Batteries of 26 Regiment RA

19 (Gibraltar 1779-1783) Battery - Battery Birthday 25 May
19 Battery has the distinction of being the senior battery in the Royal Artillery.  Raised on 25 May 1716 as T. Pattison's Company. It was granted the honour title "Gibraltar 1779 - 83" on 13 Nov 1934 in recognition of their service during the Great Siege of Gibraltar.
The siege was raised on 5 Feb 1783 after 3 years 7 months and 12 days of appalling hardship. Of the 1231 killed, the Royal Artillery suffered the heaviest losses. To commemorate their courage five batteries now bear the honour title "Gibraltar 1779 - 83."
fought to 31.
The battery was attached to 26th Regiment RA in October 2007 as a Formation Recce Tac Group and is the fourth Tac Gp within the Regiment. Officially they come under 55 Battery.
17 (Corunna) Battery- Battery Birthday - 16 January
The battery was formed on the 1st of April 1757 at Woolwich as Captain W Martin's Company. From that time until the turn of the 19th Century, the batteries detachments saw action in Canada, Europe, and Scandinavia and aboard the ships of the Royal Navy. The majority of the batteries time however, was spent on Garrison duty throughout the Empire.

In 1808 the battery (now known as Wilmot's Company), was ordered to join Sir John Moore's expeditionary force to Denmark. This force was later recalled to Portugal to fight the French Army during the Peninsular War. The battery accompanied Sir John Moore's Army as one of two Companies of Artillery during his advance to Spain. On Christmas Day 1808, in order to avoid being outflanked by the French, the Army was given orders to withdraw from Sahagun towards the port of Corunna, a distance of 312 miles.

Over the following 3 weeks the small British force of some 20,000 withdrew over mountainous terrain in appalling weather conditions. The French Army under Marshall Soult, numbering 40,000, harried the British throughout, and forced the rear guard (Including the battery) to fight delaying actions on three separate occasions. The British reached Corunna on the 14th of January 1809 and commenced embarkation to England. On the 16th of January the French forced the British in to a defensive battle and the battery deployed. Outnumbered by 50 French guns the British remained in action all day inflicting tremendous casualties upon the French. Although Sir John Moore was fatally wounded that day, the bulk of the Army including the battery embarked without further interference.

In 1936 the battery was awarded the honour title "Corunna" in recognition to the actions carried out in Portugal with Sir John Moore's Expeditionary Force.

In 1947 the battery was designated as 17 (Corunna) Battery Royal Artillery, Since this time the Battery has seen service in several operational theatres which include Malaya, Northern Ireland, Gulf, Bosnia, Kosovo, and more recently in Iraq in 2006 and Afghanistan in 2008. 17 (Corunna) Battery remains the senior Gun Battery within 26th Regiment Royal Artillery and celebrates Corunna day on the 16th January.
16 (Sandhams) Battery
As a result of a Royal Warrant signed on 30th June 1779, the battery was raised at Woolwich on 1st August 1779 as Captain J Wood's Company, 3rd Royal Artillery.

The battery was commanded by Captain Charles Freeman Sandham, he would command the battery through the Battle of Waterloo. On the morning of 18th June 1815 The Company was posted between La Haye Sainte and Hougomont in support of the 1st Division under Major General Cooke. The company were credited with firing the first shot from the allied artillery and expended over 1,100 rounds during the day. They returned to Woolwich after the Congress of Vienna and were placed in suspended animation on 31st January 1819. Many years later they were still being referred to simply a "The Waterloo Battery", it was finally in 1926 that they were awarded the Honour Title "Sandham's Company".
55 (The Residency) HQ Battery
55 Battery is named in recognition of No. 4 Coy of 1 Bn Bengal Artillery, our predecessors, in defence of the Residency at Lucknow, India during the uprising in 1857.The battery can trace its history back to 1786 when it formed in Calcutta. As the second company of the 3rd Battalion the Bengal Artillery, equipped with the 6 pounder gun. In 1794 as part of the Oush Brigade, it took part in the second Rohilla war. The battery remained in India and was involved in the 3rd Mysore War 1799 and the second siege of Bhurtpore 1825 - 1826. By this time it had been re-named Number 4 Company the 1st Battalion the Bengal Artillery.

In May 1857 the battery was quartered at Marioan when the Matice Infantry mutinied. Due to the foresight of the local Chief Commissioner, Sir Henry Lawrence, the European women and children had already been gathered into the Residency building at Lucknow. By June 29th the complete Oush area was in revolt and the revolutionaries had captured an 8 inch Howitzer which they were using to great effect. From the 1st to the 17th November the Residency building was successfully defended by the loyalist troops and the Union Flag kept flying. The battery now uses the Union Flag as its battery flag, the only sub-unit in the British Army with this honour.

On the 27th September 1857 a force was sent from the Residency building to storm the enemies defences. This force included Bdr Jacob Thomas, one of the Gunners from 4 Company the 1st Battalion the Bengal Artillery (now 55 (The Residency) Battery). During the action Bdr Thomas rescued severely wounded infantryman from the open ground, while under heavy musket fire, and took him to safety. For this act of heroism he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Currently the battery is training for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011, where it will provide Joint Fires advice and integration to 20 Armoured Brigade (The Iron Fist), along with command and control and equipment support to 26 Regt RA elements deployed in forward operating bases.
159 (Colenso) Battery- Battery Birthday - Eve of Battle - 15 December
"LET US GO FORWARD TOGETHER"
Battle of Colenso. Early on Friday 15 December 1899, the Ladysmith relief force under General Sir Redvers Buller tried to force the passage of the Tugela River. Part of his plan was for the 2nd Infantry Brigade to cross the Bulwer Bridge covered by the fire of an Artillery 'group' under Colonel C J Long. The 'group' consisted of 14 and 66 Batteries Royal Field Artillery (now 17 and 159 Batteries) and six Naval 12 Pounders.
At 6am the field guns escorted by two companies of Royal Scots Fusiliers were advancing east of the railway and were suddenly subjected to heavy firing from the front and left flank. By 0715hrs each gun had fired about one hundred rounds and according to General Buller "the men fought their guns like heroes and silenced Fort Wylie".

Militarily the day was disastrous, but the gallantry of those who took part can be judged by their awards given.