Artillery Before the Formation of the Royal Artillery
The first recorded use of cannon was by Edward III at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Henry V was recorded as using siege cannon at Harfleur in 1415.
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| Siege Cannon 1415 |
The use of gunpowder and cannons developed over the next two hundred years. The practice was to either assemble cannon for a particular campaign, or to emplace them in fortresses for defence. A Master Gunner would control the cannon and trained men were employed to operate the ordnance.
It was Henry VIII (King of England 1509 to 1547) who formed the first permanent Artillery force in the country. It consisted of a Master Gunner and 12 paid Gunners at the Tower of London. The practice of raising a Trayne for a particular campaign continued throughout the 16th century. During the campaign senior officers with Army commissions were in charge of artillery and engineers, administered by His Majesty's Board of Ordnance.
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| Tower of London 1547 |
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| Tudor Artillery and Gunner |
During reign of William III (1689-1702) regimental organisation developed in traynes, but it was still on a campaign basis.
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| Artillery Trayne |
As Britain began colonising overseas territories, to protect key ports vital to the Royal Navy, artillery garrisons were established in Nova Scotia, Gibraltar, and Minorca. The first use of mobile artillery was in the Battle of Blenheim in 1704 when the Duke of Marlborough led a coalition force to defeat French and Bavarian troops.
The formation of traynes when they required was economical, but inefficient when required at short notice as happened in 1715 with the Jacobite Rebellion. James Edward Stuart attempted to seize the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. The government sent forces north to quell the rebellion, mobilising an artillery trayne. The rebellion lasted four months, the government forces suppressing the uprising, before the artillery trayne could be formed.
Formation of the Royal Artillery
Following the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, the Duke of Marlborough, Master of the Ordnance, approached King George I to stress the importance of a critical core of retained artillery.
On May 26th 1716 George I issued a Royal Warrant creating a permanent artillery consisting of two companies formed in Woolwich.
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Royal Warrant of 26th May 1716
authorising the formation of the Royal Artillery
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History of the Royal Artillery
1716
May 26th 1716 - George I issued a Royal Warrant creating a permanent artillery consisting of two companies formed in Woolwich.
1719
First action of the newly formed Regiment, the Siege of Vigo, in Spain, in October 1719
1722
April 1722 - Garrisons in Gibraltar and Minorca grouped with the companies at Woolwich to form the Royal Regiment of Artillery
1741
Royal Military Academy Woolwich opened to produce "good officers of Artillery and perfect Engineers"
1762
Royal Artillery Band formed
1766
Royal Artillery barracks opens
1793
Royal Horse Artillery formed
1803-1815
Napoleonic Wars
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| Royal Artilley Battle of Waterloo |
1832
King William IV gives to the Regiment the motto 'Ubique'.
1853-1856
Crimean War
1855
Control of Royal Artillery transferred from Board of Ordnance to the War Department
1859
School of Gunnery established at Shoeburyness, Essex
1899
1 July - Royal Artillery divided into two Corps - Royal Horse and Field Artillery & Royal Garrison Artillery
1899-1901
Boer War
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| Royal Artillery in the Boer War |
1908
Formation of the Territorial Force
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Territorial Force
Gunners |
1914-1918
World War One
1924
Amalgamation of Royal Horse and Field Artillery & Royal Garrison Artillery to form Royal Artillery
1939
Formation of Anti-Aircraft Command
1939-1945
Second World War
1945
British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) formed
1947
Cold War begins
1950-1953
Korean War
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| Royal Artillery Korea |
1955
Disbandment Anti-Aircraft Command
1956
Disbandment of Coastal Artillery
1967
British Army commitments East of Suez drawdown
1967
British Troops deploy to Northern Ireland for peacekeeping
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Royal Artillery
Northern Ireland |
1982
Falklands War
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| Royal Artillery Falklands |
1991
Cold War ends
1991
Gulf War
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| Royal Artillery Gulf War |
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| Royal Artillery Gulf War |
1994
BAOR disbanded
2001-2014
Afghanistan conflict
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| Royal Artilley Afghanistan |
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| Royal Artilley Afghanistan |
2003-2011
Iraq conflict
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| Royal Artilley Iraq |
2016
Royal Artillery Tercentenary
Tercentenary of the Royal Artillery - Royal Review
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Tercentenary of the Royal Artillery
Kings Troop RHA and AS90 |
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Tercentenary of the Royal Artillery
Queen - Captain General Review
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Tercentenary of the Royal Artillery
Kings Troop RHA fire Royal Salute |
