65th (8th London) Field Regiment Royal Artillery (TA)

The Regiment was founded as 65th (8th London) Field Brigade RFA in 1926 and became the first TA regiment in the Royal Artillery to be motorised when they hired tractors (agricultural) instead of using draft horses.

During WW2 the 65th saw active service during the evacuation of Dunkirk and during the war in Western Europe.

1940 France with the BEF
26 May – 4 June 1940 Dunkirk
1941 – 1943 North Africa
1 – 27 July 1942 El Alamein (First Battle)
23 October – 5 November 1942 El Alamein (Second Battle)
March – May 1943 Tunisia
1943 – 1945 Italy
9 September 1943 Salerno
22 January – 5 June 1944 Anzio
16 January - 19 May 1944 Monte Cassino

Post WW2
In 1947 the unit was reconstituted as the 265 (8th London) RA (TA), with its head quarters being at Grove Park. It started out as a Heavy Anti-Aircraft Unit but eventually became a Light Anti-Aircraft unit. There was a huge reorganisation of the Army between 1955 and 1961, which lead to the disbandment of the Anti-Aircraft Command and the 265th absorbed most of these. By 1964 the Regiment was named the 265th Light Air Defence Regiment RA based at Grove Park, made up of 3 batteries, P Battery at Bexleyheath, Q Battery at Footscray and R Battery at Flodden Street.

After a further reorganisation in 1967 the Regiment was restructured yet again and it formed 2 new regiments. RHQ became the headquarters of 100 (Medium) Field Regiment RA, an AVRII unit based at Grove Park. At the same time a new AVRII regiment entitled the London and Kent RA (Territorials) was formed. This came from elements of the Kent and County of London Yeomanry and Head Quarters and Battery was based at Hill House, Bromley. Batteries were retained at Bexleyheath and Grove Park. This new unit at Bromley was short lived and 1 January 1969 the 71st Signal Regiment was formed at Hill House, Bromley. In 1974 the squadron’s title changed to 265 (Kent & Sharpshooters Yeomanry) Signals Squadron and the regiment became the 71st (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment. In 1999 the regiment became the Army’s only Air Defence Regiment and adopted the title 106th (Yeomanry) Regiment RA . It has a Head Quarters at Grove Park and 3 sub-units the 265 (Home Counties) Battery at Grove Park (Rapier supporting 16 Regiment), 457 (Hampshire Yeomanry) Battery at Southampton (HVM supporting 47 Regiment) and 210 (Staffordshire) Battery at Wolverhampton (Rapier supporting 16 Regiment).

Names

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