1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom)

The 1st Artillery Brigade was a support formation of the British Army from 1961-77 and from 1997. Part of the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division, it oversaw all army close support artillery and deep fires units. Under the Future Soldier programme, the brigade merged with 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade to form 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade Combat Team.[1]

1st Artillery Brigade
1st Artillery Division
Formation badge of the brigade
Active1961–1977
1977–1993
1997 – 2022
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeCombat Support Formation
SizeBrigade
Part of3rd (United Kingdom) Division
Brigade HQJellalabad Barracks, Tidworth Camp
WebsiteHQ 1st Artillery Brigade

Cold War

In a reorganisation of the British Army of the Rhine following the 1957 Defence White Paper, the former 1st Army Group Royal Artillery was reduced to a 1-star command, and redesignated as the 1st Artillery Brigade (Field). The new brigade was headquartered at Tofrek Barracks in Hildesheim.[2][3] On 4 October 1961, 1 AGRA was officially redesignated, but later dropped the '(Field)' title in 1967 following the 1966 Defence White Paper, becoming the 1st Artillery Brigade.[2] The brigade was originally responsible for commanding the two MGM-5 Corporal tactical ballistic missile regiments and a new support regiment. (From 1959, there were two regiments with the missile). It gradually evolved from a command unit solely for the Corporal missile regiments to one for all GHQ field artillery within I (British) Corps. The brigade is shown as having controlled the two Corporal-equipped regiments.[2]

In 1958 218 Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals was part of the brigade.(Lord & Watson, p. 66)[4] It appears to have disbanded in 1960[5] On 1 January 1967 257 Signal Squadron became 1st Artillery Brigade HQ and Signals Squadron, as reported by the National Archives from 1967-70.[6][7] Lord & Watson, p. 80 refers to 218 Squadron still being active, but this seems likely to have been a confusion with 1 Artillery Brigade HQ and Signals Squadron.

The brigade's structure by 1967 was as follows:

Following the 1975 Defence White Paper, the "Mason Review," brigades were done away with and replaced by task forces. The 1st Artillery Brigade was also disbanded on 1 September 1977, subsequently merged with the 7th Anti-Aircraft Brigade and became the 1st Artillery Division. In the process, 1 Artillery Brigade HQ and Signals Squadron was disbanded. The new division was organised as follows:

Following the 1981 Defence White Paper, the brigades were reformed, and the division was subsequently redesignated as [the] Artillery Division. In 1984, it was further redesignated as Artillery, I (British) Corps, and on 1 November 1985 became the 1st Artillery Brigade once again.

In January 1985, 12th Air Defence Regiment RA was moving from Rapier Barracks, Kirton-in-Lindsey, in North East District to Napier Barracks in Dortmund.[20] In a semi-swap, at the same time, 16 Air Defence Regiment returned home from Moore Barracks in Dortmund to Rapier Barracks in Kirton-in-Lindsey.[23]

Isby and Kamps 1985 lists the brigade "up to the beginning of 1985" with headquarters at Ripon Barracks, Bielefeld; three heavy regiments (5, 32, and 39); 50 Missile Regiment; and 16 and 22 Air Defence Regiments, though 16 Regiment of course was in the process of moving back to the UK.[24] Also present of course was 8 Artillery Support Regiment, but Isby and Kamps did not list RCT units.

Structure of the 1st Artillery Brigade in 1989:[26]

Post Cold War

Following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Options for Change paper was published in 1992, which reduced to the army by more than a third. Under this reorganisation, the brigade was disbanded about 1993.[27][28]

On 1 April 1997, the brigade was reformed as 1st Artillery Brigade.[29][30] The new brigade was organised as follows by 2012:

Under the Army 2020 programme announced in 2013, the brigade merged with 43rd (Wessex) Brigade to become 1st Artillery Brigade and Headquarters South West. The old artillery brigade became the operational portion of the formation, while 43 Brigade became the regional headquarters element. The brigade's operational role was expanded and by this point oversaw all artillery units administratively within the army. Operationally, it controlled all but the special regiments (7 Parachute Regt RHA, 29 Commando Regt, RA, the Surveillance/Drone regiments, and the Air Defence regiments). The brigade's role was described "...will deliver both close support artillery and precision fires, as well as leading Air-Land Integration".[43] The brigade's new designation as 'Headquarters South West' indicating its shift to an administrative formation, now overseeing all of South West England and the Channel Islands.[44][45][46][47]

Updated structure of 1st Artillery Brigade as of June 2021.

In 2019, a reorganisation of the Field Army saw the 1st Artillery Brigade lose its regional affiliation, once again becoming simply 1st Artillery Brigade. In addition to the removal of the regional basis, the brigade was reorganised, and placed under command of the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division.[55] The brigade's structure at February 2022 was as follows:

Commanding Officers

Commanding officers of the brigade included:[85]

  • October 1961–December 1962: Brigadier John E. Cordingley
  • December 1962–December 1965: Brigadier Harry S. Langstaff
  • December 1965–December 1967: Brigadier Ronald A. Norman-Walker
  • December 1967–December 1970: Brigadier Leo Heathcote Plummer
  • December 1970–February 1973: Brigadier Thomas Lovett Morony
  • February 1973–February 1975: Brigadier D. K. Neville
  • February 1975–September 1977: Brigadier John Aubrey Stephenson

(from 1977 to 1985 the post of commanding officer was held by Commander Artillery, I (British) Corps)

  • September 1977–April 1979: Major General Geoffrey Boyd Wilson
  • April 1979–March 1982: Major General Edward Arthur Burgess
  • March 1982–February 1985: Major General Guy Hansard Watkins
  • February 1985–November 1985: Major General John Hartley Learmont
  • November 1985–November 1988: Brigadier Michael F. L. Shellard
  • November 1988–January 1991: Brigadier Alan Fleetwood Gordon
  • January 1991–August 1992: Brigadier Mark G. Douglas-Withers
  • August 1992–1993: Brigadier John Milne
  • 2001–March 2003: Brigadier Nigel B. Philpott
  • March 2003–March 2004: Brigadier Robert W. H. Purdy
  • Between 2004 and 2014, the officer commanding the brigade held the rank of colonel[31][86]
  • June 2014–March 2016: Brigadier Jeremy Matthew James Bennett
  • August 2016–2018: Brigadier John R. Mead
  • 2018–August 2020: Brigadier Mark Pullan
  • August 2020 – present: Brigadier Charles Arthur Hewitt

Footnotes

Citations

    Notes

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