206 (Ulster) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
Encyclopedia
206 Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers) "The Ulster
Gunners", is part of British Army's
105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
. It is a TA artillery
sub-unit based in Northern Ireland
and is split between two locations, Newtownards
and Coleraine
.
(Supplementary Reserve), was founded in the wake of the Munich crisis, and recruited mainly in the spring of 1939 from young men of the City and District of Belfast. It was mobilised and at action stations, manning its guns to defend Belfast, before war was declared on 3 September 1939.
In October, it left for practice camp in Cornwall, and thence to France, where it joined the British Expeditionary Force before Christmas. Following the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, all units were soon in action, but the fortunes of war resulted in evacuation from Dunkirk, Cherbourg, Saint-Malo and other ports during late May and early June. One troop* successfully brought back four of its 3.7 AA guns and some vital gunnery instruments despite having orders to blow them up. Back in England, the regiment was soon in action again during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, first in London and then on Teesside.
In the spring of 1942, the regiment embarked for the Far East in the Belfast-built liner RMS Britannic, and after a long voyage, reached Bombay. The guns and equipment were unloaded at Karachi and both elements assembled at Lahore before driving some 2,000 miles in convoy down the Grand Turk Road to Calcutta. It was later transferred to East Bengal, before moving south to join XV Corps in Burma.
For the next two and a half years. the regiment took part in the Arakan campaigns, firing effectively against the Japanese Air Force and ground targets. Their accuracy at long range earned them the nickname “The Twelve Mile Snipers.” Some elements took part in the famous Battle of the Admin Box at Ngakyedouk (“Okeydoke”) Pass. Several officers and men received awards for gallantry following this heroic stand, which proved to be the turning point in the Arakan. At Easter 1945, a tablet to the memory of members of the regiment who died in the Arakan was unveiled in St. Mark’s Church, Akyab. This little, battle-torn church was one of the first in all Burma to be retaken, and men of the regiment assisted in restoring the building.
Many of the officers and men came together again in 1947 when the Territorial Army was re-formed, and so helped to perpetuate the regimental spirit in a new organisation, the 245th (Belfast) (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA which was formed in TA with HQ at Belfast. (245 HAA Regiment was considered the successor to 8th (Belfast) HAA Regt, although that unit was continued by the regular 56 HAA Regt).
The successor of which, the 206 (Ulster) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers), (of 105th Regiment RA(V) – ( the Ulster and Scottish Gunners) is one of the most efficient units of the Volunteer Reserve today.
The Battery
was formed in 1993 by the Options for Change
program and the disbandment of 102 (Ulster) Regiment, Royal Artillery (Volunteers). The two old batteries of 206 (Coleraine) Battery and 215 (North Down) Battery were amalgamated to form 206 (Ulster) Battery. The new Battery was absorbed into 105 Regiment to make the "Ulster and Scottish
Gunners" along with 207 (City of Glasgow
) Battery and 212 (Highland
) Battery.
battery equipped with the L118
105 mm Light Gun. All aspects of Field Gunnery are covered in the battery, ie the Gun, Command Post and Observation Post
s (OPs).
The Battery also continues its ceremonial role by firing Royal Salutes at Hillsborough Castle
five times per year.
The Battery has recently deployed soldiers on Op HERRICK
in Afghanistan in the Field Artillery Role and continues to support both Op TELIC
in Iraq and Op TOSCA
in Cyprus with a steady flow of TA augmentees.
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
Gunners", is part of British Army's
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
105th Regiment Royal Artillery The Scottish & Ulster Gunners is a British Territorial Army Regiment of the Royal Artillery. The regiment is part of 51st Brigade...
. It is a TA artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
sub-unit based in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and is split between two locations, Newtownards
Newtownards
Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...
and Coleraine
Coleraine
Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...
.
8th (Belfast) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery
The 8 (Belfast) HAA Regiment Royal Artillery8 (Belfast) HAA Regiment Royal Artillery
The 8th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery , was founded in the wake of the Munich crisis, and recruited mainly in the spring of 1939 from young men of the City and District of Belfast...
(Supplementary Reserve), was founded in the wake of the Munich crisis, and recruited mainly in the spring of 1939 from young men of the City and District of Belfast. It was mobilised and at action stations, manning its guns to defend Belfast, before war was declared on 3 September 1939.
In October, it left for practice camp in Cornwall, and thence to France, where it joined the British Expeditionary Force before Christmas. Following the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May 1940, all units were soon in action, but the fortunes of war resulted in evacuation from Dunkirk, Cherbourg, Saint-Malo and other ports during late May and early June. One troop* successfully brought back four of its 3.7 AA guns and some vital gunnery instruments despite having orders to blow them up. Back in England, the regiment was soon in action again during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, first in London and then on Teesside.
In the spring of 1942, the regiment embarked for the Far East in the Belfast-built liner RMS Britannic, and after a long voyage, reached Bombay. The guns and equipment were unloaded at Karachi and both elements assembled at Lahore before driving some 2,000 miles in convoy down the Grand Turk Road to Calcutta. It was later transferred to East Bengal, before moving south to join XV Corps in Burma.
For the next two and a half years. the regiment took part in the Arakan campaigns, firing effectively against the Japanese Air Force and ground targets. Their accuracy at long range earned them the nickname “The Twelve Mile Snipers.” Some elements took part in the famous Battle of the Admin Box at Ngakyedouk (“Okeydoke”) Pass. Several officers and men received awards for gallantry following this heroic stand, which proved to be the turning point in the Arakan. At Easter 1945, a tablet to the memory of members of the regiment who died in the Arakan was unveiled in St. Mark’s Church, Akyab. This little, battle-torn church was one of the first in all Burma to be retaken, and men of the regiment assisted in restoring the building.
Post-war
When the war ended, the regiment was fortunate to embark at Madras as a unit, instead of being dispersed in age groups as was the common practice, and returned home to Ulster in another Belfast-built ship, RMS Stirling Castle.Many of the officers and men came together again in 1947 when the Territorial Army was re-formed, and so helped to perpetuate the regimental spirit in a new organisation, the 245th (Belfast) (Mixed) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA which was formed in TA with HQ at Belfast. (245 HAA Regiment was considered the successor to 8th (Belfast) HAA Regt, although that unit was continued by the regular 56 HAA Regt).
The successor of which, the 206 (Ulster) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers), (of 105th Regiment RA(V) – ( the Ulster and Scottish Gunners) is one of the most efficient units of the Volunteer Reserve today.
The Battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
was formed in 1993 by the Options for Change
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....
program and the disbandment of 102 (Ulster) Regiment, Royal Artillery (Volunteers). The two old batteries of 206 (Coleraine) Battery and 215 (North Down) Battery were amalgamated to form 206 (Ulster) Battery. The new Battery was absorbed into 105 Regiment to make the "Ulster and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Gunners" along with 207 (City of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
) Battery and 212 (Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
) Battery.
Role
206 (Ulster) Battery has recently re-roled from being an Air Defence battery to become a Field ArtilleryField artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
battery equipped with the L118
L118 Light Gun
The L118 Light Gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer, originally produced for the British Army in the 1970s and widely exported since, including to the United States, where a modified version is known as the M119A1...
105 mm Light Gun. All aspects of Field Gunnery are covered in the battery, ie the Gun, Command Post and Observation Post
Observation post
An observation post, temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers , or to direct artillery fire...
s (OPs).
The Battery also continues its ceremonial role by firing Royal Salutes at Hillsborough Castle
Hillsborough Castle
Hillsborough Castle is an official government residence in Northern Ireland. It is the residence of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the official residence in Northern Ireland of HM Queen Elizabeth II The Secretary of State combines two roles...
five times per year.
The Battery has recently deployed soldiers on Op HERRICK
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
in Afghanistan in the Field Artillery Role and continues to support both Op TELIC
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
in Iraq and Op TOSCA
United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning Cyprus
The United Nations Security Council is the organ of the United Nations charged with maintaining peace and security among nations. While other organs of the United Nations only make recommendations to member governments, the Security Council has the power to make decisions; which member governments...
in Cyprus with a steady flow of TA augmentees.