O Battery (The Rocket Troop) Royal Horse Artillery Explained

Unit Name:O Battery (The Rocket Troop) Royal Horse Artillery
Dates:7 June 1813present
Country:United Kingdom
Branch:Army
Type:Headquarters
Command Structure:1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Garrison:Larkhill
Battles:War of the Sixth Coalition

War of the Seventh Coalition

Crimean War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Boer War
World War I
World War II

Anniversaries:Leipzig Day 16 October
Battle Honours:Ubique

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.

History

Formation

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. In 1815, the battery fought with some of its rockets at the Battle of Waterloo, under Captain Edward Charles Whinyates.[3] It served in the Crimean War, Second Anglo-Afghan War and the Second Boer War.[1]

World War I

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

World War II

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

Post war

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.[4] In 1993 it transferred to 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery[1] and, in 1996, the battery was deployed to Bosnia.[4] 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.[4]

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division. Desert Rats. 30 August 2019.
  2. Web site: Captain Richard Bogue. British Empire. 8 February 2021.
  3. Whinyates, Sir Edward Charles. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/29208 . 978-0-19-861412-8 . 30 August 2019 . Lloyd . E. M. . H. C. G. . Matthew .
  4. Web site: 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. British Army Units 1945 on. 30 August 2019.