| 26 Field Artillery Regiment | |
|---|---|
 26 Field Artillery Regiment emblem | |
| Active | 1976 |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Type | Artillery |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | South African Army Artillery Corps Army Conventional Reserve |
| Garrison/HQ | Voortrekkerhoogte |
| Insignia | |
| Collar Badge | Bursting grenade with seven flames |
| Beret Colour | Oxford Blue |
| Artillery Battery Emblems |  |
| Artillery Beret Bar circa 1992 |  |
26 Field Artillery Regiment was an artillery regiment of the South African Artillery.
This unit was originally formed as the first Field Artillery Regiment for the Northern Transvaal Command on 1 July 1976 and was based in Voortrekkerhoogte, south of Pretoria. [1]
Its first intake of personnel came from roughly 100 members of 14 Field Artillery Regiment who had served in Operation Savanah as part of Combat Groups Oranje and Zulu that were involved most notably in the battle for Bridge 14.
By 1981 the regiment’s headquarters was transferred to Group 15 in Hendrik Potgieter Street in the CBD, but later returned to Voortrekkerhoogte.
The regiment was transferred to the command of Eastern Transvaal Command in 1984 as a conventional field regiment.
The regiment was also affiliated with 8th Armoured Division in the conventional context.
The regiments two senior batteries were named after two guns used in the Anglo Boer War, namely the Martieni and Ras.
Members of the regiment were utilised in the Soutpansberg Military Area on the border area with Zimbabwe.
On the 100th year celebration of the Ras gun, the regiment celebrated with a salute in Bokfontein near Brits in 1981, the hometown of the guns developer.
The regiment's insignia is based on the Ras gun of the Anglo Boer War with the typical artillery colours as background.
The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics over the Empire's influence in Southern Africa.
The First Boer War, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 between the United Kingdom and Boers of the Transvaal. The war resulted in a Boer victory and eventual independence of the South African Republic. The war is also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion.
The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army, who is subordinate to the Chief of the SANDF.
The State Artillery Regiment is a reserve artillery regiment of the South African Army.
Andrew Mlangeni Regiment is a reserve infantry regiment of the South African Army.
The Autshumato Anti-Aircraft Regiment is a reserve air defence artillery regiment of the South African Army.
The Battle of Diamond Hill (Donkerhoek) was an engagement of the Second Boer War that took place on 11 and 12 June 1900 in central Transvaal.
The South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg was officially opened by Prime Minister Jan Smuts on 29 August 1947 to preserve the history of South Africa's involvement in the Second World War. In 1975, the museum was renamed from the South African National War Museum and its function changed to include all conflicts that South Africa has been involved in. In 1999 it was amalgamated with the Pretoria-based Transvaal Museum and National Cultural History Museum to form the Northern Flagship Institution. In April 2010 Ditsong was officially renamed Ditsong Museums of South Africa and the SANMMH was renamed the Ditsong National Museum of Military History.
The Ras Cannons were the first cannons built in South Africa. The two cannons were constructed during the First Boer War on a farm Bokfontein in Brits district.
44 Parachute Brigade was a parachute infantry brigade of the South African Army. It was founded on 20 April 1978, by Colonel Jan Breytenbach, following the disbandment of 1 SA Corps and the battle of Cassinga. Upon formation, the brigade was commanded by Brigadier M. J. du Plessis, who was assigned the task of establishing by working with the Parachute Staff Officer, Colonel Jan Breytenbach. At the time du Plessis was the commanding officer of the Orange Free State Command and had previous experience serving in 1 Parachute Battalion. Breytenbach had also been a member of 1 Parachute Battalion and had also founded the South African Special Forces Brigade and 32 Battalion. The location that was chosen for the brigade's headquarters was in the lines of the OFS Cmd Headquarters, next to the old Tempe Airfield in Bloemfontein.
21st Brigade was an infantry formation of the British Army first organised in the Second Boer War, when it took part in Ian Hamilton's March from Bloemfontein to Pretoria. Reformed in World War I it served under the command of first 7th Division and then 30th Division, fighting in most of the major battles on the Western Front from the First Battle of Ypres to the Armistice. It was briefly re-raised in the Sudan early in World War II before being transferred to the Indian Army.
Artillery Memorial, Cape Town was erected in memory of the gunners who fought for South Africa during World War I. The memorial, which forms part of the Delville Wood Memorial, is located in the Company's Garden, Cape Town, and was strategically established to commemorate South Africa's artillery soldiers who fell in battle. Of those who volunteered to fight during the war, 5800 were white South African, amongst whom 15% were Dutch and 85% English. An estimated 2536 of these men were killed in the Deville Wood battle in Europe. The Artillery Memorial, an authentic cannon facing east towards the National Gallery, proudly honors South Africa's heavy artillerymen. Inscribed on it are the names of the officers, N.C.O.'s and men of the South African artillery who fell in the Great War (1914–1918).
Orange Free State Command was a command of the South African Army, active from c. 1933 to c. 1999. Its headquarters was at Bloemfontein, seemingly for a period at the Tempe airfield, later to become the Tempe Military Base.
Northern Transvaal Command was a command of the South African Army. It was active from 1959 to mid 2000 when it was disestablished. Formerly it was named Northern Command from 1946 to 1959.
7 South African Infantry Division was a formation of the South African Army, active from the 1960s to 1999.
6 Medical Battalion Group is a Medical Battalion in the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS). SAMHS is the fourth Arm of Service of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
Krugersdorp Commando or Kommando was a light infantry regiment from Krugersdorp district of the South African Army. It was active as a part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve.
7 Medium Regiment was based in Benoni, South Africa, and was responsible for the training of soldiers allotted to Field and Medium Artillery.
19 Rocket Regiment was a rocket artillery regiment of the South African Artillery.
81 Armoured Brigade was a Formation of 8th Armoured Division, a combined arms force consisting of armour, mechanised infantry, and mechanised artillery.
