wheeled and tracked vehicles, thus, their role was limited to such functions as breaking sieges. Following the beginning of the era, the first field artillery came into being as metallurgy allowed thinner cannon barrels to withstand the explosive forces without bursting. However, there was still a risk of the constant changes of the battlefield conspiring to leave behind slow-moving artillery units - either on the advance, or more dangerously. Artillery units were particularly vulnerable to assault by light cavalry, which were used in this role. Only with a number of inventions, did the concept of field artillery really take off. One of the earliest documented uses of field artillery is found in the 14th-century Ming Dynasty treatise Huolongjing, the text describes a Chinese cannon called a thousand ball thunder cannon, manufactured of bronze and fastened with wheels. The book also describes another mobile form of artillery called a barbarian attacking cannon consisting of an attached to a two-wheel carriage. Before World War I, field artillery batteries fired directly at visible targets measured in distances of meters. Today, modern field batteries measure targets in kilometers and miles, most field artillery situations require indirect fire due to weather, terrain, night-time conditions, distance or other obstacles. Modern field artillery has three sections, All batteries have a Fire Support Man, Fire Direction Control. The FOs are forward with the infantry where they can see the targets and they call the FDC on the radio and transmit a request for fire in the format of CFF. The FDC calculates the CFF and send a deflection and elevation to the gun line, the gun line cranks the specified elevation and deflection on the howitzers, punch the artillery shell followed by the bag. Depending on the CFF, the gunline will fire the round when they are ready or when the FO calls and tells them to fire, the FO spots the round and sends a correction back to the FDC and the process starts all over again until its done. The batteries are many kilometres behind the FLOT and they plan a location where they can be Fire Capability for some certain amount of time and do multiple fire missions before needing to displace. In normal operations the FOs locate targets and transmits the CFF to the FDCs and they can also calculate defensive fire tasks. Because the calculations have already been done, the fire can be called down very quickly when it is needed, the advance party consists of the battery commander, his driver, first sergeant, gunnery sergeant, FDC guide, gun guides, and communications representatives
4.
1st Artillery Brigade and Headquarters South West
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The current brigade was formed on 1 September 2014 under the Army 2020 plan, merging units and personnel of 43 Brigade with Royal Artillery regiments. The brigades mission will include commanding, preparing and generating assigned deployable forces, the brigade comprises a large number of units including 1 Royal Horse Artillery and 19 Regiment Royal Artillery and 15 garrisons and stations across the south west. Previously, news reported that its personnel had control over the testing the Watchkeeper Remotely Piloted Aerial System. There was also a 1st Artillery Brigade under the I British Corps during the Cold War
5.
Westfalen Garrison
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It is the home of 20th Armoured Brigade and most of its subordinate units. Headquarters Westfalen Garrison is based at Antwerp Barracks in Sennelager, the oldest part of Paderborn Garrison was Schloss Neuhaus at Paderborn which dates back to 1370 and which became Horrocks Barracks after the Second World War. At Hameln Linsingen Kaserne was built in the 1930s, this went on to be Gordon Barracks, meanwhile, at Herford Estorff Kaserne and Stobbe Kaserne were built in 1934, these went on, after the War, to be Hammersmith Barracks and Wentworth Barracks respectively. Also at Herford Otto Weddigen Kaserne was built around the same time, additional barracks that were established at Sennelager, a Stadtteile of Paderborn, also became part of Paderborn Garrison. Hameln Station was handed back in November 2014 and Herford Station was handed back, once 1st Armoured Division had changed role and then moved to York, facilities under the garrisons control include the Sennelager Training Area. Having served as an infantry barracks throughout the 1990s, it was home to 5th Battalion The Rifles between 2001 and September 2016, Barker Barracks, named after General Sir Evelyn Barker, was home of 20th Armoured Brigade from 1991 to 2001. It has been home to 3 Battalion REME since 1995, home to 35 Engineer Regiment since 1999 and home to 1st Battalion, Horrocks Barracks, named after General Sir Brian Horrocks, was home to various minor organisational units until it closed in 1992. Sennelager Station, Antwerp Barracks, named after the City of Antwerp which was captured by the British Second Army in 1944, has been home to 20th Armoured Brigade since 2001. Athlone Barracks, named after Major-General the Earl of Athlone, having served as a cavalry barracks since the 1950s, has been home to Queens Royal Hussars since 1998, normandy Barracks, has been home to various minor organisational units and is currently home to the Personnel Recovery Centre. Hameln Station, Gordon Barracks, named after Major-General Charles Gordon, gütersloh Station, Mansergh Barracks, named after General Sir Robert Mansergh, having served as an artillery barracks since 1961, has been home to 26th Regiment Royal Artillery since 1989. Princess Royal Barracks, named after Princess Anne, has been home to 102 Logistic Brigade since the facility was handed over by the Royal Air Force in 1993. Herford Station, Hammersmith Barracks, named after the London borough of Hammersmith, was home to 4th Armoured Division from the early 1960s until it closed in 1993. Wentworth Barracks, named after the Wentworth Estate in Surrey, was home to 1st Armoured Division from 1993 until it closed in 2015
6.
AS-90
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The AS-90 is an armoured self-propelled artillery piece used by the British Army. AS-90 was designed and built by the Armaments division of Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, VSEL provided 179 vehicles between 1992 and 1995 at a cost of £300 million. The AS-90 was first deployed by the British Army in 1993,179 AS-90s were acquired to re-equip six of the eight self-propelled field artillery regiments in the 1 Corps, replacing the 105 mm FV433 Abbot SPG and older M109155 mm Self Propelled Gun. In 1999, Marconi Electronic Systems was contracted to upgrade British Army AS-90s to include a 52 calibre gun in order to increase the range of the artillery, critical to the program was a bi-modular charge system from Somchem of South Africa, which offered greatly reduced barrel wear. However, this failed to meet the requirement for insensitive munitions. It remains in UK service and will equip three field regiments supporting armoured infantry brigades for the foreseeable future,134 were in service in 2008, reduced to 117 in 2015. The AS-90 underwent a capability enhancement program in 2008 and 2009, AS-90 started in the mid-1980s as a private venture on the gamble that the tri-national SP70 would fail. When this duly occurred, the Ministry of Defence issued a cardinal point specification on one page for a new 155 mm SPG, four tenders were submitted, and AS-90 was the only offer that was not brochureware. The MoD was also required to consider the US Paladin, an upgraded M109 howitzer. The MoD has undertaken studies in 2006-09 to up gun the Royal Navys main shipboard gun armament, however, the Royal Navy did not implement this gun system. The AS-90 uses a conforming 39 calibre barrel which fires the L15 unassisted projectile out to a range of 24.7 km. However, this was a new design of using a split sliding block breech with Crossley obturation, instead of the more usual screw breech. The breech mechanism has a magazine holding 18 primers. The standard ammunition is designed for FH-70 although in training the less effective but cheaper M107 with Green. The vehicle is fitted with a navigation and gun laying dynamic reference unit mounted on the trunnion. All main turret functions are controlled by a Turret Control Computer with control and display units for the No 1, No 2, the combination of the DRU, TCC and powered laying controls provide autolaying. Every gun is fitted with a radar Muzzle Velocity Measuring Device, reversionary mode laying uses deflection laying via the direct fire sight. The gun can be brought into action fully closed down, the barrel can be clamped and unclamped from within the vehicle, into and out of action times are less than 1 minute
7.
Regiment
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A regiment is a military unit. Their role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, in Medieval Europe, the term regiment denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted in one geographical area, by a leader who was often also the feudal lord of the soldiers. By the 17th century, a regiment was usually about a thousand personnel. In many armies, the first role has been assumed by independent battalions, battlegroups, task forces, brigades and other, similarly-sized operational units. By the beginning of the 18th century, regiments in most European continental armies had evolved into permanent units with distinctive titles and uniforms, when at full strength, an infantry regiment normally comprised two field battalions of about 800 men each or 8–10 companies. In some armies, an independent regiment with fewer companies was labelled a demi-regiment, a cavalry regiment numbered 600 to 900 troopers, making up a single entity. With the widespread adoption of conscription in European armies during the nineteenth century, the regimental system underwent modification. Prior to World War I, a regiment in the French, German, Russian. As far as possible, the battalions would be garrisoned in the same military district, so that the regiment could be mobilized. A cavalry regiment by contrast made up an entity of up to 1,000 troopers. Usually, the regiment is responsible for recruiting and administering all of a military career. Depending upon the country, regiments can be either combat units or administrative units or both and this is often contrasted to the continental system adopted by many armies. Generally, divisions are garrisoned together and share the same installations, thus, in divisional administration, soldiers and officers are transferred in and out of divisions as required. Some regiments recruited from specific areas, and usually incorporated the place name into the regimental name. In other cases, regiments would recruit from an age group within a nation. In other cases, new regiments were raised for new functions within an army, e. g. the Fusiliers, the Parachute Regiment, a key aspect of the regimental system is that the regiment or battalion is the fundamental tactical building block. This flows historically from the period, when battalions were widely dispersed and virtually autonomous. For example, a regiment might include different types of battalions of different origins, within the regimental system, soldiers, and usually officers, are always posted to a tactical unit of their own regiment whenever posted to field duty
8.
Royal Artillery
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The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery, is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name Royal Regiment of Artillery it actually consists of 13 Regular Regiments and 5 Reserve Regiments, the introduction of artillery into the English army came as early as the Battle of Crécy in 1346. Henry VIII made the armys artillery semi-permanent in the sixteenth century, before the 18th century, artillery traynes were raised by royal warrant for specific campaigns and disbanded again when they were over. On 26 May 1716, however, by warrant of George I two regular companies of field artillery, each 100 men strong, were raised at Woolwich. The title Royal Artillery was first used in 1720, in 1741 the Royal Military Academy was formed in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich to provide training for RA and Royal Engineers officers. The regiment expanded rapidly and, by 1757, had 24 companies divided into two battalions, as well as a company formed in 1741. During 1748, the presidential artilleries of Bengal, Madras and Bombay were formed,1756 saw the creation of the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery. In 1762 the Royal Artillery Band was formed at Minden, by 1771 there were 32 companies in four battalions, as well as two invalid companies comprising older and unfit men employed in garrison duties. During 1782, the regiment moved to the Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common, in January 1793, two troops of Royal Horse Artillery were raised to provide fire support for the cavalry, augmented by two more in November 1793. The Royal Irish Artillery was absorbed into the RA in 1801, during 1805, the Royal Military Academy moved to Woolwich Common. In 1819, the Rotunda was given to the regiment by the Prince Regent to celebrate end of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1832, the regimental motto, Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt, was granted. The motto signified that the regiment had seen action in all the conflicts of the British Army. The regiment was under the control of the Board of Ordnance until the board was abolished in 1855, thereafter the regiment came under the War Office along with the rest of the army. The School of Gunnery established at Shoeburyness, Essex in 1859, the third group continued to be titled simply Royal Artillery, and was responsible for ammunition storage and supply. Which branch a gunner belonged to was indicated by metal shoulder titles, the RFA and RHA also dressed as mounted men, whereas the RGA dressed like foot soldiers. In 1920 the rank of Bombardier was instituted in the Royal Artillery, the three sections effectively functioned as separate corps. This arrangement lasted until 1924, when the three amalgamated once more to one regiment. In 1938, RA Brigades were renamed Regiments, during the World War II there were over 1 million men serving in 960 gunner regiments
9.
Federation of Malaya
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The Federation of Malaya was a federation of 11 states that existed from 1 February 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957, and in 1963 Malaysia was formed with the Singapore, North Borneo, the combination of states that formerly made up the Federation of Malaya is currently known as Peninsular Malaysia. From 1946 to 1948, the 11 states formed a single British crown colony known as the Malayan Union, due to opposition from Malay nationalists, the Union was disbanded and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the symbolic positions of the rulers of the Malay states. Within the Federation, while the Malay states were protectorates of the United Kingdom, Penang, like the Malayan Union before it, the Federation did not include Singapore, despite its traditional connections with Malaya. The Federation achieved independence within the Commonwealth of Nations on 31 August 1957, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent republic on 9 August 1965. The Federation of Malaya Agreement was formulated by the British–Malay Pleno Conference between June and December 1946, at the end of the meeting, the Pleno Conference produced a 100-page Blue Book. The Federation of Malaya Agreement was signed on 1 April 1946 at King House by the Malay rulers, the Agreement superseded the Agreement creating the Malayan Union, and prepared for the establishment of the Federation of Malaya on 1 February 1948. The position of the Malay rulers was also restored, as with the Malayan Union, the Federation excluded Singapore, despite its traditional links to Malaya. The Federation of Malaya Executive Council comprised 7 official and 7 unofficial members, additionally,9 State Council Yang Di Pertua, Chief Ministers and 2 representatives from the Straits Settlements became unofficial members. The Malay Conference of Rulers would advise the High Commissioner on immigration issues, the British Resident was replaced with a Chief Minister in each state of the federation. The conditions of citizenship of the Federation of Malaya were further tightened using law enforcement, the federation agreement set the powers of the federal and state governments. Financial matters must be handled by the respective states, the Sultan was given full power on religious issues and Malay customs. Foreign policy and defence continued to be administered by the British government, the federation agreement was made the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya and officially declared on 1 February 1948. The Federation of Malaya Legislative Council held its first meeting in the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Hall and it was opened by the British High Commissioner Sir Edward Gent. Attendees included the British Minister of State for Colonial Affairs, Lord Listowel, the membership of the Council was structured to include, the British High Commissioner,3 ex officio members,11 State and Settlement Members 11 official members, and 34 appointed unofficial members. The unofficial members were required to be either Federation citizens or British subjects, at this first Council meeting, several minor committees were formed, the Standing Committee on Finance, the Election Committee, and the Committee of Privileges. The first session passed the Kuala Lumpur City Bill, the Transfer of Power Bill, in 1950, the Federation of Malaya Government rejected the registration of the Malay Nationalist Party of Malaya as a legitimate political party. PKMM had two wings, namely Angkatan Pemuda Insaf and Angkatan Wanita Sedar, initially, PKMM did not have communist leanings
10.
Libya
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The three traditional parts of the country are Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica. With an area of almost 1.8 million square kilometres, Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa, Libya has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves of any country in the world. The largest city and capital, Tripoli, is located in western Libya, the other large city is Benghazi, which is located in eastern Libya. Libya has been inhabited by Berbers since the late Bronze Age, the Phoenicians established trading posts in western Libya, and ancient Greek colonists established city-states in eastern Libya. Libya was variously ruled by Carthaginians, Persians, Egyptians and Greeks before becoming a part of the Roman Empire, Libya was an early center of Christianity. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the area of Libya was mostly occupied by the Vandals until the 7th century, in the 16th century, the Spanish Empire and the Knights of St John occupied Tripoli, until Ottoman rule began in 1551. Libya was involved in the Barbary Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries, Ottoman rule continued until the Italian occupation of Libya resulted in the temporary Italian Libya colony from 1911 to 1943. During the Second World War Libya was an important area of warfare in the North African Campaign, the Italian population then went into decline. Libya became an independent kingdom in 1951, a military coup in 1969 overthrew King Idris I, beginning a period of sweeping social reform. Since then, Libya has experienced a period of instability, the European Union is involved in an operation to disrupt human trafficking networks exploiting refugees fleeing from wars in Africa for Europe. At least two political bodies claim to be the government of Libya, the Council of Deputies is internationally recognized as the legitimate government, but it does not hold territory in the capital, Tripoli, instead meeting in the Cyrenaica city of Tobruk. Parts of Libya are outside of either governments control, with various Islamist, rebel, the United Nations is sponsoring peace talks between the Tobruk and Tripoli-based factions. An agreement to form an interim government was signed on 17 December 2015. Under the terms of the agreement, a nine-member Presidency Council, the leaders of the new government, called the Government of National Accord, arrived in Tripoli on 5 April 2016. Since then the GNC, one of the two governments, has disbanded to support the new GNA. The name Libya was introduced in 1934 for Italian Libya, reviving the name for Northwest Africa. The name was based on use in 1903 by Italian geographer Federico Minutilli. It was intended to supplant terms applied to Ottoman Tripolitania, the region of what is today Libya having been ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1551 to 1911
11.
Cyprus
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Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean. It is located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel and Palestine, north of Egypt, the earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC, Cyprus was placed under British administration based on Cyprus Convention in 1878 and formally annexed by Britain in 1914. While Turkish Cypriots made up 18% of the population, the partition of Cyprus and creation of a Turkish state in the north became a policy of Turkish Cypriot leaders, following nationalist violence in the 1950s, Cyprus was granted independence in 1960. On 15 July 1974, a coup détat was staged by Greek Cypriot nationalists and elements of the Greek military junta in an attempt at enosis and these events and the resulting political situation are matters of a continuing dispute. The Cyprus Republic has de jure sovereignty over the island of Cyprus, as well as its territorial sea and exclusive economic area, another nearly 4% of the islands area is covered by the UN buffer zone. The international community considers the part of the island as territory of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkish forces. The occupation is viewed as illegal under law, amounting to illegal occupation of EU territory since Cyprus became a member of the European Union. Cyprus is a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean, on 1 January 2008, the Republic of Cyprus joined the eurozone. The earliest attested reference to Cyprus is the 15th century BC Mycenaean Greek
12.
Hohne
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Hohne is a municipality in the state of Lower Saxony in Germany, east of the county town of Celle. It includes the three parishes of Hohne, Helmerkamp and Spechtshorn. It should not be confused with the British Army camp of Hohne near Belsen about 30 km to the northwest, Hohne lies on the River Wiehe, a right-hand tributary of the Schwarzwasser, which itself flows into the River Aller near Schwachhausen. This monastery was founded before 1115 by Margravine Gertrud von Braunschweig of Meissen, the majority of inhabitants in Hohne are Lutheran Protestants and belong to the parish of the Church of the Ascension. Also in the parish of Hohne are the villages of Helmerkamp, Hahnenhorn, Spechtshorn, Pollhöfen and it was probably an earth mound on which a wooden tower formerly stood. To date only wooden remains have been found and these structures were built across Europe from western France to present-day eastern Poland in the 9th and 10th centuries, sometimes even as late as the early 13th century. One archaeologist has suggested that it could be part of a network extending outwards from Beedenbostel. More detailed research into the age of the stakes that have been found on the site has not yet been possible due to financial constraints. As a result it can only be surmised that the castle was built before AD995, the Mundburg itself was built by the old confluence of the rivers Aller and Oker near Wienhausen. Areas of cobbles and large fragments of old foundations can still be found 0.7 metres under the present-day surface of the land. As at Hesleburg castle near Heeßel, and the castles of Depenau and Dachtmissen on the Aue in Flotwedel, in the 20th century part of the building was moved to other locations in the estate. The 1913 neo-romanesque Church of the Ascension in Hohne inherited the altar, organ, pulpit and font of its predecessor church. Hohne is also home to the Hohne Ice House, which is run by one of the oldest ice house societies in Lower Saxony, there is a primary school and a public library. Since 1970 the German Red Cross has run Hohne kindergarten, educational trips are organised by the Hohne Countrywomans Society. The sports club, TuS Hohne/Spechtshorn, is involved in ball sports, track and field athletics. The Hohne/Spechtshorn Woodland Swimming Pool Society looks after the swimming pool. Youth swimming passes can be bought from the branch of the German Lifeguard Association. The Hohne Village History Society has been putting together the history since 2002 under the direction of Rainer Brammer
13.
Northern Ireland
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Northern Ireland is a constituent unit of the United Kingdom in the north-east of Ireland. It is variously described as a country, province, region, or part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the total population. Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by an act of the British parliament, Northern Ireland has historically been the most industrialised region of Ireland. After declining as a result of the political and social turmoil of the Troubles, its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s. Unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17. 2% in 1986, dropping to 6. 1% for June–August 2014,58. 2% of those unemployed had been unemployed for over a year. Prominent artists and sports persons from Northern Ireland include Van Morrison, Rory McIlroy, Joey Dunlop, Wayne McCullough, some people from Northern Ireland prefer to identify as Irish while others prefer to identify as British. Cultural links between Northern Ireland, the rest of Ireland, and the rest of the UK are complex, in many sports, the island of Ireland fields a single team, a notable exception being association football. Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games. The region that is now Northern Ireland was the bedrock of the Irish war of resistance against English programmes of colonialism in the late 16th century, the English-controlled Kingdom of Ireland had been declared by the English king Henry VIII in 1542, but Irish resistance made English control fragmentary. Victories by English forces in war and further Protestant victories in the Williamite War in Ireland toward the close of the 17th century solidified Anglican rule in Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the victories of the Siege of Derry and their intention was to materially disadvantage the Catholic community and, to a lesser extent, the Presbyterian community. In the context of open institutional discrimination, the 18th century saw secret, militant societies develop in communities in the region and act on sectarian tensions in violent attacks. Following this, in an attempt to quell sectarianism and force the removal of discriminatory laws, the new state, formed in 1801, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, was governed from a single government and parliament based in London. Between 1717 and 1775 some 250,000 people from Ulster emigrated to the British North American colonies and it is estimated that there are more than 27 million Scotch-Irish Americans now living in the US. By the close of the century, autonomy for Ireland within the United Kingdom, in 1912, after decades of obstruction from the House of Lords, Home Rule became a near-certainty. A clash between the House of Commons and House of Lords over a controversial budget produced the Parliament Act 1911, which enabled the veto of the Lords to be overturned. The House of Lords veto had been the unionists main guarantee that Home Rule would not be enacted, in 1914, they smuggled thousands of rifles and rounds of ammunition from Imperial Germany for use by the Ulster Volunteers, a paramilitary organisation opposed to the implementation of Home Rule
14.
The Troubles
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The Troubles is the common name for the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is described as a guerrilla war or low-level war. The most recent instalment of violence began in the late 1960s and is deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Belfast Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles mainly took place in Northern Ireland, violence spilled over at times parts of the Republic of Ireland, England and mainland Europe. The conflict was political and nationalistic, fuelled by historical events. It also had an ethnic or sectarian dimension, although it was not a religious conflict, a key issue was the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. Unionists/loyalists, who are mostly Protestants and consider themselves British, want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom, Irish nationalists/republicans, who are predominantly Catholics, want Northern Ireland to be reunited with the 26 counties which make up the Republic of Ireland in an independent united Ireland. This campaign was met with violence by loyalists who viewed the campaign as a stalking horse. This eventually led to the deployment of British troops, initially to protect Catholic civilians, the security forces of the Republic played a smaller role. More than 3,500 people were killed in the conflict, of whom 52% were civilians, 32% were members of the British security forces, there has been sporadic violence since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, including a campaign by anti-ceasefire republicans. The Troubles refers to the recent three-decade conflict between nationalists and unionists, the term the Troubles was previously used to refer to the Irish revolutionary period, it was adopted to refer to the escalating violence in Northern Ireland after 1969. The violence was characterised by the campaigns of Irish republican and Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups. It thus became the focus for the longest major campaign in the history of the British Army, nationalists regard the state forces as forces of occupation or partisan combatants in the conflict. One part of the Agreement is that Northern Ireland will remain within the United Kingdom unless a majority of the Northern Irish electorate vote otherwise and it also established the Northern Ireland Executive, a devolved power-sharing government, which must consist of both unionist and nationalist parties. In 1609, Scottish and English settlers, known as planters, were given land escheated from the native Irish in the Plantation of Ulster. As the Penal Laws started to be phased out in the part of the 18th century, there was more competition for land. With Roman Catholics allowed to buy land and enter trades from which they had formerly been banned, tensions arose resulting in the Protestant Peep ODay Boys and Catholic Defenders. This created polarisation between the communities and a reduction in reformers among Protestants, many of whom had been growing more receptive to democratic reform
15.
Baker Barracks
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Baker Barracks is a British Army barracks located on Thorney Island around 6.58 miles east from Portsmouth, Hampshire. The barracks were established, on the site of the former RAF Thorney Island airbase, in 1986, named after Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker, a former Royal Artillery officer, they have been home to 47th Regiment Royal Artillery, armed with the Starstreak missile, since 1989. In January 2008, 12th Regiment Royal Artillery moved to the island upon their return from Germany, a public footpath circles the site. However, to access this area visitors are required to show identity details to the army, in 2009, the airfield was used as a test track for a British-built steam car hoping to smash the longest standing land speed record. The British Steam Car Challenge team included test driver Don Wales, nephew of the late Donald Campbell and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell
16.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, in short, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeastern Europe located on the Balkan Peninsula. Sarajevo is the capital and largest city, in the central and eastern interior of the country the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and the northeast is predominantly flatland. The inland is a larger region and has a moderate continental climate, with hot summers and cold. The southern tip of the country has a Mediterranean climate and plain topography, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a region that traces permanent human settlement back to the Neolithic age, during and after which it was populated by several Illyrian and Celtic civilizations. Culturally, politically, and socially, the country has a rich history, the Ottomans brought Islam to the region, and altered much of the cultural and social outlook of the country. This was followed by annexation into the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which lasted up until World War I. In the interwar period, Bosnia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and after World War II, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the country proclaimed independence in 1992, which was followed by the Bosnian War, lasting until late 1995. The country is home to three ethnic groups or, officially, constituent peoples, as specified in the constitution. Bosniaks are the largest group of the three, with Serbs second and Croats third, a native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regardless of ethnicity, is identified in English as a Bosnian. The terms Herzegovinian and Bosnian are maintained as a rather than ethnic distinction. Moreover, the country was simply called Bosnia until the Austro-Hungarian occupation at the end of the 19th century, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a bicameral legislature and a three-member Presidency composed of a member of each major ethnic group. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is itself complex and consists of 10 cantons, additionally, the country has been a member of the Council of Europe since April 2002 and a founding member of the Mediterranean Union upon its establishment in July 2008. The name is believed to have derived from the hydronym of the river Bosna coursing through the Bosnian heartland. According to philologist Anton Mayer the name Bosna could be derived from Illyrian Bass-an-as which would be a diversion of the Proto-Indo-European root bos or bogh, meaning the running water. According to English medievalist William Miller the Slavic settlers in Bosnia adapted the Latin designation Basante, to their own idiom by calling the stream Bosna, the name Herzegovina originates from Bosnian magnate Stephen Vukčić Kosačas title, Herceg of Hum and the Coast. Hum, formerly Zahumlje, was a medieval principality that was conquered by the Bosnian Banate in the first half of the 14th century. Bosnia is located in the western Balkans, bordering Croatia to the north and west, Serbia to the east and it has a coastline about 20 kilometres long surrounding the city of Neum. It lies between latitudes 42° and 46° N, and longitudes 15° and 20° E, the countrys name comes from the two regions Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have a very vaguely defined border between them
17.
Kosovo
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Kosovo is a disputed territory and partially recognised state in Southeastern Europe that declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 as the Republic of Kosovo. Kosovo is landlocked in the central Balkan Peninsula, with its strategic position in the Balkans, it serves as an important link in the connection between central and south Europe, the Adriatic Sea, and Black Sea. Its capital and largest city is Pristina, and other urban areas include Prizren, Pejë. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, the Republic of Macedonia to the southeast, Montenegro to the west, while Serbia recognises administration of the territory by Kosovos elected government, it still continues to claim it as its own Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. In antiquity, the Dardanian Kingdom, and later the Roman province of Dardania was located in the region, the area was inhabited by several ancient Illyrian tribes. In the Middle Ages, it was part of the Byzantine, Bulgarian and Serbian Empires, Kosovo was the core of the medieval Serbian state and it has been the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church from the 14th century when its status was upgraded into a patriarchate. After being part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to the early 20th century, the war ended with a military intervention of NATO, which forced the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to withdraw its troops from Kosovo, which became a UN protectorate under UNSCR1244. On 17 February 2008 Kosovos Parliament declared independence and it has since gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by 111 UN member states, Taiwan, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Cook Islands and Niue. Serbia refuses to recognise Kosovo as a state, although with the Brussels Agreement of 2013 it has accepted the legitimacy of Kosovar institutions, the entire region is commonly referred to in English simply as Kosovo and in Albanian as Kosova or Kosovë. The name of the plain was applied to the Kosovo Province created in 1864, Albanians refer to Kosovo as Dardania, the name of a Roman province located in Central Balkans that was formed in 284 AD which covered the territory of modern Kosovo. The name is derived from the Albanian word dardha/dardā which means pear, the former Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova had been an enthusiastic backer of a Dardanian identity and the Kosovan flag and presidential seal refer to this national identity. However, the name Kosova remains more widely used among the Albanian population, the official conventional long name of the state is Republic of Kosovo, as defined by the Constitution of Kosovo, and is used to represent Kosovo internationally. This arrangement, which has dubbed the asterisk agreement, was agreed in an 11-point arrangement agreed on 24 February 2012. By the independence declaration in 2008, its long name became Republic of Kosovo. In prehistory, the succeeding Starčevo culture, Vinča culture, Bubanj-Hum culture, the area in and around Kosovo has been inhabited for nearly 10,000 years. During the Neolithic age, Kosovo lay within the area of the Vinča-Turdaş culture which is characterised by West Balkan black, bronze and Iron Age tombs have been found in Metohija. However, life during the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age is not confirmed yet, therefore, until arguments of Paleolithic and Mesolithic man are confirmed, Neolithic man, respectively the Neolithic sites are considered as the chronological beginning of population in Kosovo. From this period until today Kosovo has been inhabited, and traces of activities of societies from prehistoric, ancient, whereas, in some archaeological sites, multilayer settlements clearly reflect the continuity of life through centuries
18.
2003 invasion of Iraq
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The 2003 invasion of Iraq lasted from 20 March to 1 May 2003 and signalled the start of the Iraq War, which was dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the United States. 160,000 troops were sent by the Coalition into Iraq, during the invasion phase. About 130,000 were sent from the USA alone, with about 28,000 British soldiers, Australia,36 other countries were involved in its aftermath. In preparation for the invasion,100,000 U. S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by 18 February, the coalition forces also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan. Others place a greater emphasis on the impact of the September 11 attacks, and the role this played in changing U. S. strategic calculations. The invasion of Iraq was strongly opposed by some long-standing U. S. allies, including the governments of France, Germany, and New Zealand. Their leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of destruction in Iraq. According to the French academic Dominique Reynié, between 3 January and 12 April 2003,36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war. The invasion was preceded by an airstrike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 20 March 2003, the following day, coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. Massive air strikes across the country and against Iraqi command and control threw the army into chaos. The main body of forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq. Most of the Iraqi military was defeated and Baghdad was occupied on 9 April. Other operations occurred against pockets of the Iraqi army, including the capture and occupation of Kirkuk on 10 April, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country. On 1 May, an end of combat operations was declared, ending the invasion period. Hostilities of the 1991 Gulf War were suspended on 28 February 1991 and it was revealed that a biological weapons program in Iraq had begun in the early 1980s with help from the U. S. and Europe in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972. The investigation concluded there was no evidence the program had continued after the war. The U. S. and its allies then maintained a policy of containment towards Iraq, Iraqi military helicopters and planes regularly contested the no-fly zones. In October 1998, removing the Saddam regime became official U. S. foreign policy with enactment of the Iraq Liberation Act
19.
Afghanistan
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Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia. It has a population of approximately 32 million, making it the 42nd most populous country in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north and its territory covers 652,000 km2, making it the 41st largest country in the world. The land also served as the source from which the Kushans, Hephthalites, Samanids, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Khiljis, Mughals, Hotaks, Durranis, the political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a state in the Great Game between British India and the Russian Empire. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, King Amanullah unsuccessfully attempted to modernize the country and it remained peaceful during Zahir Shahs forty years of monarchy. A series of coups in the 1970s was followed by a series of wars that devastated much of Afghanistan. The name Afghānistān is believed to be as old as the ethnonym Afghan, the root name Afghan was used historically in reference to a member of the ethnic Pashtuns, and the suffix -stan means place of in Persian. Therefore, Afghanistan translates to land of the Afghans or, more specifically in a historical sense, however, the modern Constitution of Afghanistan states that he word Afghan shall apply to every citizen of Afghanistan. An important site of historical activities, many believe that Afghanistan compares to Egypt in terms of the historical value of its archaeological sites. The country sits at a unique nexus point where numerous civilizations have interacted and it has been home to various peoples through the ages, among them the ancient Iranian peoples who established the dominant role of Indo-Iranian languages in the region. At multiple points, the land has been incorporated within large regional empires, among them the Achaemenid Empire, the Macedonian Empire, the Indian Maurya Empire, and the Islamic Empire. Archaeological exploration done in the 20th century suggests that the area of Afghanistan has been closely connected by culture and trade with its neighbors to the east, west. Artifacts typical of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze, urban civilization is believed to have begun as early as 3000 BCE, and the early city of Mundigak may have been a colony of the nearby Indus Valley Civilization. More recent findings established that the Indus Valley Civilisation stretched up towards modern-day Afghanistan, making the ancient civilisation today part of Pakistan, Afghanistan, in more detail, it extended from what today is northwest Pakistan to northwest India and northeast Afghanistan. An Indus Valley site has found on the Oxus River at Shortugai in northern Afghanistan. There are several smaller IVC colonies to be found in Afghanistan as well, after 2000 BCE, successive waves of semi-nomadic people from Central Asia began moving south into Afghanistan, among them were many Indo-European-speaking Indo-Iranians. These tribes later migrated further into South Asia, Western Asia, the region at the time was referred to as Ariana
20.
Operation Herrick
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Operation Herrick is 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 Assistance Force, since 2003, Operation Herrick has increased in size and breadth to match ISAFs growing geographical intervention in Afghanistan. Operation Herrick superseded two previous efforts in Afghanistan, the first of these was Operation Veritas, which consisted of support to the War in Afghanistan in October 2001. The last major action of this was a sweep in east Afghanistan by 1,700 Royal Marines during Operation Jacana, the second was Operation Fingal, which involved leadership and a 2,000 strong contribution for a newly formed ISAF in Kabul after December 2001. Command was subsequently transferred to Turkey several months later and the British contingent was scaled back to 300, since then, all combat operations in Afghanistan have been conducted under Operation Herrick. Combat operations were projected to end sometime during 2014, between 2001 and 24 July 2015 a total of 454 British military personnel have died on operations in Afghanistan. The UK ceased all operations in Afghanistan and withdrew the last of its combat troops on the 27 October 2014. All training from 2015 is carried out under the name of Toral. Building a strong Afghan state is a long and difficult task, the Liberal-Conservative coalition government declared that Afghanistan was the UKs top foreign policy priority. Between 2002 and 2003, the component of Herrick remained the 300 personnel providing security in Kabul. In mid-2003, the operation became battalion strength when a provincial team was established in Mazari Sharif. The UK also provided a rapid reaction force for the area, overall command of the PRTs was transferred to ISAF in 2004. Sweden and Norway took over these PRTs in 2005 and 2006 respectively to allow the UK to focus on south Afghanistan, in early 2006, the NATO Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps became the headquarters of ISAF for a year. The attached British infantry and signals personnel raised the number of based in Kabul to 1,300. In 2004, a detachment of six Royal Air Force fighters from Joint Force Harrier was based at Kandahar Airfield to support American OEF forces there, a planned withdrawal in mid-2006 was postponed to provide air support for the new ISAF expansion across the south. The force was reinforced with more Harriers and an RAF Regiment squadron. The Harriers were withdrawn in 2009 and replaced by a Panavia Tornado GR4 squadron on rotation, on 2 September 2006, a Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2 patrol aircraft, serial number XV230 supporting Canadian forces in Operation Medusa crashed near Kandahar, killing all 14 service members aboard. It was an accident relating to fuel lines,4 more Harrier GR9s were committed in May 2007 bringing them to a total of eleven, along with an extra C130 transport plane and four Westland Sea Kings from the Fleet Air Arm
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19th Regiment Royal Artillery
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19th Regiment Royal Artillery – The Scottish Gunners – is a Scottish regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently supports 12 Mechanised Brigade in the field artillery role. The regiment has Fire Support Teams mounted in Warrior Mechanised Artillery Observation Vehicles equipped with MSTAR, the brigade saw action during World War I. During World War II, the four pre-war batteries combined into two, in May 1940 it had the honour of being the first artillery regiment to fire in the war while stationed at the Maginot Line. It served during the North African and Italian campaigns, the regiment was renumbered to 19 Regiment in 1947. During the 1950s and 1960s it served in the Korean War, with the phasing out of National Service in 1963, 19th Regiment was allocated the recruitment area of the Scottish Highlands. In 1995 the regiment was deployed to Bosnia at short notice as part of Operation Deliberate Force and it was deployed to Cyprus in 1998 as part of UNFICYP. Since the 2000s, it has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, more recently, the regiment returned from Afghanistan in October 2012. In December 2012, the regiment was officially named The Scottish Gunners when the 40th Regiment Royal Artillery was placed in suspended animation,38 Battery was transferred to 19th Regt. A new banner for the Pipes and Drums was presented and a plaque unveiled at the barracks to mark the occasion. The regiment traditionally recruited from the Highlands as its former nickname suggested but now also recruits from Fiji, Africa, The Caribbean, Grampian, Tayside, Fife, central Scotland and Argyll. With 40 Regt Lowland Gunners being placed into suspended animation as part of the Army 2020 plans,19 Regiment RA is the local artillery regiment of the Highlands of Scotland, the Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney. The Regiment has been granted the Freedom of the Cities of Inverness and Colchester, the regiments batteries are as follows,5 Battery 13 Headquarters Battery 28/143 Battery 38 Battery 127 Battery 176 Battery Royal Artillery, to move to 26 RA
22.
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
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3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. They are currently based at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland, England, the regiment was constituted in 1939 out of existing batteries. Two of the batteries have served continuously since the 1790s, two others have served continuously since their formation in the period 1805-1811 during the Napoleonic wars. M Battery, by contrast, has served continuously since 1993, the basic organic unit of the Royal Artillery was, and is, the Battery. Prior to May 1938, when grouped together they formed brigades, like an infantry battalion, an artillery brigade was usually commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel. After May 1938, brigades were redesignated as regiments and on 27 August 1938, III Brigade Royal Horse Artillery at Abbassia, also in 1938, artillery brigades were reorganized from three six-gun batteries to two 12-gun batteries. Rather than disband existing batteries, they were linked in pairs. As a result, D and J Batteries formed D/J Battery on 11 May 1938 and this was the regiments structure on formation but in the event the batteries were unlinked within months and the regiment operated with four batteries. By the outbreak of the Second World War, the regiment was still in Egypt, M Battery, however, was permanently attached to the Armoured Division. In March 1941, P Battery left the regiment to join 6th Regiment, in practice just the title was transferred, the personnel and equipment were distributed amongst D, J and M batteries making them up to eight-gun units. On 1 March 1941, the regiment joined M Battery in 7th Support Group, 3rd RHA commemorate this by wearing a red backing to the cypher. On 26 April 1954, J Battery was awarded the Honour Title Sidi Rezegh in recognition of this action, the regiment was rearmed with 25 pounders after Sidi Rezegh, and the batteries were redesignated as field artillery on 8 September 1942. The regiment left the 7th Support Group on 8 February 1942 and was assigned directly to the 7th Armoured Division and it then took part in the Tunisia Campaign including the Battles of Medenine, Mareth, Akarit, Enfidaville, and Tunis. The regiment was withdrawn to Libya to rest and refit thereby missing the Sicilian Campaign and it next took part in the Italian Campaign, the Salerno Landings, the Capture of Naples, and the Volturno Crossing. It then returned to the United Kingdom, arriving on 4 January 1944 and it continued to support 7th Armoured Division, as a follow up formation, following the Normandy Landings In 1945, the regiment led the Allied Victory parade in Berlin, and fired the Victory Salute. After World War II the regiment served in the UK, West Germany, Aden, Egypt, Kenya, Hong Kong,1958 – C Battery joined the regiment, and M Battery was placed in suspended animation. 1975 – M Battery was revived,1976 – The regiment completed another tour of Northern Ireland, as part of Operation Banner 1978 – The regiment was placed in suspended animation. The batteries became independent anti-tank batteries,1984 – The regiment was reformed in Paderborn, Germany
23.
5th Regiment Royal Artillery
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5th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It was formed in 1939 as 5th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery before being redesignated in 1958 and it currently serves in the Surveillance and Target Acquisition role and is equipped with radars and acoustic sound ranging equipment, it also provides Special Observation Post teams. The regiment was formed as 5th Regiment Royal horse Artillery on 25 November 1939 at Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire and consisted of K Battery, CC Battery was formed for the regiment in December 1940. In 1940, the regiment formed part of the British Expeditionary Force in France, after being evacuated at Dunkirk it joined Home Forces in the United Kingdom before being assigned to the 8th Support Group, 8th Armoured Division. On 8 May 1942, it departed the United Kingdom to take part in the North African Campaign and it arrived in Egypt on 18 July – the long sea journey being due to transiting via the Cape of Good Hope. 8th Armoured Division never operated as a formation and the regiment served with 23rd Armoured Brigade Group. On 1 December 1942, it joined 7th Armoured Division and remained with it for the rest of the war and it took part in the rest of the Western Desert Campaign, the Tunisian Campaign and, briefly, the Italian Campaign. It returned to the United Kingdom in January 1944 to prepare for the invasion of Europe and it fought in the North-West Europe Campaign from 8 July 1944 through to the end of the war. Because of the reorganisation of the Royal Horse Artillery in 1958, on 1 February 1958, C Battery moved to 3rd RHA and G Battery moved to 4th RHA. P Battery left 4th RHA and Q Battery moved from 10th Field Regiment on 5 February 1958 to join K Battery, after a short period near Crickhowell, the regiment left the UK in September 1958 for a 3-year tour of Hong Kong. After an tour equipped with 25 lb guns, the regiment returned to Salisbury Plain in Southern England in October 1961 as 5 Light Regiment RA, during its stay at Perham Down, the regiment had many equipment changes. In 1961, K Battery had 5.5 guns, while P and Q Batteries were equipped with 25 pdrs, then, in 1962, all batteries were allotted 4.2 mortars as well as other guns. In 1963, the regiment converted to 105mm Pack Howitzers and took part in exercises in Libya, Canada and Norway with this versatile new gun. In August/September 1964, the regiment moved to the British Army of the Rhine in Germany, once again K Battery had 5.5 guns and P and Q Batteries 25 pounders, but these later gave way to the Abbot Self Propelled gun in 1966. The regiment returned to Southern England in 1969, this time to Bulford, the next three years at Bulford were dominated by four emergency tours of Northern Ireland. The regiment was operating in the Londonderry area and had 3 fatalities from terrorist actions. At this time, the regiment was equipped with the 105mm pack howitzer, after 12 years at Tofrek Barracks in Hildesheim, the regiment moved to West Riding Barracks in Dortmund in 1984. 18 Battery and Q Battery left the regiment to join 32 Heavy Regiment RA.73 Locating Battery moved from 94 Locating Regiment to 5th Regiment in January 1985 and was renamed Q Battery, during this period, the Gun Batteries both carried out operational tours of Northern Ireland
24.
Honourable Artillery Company
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The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII and is considered one of the oldest military organisations in the world. The equivalent form of words in modern English would be either Honourable Infantry Company or Honourable Military Company, Members of the Regiment and Specials are drawn, for the most part, from young men and women working in and around the City and Greater London. Those leaving the units may become Veteran Members and remain within the fraternity of the Company. This body was known by a variety of names until 1656 and it was first referred to as the Honourable Artillery Company in 1685 and officially received the name from Queen Victoria in 1860. However, the Archers’ Company of the Honourable Artillery Company was retained into the late 19th century, founded in 1781 by Sir Ashton Lever, it met at Archers’ Hall, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London. The regiment has the distinction of having fought on the side of both Parliament and the Royalists during the English Civil War 1642 to 1649. From its formation, the company trained at a site it had occupied at the Old Artillery Ground in Spitalfields, in 1622, the company built its first Armoury House at the site of the Old Artillery Gardens. In 1657, it sold its old Armoury House in Spitalfield to Master Gunner Richard Woolaston for £300. James, the Duke of York and Albany, Lord High Admiral and brother of King Charles II, was Captain-General of the Honourable Artillery Company, until 1780, captains of the HAC trained the officers of the London Trained Bands. In 1860, control of the Company moved from the Home Office to the War Office and in 1889, in 1883, Queen Victoria decreed that the HAC took precedence next after the Regular Forces and therefore before the Militia and Yeomanry in consideration of its antiquity. Members of the Company first served as a unit overseas in the South African War. In 1907, the Company became part of the newly formed Territorial Force with the passing of the Territorial, the HAC also had its property and privileges protected by the Honourable Artillery Company Act 1908. The HAC expanded to three battalions and seven artillery batteries during the First World War. Second Lieutenants Reginald Leonard Haine and Alfred Oliver Pollard, of the 1st Battalion HAC, were awarded Victoria Crosses for their actions at Gavrelle in 1917, in total 1,600 men from the HAC were killed during the war. In September 1914 the 1st Battalion followed the British Expeditionary Force to France, after the fighting at the Battle of the Ancre in 1916 and the Battle of Arras in 1917, it became an officer training battalion and provided demonstration platoons. Elements of the battalion were used to quell the Étaples Mutiny. The 2nd Battalion HAC was raised in August 1914, it was in France by October 1916 and they fought at the Battle of Arras in May and the 3rd Battle of Ypres in October. In November 1917, the moved to the Italian Front under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Richard O’Connor
25.
47th Regiment Royal Artillery
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47th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It is equipped with the Thales Watchkeeper WK450 and it is currently located at Horne Barracks, Larkhill in Wiltshire. The regiment was formed in 1947 when 4th Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery was renamed 47th Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery and it was reformed as 47th Guided Weapons Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the Corporal missile in 1957. In 1965 it was renamed 47th Light Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the 105mm Pack Howitzer and it saw service in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in 1973 and 1975. It was re-equipped with the 105mm light gun in 1976 and renamed 47th Field Regiment Royal Artillery when it re-equipped with the Abbott gun in 1981,21 Battery deployed to the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982. 3 Battery and 31 Battery both took part in the Gulf War in 1991,21 Battery saw action in Bosnia in 1995 and element of 31 Battery were deployed to the Macedonia and to Kosovo in 1999. Between 2001 and 2014 elements of the Regiment were deployed on Operation Herrick in Helmand Province, the Regiment is the sole operator of the Thales Watchkeeper WK450 UAS. The batteries are as follows,10 Battery,3 Battery 21 Battery Under the Army 2020 plans the Regiment relocated from Thorney Island to Larkhill. In January 2017 the Regiment moved from 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade to the command of Joint Helicopter Command
26.
12th Regiment Royal Artillery
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12th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Starstreak missile, the regiment was established in 1947 when 7th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery was retitled 12th Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery. It was deployed to Palestine that year, to Libya in 1948 and it also saw action in Malaya in 1963 and Borneo in 1964. Units saw tours in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in 1971,1974,1977 and 1979, T Battery and 9 Battery were sent to the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982. T Battery and 58 Battery saw action during the Gulf War in 1991,12 Battery was deployed for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In January 2008, the regiment moved to the Baker Barracks and it is currently under the Joint Ground Based Air Defence Unit and will continue to do so under Army 2020. Under Army 2020, T Battery will re-role to a further Stormer HVM battery while 25/170 Battery moves out of suspended animation to be the new HQ battery
27.
16th Regiment Royal Artillery
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16th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Rapier missile, one of its Rapier Batteries is always deployed to the Falkland Islands. The regiment was established in 1947 when 2nd Coast Regiment Royal Artillery was retitled 16th Coast Regiment Royal Artillery, as 16th Light Air Defence Regiment it was deployed to Borneo in 1965. It undertook tours in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in 1973,1974,1976 and 1979 and 14 Battery took part in the Falklands War in 1982, in August 2007, the Regiment relocated to St Georges Barracks in Rutland from Woolwich. Its departure from the Royal Artillery Barracks where the RA had been based since 1716 was marked with a ceremony on 25 July 2007. The Regiment was part of the 2012 London Olympics Air Security Force, the regiment also operates the Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system which destroys enemy projectiles in flight. The batteries are as follows,11 Battery 14 Battery 20 Battery 30 Battery 32 Battery 49 Battery REME Workshop Official site
28.
7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
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7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the artillery role with 16 Air Assault Brigade. The regiment was constituted in 1961 out of existing batteries that have served continuously since the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment was formed on 27 June 1961 with the re-designation of 33rd Parachute Light Regiment Royal Artillery as 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. The regiment first saw action in the middle-east in Kuwait in 1961, in 1994 the regiment deployed to Cyprus as part of the UN mission to patrol the buffer-zone between Cypriot and Turkish forces. This was followed in 1996–97 with two battery deployments to Bosnia as part of the NATO mission and the Kosovo campaign of 1999, since the formation of 16 Air Assault Brigade in 1999,7 Para RHA has been involved in numerous overseas operations. The Sierra Leone campaign in summer 2000 was followed by Op Essential Harvest in Macedonia a year later, on the afternoon of 19 March 20037 Para RHA fired the first shots of the Iraq war by any coalition ground forces. The next day crossed the border in support of the US I Marine Expeditionary Force. The regiment was instrumental in securing the strategic Rumalya oilfields and supporting the MEF in their north to Nasiriyah. In late 2003 the regiment moved from Aldershot to Colchester to join the rest of 16 Air Assault Brigade,2006 saw the first of the regiments three tours of Afghanistan. The first of these saw the regiment play a key role in the break into Helmand province and this tour attracted much public attention and has often been described as the most intense combat fighting since the Korean War of the 1950s. 7 Para RHA’s final deployment to Afghanistan saw the Regiment’s gun groups, in May 2013, V Battery was disbanded. In September 2013, it was part of Exercise Sphinx Resolve, the Regiment also had an Airborne Air Defence element when part of 5 Airborne Brigade. Better known as P Troop this band of warriors consisted of soldiers who were the most highly trained. P Troop moved to Thorney Island for a period before being disbanded. British Army units from 1945 on
29.
29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery
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29 Commando Regiment is the Commando-trained unit of the British Armys Royal Artillery. The regiment is under the control of 3 Commando Brigade, to which it provides artillery support. The regiment was established in 1947 by the redesignation of the 25th Field Regiment, in 1951, it was renamed as the 29th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery and was based at Brancepeth Camp in Durham. In 1957, it was deployed to Cyprus, in 1962, it re-roled and became 29 Commando Light Regiment, Royal Artillery. At that time, each consisted of four 105mm pack howitzers. In the 1970s, batteries from the regiment completed tours in Northern Ireland. During the 1982 Falklands War,29 Commando Regiment accompanied the Royal Marines, in 1996, the honorary Freedom of the City of Plymouth was conferred on the regiment. The regiment conducted numerous tours in Afghanistan to provide artillery support during operations against Al Qaeda. The gun batteries are equipped with six L118 105MM light guns, the batteries are as follows,7 Battery Royal Artillery – Commando trained L118 gun battery based at RM Condor, Arbroath. Slated to lose its guns under Army 2020, British Army Royal Navy Royal Marines Royal Artillery 3 Commando Brigade Official site British Army Official site
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King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
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The Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery is a ceremonial unit of the British Army, quartered at Woolwich. Its duties include the firing of royal salutes on royal anniversaries and state occasions, the unit is most often seen providing gun salutes on state occasions in Hyde Park, and Green Park. Accordingly the Riding Troop was reformed on 17 April 1946 at Shoeburyness as a six-gun Royal Horse Artillery battery for the Household Division, at the suggestion of Brigadier John Anquetil Norman, the King declared that the Riding Troop would be known as The Kings Troop. The King enacted his proclamation on 24 October 1947 by amending the page on the book by striking out the word Riding and inserting Kings. On her accession, Queen Elizabeth II declared that the name The Kings Troop would remain in honour of her father, on 6 September 1997, the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales was carried on a gun carriage by members of the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The King’s Troop was for 65 years stationed at St Johns Wood Barracks before it was relocated to Napier Lines at the traditional Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in February 2012. The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery performed their Musical Drive at every Royal Tournament from its formation in 1947 to the final Royal Tournament on 2 August 1999. The Musical Drive can be seen at shows around the United Kingdom, many of the manoeuvres of the Musical Drive have remained unchanged since it was first performed in 1897. The start, known as the Big Drive, features the Scissors, another manoeuvre, the Wagon Wheel, depicts an inner wheel, spokes, and an outer wheel. A display may then finish with a Battery Charge, for a Heros Welcome event in Windsor in May 2008 there were six gun teams, each of ten horses and seven riders. Women, first admitted to the Kings Troop in 1996, made up one-third of the display team, major Erica Bridge was the first female officer commanding the Kings Troop. At the end of the event, the Kings Troop ranks past the Queen, in the British Army Order of Precedence, the Household Cavalry is listed first and normally parades at the extreme right of the line. However when the Royal Horse Artillery is on parade with its guns, a 35mm CinemaScope film, The Troop, was filmed in Windsor Great Park and at The Wood barracks. The film had a royal premiere before the Princess Royal at BAFTA in September 1999, the Glory Film Co. production was produced by Marcus Dillistone and Paul-Anthony Viollet, and directed by Marcus Dillistone with an introduction spoken by Sir John Mills. Music was composed by Julian Scott and performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, British Army Honourable Artillery Company List of Royal Artillery Batteries Royal Artillery Royal Horse Artillery Royal Tournament Trooping the Colour Clarke, W. G. Horse Gunners, The Royal Horse Artillery,200 Years of Panache, official site Col Anand We Gunners An History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery
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14th Regiment Royal Artillery
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14th Regiment Royal Artillery is a training regiment within the Royal Artillery, part of the British Army. Of note, the Regiment was heavily involved with 25 pounder guns in the successful Battle of Keren in Spring 1941, renamed 14th Field Regiment Royal Artillery in 1947, it has also served in India, Hong Kong, Korea, Aden and later in Northern Ireland. Following disbandment in 1971, 14th Field Regiment Royal Artillery was reformed at Larkhill in December 1984 as the Training Support Regiment for the Royal School of Artillery, initially it was composed of 1st Battery RA The Blazers,132 Battery and 176 Battery. The Battery is the most diverse in the Gunners with different weapons systems, the manpower within the Battery is drawn from across the Royal Artillery and soldiers serve what is normally a two-year assignment within the Battery. The Battery is controlled from a Battery Headquarters, there are three Sections within Weapons Troop, Precision Fires, Air Defence and Ground Based ISTAR. EQUIPMENT Although the Battery strength is similar to most troops, it has far more equipment than most Batteries, under the Battery HQ element there are two main areas. Firstly the Trade Troop, managed by a Captain, Troop Commander, responsible for all Trade training, including driver training, for Phase 2 soldiers. Secondly there is the Intake Troop, also run by a Captain Troop Commander who manages all aspects of Phase 2 training at The Royal School of Artillery. At present the Battery operates as the lone firing battery within 14 Regiment and it has 160 members drawn from every Regiment within the Royal Regiment of Artillery. This includes Close Support, General Support, STA, Air Defence, Parachute, the Battery also supports RSA courses such as Young Officers, Gunnery Careers Course, Artillery Command Systems, Strike and Targeting
United Kingdom
British Army