48 Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
Encyclopedia
The 48th Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery is an artillery battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...

 of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

. The battery traces its lineage back to a unit that was formed for service during the First World War. Currently assigned to the 9th Brigade, it is located at Keswick Barracks in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

.

Role

48th Field Battery is a part of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

's 9th Brigade
Australian 9th Brigade
The 9th Brigade is an Reserve formation of the Australian Army headquartered at Keswick Barracks in Keswick, South Australia, with elements located in Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.-History:...

, currently located at Keswick Barracks South Australia. It is tasked with engaging targets of immediate concern to units of the 9th Brigade and the provision of timely, intimate offensive fire support to such units. Until recently the battery was a six-gun battery utilising the US designed M2A2 Howitzer firing 105 mm ammunition, however, following the reorganisation of the Australian Army Reserve's artillery units, the battery now uses the 81mm mortar
L16 81mm Mortar
The United Kingdom's L16 81 mm mortar is the standard mortar used by the British armed forces. It originated as a joint design by UK and Canada. The version produced and used by Australia is named the F2 81mm Mortar, whilst the version used by the U.S...

 as its primary weapon platform. The unit maintains a number of M2A2s, however, which are reserved for ceremonial occasions such as 21-gun salute
21-gun salute
Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...

s.

History

The 48th Field Battery was formed at Tel el Kebir, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, on 6 March 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...

 (AIF) that took place following the end of the Gallipoli campaign. Assigned to the 12th Field Artillery Brigade, 4th Division, the battery was transferred to Europe where it saw action in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 with the 24th Field Artillery Brigade, employing the Ordnance QF 18 pounder
Ordnance QF 18 pounder
The Ordnance QF 18 pounder, or simply 18-pounder Gun, was the standard British Army field gun of the World War I era. It formed the backbone of the Royal Field Artillery during the war, and was produced in large numbers. It was also used by British and Commonwealth Forces in all the main theatres,...

. The battery saw action on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...

 between June 1916 and January 1917, when it was disbanded.

In 1921, the battery was re-raised as part of a wide-scale reorganisation of Australia's part time military forces that saw units of the Citizens Force
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...

 adopt the numerical designations of the AIF. At this time the battery was assigned to the 13th Field Brigade.

The Battery was re-formed in 1939 and became part of the 6th/13th Field Regiment in 1988. Since the disbandment of the 6th/13th Field Regiment in 1997, the 48th Field Battery has served as an independent battery under the command of the 9th Brigade.

Notable members

  • William Henry Kibby
    William Henry Kibby
    William Henry Kibby VC was a British-born Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Commonwealth forces....

    , a recipient of the Victoria Cross
    Victoria Cross
    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

    , was a member of 48th Field Battery prior to joining the AIF during the Second World War.

External links

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