View source for A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery

{{short description|British Army artillery battery}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery
|image=
|caption=
|dates=1 February 1793{{snd}}present
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|allegiance=
|branch={{army|United Kingdom}}
|type=[[Artillery]]
|role=
|size= [[Artillery battery|Battery]]
|command_structure=[[1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery]]
|garrison=
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|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
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|mascot=
|equipment=[[AS-90]]
|equipment_label=
|battles=
|anniversaries=Formation Day (1793) 1 February
|decorations=
|battle_honours=[[Battle honour#Entitlement|Ubique]]
<!-- Commanders -->
|commander1=
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|commander2=
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|commander3=
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|notable_commanders=[[Hew Dalrymple Ross]]
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'''A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery''' is the senior Battery in the [[British Army]]'s [[Royal Artillery]] and is part of [[1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery]]. The Chestnut Troop is currently based in Purvis Lines at Larkhill Barracks. The unit is currently equipped as a Close Support Artillery Battery, with the [[AS-90]] [[Self-propelled gun]].
==History==
===Formation and early years===
A Troop, Royal Horse Artillery was raised as The Chestnut Troop at Woolwich on 1 February 1793.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBW-BAAAQBAJ&q=E+troop+artillery+1794&pg=PA35|page=35|title=History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol II (1784-1815)|last=Duncan|first=Major Francis|publisher=John Murray|year=1879|isbn=9781781491751}}</ref> In 1798 the troop saw action in the Irish Rebellion and in 1799 it fought in the Netherlands. In 1806, [[Hew Dalrymple Ross]] assumed command of the unit which he led during campaigns in Spain, Portugal and France. Ross was later knighted and promoted to [[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23340|page=53|date=7 January 1868}}</ref> After 1809, it fought in the [[Peninsular War]] and at the [[Battle of Waterloo]]. Between 1855 and 1856 it fought in the [[Crimean War]].<ref name=empire>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/rha.htm|title=Royal Horse Artillery|publisher=British Empire|access-date=30 August 2019}}</ref>
===World War I===
The outbreak of the First World War saw the unit, now enlarged to a battery, deployed to France in 1914. It served during all four years, firing its last round at Orrs on 4 November 1918.<ref name=empire/>
===Between the two World Wars===
[[File:3.7inchHowitzerPreparedForFiring1938.jpg|thumb|right|{{center|Training with a [[3.7-inch mountain howitzer]] c. 1938}}]]
In 1919 the battery was deployed in North West Persia as part of the [[Norperforce]].<ref>{{Citation|publisher = Brill Academic Publishers|author = Cecil John Edmonds|title = East and West of Zagros|date = 2009|oclc = 593346009|ol = 25432016M}}</ref> and, in 1921, it was deployed to [[Basra]]. In 1938, the battery became part of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery.<ref name=empire/>
===World War II===
The battery was deployed to France, serving with the British Expeditionery Force until the evacuation from Dunkirk. Later in 1940, the battery was sent to Egypt as part of the Desert Rats. In 1941, it fought as part of the [[Siege of Tobruk]]. The battery served continuously in the Western Desert especially in El Alamein in 1942. After El Alamein, elements of the battery were seconded to the newly formed "Long Range Desert Group" because of their intimate knowledge of the desert and survival skills. Afterwards, it was then re-equipped with 105mm SP guns before fighting in Italy for the rest of the World War.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.desertrats.org.uk/orgartillery.htm|title=Artillery Regiments That Served With The 7th Armoured Division|publisher=Desert Rats|access-date=30 August 2019}}</ref>
===Post war===
In the post-war period the battery served in Egypt, the United Kingdom and Germany. Most significantly, between 1965 and 1967 it was deployed to Aden.<ref name=bau>{{cite web|url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/royal-artillery/1st-regiment-rha.html|title=1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery|publisher=British Army Units 1945 on|access-date=30 August 2019}}</ref> In the 1970s, the battery completed tours in Northern Ireland, and in 1990, the battery provided soldiers for a combined A/B/E Battery which fought in the [[Operation Granby|Gulf War]].<ref name=bau/> In 1996, the battery served in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] as a part of [[IFOR]].<ref name=bau/> In April 2004, the unit deployed to Basra as part of the 1 Cheshire Battlegroup, and was tasked with developing the [[Iraqi Police]] within the City, as part of Operation Telic 4.<ref name=bau/> Later in 2007 the battery deployed to [[Basra]] on Operation Telic 10.<ref name=bau/> In 2009 A Battery served in Sangin as part of 3 Rifles Battlegroup on Operation Herrick 11.<ref name=bau/>
==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom}}
*[[British Army]]
*[[Royal Artillery]]
*[[Royal Horse Artillery]]
*[[List of Royal Artillery Batteries]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last = Clarke | first = W.G.
| year = 1993
| title = Horse Gunners: The Royal Horse Artillery, 200 Years of Panache and Professionalism
| publisher = The Royal Artillery Institution
| location = Woolwich
| isbn = 09520762-0-9
}}
==External links==
* {{cite web | url=http://www.army.mod.uk/artillery/regiments/24664.aspx | title=1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery | publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)]] | access-date=18 November 2015 }}
{{Royal Horse Artillery}}
[[Category:Royal Horse Artillery batteries]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery batteries]]
[[Category:1793 establishments in Great Britain]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1793]]