35 Battery Royal Artillery Present day . The Battery Currently forms part of 39th Regiment Royal Artillery . Most of the Battery has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Op Herrick . Deployed with GMLRS providing essential support to the troops on the ground as and when it is needed . The rest of the Battery are back in Newcastle with the Regiment and providing support to the Troops deployed . 35 Battery are the senior battery within 39 regiment RA as they were established in 1765 , therefore they would lead any parade the Regiment was to undertake in . Although 35 Battery do not have a recognised battle honour thus not having a name they have been called " The Sabres " or " The Black Scimitars " , this being a reference to the battery badge or shield . Recent history . 35 Battery were the first Battery from 39 Regiment RA " The Welsh Gunners " to deploy to Iraq on Op Telic 7 where they re - rolled to STA ( surveillance and target acquisition ) to cover 5 Regiment RA commitment in 2005 . From there the Battery has gone from strength to strength having returned from Op Telic 7 in October 2005 they then went on to get another first within their Regiment by becoming to first Battery to deploy to Afghanistan on Op Herrick 6 in 2007 . As well as being the first Battery within their Regiment to deploy to Afghanistan they were also the first battery in the history of the Royal Artillery to fire the GMLRS ( Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System ) . Having had a successful tour of Afghanistan on Op Herrick 7 the battery then had some down time and after a year began preparation to deploy again to Afghanistan on Op Herrick 10 . This same rotation is still currently in use and the battery is now on its 3rd deployment of Afghanistan on Op Herrick 14 , making it the first battery within 39 Regiment RA to deploy on 3 different tours to Afghanistan . History . 19th century . 1869 - Battery becomes E Battery 70 Brigade 1877 - Battery becomes E Battery 6 Brigade , and returns to the UK , and then W Battery as the Brigades restructure . 1889 - Battery becomes 24 Field Battery First World War . 1914 - 1919 24 - Battery fight continuously through the 1st World War . ( Full details are recorded in 38 Brigade ’ s War Diaries . ) Post war . 1922 - 1931 24 - Battery transferred to Nowshera in India where it absorbed 120 Battery . 1938 24 - Battery , back in the UK , mechanised by taking on Morris tractors , thereby ending the use of horses which had been used to pull the Battery ’ s guns since the Battery transferred Madras Foot Artillery to Light Field Artillery in 1855 . At the end of the year the Battery amalgamated to become 21 / 24 Battery Royal Artillery . Second World War . 1939 - 1940 - 21 / 24 deployed to the Hebuterne - Bevry area as part of the British Expeditionary Force . From December 1939 to March 1940 the Battery was based at Auchy until it fought its way back to Dunkirk , embarking on 1 – 2 June after having to destroy its guns on 31 May 1940 . 21 / 24 Battery initially took on an anti - invasion role in Devon but was re - equipped with 18 - Pounder guns in October 1940 . 1941 - After a period of intense reorganisation and retraining , there were sufficient men to form two separate batteries from 21 / 24 Battery . In September 1941 the Battery re - equipped with 25 - Pounder Guns . 1942 - 1945 - On 22 July , 24 Field Battery transferred to India where it again undertook extensive retraining to become a jungle field battery equipped with 3 . 7 ” Howitzers . These were used in the Arakan offensive from 1944 to 1945 . Post Second World War . 1946 - Immediately after the War the Battery was involved in internal security work against the Dacoits in Burma . 1947 - In January the Battery was posted to Hong Kong , where it became 35 Field Battery , part of 25 Field Regiment . 1950 - 1956 - The Battery was involved , with 25 Field Regiment , in supporting anti - terrorist operations in Malaya . 1957 - In November 1957 the Battery was deployed to the North East of Cyprus , known as the Panhandle . In this remote area they were used as infantry in the EOKA Campaign , until their withdrawal 5 months later , in April 1958 . 1961 - 1965 35 - Battery served in BAOR with M44 Self - propelled guns . 1968 - 1970 35 - Battery again served in Hong Kong with 25 - Pounders and 105mm Pack Howitzers . 1971 - Within a year of its return from Hong Kong , 35 Battery deployed to Northern Ireland . It has subsequently served in the Province on 6 more occasions : in 1971 & 1973 ( Belfast ) , in 1977 ( Belfast City Centre ) , in 1979 ( Ardoyne ) and in 1987 & 1993 ( Omagh and South Armagh ) . 1984 35 - Battery was placed into suspended animation on 1 April 1984 . 1985 - 1992 - On 1 March 1985 , 35 Battery was reformed as an Air Defence Battery in 22nd Air Defence Regiment based in Dortmund . Since then 35 Battery has been equipped with Rapier Air Defence System . Whilst based in Dortmund it deployed with Rapier to the Falkland Islands in 1986 , and took on infantry roles in Northern Ireland , and Cyprus ( 1990 , 1999 , 2003 ) . 1992 - 2004 - 35 Battery moved to Kirton in Lindsey , Lincolnshire . 35 Battery , along with 22nd Air Defence Regiment , was put into suspended animation on 1 April 2004 . 2004 - On 16 July 2004 , 35 Battery was reformed as a General Support Battery in 39th Regiment Royal Artillery based in Newcastle . It has now been equipped with the Multiple Launch Rocket System . 2005 – 2006 - Deployed on Op Telic 7 , to southern Iraq in support of 7 Armd Bde . 2007 - ongoing - Deployed on Op Herrick . References . Op Telic 7 , Op Herrick 7 , Op Herrick 10 and currently deployed on operations on Op Herrick 14 .