O Battery (The Rocket Troop) Royal Horse Artillery

O Battery (The Rocket Troop) Royal Horse Artillery is the Headquarters Battery of the British Army's 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. It is currently based in Purvis Lines in Larkhill Garrison.

O Battery (The Rocket Troop) Royal Horse Artillery
Active7 June 1813 – present
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchArmy
TypeHeadquarters
Part of1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Garrison/HQLarkhill
AnniversariesLeipzig Day 16 October
EngagementsWar of the Sixth Coalition

War of the Seventh Coalition

Crimean War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Boer War
World War I
World War II
Battle honoursUbique
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Richard Bogue Edward Charles Whinyates

History

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Formation

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The battery was formed on 1 January 1813.[1] In that year the battery fought as the only British Army unit present at the Battle of Leipzig as 'The Rocket Brigade' under Captain Richard Bogue.[2] It was attached to the bodyguard of Bernadotte, Crown Prince of Sweden.[2] During the battle Bogue was killed in action after a successful attack on five French and Saxon battalions at Paunsdorf, and Lieutenant Fox-Strangways assumed command.[3] In 1815, the battery fought with some of its rockets at the Battle of Waterloo, under Captain Edward Charles Whinyates.[4] It served in the Crimean War, Second Anglo-Afghan War and the Second Boer War.[1]

World War I

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During World War I the battery supported the charge by the Royal Horse Guards at Villeselve in March 1918.[1]

World War II

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During World War II the battery served with 6th Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery.[1]

Post war

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The battery transferred to 2nd Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery in 1951 which re-roled to become 2nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery in 1958.[1] In the 1970s, the battery completed tours in Northern Ireland.[5] In 1993 it transferred to 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery[1] and, in 1996, the battery was deployed to Bosnia.[5] In 2004, B Battery deployed with 1 RHA to Basra in Iraq on Operation Telic 4 and in 2007 the battery deployed with 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery to Basra in Iraq on Operation Telic 10.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division". Desert Rats. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Captain Richard Bogue". British Empire. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  3. ^ Latham, Captain H.B., "The Rocket Service and the award of the Swedish Decorations for Leipzig", The Royal Artillery Journal, LVI (4)
  4. ^ Lloyd, E. M. (2004). "Whinyates, Sir Edward Charles". In Matthew, H. C. G. (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29208. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 30 August 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ a b c "1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery". British Army Units 1945 on. Retrieved 30 August 2019.

Bibliography

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  • Clarke, W.G. (1993). Horse Gunners: The Royal Horse Artillery, 200 Years of Panache and Professionalism. Woolwich: The Royal Artillery Institution. ISBN 09520762-0-9.
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