105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
Encyclopedia
105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers) The Scottish & Ulster Gunners is a British
Territorial Army (TA) Regiment of the Royal Artillery
. The regiment is part of 51st (Scottish) Brigade
(and, to a degree, previously the 107th (Ulster) Brigade, but now the 38th
for elements based in Ulster). It is currently equipped with the L118 Light Gun
, which includes the famous One O'Clock Gun at Edinburgh Castle
. The regiment also fires salutes
from Stirling Castle
and Hillsborough Castle
. The Regiment is headquartered at Artillery House, adjacent to Redford Barracks
in Edinburgh.
The Regiment was first formed as the 105th (Scottish) Air Defence Regiment Royal Artillery on the 1st of April 1986 from the Scottish based elements of 102nd (Ulster and Scottish) Regiment Royal Artillery (V) with its Regimental Headquarters at Artillery House, near Redford Barracks
in Edinburgh. After the Options for Change
defence review, 102 (Ulster) Air Defence Regiment was absorbed into the 105th Regiment in 1993, becoming 206 (Ulster) Battery.
Prior to 2006 and the implementation of the Delivering Security in a Changing World
defence review, the regiment had an air defence role, using the Starstreak missile
.
, based throughout Scotland
and Northern Ireland
.
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...
Territorial Army (TA) Regiment of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
. The regiment is part of 51st (Scottish) Brigade
British 51st Infantry Brigade
The British 51st Infantry Brigade is currently known as 51 Brigade, part of the 2nd Division. It is currently the regional administrative formation responsible for all the units of the Territorial Army based in Scotland. It is the largest Regional Brigade in the United Kingdom in terms of...
(and, to a degree, previously the 107th (Ulster) Brigade, but now the 38th
38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 38th Infantry Brigade was a British Army unit formed initially after the start of World War I, without the title 'Irish'.-History:...
for elements based in Ulster). It is currently equipped with the L118 Light Gun
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...
, which includes the famous One O'Clock Gun at Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
. The regiment also fires salutes
21-gun salute
Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...
from Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
and 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...
. The Regiment is headquartered at Artillery House, adjacent to Redford Barracks
Redford Barracks
Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks are located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland....
in Edinburgh.
The Regiment was first formed as the 105th (Scottish) Air Defence Regiment Royal Artillery on the 1st of April 1986 from the Scottish based elements of 102nd (Ulster and Scottish) Regiment Royal Artillery (V) with its Regimental Headquarters at Artillery House, near Redford Barracks
Redford Barracks
Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks are located on Colinton Road, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, east of the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland....
in Edinburgh. After 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....
defence review, 102 (Ulster) Air Defence Regiment was absorbed into the 105th Regiment in 1993, becoming 206 (Ulster) Battery.
Prior to 2006 and the implementation of the Delivering Security in a Changing World
Delivering Security in a Changing World
The 2003 Defence White Paper, titled Delivering Security in a Changing World, set out the future structure of the British military, and was preceded by the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the 2002 SDR New Chapter, which responded to the immediate challenges to security in the aftermath of the...
defence review, the regiment had an air defence role, using the Starstreak missile
Starstreak missile
Starstreak is a British short range surface-to-air missile manufactured by Thales Air Defence , in Belfast. It is also known as Starstreak HVM where HVM stands for "High Velocity Missile". After launch the missile accelerates to approximately Mach 3.5, at which point it launches three laser beam...
.
Subunits
The Unit consists of a Regimental Headquarters and three Artillery batteriesArtillery 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...
, based throughout Scotland
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...
and 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...
.
- Regimental Headquarters (EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) - 206 (Ulster) Battery
- A Troop (NewtownardsNewtownardsNewtownards 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...
) - B Troop (ColeraineColeraineColeraine 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...
)
- A Troop (Newtownards
- 207 (City of Glasgow) Battery207 (City of Glasgow) Battery207 Battery, is a Territorial Army sub-unit, part of 105th Regiment Royal Artillery . The battery is spread between C Troop in Partick, Glasgow & D Troop based in Colinton, Edinburgh....
- C Troop (PartickPartickPartick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow 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...
) - D Troop (ColintonColintonColinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 6 kilometres south west of the city centre. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north-east. To the north-west it extends to Lanark Road and to the south-west to the City Bypass...
, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
)
- C Troop (Partick
- 212 (Highland) Battery
- E Troop (ArbroathArbroathArbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
) - F Troop (KirkcaldyKirkcaldyKirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...
) - G Troop (LerwickLerwickLerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
)
- E Troop (Arbroath