Royal Arsenal History
  • Home
  • Overview
  • RAH Blog
  • Video Presentations - Secret City
  • Royal Arsenal Football
  • Royal Arsenal Blog / Forum
  • Royal Arsenal Timeline
  • Royal Arsenal Railway
  • Royal Arsenal Departments
  • Building numbers, Photos & Maps
  • Royal Arsenal Buildings & Photos
  • Royal Arsenal Rules
  • Royal Arsenal West - Woolwich
  • Royal Arsenal East - Thamesmead
    • Ghost Storys from Thamesmead
  • Thamesmead SE28 - A New Town (Video Archive)
  • Berber (Thamesmead)
  • Magazines (Tumps)
  • Royal Arsenal Firepower - Guns
  • Royal Arsenal Explosions
  • Royal Arsenal Site Development
  • Royal Arsenal Archaeology
  • Royal Arsenal Piers
  • Canal, Lock, Dock & Swing Bridge
  • Woolwich Arsenal Prison Hulks
  • Royal Arsenal Wasteland (East)
  • Royal Arsenal Bombs and Dropped
  • Royal Arsenal Bullets
  • Project Hurricane (Atomic)
  • Royal Arsenal Women Workers
  • Royal Arsenal Employee's
  • Housing the Workers
  • Police and Fire Brigade
  • Royal Arsenal Telephone Exchange
  • Royal Arsenal Transport
  • Royal Arsenal Paymaster
  • Royal Arsenal Medical - Surgery
  • Life in the Royal Arsenal
  • Royal Arsenal Then and now
  • Royal Arsenal Stories
  • R.O.F.S.A Sports
  • Royal Arsenal and the Final Years
  • Crossness (East)
  • Royal Arsenal Maps
    • 1700's Maps
    • 1800's Maps
    • 1900's Maps
    • Todays Maps
    • Map overlays
    • Maps unpublsihed
  • Royal Arsenal Photos by year
  • The Royal Arsenal Marshes
  • Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS)
  • Royal Dockyards
  • Prison Hulks
  • Architecture
  • Artifacts
  • Reprographics Department
  • School Projects
  • Family Royal Arsenal research
  • Did you know?
    • Martello Towers
  • After Royal Arsenal closure
  • Thamesmead Street History
  • The Berkeley Group PLC - Royal Arsenal
  • RA Researchers required
  • Regiment of Artillery
  • RAWHS Membership
  • About
  • Contact
  • Upload data
  • Tours
The Regiment of Artillery
The Regiment of Artillery was established in Woolwich. By subsequent good organisation and training of officers and gunners, the Regiment ensured that the cannons, guns and mortars went into their battle positions early and continued firing until ordered to cease.
In those days the normal method of obtaining a commission in the Army cavalry or infantry, was by purchase. But the infant Regiment of Artillery broke tradition, and early commissions were obtained from the ranks; i.e. trained gunners were promoted to Chief Bombardiers or Chief Petardiers before graduating as commissioned officers.
This procedure was acceptable to some degree, but not entirely. Within a year or so a new method of providing future artillery officers was instituted. This was carried out by increasing the complement of each Company to include Gentlemen Cadets. The Royal (Regiment) Artillery was hidebound in some ways, but its separate existence spared it the inefficient snobbery of aristocratic leadership and the absurd system of promotion by purchase.
In 1720 an attempt was made by Brig. General Michael Richards to place the cadet's education on a much firmer footing, but the arrangements at Tower Place, Woolwich never proved entirely satisfactory. Two decades later however the establishment of a cadet school under a Royal Warrant provided the impetus of properly training an Officer Corps for the Royal Artillery. The Cadet Company was formed in 1741. The school for cadets at Woolwich Warren (Arsenal) to instruct inexperienced persons in the several parts of gunnery, fortification and mathematics necessary to qualify them for service in the Artillery and the business of Engineers, was considered such a successful scheme that in 1752, new barracks were constructed facing the Regimental parade ground in the lower part of the Warren near the Plumstead Road. The estimate for the building of the barracks was £529. (Cadet Barracks)
In later years these were modified to accommodate middle managers of the Royal Arsenal, whose duties demanded, for one reason or another, that they be 'on site'. They were demolished in the 1980's to make way for Plumstead Road eastbound much to the disgust of the Georgian Society.
To all readers: We value accuracy and strive to provide reliable information. If you come across any inaccuracies or broken links on our website, please do not hesitate to bring them to our attention. We would be grateful for any suggestions or corrections you may have. Please contact us with your feedback and we will make every effort to review and update the information accordingly. Contact us here with your suggestions

All content and overlays on the website www.royal-arsenal-history.com are protected by copyright and belong to their respective owners, unless otherwise stated. The information has been carefully compiled from various sources. Any unauthorized use of this material without prior consent is strictly prohibited. To request permission to use any of the content on the website, please contact the website administrator.   
                                                                                                               © www.royal-arsenal-history.com 2023