Active 1854 to present Type Reserve Artillery | Country South Africa | |
 | ||
Allegiance Republic of South Africa
Republic of South Africa Branch South African Army
South African Army Part of South African Army Artillery Formation
Army Conventional Reserve | ||
The Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment (Afrikaans for Free State Artillery Regiment) is an artillery regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It is part of the South African Army Artillery Formation.
Contents
Free State Republic
In 1854 the Free-State became an independent Republic. The British forces withdrew, leaving behind four 9-pounder garrison guns in the Queen's Fort in Bloemfontein. This was for many years the only ordnance the Free State Republic had. The Free State Artillery Corps was founded in 1864 and housed in Queen's Fort.
Anglo Boer War
By the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War, the corps was commanded by Major FW Albrecht. The unit served on the Western front, Natal front and into the Guerrilla phase of the War in 1902.
Post World War 1
In 1922 3 Permanent Battery was formed. This unit was split up on 1 July 1926 into two units namely 4 Burgher Battery and 5 Burgher Battery. In 1932 these two were renamed 1 Oranje-Vrystaat Veldartillerie and 2 Oranje Vrystaat Veldartillerie.
World War 2
On 1 February 1940 these units were joined as 12th Field Battery and did sterling service in Egypt. They took heavy casualties at Tobruk and El-Alamein.
On 18 April 1946 the unit was renamed 6 Field Artillery Regiment.
Current
Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment was based at Tempe, Bloemfontein, but relocated to Kroonstad in 2007.