The Queen's Gun

Alpha Gun of 'A' Field Battery is colloquially referred to as 'The Queen's Gun', owing to it's Royal cipher. Pictured on the left is the cipher that all other guns in the Regiment bear, the Australian Coat of Arms. The Queen's Gun bears the cipher of Queen Elizabeth II and is the senior gun in the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery.

The Battery Logo

Battery Logo

The 'A' Field Battery plaque was designed and submitted for approval in 1970 and comprises a central shield with two scrolls positioned above and two scrolls located below the shield. Central to the design is a multi-flamed grenade on top of a laurel wreath, whilst the original design also incorporated a red lightning bolt against a royal blue background. The current logo maintains the original design, however the background is now black and red(1).

(1) Christopher Jobson, Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery Curstoms and Traditions, Directorate of Artillery, 1997

The Senior Subbie Rank Slide

The 'Senior Subbie' rank slide

Much to the ire of BSMs and RSMs everywhere, the 'A' Field Battery 'senior subbie' rank slide is a well-faded rank slide with almost no disruptive pattern visible and pips that are so worn that they are silver in colour, rather than the regulation black. The slide has a colourful past and has been handed over from senior subaltern to senior subaltern at both 'A' Field Battery and our parent unit, 4th Field Regiment in Townsville.

The Lanyard On The Left

Lanyard on the left shoulder

All personnel in the Army (except some very senior officers) wear a lanyard on their uniform, which varies in colour depending on corps and unit. Apart from the Infantry, 'A' Field Battery are the only ones to wear the lanyard on the left side.

Historically lanyard was borne of the Artillery and was initially worn on the left shoulder with a knife and fuse keys tucked into the left breast pocket. Due to difficulties encountered attempting to remove the knife from the pocket on the left the lanyard was moved to the right. The reason that 'A' Field Battery wears it on the left has been a point of contention among die-hards for some time. One possible reason is that HRH the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) granted the Battery the honour of wearing the lanyard in such a way for services during the Second Boer War, Forst World War and for being the escort on his Australian Royal Tour in 1920. This story cannot be verified. It seems that, for reasons unknown, the battery simply kept wearing it on the left when other units switched to the right.(2)

(2) Christopher Jobson, Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery Curstoms and Traditions, Directorate of Artillery, 1997

The Fishpond That Changes Colour

'A' Field Battery's fishpond, which contains a number of large goldfish, is located in the middle of the Battery's HQ building and varies in colour from day to day as seen above. The pond makes for a serene setting in which to enjoy a brew during one of the few quiet moments at the Battery.

The Static-Line Cable

Located in 'A' Field Battery's Drop Zone (DZ) Club, the static-line cable is a unique honour role for personnel that have left the Battery. At each member's farewell from the Battery, they are presented with a static-line hook stamped with their name and number and invited to "hook-on" for the last time.

The GPO's Chair

A plush, comfortable leather chair, the Gun Position Officer's (GPO) chair is renowned for turning up in odd places, including the tops of light poles, roofs and even shipping containers bound for Townsville.

The Fifty Jumps Board

The Fifty Jumps Board

Those who complete fifty military parachute descents with 'A' Field Battery receive the honour of having their name immortalised on the Fifty Jumps Board. The board recognises those that reach the total with either a round parachute, a square parachute, or a combination of the two. At the bottom of the board is also a section to honour those that have reached the milestone of 100 military descents. The board has also been pictured in the excellent book "Australian Airborne", by John O'Connor.

The Photo That Won't Die

Taken during Ex Kapyong Warrior in March 2005, this photo of a Battery member first appeared in the Army newspaper and has since appeared in Australian Infantry Magazine, the Australian Army Photo Journal, the Defence Media website, the Directorate of Officer Career Management website and newsletter, and most recently as the publicity shot in advertisements for Silva compasses.