18 QUEBECK (1759) BATTERY

Raised at Woolwich on the 1st January 1759 as Captain William McLeods Company of the 1st Battalion RA.
The Battery was equipped with the 6 pounder guns.
The battery was one of two Companies raised in 1759 for the expedition to capture the City of Quebec.

The force under the command of Major General Wolfe assembled at Louisburg in June 1759.
By mid July the Artillery bombardment had begun, but it was clear more direct action was required to defeat the garrison
which was three times the strength of the attackers.

In the afternoon of the 12th September 1759, Wolfe dispatched a small force in ships and boats to drift upstream.
Under cover of darkness the force landed at a small cove ( now known as wolfe,s Cover )
Once ashore they scaled the 200 foot high cliffs, overcoming the Piquet, this was the signal for Wolfe to despatch
a force of 4500 men and 2 of Captains McLeods guns to reinforce the landing.
By morning his force was deployed for battle on the plain of Quebec.

McLeod,s guns successfully engaged the three field guns supporting the French and then waited silently
in the center of the British line for the French to attack.
The French opened fire at 200yds, a range which their Muskets were almost totally ineffective.
The British held their fire until the French were within 35yds, then a single volley from both Infantry and
Artillery broke the French line.

Wolfe who was leading the Grenadiers was hit in the chest by a bullet piercing both lungs.
2 soldiers ran to his aid but it was too late, Wolfe,s last words were
" Who runs "
A soldier replied " the French run sir "
with it was said Wolfe replied " God now be praised, I die in peace " and closed his eyes for ever.
2 days later the French surrendered and Quebec fell.

Following the action at Quebec the Battery remained in the America,s for 8 years and detachments were present
at the capture of Martinique and Havana in 1762.
After a stay in England, the Battery embarked for Minorca and received a special commendation from the Govener
for its actions during the siege of Fort St Philip in 1782

For the next 100 years the Battery travelled extensively including INDIA - BURMA & ADEN
They also spent 18 years in the West Indies.


In 1900 the Battery sailed for South Africa and the Boer War.
There the Battery was especially commended for its brilliant services on the fighting march for the releif of
KIMBERLEY

It was written that in the battle of the Modder River, which was almost unique in being an Artillery engagement,
wherin the enemy was chiefly crushed by gun fire, 18 Battery covered itself with Honour.
It was one of the Batteries which opened the action and throughout the long day it was rendering splendid service.
The Battery became a particular target for the enemy, who inflicted considerable losses upon it.

By 1914 the Battery was in Malta, moving to France as part of the BEF, equipped with the 4.7" Gun.
and firing for the first time at Ypres on the 13th October.
The Battery fought continuously on the Western front until the Armistice, taking part in many great battles
including the Somme and Cambri.

After the Great War the Battery served initially in Ireland then on a training expedition to the Black sea
before returning to England where it remained until 1938.

In 1939 the Battery moved to INDIA where it served on coastal defence duties.

The Battery then fought in the BURMA capaigns where it was often split with single guns operating
alone in the hills, so as to cause maximum destruction to the Japanese forces.

The Battle of KOHIMA was a long hard battle but a vital one at that time, this enabled the allies to move more
quickly on to their main objective IMPHAL.
Between tthe two battles the British forces lost approximately 16,700 men.
The Japanese lost more than 53,000 at that time it was the biggest defeat on land for the Japanese forces.


From 1945 until 1962 the Battery served in England with 18 Regiment equipped with the 4.5 Howitzer.
The 5.5inch and the 25 pounder Guns.

The Battery moved with 18 Medium Regiment RA to Munsterlager in 1962 where it remained until
1963 equipped with the 5.5 Gun.

It then moved to Hong Kong in 1967 with 18 Light Regiment on internal security duties.
On returning from Hong Kong in 1969, the Battery joined 42 Medium Regiment RA moving back to Germany
with the Regiment in 1971.

In 1972 the Battery was reequipped with the M107 - a 175mm SP Gun.

During its time with 42 Regiment the Battery named one of the Guns
CITY OF CHESTER
this was due to the large number of Gunners that came from that area, almost 20%

The Battery remained with 42 Heavy Regiment RA until its disbandment in 1977.

The Battery then moved to HILDESHEIM and joined 5 Heavy Regiment RA.

The Battery stayed with 5 Heavy until 1985 when it joined 32nd Heavy Regiment RA in DORTMUND.

The Battery has to this day completed 11 tours of NORTHERN IRELAND since 1964,
4 to BELFAST, 3 to LONDONDERRY, 2 to SOUTH ARMAGH. 1 to BALLYKINLER
and the most recent one to the MAZE PRISON.

Neverthless, the tour that brings pain to the current serving members of the battery to this day,
is the tour to Londonderry in 1989.
When on the 8th March L/Bdr Stephen Cummins (Stevie) and Gnr Miles Amos (Amo)
were murdered by a land mine, planted by the IRA.

Stephen is remembered by his loving Girl friend Debbie from all the poems that he wrote
to her whilst in Londonderry.

" one of them reading "

" I dreamt it last night that my Love came in,
So softly you entered without a din,
You came close beside me,
This you did say,
It will not be long Love,
Till our wedding Day. "

On the 2nd January 1991 the Battery deployed to Roberts Barracks Larkhill and settled back into life
in England

However that was short lived because in 1994 the Battery deployed to Bessbrook Mill South Armagh.
this was the first tour for some of the Battery at that time, which was not without its problems from the odd
Mortar attack and shootings but the Battery performed well.

In 1995 & 1996 the regiment completed two exercises in Cyprus known as Eexercise Lion Sun.
This was the first time the Battery had ever worked for the United Nations and also with different Nationalities.
The Battery was in three locations, One permanent Force Reserve who dealt with the whole of the Island
and Two troops who manned most of the towers in the British sector of the Island.

In 1999 and 2000 the Battery deployed on one of the biggest combined forces training exercise since the Gulf war.
The exercise was formed up of 11 different Nations, which made a total of almost 70,000 troops.
This all took place on the sands of Egypt, This was the first time for some of the Battery on exercise from home
but also working on the MLRS equipment.
however the Battery worked well and showed professionalism throughtout the whole of the exercise
and achieved some good training.

The year 2000 saw the sunny sands again but this time it wasnt the sands of EGYPT but CANADA.

This was the first time the Battery had returned to Canada since 1987, when Captain Green was
killed in a tragic accident.
Upon their return the Battery held a Memorial service on Quebec Day for the Late Captain Green and
laid a new Headstone in his Memory.

2001 saw the Battery help out with a British National problem - " Foot and Mouth eidemic "
For a lot of the men this was one of the hardest jobs they have done and probably will do in their time
with the Battery.
The year 2002 sees the Battery return to Cyprus for another tour as UN soldiers, keeping
the peace between the Turks and Cypriot nationalities on the Island, a job at times which can be no easy task.


The colours in the coat of arms of Quebec City possess a heraldic significance.
The GOLD symbolizes Strength - faith - justice - wealth - constancy and splendour.
SILVER = humility - purity - charity - truth and victory.
AZURE = sovereignty - majesty - serenity - good reputation - knowledge - clarity and loyalty.
GULES = love - pain - grandeur - courage - generosity - bravery and intrepidity.
GREEN = hope - revival - abundance - beauty - freedom and cheerfulness

The ship represents the period when quebec was founded in 1608 by Samuel De Champlain.
Who came from Honfleur .
It also represents the maritme vocation of quebec with its important seaport.
The full sails symbolizes the strength and courage of the population.
Each of the two keys has its own significance : the key on the right symbolizes Quebec as the capital
of New - France, of Canada, at the beginning of the English Regime and of Lower- Canada.
The key on the left represents the Capital of the province of Quebec since the Confederation.
Together they symbolize the political and municipal history of the City of Quebec.


The Maple leaf symbolizes the Canadian personality of the city of Quebec and represents all the Ethnic
elements of its population, along with the patriotic and civic spitit of its citizens.
The crown, on top of the escutcheon, reminds us that Quebec is a fortified city and that its founder,
Champlian, also came from a fortified town, Brouage en Saintonge.

Lastly the expression " Don de Dieu feray valoir " (which might be loosely translated as
" Gift of God shall make us prosper ")
is a testimony of Christian faith symbolizing spiritual, moral and social virtues of the active
and courageous population of Quebec.
and embodies the ideal of the city, drawn from the source of its foundation.

PLEASE GO TO 18 BTY PHOTO PAGE - AS PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED

BATTERY MAIN PAGE