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1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Urban Fires Study Day Maj A J L Coffey RHA
‘Most contemporary conflicts turn at some point into fights in and around cities’ – Sir Lawrence Freedman
Fighting in the urban environment has been described as ‘everybody’s least preferred activity, against the least pre- ferred adversary, in the least preferred environment.’ History
is awash with examples demonstrating the importance of the urban environment, from the Second World War and the pivotal importance of Stalingrad, to more recently with the ambitious and highly risky Russian attempt to encircle Kyiv this year. West- ern doctrine has traditionally not focused on the urban environ- ment, preferring to focus on a free-flowing combined armed style of operations which can be perfected in the open, but one that is very difficult to do in the dense and complicated cityscapes. With more and more people moving to the urban environment from across the world, and the trend for cities to get bigger, and even become ‘mega-cities,’ fighting in the urban environment is something that is becoming both more likely and more difficult.
With a re-write of the British Army’s Urban Doctrine being drafted this year, it appeared that now would be a good opportunity to spend some time thinking about how we, as Gunners, approach and consider the urban environment. With an international cast including urban warfare academics, such as Dr. Antony King, and those with conflicting views such as George Graham, represent-
ing Humanity and Inclusion UK, a group which seeks to interna- tionally ban all munition types being used in the urban environ- ment, the debate was lively and frank. The day also benefited from Sam Cranny-Evans from the Royal United Service Institute offering a real and frank assessment of how armies have fought in the urban environment recently.
The themes of the day included; The Growing Importance of the Urban Environment in Contemporary Operations, Challenges and Implications of the Contemporary Urban Environment, Con- siderations, Lessons and Recommendations for Practitioners in the Urban Environment, Current British Army Thinking and Approach towards Urban Operation Planning. With the presenta- tions concluded the audience, with over 100 people from across the Gunners and wider Army in attendance, broke out into work- ing groups to consider a set urban warfare scenario through the lens of Find, Fix, Strike and Exploit. The output of which allowed the fires element of the new urban doctrine to be refined and, hopefully, offered a better-informed view.
The day brought together some world leading thinkers and gave the chance for all ranks to listen, consider and debate, not only the growing importance of the urban environment, but also how we should consider it for those involved in the profession of arms.
The Moore Trophy is an Inter-Battery Sports Competition which was held on Weds 1 Dec 21. The competition consists of 4 Bty’s participating in the following 6 sports: Tug-of-war, X-Country, Rugby, Football, Basketball and British Army Warrior Fitness (BAWF).
Tug-of-War (ToW) – The Regiment have competed in ToW for decades, so there was no shortage of volunteers to take part in the Trophy. After all four Btys had pulled each other Ch Tp and OHQ were tied on points for 3rd place and B and E Bty’s tied on points for first place. Third place is decided on count back of weight and cautions, as Ch Tp were lighter, they took third place. First place was decided by a final between B and E Bty which saw E Bty declared as the Moore Trophy Tug of War 2021 winners.
X-Country – A fiercely competitive competition consisting of a 5km race on Salisbury Plain on undulating terrain. With over 40 runners, it was great to see the Btys compete in such high numbers. The male event was won by Endurance Athlete Battery Commander OHQ Maj Prout. The ultra-marathon runner eased to victory. The female race was won by Capt James (E Bty) earn- ing vital points for her Bty.
Rugby – 1 RHA RFC took to the Piggeries sport pitches to host an 8-a-side touch rugby tournament with each of the Btys com- peting in a round-robin tournament. Victory ultimately went to B Battery, with E Battery in second. There was also time for an exhibition game which saw the Officers and Seniors Vs the Gun-
ners and JNCOs. The victory well and truly went to the Gunners and JNCOs.
Football – O/HQ Battery finally landed the elusive 1 RHA Moore Trophy title. The team battled hard in the group stages beating B Battery and E Battery, narrowly losing to CHTP. The final of O/ HQ vs CHTP was an epic affair, both teams fighting desperately for the win. Eventually it went down to penalties and O/HQ took the 5-4 victory.
Basketball – After a fantastic day of high-level basketball, OHQ Bty and CH TP battled it out in the final. After a hard-fought game it was OHQ Bty who were victorious. OHQ Btys victory was also enhanced by the Commanding Officer Lt Col Taylor’s participa- tion. Sgt Brown (Basketball OIC) deemed the competition a huge success, selecting more players for the Regimental Basketball Team.
The British Army Warrior Fitness (BAWF) – Testing the Regi- ment’s strength, speed, endurance, and mental resilience, Chest- nut Troop took the lead with B Bty winning the running event. Due to the final event being for double points it was all to play for. The final event started on the rowing machine and saw the teams progress through lifting, jumping, and pressing. Victory went to the Chestnut Troop, winning the 1 RHA BAWF competition.
Overall, the Moore Trophy 2021 was a resounding success with the champions being the Chestnut Troop taking the glory.
The Moore Trophy SSgt (SSI) Kemp
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