2nd Regiment , Royal Horse Artillery 2nd Regiment , Royal Horse Artillery was a Regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery that served in World War II . It saw action in France , Greece , North Africa and Italy . It was redesignated as 2nd Field Regiment , Royal Artillery in 1958 . The regiment had an earlier incarnation as B Brigade , RHA , formed from the Horse Brigade , Royal Artillery in 1864 before being broken up in 1889 . It was reestablished in 1901 as II Brigade , RHA but was broken up at the outbreak of World War I as its constituent battery was posted away . B Brigade , RHA . Royal Horse Artillery brigades did not exist as an organizational or operational grouping of batteries until 1 July 1859 when the Horse Brigade , Royal Artillery was formed . As a result of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , the British Crown took direct control of India from the East India Company on 1 November 1858 under the provisions of the Government of India Act 1858 . The Presidency armies transferred to the direct authority of the British Crown and its European units were transferred to the British Army . Henceforth artillery , the mutineers most effective arm , was to be the sole preserve of the British Army ( with the exception of certain Mountain Artillery batteries ) . On 19 February 1862 , the Bengal , Bombay and Madras Horse Artilleries transferred to the Royal Artillery as its 2nd to 5th Horse Brigades . The 1st Brigade with 10 batteries was much larger than the other four ( with four to seven batteries each ) . A reorganization of the Horse Artillery on 13 April 1864 saw 1st Brigade split as A and B Horse Brigade , Royal Artillery , 2nd Brigade become C Brigade , 3rd become D Brigade , 4th become E Brigade , and 5th become F Brigade . As battery designations were tied to the brigade the battery was assigned to , the batteries were also redesignated . B Horse Brigade , RA comprised : From 1866 , the term " Royal Horse Artillery " appeared in Army List hence the brigade was designated B Brigade , Royal Horse Artillery from about this time . Another reorganization on 14 April 1877 saw the number of brigades reduced to three ( of 10 batteries each ) . B Brigade was extensively reorganized : its batteries were transferred to the new A Brigade and it was reformed with the batteries of the old C and D Brigades . The number of brigades was further reduced to two ( of 13 batteries each ) in 1882 . C Brigade was broken up on 1 April 1882 and it batteries transferred to A and B Brigades . The brigade system was finally abolished in 1889 . Henceforth , batteries were designated in a single alphabetical sequence in order of seniority from date of formation . II Brigade , RHA . First formation . The brigade system was revived in 1901 . Each brigade now commanded just two batteries and a small staff ( a Lieutenant - Colonel in command , an adjutant and a brigade sergeant major ) . Initially , batteries were not assigned to brigades in any particular order , but in 1906 , at the insistence of Edward VII , brigades were redesignated so that batteries were roughly in order of seniority ( hence I Brigade commanded A Battery and B Battery ) . II Brigade , RHA was formed on 1 March 1901 as the VI Brigade - Division , RHA with B Battery and C Battery . In 1903 it was redesignated as VI Brigade , RHA and was stationed at Ipswich . On 1 October 1906 , it was redesignated as II Brigade , RHA . By the time World War I broke out , B Battery had been transferred to I Brigade , leaving just C Battery at Canterbury , attached to 4th Cavalry Brigade . In September 1914 , C Battery transferred to XIV Brigade which joined 7th Division at Lyndhurst on formation . The brigade HQ was dissolved . Second formation . By October 1919 , II Brigade , RHA was reformed at Bordon with Between December 1919 and March 1920 it moved to India , where C Battery was stationed at Meerut , H Battery at Sialkot and K Battery at Risalpur . In November 1926 , the brigade moved to Abbassia , Egypt ( with L Battery instead of H Battery ) , before returning to Newport in December 1931 ( L Battery at Trowbridge ) . By December 1936 , I Battery replaced K Battery , and in May 1938 N Battery replaced C Battery . By now the brigade commanded I , L and N batteries . 2nd Regiment , RHA . Formed . In 1938 , field artillery brigades were reorganized as two 12 - gun batteries . As a result , the existing 6 - gun batteries were linked in pairs . On 11 May , H Battery ( from 8th Field Brigade ) and I Battery were linked as H / I Battery , RHA and L Battery and N were linked as L / N Battery , RHA . With effect from May 1938 , brigades were redesignated as regiments and II Brigade became 2nd Regiment , RHA on 21 May . The regiment was mechanized in August 1939 replacing its horses and 13 pounder s with 3 . 7 " Howitzers towed by Dragon gun tractors . World War II . At the outbreak of World War II , 2nd RHA was assigned to 1st Support Group of The Armoured Division . In October 1939 , it moved to France where it was placed under direct command of General Headquarters , BEF . It was still serving with the BEF when the Battle of France broke out in May 1940 . After evacuation from the continent , it was assigned to 2nd Support Group of 2nd Armoured Division , but did not join until July 1940 . It was transferred to Egypt with the division . From January to May 1941 , it was assigned to 1st Armoured Brigade and took part in the Battle of Greece . On return to Egypt , it game under direct command of the Middle East Forces ( MEF ) . At the end of January 1942 it rejoined 1st Support Group briefly . The experience of the BEF in 1940 showed the limitations of having artillery regiments formed with two 12 - gun batteries : field regiments were intended to support an infantry brigade of three battalions ( or armoured brigade of three regiments ) . This could not be managed without severe disruption to the regiment . As a result , field regiments were reorganised into three 8 - gun batteries . Surprisingly , it was not until April 1942 that its batteries were unlinked . H / I once again formed H and I batteries and L / N reformed as L and N batteries . N Battery returned to the UK to join 6th Regiment , Royal Horse Artillery . At this point the regiment was armed with twenty four 25 pounder s . From 21 April 1942 , the regiment served with 22nd Guards Brigade under command of 2nd South African Division in the Battle of Gazala . On 25 June it transferred to 22nd Armoured Brigade and took part in the Battle of Mersa Matruh and the Defence of the El Alamein Line . On 24 August 1942 it joined 1st Armoured Division . It served with this division throughout the rest of the Western Desert Campaign and the Tunisia Campaign , in particular , the battles of El Alamein , Tebaga Gap , Akarit , El Kourzia and Tunis . It moved with the division to Italy in May 1944 , fighting at the Battle of Coriano on the Gothic Line . It left 1st Armoured Division on 26 September 1944 and came under direct command of Headquarters , Allied Armies in Italy where it remained until May 1945 . Post - war . In 1948 , H Battery transferred to 6th Field Regiment , Royal Artillery and O Battery , RHA joined in its place . On 1 February 1958 , 2nd Regiment RHA reverted to RA status as 2nd Field Regiment , Royal Artillery . I Battery transferred to 4th Regiment , RHA just before conversion , with N Battery replacing it .