On 1 February 1793,
Revolutionary France declared war on Britain, bringing the British into the
French Revolutionary Wars. Britain went on to be at war with France for over two decades, during which time significant progress was achieved in artillery development. The first two troops of Horse Artillery (A – later entitled "The Chestnut Troop" – and B) were raised in January 1793 at
Goodwood,
West Sussex, by the
Master-General of the Ordnance, the
3rd Duke of Richmond, to provide fire support for the
cavalry. They were joined by two more troops in November 1793. Each troop had six 6-pounder guns. Another development was the formation of a headquarters staff providing a channel between the regiment and the
Board of Ordnance. Captain
John Macleod was the first
brigade major and became the first deputy-adjutant-general in 1795. By 1806, eleven troops had been formed, with ten companies of the
Royal Irish Artillery incorporated, as the Seventh Battalion, after the
union with Ireland in 1801. The Royal Horse Artillery was, distinguished from the Field Artillery by (among other things) its speed: the need to keep pace with a
cavalry charge was achieved initially by the Horse Artillery using lighter guns than the RFA, and later by their using proportionally more horses. The regiment wore light cavalry uniforms of blue with gold lace and red facings. Their overalls were grey with a red stripe and on their heads they wore the distinctive
Tarleton helmets. If needed, they carried
1796 light-cavalry sabres or their own semi-official RHA 1796P sabre. The RHA participated in the major wars of two centuries, including the
Napoleonic Wars, the
War of 1812, the
Indian Mutiny, the
Crimean War, the
Peninsular War, the
Anglo-Zulu War, the
Boer War,
World War I and
World War II. In 1859, the term "battalion" was replaced by "brigade". Territorial batteries were of four guns each rather than the six guns of regular batteries. The principal weapon of Territorial RHA units was the
Ordnance QF 15 pounder, although the
Ordnance BLC 15 pounder was issued to some second-line RHA units formed in 1914. At the outbreak of
World War I the regular RHA comprised twenty-five batteries, eleven of those serving in India with the
Indian Army. They were equipped with the
Ordnance QF 13 pounder. In the 1920s, development of trucks and track vehicles brought an end to operational use of horses. By 1927, medium artillery was drawn by tractors instead of heavy draught horses. By 1937, nine field brigades had been mechanised as well as a brigade of RHA. Today, the ceremonial King's Troop alone retains the use of the mounted batteries. At the onset of World War II, recruits were instructed that "the role of the Royal Artilleryman is, as it has ever been, to fight his gun, forgetful of self, to the last round in support of other arms." ==Current regiments==