K Battery, Royal Artillery

K (Hondeghem) Battery RA
Active	4 August 1809 – present
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	Hon East India Coy (till 1858) United Kingdom (post 1858)
Branch	British Army
Type	Artillery
Role	Surveillance and Target Acquisition
Size	battery
Part of	5th Regiment Royal Artillery
Location	Catterick Garrison
Anniversaries	Hondeghem Day - 27 May
Equipment	COBRA, MAMBA, LCMR, ASP
Decorations	Hondeghem
Battle honours	Ubique

K (Hondeghem) Battery is a battery of 5th Regiment Royal Artillery in the Royal Artillery. It currently serves in the Surveillance and Target Acquisition role and is equipped with various weapon platform locating equipment using radars and acoustic sound ranging assets.

K Battery was formed by the East India Company as 2nd Troop Bengal Horse Artillery on 4 August 1809 in Acra, India, with the majority of the other ranks being British. This fact and that the Battery were all mounted to ensure greater manoeuvrability, was unusual during this period. During the next 100 years the Battery came under command of the Bengal Horse Artillery then the Royal Horse Artillery and is now under command of the Royal Artillery.

In 1939, K Battery was the last Royal Horse Artillery battery to be mechanised.

At outbreak of the Second World War, K Battery was the current Riding Troop at St Johns Wood, and the Battery, joined 5th RHA serving alongside G Battery, as part of the British Expeditionary Force during the Fall of France, consisting of D, E and F Troops. It was during the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 with the British Expeditionary Force, that the Battery gained its honour title. With the BEF retreating towards the Belgian coast as the German forces streamed through Belgium, the small village of Hondeghem lay on one of the Germans' main lines of advance and it became essential to hold it. However, the only troops available were K Battery and a detachment of 1 officer and 80 men of the 2nd Search Light Regiment.

The Battery was armed with First World War Mark 11, 18 pdr guns which had been modernised by the fitting of road wheels and pneumatic tyres. Two of the guns of 'F' Troop were situated inside the village and the other two on the outskirts of the village. At about 07:30 on the morning of the 27 May the enemy, in the form of 6th Panzer Division, appeared and were engaged by the two outer guns. These guns destroyed several enemy vehicles and two or three tanks as they approached. An enemy tank closed on gun of J Sub Section firing its machine gun, the number 2 was killed. The tank then fired its main armament and scored a direct hit killing another member of the detachment and wounding Gunner Manning and Troop Sergeant Major Opie. Small arms fire poured into the gun pit wounding Gunner Manning again, but he gallantly insisted on remaining in action. The enemy tank was then engaged by the gun of I Sub Section just before it was destroyed while enemy infantry dashed in a captured the last few men of J Sub Section. Gunner Manning was taken to hospital by the Germans but died later of his injuries.

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Wikipedia