Background. 2016 marks the tercentenary of the formation of the Royal Artillery when, on 26 May 1716, by Royal Warrant of King George 1 two companies of artillery were formed at Woolwich, alongside the guns, powder and shot located in the Royal Arsenal.
Ubique 300. 'Ubique' (meaning everywhere) is the Royal Artillery motto. 'Ubique 300' is a global circumnavigation, launched on 1 May 2015 at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. It will consist of a relay of 60 expeditions through 30 countries. The expeditions will range from adventure training to battlefield studies to sports tours: over one thousand men and women from the Royal Artillery will take part. The circumnavigation will carry the Captain-General's Baton and will conclude at a Royal Review in Larkhill on 26 May 2016 where the Queen will be presented with her Baton and a Message of Loyal Greeting from the Heads of the Commonwealth Artilleries visited en route.
Captain-General's Baton. The Captain-General's Baton was designed to reflect the full gamut of Gunner heritage.
Congreve 6 pounder gun barrel. The essence of the design, unsurprisingly, is a gun barrel and a significant one has been chosen - the 6 pounder gun which was one of the two main types in service in General Congreve's time when the Regiment came of age. There are many of the originals to be seen around London and in museums to this day, in Chelsea Hospital and the Tower of London for example.
Fuze and primer. The Regiment reached its zenith in terms of size and capability in the two World Wars. This period is recognized in the design by a WW1 mechanical time fuze (a significant technological breakthrough in the attack on trenches) being mounted on the point of the Baton and a WW2 shell primer being screwed into the base. Both these brass items are originals.
Congreve 3 pound rocket canister. Congreve was an innovator and pioneered the use of rockets of a variety of sizes. The dimensions of the smallest one, a 3 Pounder, has been hollowed out of the gun barrel to create a small chamber to carry the Message of Loyal Greeting.
Technological advances. Since WW2 the Regiment has been involved in every theatre and every conflict - latterly, of course, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our range of capabilities has expanded to reflect the advances in surveillance technology which allow application of indirect fire with great precision. A prime example is the Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). So to reflect the 21st Century Regiment Congreve's 6 Pounder barrel is made from a lightweight material used in that UAV - titanium.
Message of Loyal Greeting. The Message of Loyal Greeting has been inscribed on a specially commissioned vellum scroll. It is being signed by the Heads of Commonwealth Artilleries visited by Ubique 300 (Gibraltar, Malta, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Canada) as well as by the Master Gunner St James' Park.
