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{{short description|British Army artillery battery}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name=9 (Plassey) Battery Royal Artillery
|image= 9 (Plassey) Battery RA.jpeg
|caption=
|dates=17 June 1748{{snd}}present
|country={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|allegiance=[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|25px]] Hon East India Coy (till 1858) {{flag|United Kingdom}} (post 1858)
|branch={{army|British India}} {{army|United Kingdom}}
|type=[[Artillery]]
|role=[[Anti-aircraft warfare|Anti-aircraft]]
|size=[[Artillery battery|Battery]]
|command_structure=[[12th Regiment Royal Artillery]]
|garrison=[[Baker Barracks]], [[Thorney Island (West Sussex)|Thorney Island]], [[West Sussex]]
|garrison_label=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
|colors=
|colors_label=
|march=
|mascot=
|equipment=SP HVM ([[Starstreak (missile)|Starstreak]] mounted on [[Alvis Stormer|Stormer]])
|equipment_label=
|battles=[[Battle of Plassey]] [[Third Anglo-Burmese War|Third Burma War]] [[Second Boer War]] [[First World War]] [[Second World War]] [[Falklands War]] [[Gulf War]] [[Kosovo]]
|anniversaries=Plassey Day 23 June
|decorations=
|battle_honours=[[Battle honour#Entitlement|Ubique]]

|identification_symbol=
|identification_symbol_label=
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=
|identification_symbol_3=
|identification_symbol_3_label=
}}
'''9 (Plassey) Battery Royal Artillery''' is an [[Anti-aircraft warfare|air defence]] [[Artillery battery|battery]] of the [[Royal Artillery]] that serves with the [[British Army]]'s [[12th Regiment Royal Artillery]]. It is stationed at [[Baker Barracks]], [[Thorney Island (West Sussex)|Thorney Island]], [[West Sussex]].

The battery was originally formed as the first unit of the Bengal Artillery, raised in 1749 as part of the [[Honourable East India Company]]'s Army. It was originally titled 1 Company, Bengal Artillery and was quartered in Fort William, Calcutta and was still garrisoned there when the fort was assaulted by the Nawab of Bengal. The majority of the battery subsequently died as prisoners of the Nawab in the now infamous [[Black Hole of Calcutta]] incident. Soon after the battery saw action in the [[Battle of Plassey]] as part of the force led by [[Robert Clive|Sir Clive of India]] on 23 June 1757. It was the batteries heroic actions at this battle which later earned it the honour title 'Plassey'.

On 19 February 1862 all the artillery of the East India Company was transferred to the [[Royal Artillery]], and the battery became 1 Battery, 24 Brigade. In 1876 the battery moved to England and suffered an eclectic 6 years, re-roling and changing names many times. In 1882 it returned to what it knew and was posted to Burma, fighting in the [[Third Anglo-Burmese War|Third Burma War]].<ref name=ThirdBurmaWarRegiments.org>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/wars/19thcent/85burma.htm |title=Third Burma War |publisher=Regiments.org |access-date=31 Oct 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822071151/http://www.regiments.org/wars/19thcent/85burma.htm |archive-date=22 August 2006 }}</ref>

In 1889 it finally settled as 2 Mountain Battery, a title it would retain for the next fifty years. It finally became 9 (Plassey) Battery on 19 March 1947.<ref name=WarOfficeArmyCouncil>{{cite web | url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14497| title=War Office: Army Council: Instructions| publisher=[[The National Archive]]| access-date=31 Oct 2016}}</ref>

==History==

===Early history===
The capture of Madras by the French in 1746 brought home to the Honourable East Indian Company the error of omitting artillery from its regular forces. So on 17 June 1748, the Court of Directors of the Company authorised the formation of three artillery companies in Bengal, Bombay and Madras. These orders took some months to reach India and did not become effective until 1749.

The first Bengal Artillery unit was raised in 1749. It was originally titled 1 Company, Bengal Artillery<ref name=1CoyBengalArty>{{cite web| url=http://www.ordersofbattle.com/Corps/CorpUnits?CorX=758| title=Bengal Artillery| publisher=OrdersofBattle.com| access-date=31 Oct 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101103900/http://www.ordersofbattle.com/Corps/CorpUnits?CorX=758| archive-date=1 November 2016| url-status=dead}}</ref> and was quartered in Fort William, Calcutta. The early records of the Battery were destroyed in the sacking of Calcutta in 1749, so the details are limited. However, it is known that the Battery was commanded by Capt Witherington and consisted of 5 other officers, 4 sergeant-bombardiers, 4 corporals, 100 gunners and 2 drummers. The company, much as like today, was double-hatted; as well as carrying out the normal artillery duties it also performed engineering and labouring tasks.

Fort William was established to protect the Honourable East India Company's growing trade interests in Bengal. The fort had the provided protection from the French and was a base from which to colonise the remainder of Bengal. The Nawab of Bengal, Suraj Ud Doulah was unimpressed with the British military buildup and saw it as a direct threat to his rule in the province. He ordered an immediate halt to the fort's military enhancements; however, the Company did not heed his instruction and continued their enhancements. The stand off came to a head in June 1756 when he laid siege to the fort.

The garrison commander organised an escape from the fort leaving behind a small military force to hold back the Nawab of Bengal's army, until reinforcements could arrive. The remaining force was commanded by John Zephaniah Howell and was quickly depleted by casualties and deserters. This resulted in the defence becoming untenable. On 20 June 1756 Fort William was in the hands of the Nawab. On capturing the fort the Nawab's Army took 146 prisoners. They were all housed in a 14 by 20 ft room which was later to become known as the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta.’ During the night 123 people died, including 45 members of our original Battery.

The remnants of the Battery escaped to Fulta and joined a detachment of Madras Artillery commanded by Lieutenant William Jennings, part of the relief force of 230 Europeans led by Major Kilpatrick. Further reinforcements arrived at Fulta from Madras in December 1756 under the command of Sir Robert Clive.

The Battery was equipped with 14 guns, most of which were 6-pounders. Under the command of the recently promoted Capt Jennings, they were involved in the battles against the Nawab's Army at Budge-Budge on 29 December and the capture of the Hoogli River on 10 January 1757. The Nawab then tried to counter-attack and assaulted Calcutta in February 1757, unfortunately for him, the attempt failed. Therefore, he was forced to make peace, but on terms advantageous to the Company.

===Battle of Plassey===
{{Expand section|date=August 2019}}

===First World War===

The battery fought during the first world war as 2nd Mountain Battery Royal Artillery spending most of the war fighting in the [[Salonika Campaign]] in the area of [[Lake Doiran]].

===Post World War Two===
On arrival in Germany, 12th Regiment was converted to the [[anti-aircraft]] role as part of 6th Armoured Division and the battery was re-equipped with Bofors guns (initially with the [[Bofors 40mm L/60|L/60]] variant, later [[Bofors 40mm L/70|L/70]]). It spent most of the 1950s and 1960s in Germany, though from 1963 to 1966 it was at [[Tampin]], [[Peninsular Malaysia|Malaya]] (at the time of the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation|confrontation]]). From 25 November 1971 to 17 March 1972 it undertook the first of nine [[roulement]] tours to Northern Ireland ([[Operation Banner]]) in the [[infantry]] role, either with 12th Regiment or separately.<ref name=Units12RA/>

[[File:A Rapier missile speeds towards its target during a live firing. Scotland. 17-06-2001 MOD 45137421.jpg|thumb|alt=Photograph of a missile in the process of launching in the night.|A Rapier missile speeds towards its target during a live firing exercise.]]
It moved to [[Rapier Barracks]], [[Kirton-in-Lindsay]] in August 1972. From July 1973, 9 (Plassey) Battery of the regiment began trials with the [[Rapier (missile)|Rapier]] anti-aircraft missile and by September 1975 the regiment was back in Germany fully equipped with the new system. It returned to Rapier Barracks in May 1981 and was there when the [[Falklands War]] broke out. 9 Battery was dispatched to the South Atlantic to take part in the conflict. It was back in Germany in January 1985, by now equipped with [[Tracked Rapier]]. From there, it deployed to the Gulf in January 1991 to take part in the [[Gulf War]].<ref name=Units12RA/>

It returned to England in 2009 and has been based at [[Baker Barracks]], [[Thorney Island (West Sussex)|Thorney Island]], [[West Sussex]] since then.<ref name=Units12RA/>

===Current status===
[[File:Stormer vehicle fring a Starstreak High Velocity Missile (HVM) on Ex Javelin. MOD 45158838.jpg | thumb | left | [[Alvis Stormer|Stormer]] firing a [[Starstreak (missile)|Starstreak]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] missile.]]

Under [[Army 2020]] plans, 12th Regiment was reorganised. It is equipped with [[Starstreak (missile)|Starstreak]] [[Surface-to-air missile]]s mounted on [[Alvis Stormer|Stormer]] armoured vehicles.<ref name=Units12RA>{{cite web | url=http://www.army.mod.uk/artillery/regiments/24670.aspx | title=12th Regiment Royal Artillery | publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)]] | access-date=29 December 2015 }}</ref><ref name=Brochure>{{cite web | url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/218131434/Force-Troops-Command-Overview | title=Force Troops Command Overview | publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)]] | page=14 | date=March 2014 | access-date=1 January 2016}}</ref>

{{clear}}

==See also==

*[[British Army]]
*[[Royal Artillery]]
*[[Royal Horse Artillery]]
*[[Bengal Army]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| last = Becke | first = Major A.F.
| year = 1935
| title = Order of Battle of Divisions Part 1. The Regular British Divisions
| publisher = [[His Majesty's Stationery Office]]
| location = London
| isbn = 1-871167-09-4
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Clarke | first = W.G.
| year = 1993
| title = Horse Gunners: The Royal Horse Artillery, 200 Years of Panache and Professionalism
| publisher = The Royal Artillery Institution
| location = Woolwich
| isbn = 09520762-0-9
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Forty | first = George
| year = 1998
| title = British Army Handbook 1939–1945
| publisher = Sutton Publishing Limited
| location = Stroud, Gloucestershire
| isbn = 0-7509-1403-3
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Frederick | first = J.B.M.
| year = 1984
| title = Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978
| publisher = Microform Academic Publishers
| location = Wakefield, Yorkshire
| isbn = 1-85117-009-X
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Joslen | first = Lt-Col H.F.
| year = 1990
| orig-year = 1st. Pub. [[HMSO]]:1960
| title = Orders of Battle, Second World War, 1939–1945
| publisher = London Stamp Exchange
| location = London
| isbn = 0-948130-03-2
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Kempton | first = Chris
| year = 2003a
| title = 'Loyalty & Honour', The Indian Army September 1939 – August 1947
| volume = Part I Divisions
| publisher = The Military Press
| location = Milton Keynes
| isbn = 0-85420-228-5
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Kempton | first = Chris
| year = 2003b
| title = 'Loyalty & Honour', The Indian Army September 1939 – August 1947
| volume = Part II Brigades
| publisher = The Military Press
| location = Milton Keynes
| isbn = 0-85420-238-2
}}
* {{cite book
| year = 1918
| title = Order of Battle of the British Armies in France, November 11th, 1918
| publisher = General Staff, GHQ
| location = France
| ref = {{harvid|BEF GHQ|1918}}
}}

==External links==
* {{cite web | url=http://www.army.mod.uk/artillery/regiments/24670.aspx | title=12th Regiment Royal Artillery | publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)]] | access-date=29 December 2015 }}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/field/page15.html | title=15 Field Regiment RA | publisher=The Royal Artillery 1939-45 | first=Derek | last=Barton | access-date=29 December 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331000311/http://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/field/page15.html | archive-date=31 March 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}
* {{cite web | url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/royal-artillery/12th-regiment-ra.html | title=12th Regiment RA | publisher=British Army units from 1945 on | access-date=29 December 2015 | first=A. | last=Young}}

[[Category:Royal Artillery batteries]]
[[Category:1838 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:Honourable East India Company regiments]]

9 Plassey Battery Royal Artillery - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 17:18, 13 August 2023