Want to cause despondency and despair in the ranks of the enemy on the battlefield or in a city or town being besieged? Want to cut down as many soldiers or cavalry as possible in one go?

You need the Artillery!

Our Regiment operates two small field or battallion pieces classified as Robinets (never called cannon, which is a specific size of artillery piece)

This is the view of one of the current members

Gun Captain's view by Steve Boyling:

1. Chemist, in order to understand the nature of gunpowder and the need for different properties for pistol as opposed to Artillery,
2. Engineer, understanding how things are made helps in working out how to knock them down,
3. Mathematician, to calculate weight of shot, amount of charge, distance to target and trajectory etc.
4. Surveyor, when called upon to observe fortifications and prepare to lay siege. Obviously he would have also to read and write too.

As a Gun Captain those skills were not all necessary, but one would hope to take over as a Master Gunner eventually. The Gun Captains job was to be in charge of one particular piece, getting it to the site of battle or siege, overseeing it's preparation to be fired and to fire the gun. The role of the small field pieces in a battle would be to fire cannister shot (lots of musket balls, sharp stones or metal etc) into the enemy ranks making the gun a big deadly shotgun, capable of taking out, maiming or injuring a large number of men in one go.

I went to my first Battle at Bristol in 1985. I was hooked immediately. It didn't take me long to realize that the Artillery was, for me, the thinking man's fun on the Battlefield. Being aware of the serious safety considerations all of the time when Gunpowder is being used, not only to yourself, your crews and to all the other people around you is essential, but off the field the camaraderie with the whole regiment makes these events so enjoyable.

UP THE GUNNERS!