176 ( Abu Klea ) Battery Royal Artillery 176 ( Abu Klea ) Battery Royal Artillery is the junior currently - existent regular battery of the Royal Artillery . Its name is pronounced " One Seven Six " , and the battery is commonly referred to as " The Abus " , and its members as " Abus " , after the battery ' s Honour Title . The battery is one of the sub - units of 39th Regiment Royal Artillery , part of the British Army . It was formed in 1860 and since then has participated in many campaigns , most notably the Battle of Abu Klea in 1885 , where it earned a Victoria Cross and later its Honour Title . History . 5 Battery , 15 Brigade , Royal Artillery was officially raised in Gosport on the 1 May 1860 by Captain J . de Havilland , although in reality it first paraded on the 23rd . It spent the next few years garrisoned variously in Ireland , Woolwich , Halifax , Gibraltar , the Channel Islands and Malta , without being involved in any conflicts . In 1884 , the Nile Expeditionary Force was organised with the purpose of relieving General Gordon and his British forces at Khartoum in the Sudan . Now renamed as part of an RA reorganisation , 1 Battery , Southern Division , Royal Artillery joined the force at Cairo and equipped with the 2 . 5 inch RML Mountain Gun ( the " Screw Gun " ) , and camels for transport . While the main part of the force headed up the River Nile by steamer , a camel corps of about two thousand men was detached to move directly cross - country , at best speed , bypassing the waterfalls along the Nile . Half of the battery was detached to support this column . On 16 January 1885 , a force of approximately 12 , 000 Mahdists was encountered by the column and engaged on the morning of 17 January in the Battle of Abu Klea . During the battle , the battery ' s guns were pushed out to the edge of the British square to fire at the charging enemy . The guns each managed to fire one round of case - shot , cutting down many of the enemy , before they reached the square and engaged in hand - to - hand fighting . Lieutenant D . J . Guthrie was attacked by several Sudanese and was seriously wounded in the leg . One of his soldiers , Gunner Alfred Smith , saved his life by killing his assailant with the handspike from a gun , and remained standing over him fighting off others . For this act of bravery Gunner Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross , although Lieutenant Guthrie was to die of his wounds . Other decorations for the Battery during this action include two Distinguished Conduct Medal s and two brevet promotions for the officers present . On 22 June 1955 176 Battery was awarded the Honour Title " Abu Klea " in recognition of its distinguished service in this action . After service in Egypt and the Sudan the battery was stationed again in Malta , then posted to Hong Kong in 1890 , returning to Malta in 1895 and to the United Kingdom 1898 . While in the United Kingdom the battery re - roled as 15 Company , Royal Garrison Artillery and was sent to Ireland until the First World War . There are no records within the battery ' s own archives of its activities during the Great War . Afterwards it spent time as Q Coast Battery manning the coastal defences of the United Kingdom , and as 20th Pack Battery in Hong Kong with 3 . 7 inch Mountain Howitzer s and still using mules for transport , the last British battery to do so . At the start of the Second World War , the battery , now renamed 120 Field Battery and part of 32 Regiment , served in France with the British Expeditionary Force and was part of the retreat and evacuation from Dunkirk . Five guns remained under Captain G . R . W . Stainton in a rearguard action to defend the perimeter while the rest of the British force escaped . After returning to the UK , the battery re - equipped with 25 pounders , moved to the Middle East in 1941 and took part in the Anglo - Iraqi War , the Syria – Lebanon Campaign , and then later the North African campaign where it participated in Jock column s . During the British retreat to El Alamein , 32 Regiment were tasked to hold Fuka Aerodrome against overwhelming German forces while the RAF evacuated their aircraft . During this engagement , the regiment , including the linked 115 / 120 Field Battery , suffered massive casualties . The survivors made their way back to Cairo , where 115 / 120 was reformed with reinforcements , and went on to take part in Montgomery ' s successful counteroffensive . 120 Field Battery continued to serve with 25 pounders until the Allied advance reached Tunisia in 1943 . Here the battery was re - equipped with 155mm Long Tom howitzers , became 120 Medium Battery and served in Italy , most notably at Monte Cassino in April 1944 . The battery later played a part in the final battles in northwest Europe in 1945 , and with ironic symmetry was in Dunkirk when the war in Europe ended . It spent some time in the occupation of Germany before returning to the UK . In 1947 120 Field Battery was renamed 176 Field Battery , by which name it is still known today , bar changes in functional designation and the addition of the Honour Title . It was part of 45th Field Regiment RA , itself part of 29th Independent Infantry Brigade which deployed to Korea under UN command after the outbreak of the Korean War . The battery fought in Korea throughout the war , including at the Battle of the Imjin River in support of the Royal Ulster Rifles . The Battery Sergeant Major and a subaltern were decorated for bravery during this action . 176 Battery has spent most of the post - war years until 1995 garrisoned in Germany as part of the BAOR . It had various equipments at different times , including the 25 pounders which were used in active service Korea and again between 1963 and 1966 in Malaya and Borneo during the Indonesia - Malaysia confrontation . In later years it spent some time in Larkhill equipped with 105mm Light Guns , but returned to Germany with nuclear - armed M110 howitzer s . During these decades the battery also completed five emergency tours of Northern Ireland in the internal security role . The battery last changed role and equipment in 1990 with the adoption of the Multiple Launch Rocket System ( MLRS ) . The MLRS was hurried into service so that 39 Regiment , now 176 Battery ' s parent unit , could deploy on Operation Granby to use it in support of the Coalition Forces during the Gulf War . The battery therefore has the distinction of being the only battery of the Royal Artillery to have participated in both major UN actions since 1945 , namely Korea and the Gulf . During the remainder of the 1990s , the battery completed two tours with the UN in Cyprus . In 1995 it moved with 39 Regiment permanently back to the UK , and in 1999 completed another tour of Northern Ireland , and in 2006 - 2007 another in Cyprus . Present day . 176 ( Abu Klea ) Battery remains one of the constituent batteries of 39 Regiment , which is based in the UK near Newcastle upon Tyne . It is still equipped with MLRS and deployed in - role with its launchers to Afghanistan in 2008 as part of the ongoing conflict . Traditions . Abu Klea Day is held on 22 June . This is the anniversary of the awarding of the Honour Title " Abu Klea " in 1955 . It is the primary date of celebration for the battery . The battery ' s emblem is the kicking mule , in recognition of the important role played by mules in its history . It was reinstated on 22 June 1993 , Abu Klea Day . The battery also celebrates its birthday on 1 May , the anniversary of its foundation in 1860 . The other date of significance is 17 January , the anniversary of the Battle of Abu Klea .