8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery

The 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, was formed at the Holsworthy Barracks on 16 November 1973 through amalgamation of the 8th Medium Regiment (RAA) and the 12th Field Regiment (RAA). The Regiment provides field artillery support to the 1st Brigade based in Darwin. It is currently equipped with 155mm M777 Howitzers.

The 8th Medium Regiment, known in the 1950s as the 19th Composite Regiment, was created in February 1968 to provide united administrative command of several independent artillery units in the Holsworthy Barracks area with a primary role to provide support to the School of Artillery. The 12th Field Regiment had been reformed at Holsworthy in April 1966, and its elements served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1971. Before relocating to Darwin, the regiment was stationed in Townsville (Queensland) and Ingleburn (New South Wales).

The three of the regiments current Gun batteries reflect their formation in Egypt as part of the First Australian Imperial Force 21st Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade which used 4.5 in howitzers. The 101 and 103 batteries, including the 102 Battery, served in France, also as part of the 1st Division.

101st Battery
The 101st Medium Battery was originally formed at Tel-el-Kebir on 8 March 1916 as the 101st Howitzer Battery, from the members of the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, which served at Gallipoli. Although disbanded after the war, from the early 1920s the 101 Battery was reformed again as a militia unit in the Newcastle area, but was again disbanded in 1946. Established again as the 101st Field Battery at the Holsworthy Barracks in 1957 as part of the 1st Field Regiment (RAAC), it served in Malaya (1959/61), and was deployed twice in South Vietnam during 1966–67 and 1969–70, relocating to Wacol in 1970 before moving again to Enoggera in 1982 to rejoin the 1st Field Regiment.

102nd Coral Battery
Formed in 1957 at Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney as the 102nd Field Battery as part of the 1st Field Regiment.

The battery served during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation between May and August 1965 and while in Malaysia the battery provided fire support during the Kesang River incursion by Indonesian forces. While serving in North Borneo, equipped with L5 Pack Howitzer, the battery provided defensive support to the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Ghurkha, and British Regiments undertaking operations and also fire support for secret Claret operations in Indonesian territory.

On 18 April 1966, the battery was transferred to the 12th Field Regiment with the 104th Field Battery. Arriving in Vietnam as part of Australia's commitment to the Vietnam War in March 1968, replacing the 106th Field Battery and was equipped with the 105mm M2A2 Howitzer. On the night of 12 May 1968, while at Fire Support Base Coral, a M2A2 howitzer was captured by North Vietnamese troops who temporarily overran part of the base, however the gun was recaptured shortly afterwards. The 102nd Field Battery was replaced in February 1969, and returned to Australia. During its tour of duty the battery had been positioned at 30 different Fire Support Bases, fired 60,000 rounds and received the following decorations: 1 MM, 2 MID, 1 MBE and 1 BEM.

The battery became part of the 8th/12th Medium Regiment in November 1973 and in 1983 after being re-equipped with the M198 155mm howitzer was redesignated 102nd Medium Battery before being disbanded in 1987.

On 1 January 2011 the battery was re-raised as 102nd Coral Battery. It is currently based in Adelaide as part of 8th/12th Regiment.

103rd Battery
The immediate predecessor of the first Australian Battery to be numbered "103", the 103rd (Howitzer) Battery AIF (3rd (Army) Field Brigade) was the 26th Indian (Jacob's) Mountain Battery which was present at ANZAC cove during the Battle of Gallipoli. On 6 March 1916 the Battery was created as part of the Australian Army contingent before departing for France as part of 12 Howitzer Brigade. The 103rd Field Battery (Howitzer) was reformed after the First World War as part of the Citizen Military Forces from 1920 to 1941 stationed at Victoria Barracks, Paddington, moving to Guilford, Western Australia in 1921.

Before the Second World War the Battery was absorbed into the Field Batteries of the 3rd Field Regiment, and did not see service as a unit. The battery was reformed as the 103rd Anti-Aircraft Battery from 1954 to 1957 stationed at Middle Head Barracks, Sydney, as part of 1 Field Regiment. During the 1960 to 1967 it changed designation again to the 103rd Field Battery, as part of the new Regular 4 Field Regiment stationed at Wacol, Brisbane. During the deployment of Australian Army to Malaysia the Battery was a part of the Far Eastern Strategic Reserve stationed at Camp Terendak, Malacca, returning to Australia to become a part of the 1st Field Regiment at Kokoda Barracks, Holsworthy. It was again deployed, this time to South Vietnam with the new light 105 mm L5 howitzers in May 1966 at the Nui Dat Task Force base from which it contributed significantly to the outcome of the Battle of Long Tan. In all during its first tour in Vietnam the Battery fired a total of 28,468 rounds in support of allied troops. On 19 June 1967 it become Independent 103 Medium Battery stationed at Gallipoli Barracks, Holsworthy, supporting the School of Artillery, providing gun salutes, and conducting some limited trials. However, this non-combat role ended on 16 April 1968 when the battery joined the 19th Composite Regiment (RAAC), located at Kokoda Barracks. On 4 August 1969 the 19th Composite Regiment was renamed 8 Medium Regiment.

During the Vietnam War the 104 Field Battery also served with the 12 Field Regiment. The 161 Field Battery RNZA was also attached to the Regiment.

Post Vietnam
The Regiment was a creation of the reorganisation of the Australian Army as a result of the Vietnam War experience. During the mid-1970s the 8/12 Medium Regiment included
 * Headquarters Battery
 * "A" Field Battery
 * 103 Medium Battery
 * 102 Field Battery (disbanded in 1987)
 * 131 Divisional Locating Battery
 * Light Aid Detachment (LAD) staffed by RAEME

The 103 Battery served in two roles at this time as a depot support of the Regiment for the School of Artillery, while the 8/12 Regiment was also responsible for direct support to the 1st Task Force. Consequently it was issued with both the six M2A2 105 mm guns and the six 5.5 in guns.

As part of the 1980s restructuring the 131 Divisional Locating Battery became an independent battery for divisional assignment at Enoggera Army Camp in Brisbane. The 102 Field Battery was redesignated 102 Medium Battery and disbanded in 1987. As a result of this downsizing, the Headquarters Battery was reduced in size in 1994.

During 1996 the 101st Field Battery was removed from the 1st Field Regiment and embedded as a Fire Support Company into the 6 RAR which adopted the A 21 Motorised Battalion structure that included supporting arms under the Restructuring of the Army (RTA) initiatives trial.

After the deployment to East Timor, the "A" Field Battery was assigned to the 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery in 1999, further reducing the Regiment in size. During 1999 the 8/12 Medium Regiment was relocated to the Robertson Barracks in Darwin where the 103 Medium Battery, while preparing for the move from Sydney to Darwin deployed its elements to East Timor as part of INTERFET, and later as a part of a UN Peace Keeping Force OP TANAGER, and was later joined by the newly recreated 101 Medium Battery.

In January 2011 the Australian Regular Army field regiments were reorganised in preparation for re-equipment with new guns and battle management systems to each contain three observation post batteries, supported by a single gun battery equipped with 12 guns. As part of this reorganisation the regiments were renamed, with the words "field" or "medium" removed from their title. Under the new structure each regiment is capable of providing a brigade-level Joint Fires and Effects Coordination Centre (JFECC) and every observation post batter provieds a battle group JFECC as well as three combat team joint fires teams (JFT). Every gun battery now comprises three troops of 155 mm towed howitzers.

Under the Land 17 project in 2012 8th/12th Regiment will receive the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), which is a fully automated digital battle-management system. It will also take delivery of the Digital Terminal Control System for observation post batteries. The regiment is currently based at Ypres Lines, Robertson Barrracks, Palmerston. with 102 battery detached, based at Royal Australian Air Force base Edinburgh

As at Jan 2012, 8/12 Regt is equipped with AFATDS and the M777 LWH.

Current formation

 * 101st Battery
 * 102nd (Coral) Battery
 * 103rd Battery
 * 115th Operations Support Battery
 * Combat Service Support Battery

Commanding officers

 * Lieutenant Colonel J.D. Kelly (April 1967 – October 1969)
 * Lieutenant Colonel W.A. Whyte MC (August 1969 – February 1970)
 * Lieutenant Colonel B.R. Topfer (October 1969 – July 1972)
 * Lieutenant Colonel W.N. Reid (May 1970 – January 1972)
 * Lieutenant Colonel G. Barnard (July 1972 – November 1973)
 * Lieutenant Colonel P.T. Gowans (January 1972 – November 1973)
 * Lieutenant Colonel J.E. Jenvey MBE (November 1973 – December 1975)
 * Lieutenant Colonel J.F. Bertram (December 1975 – May 1977)
 * Lieutenant Colonel K.W. Mackenzie (May 1977 – December 1978)
 * Lieutenant Colonel S.N. Gower (December 1978 – November 1980)
 * Lieutenant Colonel A.P. Williams (November 1980 – December 1982)
 * Lieutenant Colonel J.H. Phillips (December 1982 – December 1984)
 * Lieutenant Colonel M.G. Boyle (December 1986 – December 1988)
 * Lieutenant Colonel P.J. Lawrence (December 1988 – January 1991)
 * Lieutenant Colonel J.R. Cox (January 1991 – December 1992)
 * Lieutenant Colonel W.R. Vickers (December 1992 – December 1994)
 * Lieutenant Colonel M.J. Schafer (December 1994 – January 1997)
 * Lieutenant Colonel B.M. Armstrong (January 1997 – January 1999)
 * Lieutenant Colonel P.D. Winter CSC (January 1999 – December 2000)
 * Lieutenant Colonel R.M. Manton (December 2001 – January 2003)
 * Lieutenant Colonel P.D. McLachlan (January 2003 – January 2005)
 * Lieutenant Colonel G.W. Finney (January 2005 – January 2007)
 * Lieutenant Colonel C.D Furini CSC (January 2007 – January 2009 )
 * Lieutenant Colonel N.T. Sweeney (January 2009 - December 2010)
 * Lieutenant Colonel A.M. Haebich (December 2010 - December 2012)
 * Lieutenant Colonel J.J. West (December 2012 - Current)

Battle honours

 * Vietnam War: Coral (102 Battery)