Reserve Artillery-Days of Yore
I have recently discovered a copy of the Australian Gunner March 1980 edition. There was a story about 5/11th Field Regiment which set me on the path of tracing the Citizens Military Forces (CMF) - later renamed the Army Reserve (A Res) - component of the RAA. I found there is scant detailed information on the CMF/A Res units (apart from Association newsletters on the internet) that were raised post WW2 despite the fact that they were the overwhelming element of the RAA almost up to the 1960s. Perhaps a job for a Gunner historian? Happy to receive comments or information via the webmaster email.
Ian Ahearn
In 1948 the Field Force of the Australian Army consisted of the following units ( Source
The Gunners A History of Australian Artillery by David Horner):
1st Field Regiment - ARA North Head & Georges Heights, NSW
5 Field Regiment -CMF Marrickville, NSW
7 Field Regiment -CMF Willoughby NSW
11 Field Regiment - CMF Kelvin Grove QLD
3rd Anti-Tank Regiment-CMF Belmore, Homebush, Ashfield NSW
1st Light Anti Aircraft Regiment CMF Mosman NSW
2nd Field Regiment -CMF Melbourne VIC
10th Field Regiment -CMF Melbourne VIC
13th Field Regiment-CMF Keswick SA
6th Anti-Tank Regiment-CMF Launceston & Hobart TAS
2nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment-CMF Geelong & St Kilda VIC
22nd Field Regiment -CMF Brighton VIC
2nd Medium Regiment-CMF St Kilda VIC
3rd Composite Anti-Aircraft Regiment-CMF Bulimba QLD
1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment-CMF Haberfield NSW
Combined Operations Bombardment Regiment -CMF South Head NSW
3rd Field Regiment -CMF Karrakatta WA
As can be seen the CMF (later A Res) was the mainstay of the RAA in the late 1940s. Over the next 70 years great changes have been made to the Reserve component of the RAA- a storey well worth recording. This article will provide a glimpse of that yet to be written tale by recording some of the travails of 5/11th Field Regiment RAA.
5/11th Field Regiment RAA was formed on the 1st July 1975 after the amalgamation of the 5th & 11th Field Regiments. In 1948 these regiments had been equipped with 25 Pounders and remained with these guns until 1955. In that year the 11th Field Regiment was renamed as the 5th Field Regiment and the
3rd Composite Anti-Aircraft Regiment became the 11th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment equipped with 40mm Bofors.
In 1960 the Pentropic Division experiment saw the 11th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment reverting to a field role. In 1964 both 5th & 11th Field Regiments were re-equipped with L5 Pack Howitzers. Half the L5 s were withdrawn in 1964 and both regiments became composite employing both the L5 and the 25 Pounders until the remaining L5s were withdrawn in 1965 and 25 Pounders re-issued.
Parade for Re-
Equipping
with 25 Pounders
The 25 Pounders were replaced in 1973 by the 105mm M2A2. In 1975, as indicated above the regiments were amalgamated into the 5/11th Field Regiment. The new Regiment's RHQ was based at Annerley with the 14th Field Battery located at Ipswitch and the 41st Field Battery located at Southport.
The seventeen Regiments referred to above have all disappeared and the A Res element of the RRAA now consists of 9 Regiment with 6 light batteries equipped with 81mm mortars. The successor to 5/11th Field Regiment is 5/11th Light Battery based in Southport.
