7 (Sphinx) Commando Battery - Birthday 17th June 1748

The origins of the 'Sphinx' honour title came from fighting the French in Egypt in the early 19th Century. The 1801 campaign was fraught with hardships compounded by logistical problems but a succession of bloody battles ended in a British victory with the Fall of Cairo on 28 June 1801.
The men of Number 1 Company who had fought in the Middle East wore the badge of the Sphinx and had 'Egypt' sewn onto their caps but the 'Sphinx' honour title was not officially awarded until some 125 years later in 1926.

The recent past has been dominated by Afghanistan; in 2002 the battery deployed to Afghanistan and conducted its first war fighting operation since the Falklands some twenty one years earlier. 7 (Sphinx) worked with the Royal Marines to seek out and destroy Al Qaeda forces in the eastern mountains of Afghanistan.
Less than a year after the battery had deployed in Afghanistan, 7 (Sphinx) found itself on the Al Faw Peninsula, Iraq. From the opening hours until the Iraqi surrender the guns barely fell silent and the devastating firepower they provided was key to victory.  In September 2006 and again in September 2008, the battery deployed to Afghanistan in support of ISAF. Based in the notorious Taliban heartland of the Helmand Province, the men of 7 (Sphinx) fought many pitched battles against enemy forces over each six month tour. Providing troops in both the peace enforcement and war fighting roles, the battery demonstrated its flexibility and ability to adapt. Today, the men of 7 (Sphinx) are once again preparing to deploy in March 2012 to Helmand province, Afghanistan.

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8 (Alma) Commando Battery

Was raised in March 1755 as Captain R. Maitland's Company. It fought in India and the American War of Independence and was present at the capture of most of the British West Indies.
On the 20th September 1854 they fired the first British round of the Battle of the River Alma, and went on to fire 285 rounds during the day, more than any other British battery. This tremendous effort is said to have turned the hands, faces and normally white accoutrements of the Gunners black with powder stains giving rise to the famous nickname 'The Black Battery'.

The battery returned to Afghanistan in 2008-09 as part of the British forces in Helmand Province on Operation HERRICK 9. D Troop and the Joint Fires Cell deployed with the 2nd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles Battle Group in North West Helmand supporting a variety of operations and sighting the now famous Dragon direct fire gun at Roshan tower. C Troop occupied three separate patrol bases over the tour spending the majority in the Nad 'Ali area as part of Battle Group Centre South and supporting Operation SOND CHARA. Fire Support Teams from the battery operated from Now Zad down to Marjah and played a key role in Operation SOND CHARA the clearance of the Nad 'Ali district by ANSF and ISAF troops in order to bring stabilisation. The battery is due to deploy again to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 14 in 2011.

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23 (Gibraltar 1779-83)/Headquarters Commando Battery - Battery Birthday - 26 November

The battery was formed, as a company, in Woolwich London in February 1757 under the command of Capt S Stracheys.

In 2003 the battery participated in Operations TELIC, the liberation of Iraq. The battery supported the US Special Forces in securing oil installations on the Al Faw Peninsula, took part in the destruction of an Iraqi counter attack against 40 Commando on the Peninsula and Operation JAMES, the battle of Abu Al Khasib, a deliberate attack by 40 Commando on an Iraqi position outside Basra. The battery returned to Afghanistan in 2008-09 as part of the British Forces in Helmand Province on Operation HERRICK 9. The battery is now due to deploy again to Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 14 in 2011.

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79 (Kirkee) Commando Battery

Raised on 13th October 1797 as the 6th Company of the Bombay Artillery in the service of the Honourable East India Company.
Between the wars 'Kirkee' again served in both England (Aldershot and Bordon) and Ireland before moving back to India in 1929. Besides tracing its lineage through back to the formation of the 6th Company in Bombay and the regimental grouping under 29 Commando Regiment which dates back to 1916, the battery, together with its sister batteries also celebrate the history and achievements of the Army Commandos in World War Two and the Commando Forces in general as a result of our affiliation with the Royal Marines since 1962. The Commandos were formed as an elite raiding force composed of volunteers from all cap badges (and services and nationalities) after the fall of France in 1940. Initially assaulting from the sea they were also employed as shock troops in the light infantry role. The role became primarily linked with amphibious raiding and was taken on by the Royal Marines in 1946 and the all arms structure disbanded although it has already given birth to the Parachute Regiment and the Special Air Service.

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148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery Royal Artillery

148 Battery was formed in India in 1842 as S Company, 2nd Battalion of the Bengal Artillery. In 1861 the battery became part of the Field Artillery and in 1900 was retitled as 59 Battery Royal Artillery. Whilst in India the battery fought in the first Sikh War, the Indian Mutiny and the battles of the North West Frontier.

During the First World War, the battery fought in France and Belgium. From 1914-18 the battery participated in the battle of Ypres in 1914 as well as Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge in 1915.

Between the First and Second World Wars the battery served both India and England. In 1939 the battery deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and fought at the Escaut Canal from 17-20 May 1940 and more famously at Dunkirk from 28 May - 1 June 1940. After Dunkirk the battery served in England until 1944 at which stage it deployed to the Far East fighting in Assam, Manipur and latterly Burma. It was during the Burma campaign of 1945 that 59 Battery as part of 18 Field Regiment RA participated in the Battle of Meiktila. In February to March 1945 the battery armed with the Priest self-propelled gun came under command of 255 Armoured Brigade and were involved in the capture and subsequent defence of the town of Meiktila. During this battle the guns were in action continuously for nearly four weeks whilst the Japanese Army endeavoured to retake the town. The battery was subsequently awarded the Honour Title 'Meiktila' for its part in this battle.

After the Second World War, the battery became part of a Combined Operations Bombardment Training unit based in Fremington, North Devon. In 1960 the battery was designated as an Amphibious Observation (AO) Battery and in 1962 the battery became the Commando Amphibious Observation Battery in 95 Commando Light Regiment Royal Artillery. The battery deployed on operations in Malaysia 1963-66, Borneo 1963-66, Aden 1960-67 and the Radfan in 1964. In 1977, 95 Commando Light Regiment was amalgamated with 29 Commando Light Regiment forming a four gun battery regiment. At the same time, the number '95' was retained by the formation of 95 Commando Forward Observation Unit (FOU) and 148 Battery was placed into suspended animation. In the same year, 95 Commando FOU was placed into suspended animation and 148 Battery was re-formed and re-subordinated to 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.

In 1982 the battery was scheduled for disbandment, but, in the April of the same year Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands and instead the battery deployed on Operation CORPORATE in support of 3 Commando Brigade RM, 5 Infantry Brigade, 22 SAS and the SBS. Naval gunfire was a significant factor in the success of many of the battles and the Naval Gunfire Forward Observation (NGFO) teams from the battery were intimately involved in these events; including the assault with 2 Para on Goose Green and the Pebble Island raid with D Squadron 22 SAS. During this operation, Captain Willie McCracken supported D Company, 3 Para during the assault on Mount Longdon and received the Military Cross for his role in directing artillery and naval gunfire whilst under heavy small arms, mortar and artillery fire. The disbandment order was rescinded shortly after this operation.

In 1990, the battery deployed to Iraq on Operation GRANBY and supported the SBS in retaking the British Embassy in Kuwait. The following year the battery returned to the Middle East and took part in Operation SAFE HAVEN in Northern Iraq. During this decade, the battery also twice deployed teams to Bosnia on Operation GRAPPLE in 1993 and 1995-96.

In 2000, the battery deployed a team on Operation PALLISER to Sierra Leone and Operation AGRICOLA in Kosovo 2000-01. In March 2002, the battery deployed to Afghanistan with 45 Commando RM on Operation JACANA supporting a mission to deny and destroy terrorist infrastructure and interdict the movement of Al Qaida in eastern Afghanistan. In 2003, the battery deployed back to Iraq on Operation TELIC. During this operation, teams from 148 Battery directed naval gunfire onto the al-Faw peninsula in support of a 3 Commando Brigade RM amphibious operation. This marked the first time that naval gunfire had been fired in support of a warfighting operation since the Falklands War of 1982. During the operation, the battery supported 40 and 42 Commando RM as well as the Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF). The 148 Battery teams controlled indirect fire from HMS CHATHAM, HMS MARLBOROUGH, HMS RICHMOND, HMNS ANZAC and the guns of 29 Commando Regiment RA.

Since 2006, 148 Battery has deployed to Afghanistan on three separate occasions as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The battery deployed on Operation HERRICK 5 in 2006 -07, Operation HERRICK 9 in 2008-09 and Operation HERRICK 14 in 2011. During Operation HERRICK 5, Lance Bombardier Richard Jennings was awarded the Military Cross for directing artillery, air and attack helicopters in support of M Company, 42 Commando during operations in the Sangin District of Helmand.