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THE HISTORY OF:

159(COLENSO) BATTERY ROYAL ARTILLERY

The Battery was raised on 18 Feb 1854 at Woolwich as 5 Company 13 Brigade under Captain C S Longden.  After training in England the Battery became part of the force sent to quell the Indian Mutiny, seeing its first action at the second relief of Lucknow on 15 November 1857.  The Battery spent thirty years in India before returning to Christchurch in 1887.  In 1891 it was redesignated as 66 Bty RFA.

In 1899 66 Battery embarked as part of the British Expeditionary force in the Boer War.  Early on Friday 15 December 1899, the Ladysmith relief force under General Sir Redvers Buller tried to force the passage of the Tugela River. Part of his plan was for the 2nd Infantry Brigade to cross at Bulwer Bridge covered by the fire of Artillery ?group? under Colonel C J Long. The ?group? consisted of 14 and 66 Batteries Royal Field Artillery (now 17 and 159 Batteries) and six Naval 12 Pounders.

At about 6am the field guns escorted by two Companies of Royal Scots Fusiliers was advancing east of the railway and were suddenly subjected to heavy firing from the front and left flank. The guns were brought into action at once, and, in spite of casualties from withering rifle fire from the Boer trenches scarcely 1200 yards away, the service of the guns continued. Ammunition was successfully brought up but not without more casualties to men and horse.

By 0715 hrs each gun had fired about a hundred rounds and according to General Buller ? the men fought their guns like heroes and silenced Fort Wylie?.

Ammunition now was running short, and at about 8am General Buller realised his plans had miscarried. Seeing Longs guns silent for lack of ammunition and deciding that they must be withdrawn, he called for volunteers to withdraw them. Capt H N Schofield Royal Artillery, assisted by Cpl Nurse, collected some gun teams and limbers of 66 Battery. The General's ADC, Capt W N Congreve, Rifle Brigade and Lt Hon F H S Roberts Kings Royal Rifle Corp volunteered to help.

Cpl Nurse described the subsequent events as follows ? just after we started, Lieutenant Roberts was shot. We then got to the guns, through the tornado of rifle bullet and shellfire; one gun had the spade clamping gear jammed. I ran to another gun and with Capt Schofields help limbered it up, then ran back to the former gun, found the pin and managed to limber it up myself? Their efforts succeeded in bringing back two guns.

Later in the morning another attempt was organised and led by Capt H L Reed of 7 Battery Royal Field Artillery (now 16 Battery) but nearly all the men and horses were hit before they reached the guns and in spite of many protests all further attempts to rescue the guns were forbidden, and a general withdrawal to camp was ordered. Militarily the day was disastrous, but the gallantry of those who took part can be judged by the awards given.  These include a Victoria Cross to Capts Schofield, Reed and Congreve, Lt Roberts and Cpl Nurse, and to Major W Babtie Royal Army Medical Corps and Pte G Ravenhill, Royal Scots Fusiliers. In addition, immediate awards of 19 Distinguished Conduct Medals were made to the NCOs and men of the Royal Artillery, 13 to 66 Battery Royal Field Artillery.  

The Colenso Print

'The Battle of Colenso, 1899'

The Battery left South Africa for India in 1902 returning to Europe to serve on the Western Front and in Mesopotamia during World War One.  Between the wars the Battery served in England and India.  On the outbreak of the Second World War the Battery formed 7/66 Battery and saw action in the Middle East.  After a brief period of suspended animation the Battery was reformed as 14/66 Battery for the Western Desert Campaign before moving to Burma in 1943 for the remainder of the War.

In 1947 the Battery was redesignated 159 Field Battery and in 1957 the honour title Colenso was added to the Battery title. In 1959 the Battery was placed in suspended animation, rejoining 26 Regiment in 1963 on it?s reformation.  Since then the Battery has undertaken four tours of Northern Ireland, in 1975, 1977, 1990 and 1993.  In 1991 the Battery deployed on Op Granby in Kuwait with the Regiment.  The Battery has also seen tours of Bosnia as both IFOR and SFOR in 1996 and 1998 and deployed with 16 (Sandham?s Company) Battery to Kosovo in 1999, once more in 2001. In January 2003 the battery deployed to Iraq on Op Telic as Part of 3rd Regt RHA and once again to Iraq in September 2003 on Op Telic 3 based South of Basrah.  The Battery is curently deployed in Cyprus As the Mobile Force Reserve under UN commmand.