N Parachute Battery (The Eagle Troop) Royal Horse Artillery is a Tactical Group Battery of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. They are currently based in Merville Barracks Colchester, home of 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team (16 AABCT).
The battery is commonly known as a Tactical Group Battery and provides the artillery support to the Royal Irish Battle Group 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team.
Current role
N Parachute Battery (The Eagle Troop) are currently serving as the Tactical Group within 7 Para RHA and supports 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team.
Battery structure
N Parachute Battery are known as a Tactical Group Battery and they consist of approximately 30 personnel:[citation needed]
BC TAC
FST 1
FST 2
FST 3
Joint Fires Cell (JFC)
Tactical Air Control Party (TACP)
History
Formation
1st Troop Bombay Horse Artillery was formed in Seroor, on 11 November 1811.
19th century
In 1842 Sir Charles Napier was sent to Hyderabad with a treaty that was never to be accepted by the Amirs of Sindh. The Amirs attacked the British Residency, and Napier decided this was cause for war, and attacked a force of 22,000 Baluchis with just 2,800 British Soldiers. This resulted in:
1843 – The Battle for Miani. The British line held, and 6 guns from the Troop supported a charge. Hyderabad was occupied in February 1843.
The battery was awarded its honour title following Sir Charles Napier's march to the Indus River. The troop were supporting the Cheshire Regiment, with the enemy in an entrenched position. The way artillery was deployed, forced the enemy to its left flank, which allowed the Cheshire Regiment to advance and distract the enemy. A surrender followed quickly and the Governor-General of India, the Lord Ellenborough, declared that the battery should, 'bear the eagle'.
In 1858, the East India Company dissolved, and the battery became part of the British Army. The battery was renamed five times between 1862, until it was finally named N Battery Royal Horse Artillery in 1889.
World War One
1914 – The battery deployed to France on the outbreak of War.
1917 – N Battery RHA claimed the highest number of shells fired in one month by a single battery. The six guns fired 115,360 rounds in August 1917 in support of the Canadian Corps. The battery also fought in the Battle of Cambrai (1917) and at Hailles.
1918 – The battery continued to fight until the Armistice in November 1918.
1920 – The battery bore the coffin of the Unknown Soldier to Westminster Abbey.
1961 – The battery moved to Colchester, as part of the Strategic Reserve. During this time it was deployed to Cyprus to prevent further fighting between Greek and Turkish Cypriots
Re-Subordination to 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
2023 – 22 May 23
N Parachute Battery forms as sub-unit to 7 Para RHA. The Battery provide close combat support for the Royal Irish Regiment within 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team. In March 2024 The Eagle Troop established a new place of work in Merville Barracks, having relocated from Albemarle Barracks in Northumberland.
Clarke, W.G. (1993). Horse Gunners: The Royal Horse Artillery, 200 Years of Panache and Professionalism. Woolwich: The Royal Artillery Institution. ISBN09520762-0-9.