20 Battery Royal Artillery
| 20 Battery Royal Artillery | |
|---|---|
20 Battery badge | |
| Active | 1771 – Present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Artillery |
| Role | Headquarters |
| Size | Artillery battery |
| Part of | 16th Regiment Royal Artillery |
| Garrison/HQ | St George's Barracks, North Luffenham |
| Colors | Green & Gold |
| Anniversaries | 1st of January (Formation) |
| Engagements | American War of Independence War of 1812 Crimean War First World War Second World War Korean War Operation Banner (Northern Ireland) Operation Palliser(Sierra Leone) Operation Tosca (Cyprus) Operation Telic (Iraq) Operation Herrick (Afghanistan) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Francis Rawdon Chesney |
20 Battery Royal Artillery is the headquarters battery of the 16th Regiment Royal Artillery. It is one of the five batteries that make up 16 Regiment Royal Artillery. The Regiment use the Rapier Field Standard C air defence missile system and the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) capability, the only Regiment in the British Armed Forces to do so.
20 Battery was formed in 1771 as No. 7 Company, 4th Battalion Royal Artillery under the command of Captain William Johnstone RA. It fought (under various names and commanders) in the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Crimean War, First World War, Second World War and the Korean War. In 1971 it was placed in Suspended Animation (not disbanded) and remained on the Royal Artillery's Active List and Order of Battle with its property and Battery Records being placed in central storage in the Royal Arsenal Woolwich. In 1988 it was reformed by an Officer, and former soldier of the battery (Captain Flannagan), and its property records and heritage were reinstated.
The unit has since served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and the Falkland Islands. However, in 2012, the Battery was redesignated a Headquarters Battery, and does no longer deploy with guns or missiles.