Cape Field Artillery The Cape Field Artillery ( " CFA " ) is an artillery regiment of the South African Army . As a reserve unit , it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit . It is part of the South African Army Artillery Formation . History . The unit was raised at the old Town house in Greenmarket Square Cape Town on 26 August 1857 and was originally named the " Cape Town Volunteer Artillery " ( " CVA " ) . Major Duprat was the first Commanding Officer . In 1867 the Duke of Edinburgh was escorted to Cape Town from Simonstown by the Cape Town Cavalry and upon his arrival the Cape Town Volunteer Artillery , drawn up on Caledon Square , fired a Royal Salute as he passed towards Adderley Street . The great occasion of the royal visit was on 24 August , when the Prince laid the foundation stone of the graving dock and the " CVO " thundered out again in salute on the laying of the stone . The Duke of Edinburgh was so impressed with the bearing of Cape Town ' s volunteer soldiers that , a few weeks later on 3 October 1867 , a Government Notice No 318 was promulgated to the effect that he had conferred on the gunners the future designation of " Prince Alfred ' s Own Cape Town Volunteer Artillery " ( " PAOCTVA " ) . The words " Cape Town " were later dropped , and the title became " Prince Alfred ' s Own Volunteer Artillery " . In 1896 , the title was changed again , to " Prince Alfred ' s Own Cape Artillery " . The unit served in several regional campaigns , including the 9th Frontier War of 1877 - 1879 and the Tambookie Campaign of 1880 - 1881 on the Eastern Cape frontier , then the Basutoland Rebellion in Basutoland and the Second Anglo - Boer War of 1899 - 1902 . In 1903 , the title was changed to " Prince Alfred ' s Own Cape Field Artillery " . Ten years later , in 1913 , the unit was embodied in the Citizen Force of the new Union Defence Forces as the " 6th Citizen Battery ( PAOCFA ) " . Although the Regiment did not serve on the European continent during World War I , it did take part in the South African invasion of German South - West Africa in 1915 . The battery was renumbered " 1st " in 1926 . In 1932 , the name was changed to " Cape Field Artillery ( Prince Alfred ' s Own ) " . From 1934 until the outbreak of World War II in 1939 , the CFA formed part of the Coast Artillery Brigade . World War II . Reorganised as the " 1st Field Brigade ( CFA ) " in 1939 , the CFA took part in every campaign of World War II in which South African troops were involved , including East Africa , North Africa and Italy . Post War . The title was changed again , in 1960 , to " Regiment Tygerberg " . This title , imposed on the regiment , was not popular , and in 1963 it was changed back to " Cape Field Artillery " , but without the princely style , which was no longer appropriate as South Africa had become a republic . During the post - war period the Regiment was mobilised several times for duty in the South African Border War , including Operation Savannah . Battle honours . Although artillery units in the South African Army do not usually receive battle honours , the CFA was awarded the honour