F Battery, Royal Horse Artillery
| F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 4 December 1800 – present |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Allegiance |
.svg){kind=small} Hon East India Coy (till 1858) United Kingdom (post 1858) |
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Parachute Artillery |
| Role | Close support |
| Size | Battery |
| Part of | 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery |
| Garrison/HQ | Merville Barracks, Colchester, Essex, England |
| Nickname(s) | The Yellow Dog |
| Anniversaries | 19 April – Ahmed Khel Day |
| Equipment | L118 Light Gun |
| Battle honours | Ubique |
See Also: Bengal Horse Artillery Batteries
F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery is a close support battery of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, part of the Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army, currently based in Merville Barracks in Colchester.
The Battery was raised in India in 1800 as an experimental Brigade of Horse Artillery. They were immediately sent to Egypt to join the force that was operating against Napoleon’s Army. The Troop sailed to the Red Sea coast where they marched across the desert. This took a heavy toll on the troops and particularly on their horses and by the time they reached the Nile the guns were being towed by camels. The Troop sailed up the Nile to Giza, home of the Sphinx, where they were encamped on the Isle of Roda. By the time they were ordered to march to Rosetta the French had given up Alexandria so the Troop never had the glory of facing Napoleon's Army in the field. On leaving Egypt the Troop returned to India where they were garrisoned at Dum Dum, Calcutta. In 1926 the honour title Sphinx was awarded to the Battery for services in the 1801 campaign against the French in Egypt.
In 1842 the Troop, then known as 1st Troop, 1st Brigade Bengal Horse Artillery was involved in the famous retreat from Kabul during the First Afghan Campaign. The Troop was part of a force of 4,500 men and 12,000 civilians who left Kabul in January 1842 and were massacred by Afghan tribesmen.
“Owing to the starved condition of the horses, which rendered them unable to drag the guns of the Battery through the deep snow and rugged mountain passes, the guns were, one after the other, spiked and abandoned. The Captain, two officers and 102 NCOs and men were killed in the retreat.”
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Wikipedia