Royal School of Artillery
Encyclopedia
The Royal School of Artillery (formerly the School of Instruction for Royal Horse and Field Artillery (Larkhill)) is the principal training establishment for artillery
warfare in the British Army
. Established in 1915, it is located at Larkhill
, on the south edge of Salisbury Plain
in the United Kingdom
. The School is the primary training facility for Royal Artillery
recruits, and is also home to the Gunnery Training Team
.
. The 1,200-bed Fargo hospital, which was built to the West of the School, also opened around that time to tend for wounded soldiers returning from the First World War
(it closed after the War and is now the main ammunition compound for the School).
During World War II
, the School was a hive of activity providing a significant proportion of the training for over one million gunners.
Although the Royal Artillery Mess dates back to 1941, much of the camp was rebuilt in the 1960s. The School was redesignated the "Royal School of Artillery" in 1970.
, which provides a training consultancy service to the Royal Artillery
and the wider Army.
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
warfare 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...
. Established in 1915, it is located at Larkhill
Larkhill
Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury....
, on the south edge of Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The School is the primary training facility for 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:...
recruits, and is also home to the Gunnery Training Team
Gunnery Training Team
The Gunnery Training Team is an Artillery training consultancy based in Larkhill Garrison, Wiltshire, England.The motto of GTT is Semper Constans , giving evidence to the role of GTT within the gunner community of maintaining the high standards of training.The Garrison is also home to the Royal...
.
History
The Royal School of Artillery was originally established in 1915 as the "School of Instruction for Royal Horse and Field Artillery (Larkhill)", on land previously used for tented accommodation at LarkhillLarkhill
Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury....
. The 1,200-bed Fargo hospital, which was built to the West of the School, also opened around that time to tend for wounded soldiers returning from the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(it closed after the War and is now the main ammunition compound for the School).
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the School was a hive of activity providing a significant proportion of the training for over one million gunners.
Although the Royal Artillery Mess dates back to 1941, much of the camp was rebuilt in the 1960s. The School was redesignated the "Royal School of Artillery" in 1970.
Operations
The School provides Phase 2 training for recruits to the Royal Artillery: this training includes gunnery, air defence, surveillance and signals. Trained officers and gunners are then posted to units worldwide, but return to the School for frequent refresher courses. The School is also the home of the Gunnery Training TeamGunnery Training Team
The Gunnery Training Team is an Artillery training consultancy based in Larkhill Garrison, Wiltshire, England.The motto of GTT is Semper Constans , giving evidence to the role of GTT within the gunner community of maintaining the high standards of training.The Garrison is also home to the Royal...
, which provides a training consultancy service to 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:...
and the wider Army.
External links
- Royal School of Artillery Official site.