103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery

103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery is part of the Army Reserve and primarily has sub-units throughout the Greater Manchester and Merseyside area of the North-West of England, in recent years it has extended its footprint to Wolverhampton, Isle of Man, Carlisle and Nottingham. Its purpose is to provide reinforcements for units that use the 105 mm L118 Light Gun.

103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery
The crest of 103 Regiment Royal Artillery
Active1967 – present
CountryEngland
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeRoyal Artillery
RoleField support
Size4 Batteries
432 personnel[1]
Part of1st Artillery Brigade
Garrison/HQGreater Manchester / Jubilee Barracks, St Helens
Nickname(s)The North West Gunners / #TEAM103
Motto(s)Ubique – Everywhere.Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt – Where Right and Glory Lead.
Colours105mm Light Gun – The Colours of the Royal Regiment of Artillery are its Guns or Weapon Systems. When on parade on Ceremonial occasions the Guns and Weapon Systems are to be accorded the same compliments as the Standards, Guidons and Colours of the Cavalry and Infantry.
MarchThe Royal Artillery Slow March
Anniversaries1 April 1967
EquipmentL118 Light Gun
Insignia
Cap Badge
The cap badge of The Royal Regiment of Artillery
TRF
Royal Artillery Tactical Recognition Flash

Formation

The Lancashire Artillery Volunteers were first raised in 1859 as part of the Volunteer Force raised in response to threats of French Invasion.[2] A total of 23 Artillery companies were raised initially. However, in Manchester, numerous units that would later form the Lancashire Artillery Gunners had existed from as early as 1804, when the Duke of Gloucester inspected the Heaton Artillery Volunteers before they were shipped off to the fronts of the Napoleonic Wars.[3]

20th Century History

Officers and men of the Lancashire Artillery Volunteers continued to give service during the two world wars of the 20th Century.[4]

In 1967, some of these units were amalgamated to form 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Light Air Defence Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers).[5] Its units were Headquarters Battery at Liverpool, 208 (3rd West Lancashire) Light Air Defence Battery at Liverpool and 209 (The Manchester Artillery) Light Air Defence Battery at Manchester.[5] In 1969 213 (South Lancashire Artillery) Light Air Defence Battery was formed at St Helens and joined the regiment.[5]

In 1976, the regiment changed its designation to 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Air Defence Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers) upon being equipped with the Blowpipe missile air-defense weapon.[5] Then, in 1986, 216 (The Bolton Artillery) Battery was formed at Bolton and joined the regiment.[5]

In 1992, as a result of the Options for Change, the regiment lost one Air-Defence Battery (213 Air-Defense Battery, which was amalgamated with HQ Battery at St Helens) and Regimental Headquarters were moved from Deysbrooke Barracks, Liverpool, to St. Helens to be co-located with HQ Battery.[5]

Modern-Day

In 2001, the regiment transferred from Air Defence to the Field Artillery as a Light Gun Regiment.[5]

Under Army 2020, 209 (Manchester & St Helens) Battery Royal Artillery increased to a battery size. 210 (Staffordshire) Battery Royal Artillery, based in Wolverhampton, joined this regiment from 106th (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery, and re-roled to a light gun battery. 103 Regiment is paired with the regular 4th Regiment RA under the 1st Artillery Brigade.[6][7] The regiment is currently organised as:

Equipment

The 103rd Regiment is equipped with the 105mm Light Gun, a versatile, air-portable and air-mobile artillery piece.[8]

Freedoms

The regiment has received the freedom of several locations throughout its history; these include:

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

References
  1. "Army – Question for Ministry of Defence". p. 1. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. "Sources for the history of the militia and volunteer regiments in Lancashire" (PDF). p. 18. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  3. "Salford Hundred ancestry, annals and history". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  4. "British Artillery Officer's Sword to 2nd Lancashire Artillery Volunteers". Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  5. "Royal Regiment of Artillery, Volunteer Regiments". Archived from the original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  6. "Summary of Reserve Structure and Basing Changes, page 4" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2013.
  7. "Army 2020 Report, page 12" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2014.
  8. "105mm light gun resoration". North East Military Motor Club. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  9. "Army Battery awarded Freedom of Liverpool". ITV News. 16 October 2017.
  10. Griffiths, Niall (27 October 2020). "Marcus Rashford should be awarded freedom of Manchester, says councillor". Manchester Evening News.

Publications
  • Litchfield, Norman E H, and Westlake, R, 1982. The Volunteer Artillery 1859-1908, The Sherwood Press, Nottingham. ISBN 978-0-9508205-0-7
  • Litchfield, Norman E H, 1992. The Territorial Artillery 1908-1988, The Sherwood Press, Nottingham. ISBN 978-0-9508205-2-1
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