The Napoleon Series
British Artillery Battalions and the Men Who Led Them 1793-1815 By Steve Brown
3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery 1757: Royal Artillery as a single formation comprising 19 companies 1757: 2 April - augmented to 24 companies 1757: 1 August - Royal Artillery split into two battalions of 12 companies each 1757: 2nd Battalion formed from 12 existing RA companies 1759: 3rd Battalion formed 1760: Augmented to 6 companies 1763: Augmented to 10 companies 1819: Reduced to 8 companies 1825: Companies to be known by number rather than commander's name 1855: Board of Ordinance abolished, Royal Artillery transferred to War Office 1859: Battalion renamed Brigades, Companies renamed Batteries 1862: Royal Artillery absorbed East India Company Artillery 1899: Royal Artillery divided into Royal Field Artillery and Royal Garrison Artillery 1924: RFA and RGA amalgamated as Royal Regiment of Artillery 1936: Brigades renamed Regiments 1947: Permanent numbers allotted to batteries Colonels-Commandant 1782: 11 March - Joseph Brome 1786: 13 February - William Martin 1799: 13 July - Thomas Davies 1805: 2 March - William Orchard Huddlestone 1812: 17 March - John Ramsay Colonels 1786: 13 February - Duncan Drummond 1794: 14 August - Thomas Davies 1799: 13 July - William Orchard Huddlestone 1803: 12 September - Robert Douglas 1804: 20 July - John Smith 1805: 2 March - John Cockburn 1809: 30 April - William Borthwick Lieutenant-Colonels 1782: 1 December - Ellis Walker 1790: 14 May - Philip Martin 1793: 5 December - John Lemoine 1794: 14 August - Orlando Manley 1797: 27 August - John Smith 1798: 17 January - William Cuppage 1799: 13 July - Thomas Seward 1801: 14 October - James M Hadden 1803: 17 May - William Bentham 1803: 12 September - John A Schalch 1804: 20 July - John Burton 1807: 13 January - William Robe 1808: 1 February - Joseph McLean 1809: 17 November - Charles Waller Majors 1785: 10 July - William Congreve 1791: 16 March - John Lemoine 1798: 17 January - Francis Whitworth 1799: 8 January - George Wilson 1801: 18 April - James Butler 1801: 14 October - George Lewis 1805: 28 June - William Cox 1806: 1 August - Joseph McLean 1809: 4 September - Edward Worsley
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Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2015
The Napoleon Series Service Histories of Companies Companies were not given numbers until 1825; until that time, were known by company commander's names, which changed frequently. The 1825 company numbering scheme ignored the previous order of seniority (based on date of formation) as existed in the period 1793-1815. Companies are shown according to seniority in 1815, and referred to by their commanders names in 1793 / 1815. Douglas's / Hutchesson's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 March 1755 1793: Chatham; April - Woolwich (OC Capt Robert Douglas) 1794: Woolwich (OC Capt John A Schalch) 1795: Woolwich; June - Canterbury (OC OC Capt William Bentham) 1796: Canterbury 1797: Canterbury 1798: Canterbury 1799: Canterbury 1800: Canterbury; July - to Malta; December - Valetta 1801: Malta (OC Capt Robert Beevor) 1802: Malta; to England; July - Porchester; September - Canterbury 1803: Canterbury; July - Dover 1804: Dover 1805: Dover 1806: Dover 1807: Dover 1808: Dover; March - Canterbury; September - to Spain; Corunna; Astorga (OC Capt George Beane) 1809: Retreat to Corunna; to England; March - Canterbury 1810: Battle 1811: Battle 1812: Battle (OC Capt Thomas Hutchesson) 1813: Battle; March - to Portugal; Lisbon; Vitoria; Alegria 1814: Oyarzun; June - Bordeaux; to England; August - Canterbury 1815: Canterbury; May - Ostend; missed Waterloo; into France; July - St Denis; August - La Chapelle; September - St Denis 1825: 5th Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 3rd Battery, 14th Brigade RA 1939: 13th Field Battery RA 1947: 28th Field Battery RA Current: 28th/143rd (Tomb's Troop) Battery, 19th Regiment RA. Whitworth's / Campbell's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 March 1755 1793: Gibraltar; May - Barbados; June - Martinique; July - Barbados (OC Capt Francis Whitworth) 1794: Barbados; February - Martinique; April - Guadeloupe; May - Martinique 1795: Martinique 1796: Martinique 1797: Martinique 1798: Martinique (OC Capt John Sheldrake) 1799: Martinique 1800: Martinique 1801: Martinique; to England; July - Woolwich 1802: Woolwich 1803: Woolwich; July - Colchester (OC Capt Lawrence H Newton) 1804: Colchester; October - Lexden Camp; November - Colchester (OC Capt Alexander Campbell) 1805: Colchester; March - Norwich 1806: Norwich; December - Colchester 1807: Colchester 1808: Colchester 1809: Colchester; July - to Walcheren; Flushing; September - Colchester; October - Norwich 1810: Norwich; February - Colchester 1811: Colchester 1812: Colchester 1813: Colchester; February - to Portugal; Lisbon; Alicante; August - Tarragona 1814: Tarragona; June - Retuerra; July - to England; August - Colchester; December - Weedon 1815: Weedon. 1825: 1st Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 1st Battery, 4th Brigade RA 1939: 12th Field Battery RA 1947: 8th Field Battery RA Current: 8th (Alma) Commando Battery, 29th Commando Regiment RA.
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Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2015
The Napoleon Series Fage's / Unett's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 March 1755 1793: Dominica; December - Barbados (OC Capt Edward Fage; then Capt Francis L de Ruvijnes, died 12 June 1796) 1794: Barbados; February - Martinique; April - Guadeloupe 1795: West Indies 1796: Martinique (OC Capt George Dixon) 1797: Martinique 1798: Martinique 1799: Martinique 1800: Martinique (OC Capt Joseph Maclean) 1801: Martinique; to England; July - Woolwich 1802: Woolwich 1803: Woolwich; July - Colchester 1804: Colchester; March - Danbury 1805: Ipswich 1806: Ipswich; July - Colchester; December - Norwich (OC Capt John Mathews) 1807: Norwich 1808: Norwich (OC Capt William Cleeve) 1809: Colchester; July - to Walcheren; Flushing; October - Colchester 1810: Colchester (OC Capt George W Unett) 1811: Colchester 1812: Colchester; June - Weedon; July - Sutton Camp; November - Weedon 1813: Weedon; December - Colchester 1814: Colchester 1815: Colchester; April - Ostend; June - Destelbergen; missed Waterloo; into France; July - Paris; August - Neuilly; November - St Germain 1825: 7th Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 3rd Battery, 7th Brigade RA 1939: 10th Heavy Battery RA 1947: 31st Coast Training Battery RA Current: 31st HQ Battery, 47th Regiment RA. Downing's / Hunt's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 March 1755 1793: St Kitts; December - Barbados (OC Capt John Downing) 1794: Barbados; February - Martinique; April - Guadeloupe; May - St Kitts 1795: St Kitts 1796: St Kitts 1797: St Kitts; December - Martinique (OC Capt John Godfrey) 1798: Martinique (OC Capt Edward W Drosler) 1799: Martinique 1800: Martinique; July - St Vincent 1801: St Vincent 1802: St Vincent; to England; September - Canterbury 1803: Canterbury 1804: Canterbury 1805: Canterbury (OC Capt Robert Truscott, died 17 February 1814) 1806: Canterbury; February - Ashford; July - Canterbury 1807: Canterbury 1808: Canterbury; March - Shorncliffe; September - to Spain; Corunna; Lugo 1809: Retreat to Corunna; to England; March - Canterbury; July - Shorncliffe; December - Sandgate 1810: Sandgate 1811: Sandgate; August - Canterbury 1812: Canterbury 1813: Canterbury; February - Battle; October - Woolwich; December - to Holland 1814: Willenstaad; February - Breda; May - Antwerp; September - Ghent; November - Antwerp (OC Capt Arthur Hunt) 1815: Antwerp; April - Mons; May - Tournai; missed Waterloo; August - Mons; December - Valenciennes 1825: 6th Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 7th Battery, 3rd Brigade RA 1939: 103rd (Corunna) Field Battery RA 1947: 29th (Corunna) Airborne Anti-Tank Battery RA Current: 3rd/29th (Corunna) Battery, 4th Regiment RA.
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Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2015
The Napoleon Series Dysart's / Gordon's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: May 1756 1793: Chatham; April - Woolwich (OC Capt Richard Dysart) 1794: Woolwich 1795: Woolwich; June - Canterbury; July - Barham Downs; November - Canterbury (OC Capt William H Walker, died 22 May 1798) 1796: Canterbury 1797: Canterbury 1798: Canterbury (Capt George Ramsay) 1799: Ringmer; August - to Helder; November - to England; Canterbury 1800: Canterbury 1801: Canterbury; June - Hythe; October - Canterbury 1802: Canterbury 1803: Canterbury; July - Rye; December - Lewes 1804: Lewes 1805: Woolwich; February - Canterbury; April - Lewes; June - Eastbourne; December - Woolwich (OC Capt Charles Younghusband; then Capt William Millar) 1806: Woolwich (OC Capt Percy Drummond) 1807: Woolwich; August - to Copenhagen; September - seige of Copenhagen; November - Woolwich 1808: Woolwich; April - to Sweden; September - Lisbon; October - advance into Spain 1809: Retreat to Corunna; to England; March - Woolwich; July - to Walcheren; September - Woolwich 1810: Woolwich 1811: Woolwich 1812: Woolwich 1813: Woolwich 1814: Woolwich (OC Capt Frederick Gordon) 1815: Woolwich; April - Ostend; May - Lambelle Notre Dame; missed Waterloo, into France; July - Garges; August - Neuilly; November - St Germain 1825: 4th Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 4th Battery, 3rd Brigade RA 1939: 9th (Minden) Heavy Battery RA 1947: 32nd (Minden) Coast Batttery RA Current: 32nd (Minden) Battery, 16th Regiment RA. Barnes's / Douglas 's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 April 1757 1793: Woolwich; February - Tower of London (OC Capt John Barnes) 1794: Tower of London; April - Woolwich (OC Capt George Lewis) 1795: Woolwich; June - Canterbury; July - Barham Downs; November - Canterbury 1796: Canterbury 1797: Canterbury 1798: Canterbury 1799: Canterbury; August - to Helder; November - to England; Canterbury 1800: Dover; August - Canterbury 1801: Canterbury; October - Hythe (OC Capt Charles Newhouse) 1802: Hythe; February - Canterbury 1803: Canterbury; August - Lewes 1804: Dover; March - Hythe; April - Shorncliffe 1805: Dover 1806: Dover; July - Shorncliffe 1807: Dover; March - Shorncliffe; August - to Copenhagen; September - seige of Copenhagen; November - Colchester 1808: Canterbury; March - Ashford; April - to Sweden; August - Lisbon; October - advance into Spain (OC Capt Edward Wilmott) 1809: Retreat to Corunna; to England; March - Woolwich; July - to Walcheren; Flushing; October - Woolwich 1810: Woolwich 1811: Woolwich (OC Capt George Turner) 1812: Woolwich 1813: Woolwich; October - Battle; December - Eastbourne 1814: Eastbourne; September - Ringmer (OC Capt Robert Douglas) 1815: Ringmer; June - Eastbourne; August - Ringmer; September - Eastbourne 1825: 8th Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 4th Battery, 4th Brigade RA 1939: 14th (Corunna) Field Battery RA 1947: 17th (Corunna) Field Battery RA Current: 17th (Corunna) Battery, 26th Regiment RA.
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Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2015
The Napoleon Series Manley's / Rogers's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 January 1759 1793: St Vincent; December - Barbados (OC Capt Orlando Manley; then Capt Abram du Vernet) 1794: Barbados; February - Martinique; April - Guadeloupe; May - Martinique; June - St Vincent 1795: Martinique 1796: West Indies 1797: St Vincent; November - Martinique 1798: Martinique 1799: Martinique 1800: Martinique; July - Antigua 1801: St Kitts & Antigua (OC Capt Joseph Heaven, died 30 October 1802) 1802: St Vincent; to England; September - Woolwich (OC Capt Henry Eveleigh) 1803: Woolwich; July - Ringmer 1804: Ringmer 1805: Ringmer; July - Eastbourne 1806: Ringmer; August - Eastbourne (OC Capt F Griffiths; then Capt Thomas Rogers) 1807: Eastbourne 1808: Eastbourne 1809: Eastbourne; July - to Walcheren; Flushing; December - Woolwich 1810: Woolwich 1811: Woolwich 1812: Woolwich; September - Colchester 1813: Colchester; December - to Holland 1814: Tholen; June - Antwerp; August - Ostend 1815: Ostend; May - Poemele; June - Foret; Waterloo; into France; July - Clichy; December - Meulan 1825: 2nd Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 7th Battery, 13th Brigade RA 1939: 8th (Roger's Company) Heavy Battery RA 1947: 30th (Roger's Company) Coast Battery RA Current: 30th (Roger's Company) Battery, 16th Regiment RA. Willington's / Brome's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 10 September 1759 1793: Chatham; April - Woolwich; September - Hythe; October - Woolwich (OC Capt Bailey Willington) 1794: Woolwich 1795: Woolwich; June - Canterbury; July - Barham Downs; November - Canterbury 1796: Canterbury 1797: Canterbury (OC Capt William Spicer) 1798: Canterbury 1799: Canterbury 1800: Canterbury 1801: Canterbury; May - Hythe; June - Plymouth Dock 1802: Plymouth Dock 1803: Plymouth Dock 1804: Plymouth Dock; November - Exeter (OC Capt Joseph Brome) 1805: Exeter; August - Woodbury Camp; October - Hammerdon Camp; November - Exeter; December - Woolwich; to Hanover 1806: Hanover; March - Woolwich 1807: Woolwich; May - Sevenoaks; to Copenhagen; September - seige of Copenhagen; November - Sevenoaks 1808: Sevenoaks 1809: Sevenoaks; July - to Walcheren; Flushing; October - Sevenoaks 1810: Sevenoaks 1811: Sevenoaks; April - Chatham 1812: Chatham 1813: Chatham 1814: Chatham 1815: Chatham; April - Ostend; Bevere; missed Waterloo; into France; August - Bois de Boulogne; November - Clichy 1825: 3rd Company, 3rd Battalion RA 1859: 6th Battery, 14th Brigade RA 1939: 12th Heavy Battery RA 1947: 33rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery RA Current: Disbanded.
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Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2015
The Napoleon Series Sowerby's / Sandham's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 August 1779 1793: Barbados; May - Tobago; December - Barbados (OC Capt James Sowerby; then Capt Edward Howorth; then Capt John Wilks) 1794: Barbados; February - Martinique; April - Guadeloupe; May - Martinique; June - Grenada 1795: Martinique 1796: Martinique 1797: Martinique 1798: Martinique 1799: Martinique (OC Capt John Duncan, died 19 March 1803) 1800: Martinique; July - Trinidad 1801: Trinidad 1802: Trinidad; to England; October - Woolwich 1803: Woolwich; August - Norwich (OC Capt Charles C Bingham; then Capt Peter Fyers) 1804: Norwich 1805: Norwich; May - Ipswich 1806: Ipswich; March - Colchester; May - Ipswich; November - Colchester 1807: Colchester; August - to Copenhagen; September - seige of Copenhagen; November - Colchester 1808: Colchester 1809: Colchester; July - to Walcheren; Flushing; October - Colchester 1810: Colchester 1811: Colchester; September - Ipswich 1812: Ipswich 1813: Ipswich; December - to Holland 1814: Zaanderbulten; February - Rosendaal; March - Putten; April - Wuestwezel; June - Antwerp; September - Assche (OC Capt Charles F Sandham) 1815: Assche; April - Enghien; Quatre Bras; Waterloo; into France; July - Bois de Boulogne; December - Paris 1819: 31 January - disbanded at Woolwich. Irwin's / Marsh's Company, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery Raised: 1 August 1779 1793: Grenada (OC Capt Frederick Irwin, died 22 June; Capt Samuel D Edwards, died 22 August 1798) 1794: Barbados; February - Martinique; April - Guadeloupe; May - Martinique 1795: Grenada 1796: West Indies 1797: Martinique 1798: Martinique (OC Capt Richard Hamilton) 1799: Martinique 1800: Martinique 1801: Martinique; April - St Martin 1802: St Martin; to England; September - Woolwich 1803: Woolwich 1804: Woolwich; August - Coxheath Camp; November - Woolwich (OC Capt Henry Marsh) 1805: Woolwich; August - Battle 1806: Battle 1807: Battle 1808: Battle; September - Portsmouth 1809: Portsmouth; July - to Walcheren; Flushing 1810: Woolwich 1811: Woolwich 1812: Woolwich 1813: Woolwich 1814: Woolwich 1815: Woolwich; April - Ostend; May - Antwerp 1819: 31 January - disbanded at Woolwich. Sources: War Office. Army Lists 1791 to 1815. London: various years. Laws, Lt Col M. E. S. Battery Records of the Royal Artillery 1716-1859. Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institute, 1952. Duncan, Francis. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. 2 volumes; London: John Murray, 1879. Kane, John. List of Officers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Greenwich: Elizabeth Delahoy, 1815. Gordon, Iain. Bloodline: The Origins and Development of the Regular Formations of the British Army. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2010. McKenna, Michael G. The British Army – And Its Regiments and Battalions. West Chester, Ohio: The Nafziger Collection. 2004.
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Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2015
