2021 marks the 150th Anniversary of the creation of the Australian Artillery. This occurred when the permanent New South Wales Artillery Battery was formed on 1st August 1871. A second battery was created in 1876 and a third in 1877 thus forming the Regiment of the NSW Artillery.
As time moved forward No 1 Battery ceased to exist and therefore has no lineage linking it to a sub unit today. One component of the NSW artillery was designated as 'A Battery' in 1893 (first occurrence of the name).While not named 'A Battery' prior to 1893, the Battery's lineage extends back to 1876. It continues to this day as a permanent sub-unit of the Australian Army, but with many name changes on its journey. The evolution of NSW Artillery to A Battery is outlined below:
- 1871 Proclamation of the NSW Artillery (original Battery)
- 1876 Raising of No.2 Battery, NSW Artillery
- 1893 Renaming of No. 2 Battery to 'A' Battery, NSW Regiment
- 1899 Conferral of title 'A' Battery, NSW Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (Field)
- 1932 Celebration of 61 st Anniversary
The first enlisted soldier in the New South Wales Artillery was Henry Green, who enlisted in 1871 with the Regimental number of 001, and was the Sergeant Major of the original Battery. In 1876 with the raising of the second Battery, he was promoted to Warrant Officer and posted from the Battery as Brigade Sergeant Major on the staff of the New South Wales Artillery. He retired in 1896 having never served in 'A Battery'.
The Regiment subsequently selected the date of 1st August 1871, from the many possible dates in its rich history, to be its official birthday for celebration, based on the continuous service of an element of the NSW artillery.
Keith Glyde, a member of the Royal Australian Artillery History Sub Committee has done extensive research into the origins of A Battery. The synopsis above is based on his work and his full research will be printed in full in the near future.
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Hastings 40 Pounder Drill
