The Royal Artillery: Ubique — A Regimental History

Ubique: “Everywhere”

The Royal Regiment of Artillery — universally known as “the Gunners” — is the largest regiment in the British Army and one of the oldest. Its motto, Ubique (“Everywhere”), was granted by King William IV in 1833, reflecting the fact that the RA has served in virtually every British campaign since its founding. Uniquely, the RA has no battle honours — because Ubique encompasses them all.

Origins

The Royal Artillery was established on 26 May 1716 by Royal Warrant at Woolwich, with two companies. The Board of Ordnance — not the Army — controlled the artillery, giving the Gunners a distinctive administrative identity that persisted until 1855. Woolwich remained the spiritual home of the RA for nearly 300 years, housing the Royal Military Academy (“The Shop”), the Royal Arsenal, and the Rotunda museum.

Key Campaigns

Napoleonic Wars

The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), founded in 1793, provided mobile fire support for cavalry formations throughout the Peninsular War and at Waterloo. Wellington relied heavily on his artillery — at Waterloo, the Gunners’ steady fire on the advancing French columns was decisive. Major Norman Ramsay’s famous charge through French cavalry with his RHA troop at Fuentes de Oñoro (1811) remains one of the regiment’s most celebrated incidents.

World War I

The Great War was the artillery’s war. By 1918, the RA comprised roughly one-third of the entire British Army. The barrage — creeping, standing, counter-battery — became the dominant tactical instrument. At the Somme (1916), the preliminary bombardment fired 1.5 million shells over seven days. At Messines (1917), 2,266 guns supported the attack.

The RA suffered approximately 50,000 casualties in the Great War. Gunner officers had a particularly high casualty rate, serving as forward observation officers in the front-line trenches.

World War II

The RA adapted rapidly: anti-aircraft (AA) command defended Britain during the Blitz, anti-tank regiments fought in the desert, and field regiments supported every major operation from North Africa to Normandy. The famous 25-pounder gun-howitzer became the workhorse of British field artillery, serving with distinction in every theatre.

Post-War

Korea, Aden, Northern Ireland, the Falklands (where 29 Commando Regiment RA supported the Royal Marines), Iraq, and Afghanistan. The RA also provides Britain’s nuclear deterrent through elements of the Royal Horse Artillery equipped with tactical nuclear weapons (until the 1990s) and the AS-90 self-propelled gun that served in Operation Telic.

Cap Badge and Insignia

The Royal Artillery cap badge features a nine-pounder muzzle-loading gun surmounted by a crown, with the motto “Ubique” above and “Quo Fas et Gloria Ducunt” (“Where Right and Glory Lead”) below. The badge has evolved through several patterns:

• Victorian — larger, more ornate, often with VR cypher
• Edwardian/WW1 — simplified, with King’s Crown
• WW2/Post-war — standard brass, King’s Crown until 1953, then Queen’s Crown (EIIR)
• Current — anodised aluminium, same basic design

Collar badges, shoulder titles (“R.A.” in brass or anodised), and formation signs are all collectable. The “Bursting Grenade” pattern used by certain RA units is particularly sought after.

Collecting Royal Artillery

The RA’s long history and huge size produce a vast range of collectable material:

• Medals — RA medal groups span every conflict since the 18th century. Named WW1 groups to identified gunners can be researched through battery war diaries.
• Cap badges — numerous variants over 300 years. Pre-1900 examples and officer-quality pieces command premiums.
• Shoulder titles — brass “R.A.”, “R.F.A.” (Royal Field Artillery, pre-1924), “R.G.A.” (Royal Garrison Artillery), “R.H.A.” (Royal Horse Artillery).
• Shell cases and trench art — RA markings on shell cases are common and add interest.
• Guns and equipment — miniature and drill-purpose guns occasionally appear. A 25-pounder is the holy grail for the serious collector.

Organisation and Structure

The Royal Artillery has always been organised differently from the infantry and cavalry. Instead of regiments in the traditional sense, the RA uses a hierarchy of batteries, troops, and regiments that reflects the arm’s technical nature and the need for centralised command of fire.

A battery is the basic tactical unit — typically six guns with their crews, vehicles, and associated personnel. Batteries have their own identities, histories, and traditions. Some, like 7 (Sphinx) Commando Battery, carry battle honours that stretch back centuries. Batteries are grouped into regiments (typically three batteries), which in turn form part of a regiment Royal Artillery at the operational level.

The distinction between Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) and Royal Artillery (RA) is significant. The RHA, formed in 1793, was the elite mobile arm — its crews were mounted and trained to gallop into action alongside cavalry. RHA batteries maintain a fierce pride in their identity and traditions. At formal occasions, RHA officers still take precedence over their RA counterparts — a tradition that has survived every reorganisation.

Notable Battles and Actions

Waterloo, 1815

At Waterloo, the Royal Artillery played a decisive role. Bull’s battery of the RHA sustained heavy casualties holding the centre-right of Wellington’s line, while Mercer’s troop (then G Troop RHA, now G Battery) famously held the ridge against massed French cavalry despite orders to retire. Captain Cavalié Mercer’s journal provides one of the most vivid first-hand accounts of the battle.

The Somme, 1916

The first day of the Somme (1 July 1916) demonstrated both the power and limitations of artillery in industrial warfare. Over 1.7 million shells were fired during the seven-day preliminary bombardment — yet the barrage failed to destroy the deep German dugouts or cut the wire effectively. The catastrophic infantry losses that followed led to fundamental changes in artillery tactics, including the development of the creeping barrage, sound ranging, flash spotting, and predicted fire techniques.

El Alamein, 1942

The opening barrage at El Alamein on 23 October 1942 was the largest British artillery bombardment since 1918. Over 800 guns fired simultaneously in what was codenamed Operation Lightfoot. The concentrated fire plan, coordinated by Brigadier Sidney Ninkhurst, demonstrated that the lessons of WWI had been absorbed — predicted fire, counter-battery work, and infantry-artillery cooperation had reached a new level of sophistication.

The Falklands, 1982

The Royal Artillery’s contribution to the Falklands campaign was vital. 29 Commando Regiment RA provided fire support throughout, with its 105mm Light Guns often firing at extreme range in appalling weather conditions. The guns were manhandled into position on the mountains of East Falkland — a physical feat that demonstrated that modern gunners retained the determination of their forebears.

Royal Artillery Collectables

The breadth of RA history creates a rich collecting field:

• Cap badges — the ubiquitous RA cap badge (gun over scroll with “Ubique” and “Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt”) exists in dozens of variants across different eras and manufacturing methods. King’s Crown, Queen’s Crown, bi-metal, anodised aluminium, and officer patterns are all distinct.
• Medals — many RA soldiers served in multiple campaigns, creating impressive medal groups. Gunner casualties are often under-represented in published casualty rolls because they served as battery attachments rather than in named infantry battalions.
• Shell cases — perhaps the most distinctive RA collectable. Engraved and decorated shellcases given as presentations, mess ornaments, or converted into umbrella stands are a quintessentially British militaria item.
• Buttons and insignia — RA buttons feature the royal arms with the gun and motto. Officers’ buttons are gilt; other ranks’ are brass. Pattern variations follow the usual monarch chronology.
• Books and ephemera — the RA has been well-served by historians. Battery and regimental histories are plentiful, from Victorian campaigns through to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Royal Artillery Museum

The Firepower — Royal Artillery Museum, formerly at Woolwich Arsenal and now managed by the Royal Artillery Historical Trust, holds one of the finest artillery collections in the world. The collection includes guns from the 16th century to the present, uniforms, medals, paintings, and the comprehensive RA Archive — an invaluable research resource for anyone studying the British Army’s largest arm.

Sources

• Farndale, General Sir Martin. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Multiple volumes, 1986 onwards.
• Hogg, Brigadier O.F.G. The Royal Arsenal: Its Background, Origin, and Subsequent History. Oxford University Press, 1963.
• Bidwell, Shelford and Graham, Dominick. Fire-Power: British Army Weapons and Theories of War 1904 to 1945. Allen and Unwin, 1982.
• Royal Artillery Historical Trust. Collections and archive, Larkhill.
• The National Archives. War Office records (WO 95 war diaries) for RA units.

Guns and Equipment Through the Ages

The evolution of artillery equipment reflects the broader story of military technology. The smooth-bore muzzle-loading cannon that served at Waterloo was recognisably descended from medieval bombards. By the Crimean War, rifled barrels were appearing. The breech-loading revolution of the 1870s and 1880s transformed rate of fire, and the introduction of the recoil mechanism — perfected in the French 75mm gun of 1897 — allowed guns to fire without being relaid after each shot.

In British service, the 18-pounder field gun and 4.5-inch howitzer dominated World War I. The 25-pounder, introduced in the late 1930s, became the iconic British gun of World War II and continued in service through Korea and beyond. Its combination of range, accuracy, rate of fire, and reliability earned it a reputation as one of the finest field guns ever designed. Post-war, self-propelled guns (the Abbot, AS-90) replaced towed artillery for most regular units, though the 105mm Light Gun — a towed weapon designed for rapid helicopter deployment — has seen continuous service from the Falklands to Afghanistan.

The RA Today

The modern Royal Artillery encompasses a far wider range of capabilities than traditional tube artillery. Air defence (using Starstreak and Sky Sabre missile systems), surveillance and target acquisition (with unmanned aerial vehicles and radar), and close support remain core roles. The regiment’s adaptability — from 18th-century smoothbores to 21st-century precision munitions — is perhaps its most remarkable characteristic. The RA motto, “Ubique” (everywhere), remains as accurate today as when it was first granted.