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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Royal Artillery
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(Royal Regiment of Artillery) Originally formed in 1716, it was known in the 18C as the Foot Artillery; at that time civilian carters were used to haul the cannon around in support of the infantry. In 1793 the Royal Horse Artillery was established as a wing of the cavalry, manned entirely by mounted soldiers and able to move light artillery at speed across the battlefield (its style of operation can still be seen today in the performances of the *King's Troop). The next addition to the artillery's arsenal was anti-aircraft batteries, introduced during *World War I but of much greater significance in *World War II; their familiar name of 'ack ack' was a World War I signallers' version of AA (anti aircraft). After World War II the anti-aircraft regiments gradually exchanged their guns for today's surface-to-air guided missiles.
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