7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Encyclopedia
7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA) is a regiment
of the Royal Artillery in the British Army
. It serves in the field artillery
role with 16 Air Assault Brigade, and is equipped with the L118 Light Gun
.
in 1963-5 where the Regiment was involved in fierce fighting in the Radfan
mountains. The 1970’s and 80’s saw the Regiment involved in four Northern Ireland tours in the Infantry role as well as a period where they briefly lost their Airborne status and were arms-plotted to Germany until 1984 when they joined newly formed 5th Airborne Brigade and returned to Aldershot.
In 1994 the Regiment deployed to Cyprus as part of the UN mission
to patrol the buffer-zone between Cypriot and Turkish forces. This was followed in 1996 and 7 with two Battery deployments to Bosnia as part of the NATO mission
and the Kosovo
campaign of 1999.
Since the formation of 16 Air Assault Brigade in 1999 7 Para RHA has been involved in numerous overseas operations. The Sierra Leone
campaign
in summer 2000 was followed by Op Essential Harvest
in Macedonia a year later and then two Batteries deployed to the Kabul
area of Afghanistan
in early 2002.
On the afternoon of 19 March 2003 7 Para RHA fired the first shots of the Iraq war by any coalition ground forces. The next day they crossed the border in support of the US 1 Marine Expeditionary Force. The Regiment was instrumental in securing the strategic Rumalya oilfields and supporting the MEF in their move north to Nasiriyah
.
In late 2003 the Regiment moved from Aldershot to Colchester
to join the rest of 16 Air Assault Brigade. 2006 saw the first of the Regiments three tours of Afghanistan
. The first of these saw the Regiment play a key role in the ‘break-in’ to Helmand province. This tour attracted much public attention and has often been described as the most intense combat fighting since the Korean War of the 1950s. The fighting was ‘in your face,’ bloody and brutal combat, often with bayonets fixed. The Regiment returned to Helmand two years later and were again involved in heavy fighting – cumulating in the large scale operation
to move a 110 ton turbine from Kandahar
along a heavily mined and fiercely defended road to the Kajaki Dam.
7 Para RHA’s final deployment to Afghanistan saw the Regiment’s gun groups and Fire Support Teams deploy to central Helmand Province
in order to provide offensive support to 16th Air Assault Brigade. They returned to Colchester in April 2011.
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the Royal Artillery in the British Army
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...
. It serves in the field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
role with 16 Air Assault Brigade, and is 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...
.
History
The Regiment was formed on June 27 1961 with the re-designation of 33rd Parachute Light Regiment Royal Artillery as 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. The Regiment first saw action in the middle-east in Kuwait in 1961 and then in AdenAden Emergency
The Aden Emergency was an insurgency against the British crown forces in the British controlled territories of South Arabia which now form part of the Yemen. Partly inspired by Nasser's pan Arab nationalism, it began on 10 December 1963 with the throwing of a grenade at a gathering of British...
in 1963-5 where the Regiment was involved in fierce fighting in the Radfan
Radfan
Radfan or the Radfan Hills is a region of the Republic of Yemen. In the 1960s, the area was part of a British protectorate of Dhala and was the site of intense fighting during the Aden Emergency...
mountains. The 1970’s and 80’s saw the Regiment involved in four Northern Ireland tours in the Infantry role as well as a period where they briefly lost their Airborne status and were arms-plotted to Germany until 1984 when they joined newly formed 5th Airborne Brigade and returned to Aldershot.
In 1994 the Regiment deployed to Cyprus as part of the UN mission
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions...
to patrol the buffer-zone between Cypriot and Turkish forces. This was followed in 1996 and 7 with two Battery deployments to Bosnia as part of the NATO mission
IFOR
The Implementation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavour. Its task was to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for...
and the Kosovo
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
campaign of 1999.
Since the formation of 16 Air Assault Brigade in 1999 7 Para RHA has been involved in numerous overseas operations. The Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
campaign
Operation Barras
Operation Barras was the name given to a hostage rescue operation by the British Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Parachute Regiment in Sierra Leone on 10 September 2000...
in summer 2000 was followed by Op Essential Harvest
2001 Macedonia conflict
The insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army militant group attacked the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia at the beginning of January 2001...
in Macedonia a year later and then two Batteries deployed to the Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
area of Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in early 2002.
On the afternoon of 19 March 2003 7 Para RHA fired the first shots of the Iraq war by any coalition ground forces. The next day they crossed the border in support of the US 1 Marine Expeditionary Force. The Regiment was instrumental in securing the strategic Rumalya oilfields and supporting the MEF in their move north to Nasiriyah
Battle of Nasiriyah
The Battle of Nasiriyah was one of the first major battles of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Heavy fighting took place in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah between Iraqi forces and U.S. Marines over control of key bridges over the Euphrates River and the Saddam Canal.The battle began early on 23...
.
In late 2003 the Regiment moved from Aldershot to Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
to join the rest of 16 Air Assault Brigade. 2006 saw the first of the Regiments three tours of Afghanistan
Operation Herrick
Operation Herrick is the codename under which all British operations in the war in Afghanistan have been conducted since 2002. It consists of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and support to the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom...
. The first of these saw the Regiment play a key role in the ‘break-in’ to Helmand province. This tour attracted much public attention and has often been described as the most intense combat fighting since the Korean War of the 1950s. The fighting was ‘in your face,’ bloody and brutal combat, often with bayonets fixed. The Regiment returned to Helmand two years later and were again involved in heavy fighting – cumulating in the large scale operation
Operation Eagle's Summit
Operation Eagle's Summit was a military operation conducted by ISAF and Afghan National Army troops, with the objective of transporting a 220-tonne turbine to the Kajaki dam in Helmand province through territory controlled by Taliban insurgents...
to move a 110 ton turbine from Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
along a heavily mined and fiercely defended road to the Kajaki Dam.
7 Para RHA’s final deployment to Afghanistan saw the Regiment’s gun groups and Fire Support Teams deploy to central Helmand Province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
in order to provide offensive support to 16th Air Assault Brigade. They returned to Colchester in April 2011.
Batteries
- F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery RHA
- G Parachute Battery (Mercer's Troop) RHA
- H Parachute Battery (Ramsay's Troop) RHA
- I Parachute Battery (Bull's Troop) RHA
- V Parachute Battery (Beanes Troop) RHA
- LAD REME