14th Regiment Royal Artillery

From ARRSEpedia

14 Regt RA Website

14 Field Regiment was reformed at Larkhill in December 1984 as the support Regiment for the Royal School of Artillery. Initially it comprised 1st, 132nd (The Bengal Rocket Troop) Battery and 176th (Abu Klea) Battery.

As it stands today, and as a result of further reorganisation, 14 Regiment RA now comprises the following Batteries:


1 Battery RA 'The Blazers'

The role of 1st Battery is to provide support to the The Royal School of Artillery in the form of equipment and manpower. The Battery is therefore unique, in that it is equipped with the full range of weapons systems and target acquisition equipment that the Royal Artillery has in service today. The manpower within the Battery is drawn from across the Royal Artillery and soldiers serve what is normally a two-year posting within the Battery. Additionally an increasing number of civilian staff are employed as drivers and maintainers.


The Battery comprises of a Battery Headquarters (responsible for the administration of Weapons Troop). There are three sections within Weapons Troop, consisting of the General Support Section, which itself is consists of four detachments, including MLRS, Sound Ranging. There is also a Field Section, which consists of three detachments, made up of AS90, Light Gun and MAMBA Radar. Finally there is a third section of Air Defence, which is again broken down into detachments including HVM Stormer, FSB2 RAPIER, Javelin and ADCIS.


EQUIPMENT

Although the Battery strength is similar to most troops, it has far more equipment than most Batteries. Current equipment strengths include


24 (Irish) Battery RA

The Phase 2 training establishment for the Royal Artillery. It is a part of 14 Regiment Royal Artillery, based at Stirling Barracks, Larkhill and it is the Battery's job to supply the Field Army with professionally trained individuals through its Trade Training in the following areas:

  • Gunnery (Strike Surface to Surface)
  • Defence (Strike Surface to Air)
  • Communications/Signals (Gunner Command Systems)
  • Driving (Car and Light Goods Vehicles)

BATTERY ORGANISATION

The Battery is currently formed with the command element made up of the Battery Commander, the Battery Captain and the Battery Sergeant Major. Under the Battery HQ element there are two main areas. Firstly the Trade Troop, run by a Captain Troop Commander, who is responsible for all Trade training, including driver training, for Phase 2 soldiers and secondly the Intake Troop, also run by a Captain Troop Commander which runs all other aspects of Phase 2 training at Larkhill.


34 (Seringapatam) Battery RA

At present the Battery operates as the lone firing battery within 14 Regiment. It has 160 members drawn from every Regiment within the Royal Regiment of Artillery. This includes Close Support, General Support, STA, Air Defence, Parachute and Commando units which gives us a unique perspective and the largest Battery in the Royal Artillery. It is equipped with 4 AS90 and 12 Light Gun, as well as 4 Warrior Observation Post Vehicles.


The Battery has an extensive diary of varied firing commitments supporting not only the Royal School of Artillery, but also The Infantry Training Centre at Warminster, the School of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop, The Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, The Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham and many others. The courses we support include Young Officers, Gunnery Careers Course, ACS, Strike and Targeting Courses. High profile visits are commonplace, and the Battery is unique in firing a bombard demonstration, when visitors are sealed in a hardened bunker and then shelled in a striking demonstration of the effects of artillery fire.

The Battery fires 36,000 rounds of ammunition annually, trains soldiers, tests equipment and demonstrates to the Army and civilians the continued potency of field artillery and the skill of those that operate it.


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