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Royal Artillery Recruiting Troop Reunion |

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Due to a very serious virus infection some elements of this Website have been lost. I am working very hard to Reinstate as much of the original as possible.

The Origins of

The Royal Artillery

Recruiting / Display Troop

Front Parade, Woolwich

1961

No1 Display Team

Originally there were three Independant Teams:

The Central Display Team

The RA Motor Cycle Display Team

The Thunderbird Mobile Exhibition

The Thunderbird Mobile Exhibition was a 16 man strong team, and had the following equipment:

The Display Vehicle: A Thornycroft 'Big T' Tractor, with a converted Rubery-Owen trailer

to show a model of a Deployed SAGW Troop.

Thunderbird 1 Missile and Launcher Loader towed by a Bedford RL3 ton truck

Thunderbird Launcher towed by a Bedford RL3 ton truck

Bofors 40/70 LAA Gun towed by a AEC Matador 10 ton truck

Meadows 27.5 KVA Generator towed by a Bedford RL3 ton truck

2 x Austin Champs

For a short period the Team were stationed at Piddlehinton Camp, Dorset,

and maintenance of the Missile was carried out by English Electric in Stevenage.

My Thanks to Dave (Mac the Vamp) McAlister for this information.

Founder members of the The Thunderbird Mobile Exhibition were as follows:

Captain JH Hamilton	Officer Commanding
WO 1 Vic Service
Gnr (Lofty) Hughes	36 Guided Weapon Regt
Gnr (Bunny) Warren	36 Guided Weapon Regt
Gnr Mick Ansell	36 Guided Weapon Regt
Gnr (Yorky) Abrahams
L/Bdr Dave (Mac the Vamp) McAllister	16 LAA Regiment
REME Corpral

All members of the Troop had to learn a running commentary describing the events from the

detection to the destruction of a target. This semi-trailer housed a complete working simulated model of

the radars, height finder, TIR range detector and launchers, the complete show lasted for 25 minutes.

Founder members of the RA Recruiting Troop were as follows:

WO1 RSM Bob Cross	School of Artillery
WO11 BSM Harry Turpie MBE	School of Artillery
Sgt Tommy Canton	36 Guided Weapon Regt
Bdr Tony Hunt	36 Guided Weapon Regt
Bdr Dennis Thirkill	12 Light Anti-Aircraft Regt
L/Bdr Tony Platt	12 Light Anti-Aircraft Regt
L/Bdr Dave McAllister
Gnr Randall	School of Artillery
Gnr Butcher	36 Guided Weapon Regt
Gnr Kermode	Army Apprentice College
Gnr Abrahams
Gnr Robinson
Cpl Brewster	REME

Press Cuttings

The Early Days

The first Display was undertaken in April by 12th LAA Regiment's KAPE Team in Northern Ireland,

then moved to the Newcastle/Sunderland area. The visits usually were over a four day period,

and always included a Saturday or Sunday. If at an Agricultural or County Show,

the duration would have been for a week at a time.

In May the complete troop traveled to Larkhill to familiarise themselves with the Weapons and

Equipment they would be using, this lasted for five days, after which the troop moved

onto the School of Artillery, Manorbier where training continued for a further five days,

consisting of in and out of action drills with both Guns and Missile. Following this the troop

returned to Woolwich where for the next three days they prepared the equipment in readiness

for the troop's first complete display.

The Troop would start touring the week before Easter, and normally returned to Barracks

at the end of September to prepare for Administration Parade and Display.

It was then Block Leave for the Troop.

This was how the Troop operated for the first three years of its existence, always

on a temporary basis, before being brought fully into the Regimental fold.

During my time with the Troop in the early 70's, the Tour of duty was for two years,

but many stayed much longer than that, especially in the MCDT. Members of the Troop

and the MCDT, were drawn from all of the Regiments of the Royal Artillery, specializing in

there own piece of equipment, but soon becoming conversant with every aspect of The Royal Regiment.

The RA Recruiting Troop was unique and will probably never be resurrected, but it forfilled a

vital role during its time of activity, and the men who served in the Troop were proud to

travel the Country and Abroad representing The Royal Artillery.

I am pleased to report that two of the Troop personnel, Barry Sanderson MCDT,

and Ray Suddes of No1 Display, returned later to the RA Display Troop as RSM in their own right.

The Royal Artillery Parachute Display Team was formed in 1977, the team

was located in the RA Barracks, Woolwich as part of the RA Display Troop.

The RA Display Troop is still in operation, but with much less equipment and manpower,

but the MCDT still continues to thrill the crowds with a full programme of shows and

events throughout the Country and abroad, long may it continue.

My thanks to Capt Dennis Thirkill, a founder member of the Troop,

for his memories of those early years.

This is the New RA Display Troop Caravan

UBIQUE

History of

The Royal Regiment of Artillery

OUR HERITAGE

The history of the Royal Regiment of Artillery is the history of the British Army. Our motto is

"Ubique" and on land, sea and air the Gunners have taken part in virtually every campaign

and battle involving the Army since Crecy in 1346.

In peacetime, guns were kept in Castles and were looked after by Master Gunners,

skilled in their manufacture and so most knowledgeable in their use.

In wartime, men were recruited and trained into a Trayne of Artillery, until on the 26th May 1716

the first two Companies of Artillery were formed by Royal Warrant at Woolwich.

The Crimea, the Indian Mutiny, the Boer War, the two World Wars, the Falklands

and the Gulf War were all fought by Gunners.

We have produced Ten Field Marshals and the Victoria Cross has been

won by Sixty-two members of the Regiment.

It is a history of which we are very proud and a story worthy of the telling.

The Cap Badge

The guns of the Royal Artillery are the Regiment's Colours, in the same way as the flags

and guidons of Infantry Regiments are theirs, leading them into battle.

The Colours represent pride in the Regiment, so the guns are protected and retained at all costs.

If the situation demands that they are left behind they must be disabled or destroyed.

The gun depicted on the cap badge is a 9pdr Rifled Muzzle Loader of about 1871, and the rammer

used to ram the charge into the muzzle is also seen, to the left of the carriage wheel.

Ubique, surmounting the gun, means "Everywhere", and the Motto

Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt, "Where right and glory lead us"

St Barbara

St. Barbara is the patron saint of The Royal Regiment of Artillery. Due to the manner of her death, St. Barbara is also

traditionally the patron of armourers, gunsmiths, artillerymen, miners and anyone else who worked with cannon and explosives.

She is invoked against thunder and lightning and all accidents arising from explosions of gunpowder. St. Barbara’s Day is

traditionally celebrated on the 4th December.