Honorable Artillery Company
The Honorable Artillery Company (HAC) is a regiment of the British Territorial Army and a non-profit organization . The regiment goes back to a Royal Charter from 1537, making it the oldest regiment in the British Army . It is part of the Rapid Reaction Corps of NATO and also performs ceremonial tasks - it provides the honor guard for the British royal family and visiting foreign heads of state or fires the ceremonial gun salute from the Tower of London .
The headquarters of the HAC is the Armory House in the City of London . There is also a museum, the Honorable Artillery Company Museum and an archive on the history of the regiment and militias in London. The non-profit organization supports the work of the HAC regiment. It also provides a delegation from the Special Constabulary for the City of London Police . Members of the HAC must be former soldiers. Many are former high-ranking officers in the British Army.
Military division - the regiment
The name does not refer to today's artillery . When the regiment was founded, artillery referred to any weapon that was thrown or shot. According to today's nomenclature, the HAC was a pure infantry unit for the first 250 years of its existence . Members of the HAC emigrated to North America and in 1638 founded the Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts , the oldest military unit in North America.
Members of the active HAC are usually men and women who work in the City of London. Soldiers of the HAC were in combat for the first time in the Boer Wars at the beginning of the 20th century in South Africa. The force took part in both world wars and has been involved in all British Army operations ever since. Among other things, it provided 50 soldiers for use in Afghanistan . Today the regiment takes on tasks of artillery reconnaissance within the Rapid Reaction Corps .
The regiment took on the role of the gun salute from the Tower of London after the Tower's regular artillery regiment was disbanded in 1924. The salute is fired on the Queen's birthday and on state visits. It has also been one of the few regiments of the British Army since the 17th century that is allowed to march through the City of London with drums, bayonets attached and flags presented.
The unit's captain-general is Queen Elizabeth II. The regimental chapel is in St Botolph's church without Bishopsgate .
Civil Department - the Company
Former active members of the HAC can become veteran members of the company. If you want to stay active, you can join the Company of Pikemen & Musketeers or the HAC light cavalry and perform ceremonial duties. Membership in the social organization is also open to all other former soldiers.
literature
- Anthony Highmore: The history of the Honorable Artillery Company of the city of London. London 1804, OCLC 23710964 .
- RF Johnson: Regimental Fire. The Honorable Artillery Company in World War 2. London 1958, OCLC 6163220 .
- GG Walker: The Honorable Artillery Company 1537-1947. Gale and Polden, Aldershot 1954, OCLC 220713585 .
Web links
- Homepage of the HAC (English)
- The Armory House website (English)