97 Lawsons Battery, Airborne Light Battery,33 Airborne Light Regiment

Discussion in 'British Army Units - Others' started by Roger Brown, Oct 12, 2019.

  1. Roger Brown

    Roger Brown Member

    Can any one tell me about Lawsons Battery as I am writing an article about a National Serviceman who served in Palestine in the late 40;s and was a Para-Gunner in the battery.
    Thank you
     
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  3. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    While this forum may be able to help, there are better places to look for the answers you seek.

    97 Battery is the number it was given in 1947. 97 were part of 4th Field when they served in the Falklands. It is still a TAC Battery and will have a Battery history which may include nominal roles and photographs. They have an old comrades association which may stretch back as far as 1947. Contact Battery Commander, 97 Lawsons's Company, 4th Field Regiment, Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe. Either write to the battery or call the MOD Operator (+44 20 7218 9000) and ask to speak to the BC or the BSM

    There are regimental and battery reunions.

    Many old comrades will be members of the Royal Artillery Association. Royal Artillery Association - RA Association Give me the details and I will post something on the RAA Facebook page. Not sure how many of the 1940s generation look at Faceache but their children do.


    Put a notice in Gunner Magazine The Gunner Magazine - RA Association
     
    CL1 likes this.
  4. chrisgrove

    chrisgrove Senior Member

    Dear Sheldrake
    I am no expert on gunner battery titles (despite sharing a barracks with 5 Heavy Regt for a couple of years in the seventies), but I do know that 33 Para Light Regiment RA belonged to 16 Para Brigade in the fifties when my father was serving with 3 Para. But I have no idea what batteries they owned. I expect the coincidence of the 33 number wa just that (a coincidence)
    Chris
     
  5. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    It isn't a co-incidence. It is the same unit.

    "Lawson's company" was known as 87 field battery in 1938 when it amalgamated with 35 battery and started WW2 as 35/87 battery. During WW2 it was part of 2nd Field Regiment.

    In 1947 the Royal Artillery renumbered all its batteries and regiments. At the same time the traditions of batteries were maintained. So the new 97 battery "remembered" that it used to be 87 battery as well adopting the traditions of 212 (Airborne) Light battery that landed in Normandy. 33 Light Air Landing regiment did not exist during the war - but carried on the traditions of the Airborne Light Regiment, but with new "airborne" and then "para" batteries with the traditions of long standing Gunner batteries. (Seriously I have no idea why the Royal Regiment went through the renumbering exercise instead of writing a regimental history and complete orbat of the war years.)

    In 1961 33 (Airborne) Light Regiment was re-designated 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, with F G and I RHA batteries. 97 battery were shuffled off to 4th field Regiment. However in the 1970s 7 RHA were shuffled off to Germany and lost their airborne role which went to....... 4th Field Regiment. Which is why 97 were in the Falklands in support of 3 Para at Mount Longdon.

    Battery traditions are more important to the royal artillery than regiments. The property of the Regiments - silver, paintings, historic artifacts, money all belong to batteries. They are all independent charities. RA re-organisations sometimes bring about an unseemly scramble to acquire historic batteries with lots of stuff.
     
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