102nd (Pembroke and Cardiganshire) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery

592:. 5th Division's attack at 21.00 on the night of 17/18 January was silent, with no preliminary bombardment, in the hope of achieving surprise. The crossing was more successful than anyone hoped, and by daylight the assaulting battalions had formed up on the opposite side of the river and were attacking with heavy artillery support. The German response was swift, but 'the Royal Artillery's crashing defensive fire' prevented their counter-attacks from succeeding. Allied attempts to widen the bridgehead the following night were a failure, as were the other elements of the Cassino battle, which became a stalemate. 430: 607:, which tasked its artillery first with neutralising the German mortar positions, and then engaging the German posts on the successive hill objectives. However the counter-mortar fire was ineffective, the mortars being dug in on reverse slopes, and by the time the attacking battalions reached the bottom of their first objective, 'Phantom Ridge', they had already lost a fifth of their men. Nonetheless, elements of the Polish gained the ridge and remained on it despite fierce counter-attacks. Elsewhere along the line the massive Allied artillery support ensured a crossing of the 615: 565: 481: 32: 56: 73: 368: 727:'Fishguard'. However it was later badged as Royal Artillery. In 1933 the commanding officer, Lt-Col L.H. Higgon, re-introduced the Pembroke Yeomanry badge as a collar badge, which was worn during World War II. After the war 302 (PY) Field Rgt reintroduced the Pembroke Yeomanry badge for cap and collar, cavalry shoulder chains were authorised on No 1 dress, and the Pembroke Yeomanry dark blue-silver-red 296:, all of World War I patterns. However, the batteries only held four guns in peacetime. The guns and their first-line ammunition wagons were still horsedrawn and the battery staffs were mounted. Partial mechanisation was carried out from 1927, but the guns retained iron-tyred wheels until pneumatic tyres began to be introduced just before 417:

was that the two-battery organisation did not work: field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions. As a result, they were reorganised into three 8-gun batteries, but it was not until late 1940 that the RA had enough trained battery staffs to carry out the

524:, about 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Hunt's Gap, then attempted to advance on the gap over the ext two days. However, Lang's casualties in tanks and infantry were heavy, and by the evening of 1 March Weber ordered him onto the defensive. The British 453:. As the invasion threat receded, the lower establishment divisions became sources of units and drafts to reinforce the fighting formations overseas. 102nd (P&C) Field Rgt was one of the first units to leave, on 23 November 1941. 311:

In 1938 the RA modernised its nomenclature and a lieutenant-colonel's command was designated a 'regiment' rather than a 'brigade'; this applied to TA field brigades from 1 November 1938. The TA was doubled in size after the

307:

Barracks, and by December 1934 it was at Haverfordwest. In 1931 the Pembroke batteries changed their subtitles to 'Pembroke Yeomanry' and in 1937 'Cardigan' in the brigade and battery titles was altered to 'Cardiganshire'.

340: 444:

On 1 December 1941 38th (W) Division was placed on a lower establishment; this meant that it was not going to be sent overseas for the foreseeable future, and it became a static coast defence formation in

1501: 1496: 316:, and most regiments formed duplicates. Part of the reorganisation was that field regiments changed from four six-gun batteries to an establishment of two batteries, each of three four-gun 747:

In contemporary RA usage a brigade was a lieutenant-colonel's command consisting of batteries 'brigaded' together; it was not comparable with an infantry or cavalry brigade commanded by a

682: 1486: 665:, with the defenders dug into the flood banks. These presented a difficult target, so many of the guns were moved out to the flanks so they could fire along the flood banks in 611:

which began to outflank the hilltop Monte Cassino Monastery. The Poles renewed their attack from Phantom Ridge after four days, and on 18 May captured the monastery ruins.

1481: 1476: 276:(RA), and the word 'Field' was inserted into the titles of its brigades and batteries. The 102nd was defined as an 'Army Field Brigade' serving as 'Army Troops' in 980: 761: 229:. After the TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920 only the 14 most senior Yeomanry regiments remained horsed, the others being re-roled, generally in the 387: 691:. with RHQ at Haverfordwest. It was part of the divisional artillery of 53rd (W) Division. In 1961 the regiment reverted to its original title as the 462: 764:

of 2nd Welsh Brigade, RFA, at Aberystwyth was not reformed in 1920, and there was no direct link between that unit and the new Cardigan batteries.

505: 1261: 1073: 516:. As well as 46th Divisional Artillery, James's brigade group was supported by one battery of 102nd (P&C) Fd Rgt. On the first day Weber's 832: 1236: 1072:

Order of Battle of the Field Force in the United Kingdom, Part 3: Royal Artillery (Non-Divisional Units), 14 August 1942, with amendments,

918: 473:), operating once again as an Army Field Regiment. It landed at Algiers in February 1942, with one of the first self-propelled 25-pounder ( 375:

When the TA was mobilised on 1 September, just ahead of the outbreak of World War II on 3 September, both regiments were assigned to

1421: 1406: 1383: 1364: 1345: 1319: 1311: 1296: 1277: 1254: 1006: 168: 76: 719:

When the regiment was first converted to artillery in 1920 it continued to wear its Pembroke Yeomanry cap badge, consisting of the

556:

had only two batteries, so 473 Fd Bty was disbanded in North Africa; 405 and 406 (Pembroke Yeomanry) Btys retained their titles.

380: 429: 1326: 577: 184: 1207: 654: 631: 376: 196: 148: 126: 118: 418:

reorganisation. 102nd (P&C) Field Rgt accordingly formed 473 Fd Bty on 24 March 1941 when the regiment was stationed at

1451: 720: 708: 604: 581: 200: 1446: 573: 751:. In the Territorials, unlike the Regulars, unit heritage is carried by the brigade/regiment, rather than the battery. 466: 122: 288:, to service the brigade. The establishment of a TA artillery brigade was four 6-gun batteries, three equipped with 1471: 748: 395: 673:. 102nd (Pembroke Yeomanry) Medium Regiment and its batteries passed into suspended animation on 15 January 1946. 545: 493: 403: 386:

Until 14 July 1940 the division was undergoing training in south-east Wales in Western Command. Then, after the

658: 627: 450: 614: 589: 564: 188: 140: 552:(its title finally reflecting the departure of the Cardigan batteries). Medium regiments equipped with the 1491: 553: 433: 423: 289: 285: 320:. For the Pembroke & Cardigan regiment this resulted in the following organisation from 8 July 1939: 666: 281: 277: 230: 480: 1304:

Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945

700: 696: 489: 293: 260: 136: 1395: