West Riding Artillery - 269 (West Riding) Battery RA(V)

On 1 April 1975, an independent observation post battery, 269 (West Riding) OP Battery RA (Volunteers), was formed at Leeds from the cadre (and the cadre disbanded), reviving the West Riding Artillery lineage in the Royal Artillery. Its principal role was to provide 12 independent Observation Teams (generally consisting of a Captain and 6 ORs) to each of the regular field regiments in 1st Armd Division and 2nd Armd Division, which at the time were both stationed in Germany to counter the Soviet threat. Since the orbat of both these divisions constantly changed, the affiliation of the OP Teams from 269 Battery was never static. Their wartime equipment for mobilisation was held by the respective supported units, including such items as armoured personnel carriers and surveillance equipment including radar, laser rangefinders and night observation devices. As a consequence, they were far more capable than the OP Teams of the other Field Regiments in the TA.

By comparison to their regular counterparts, the OP Teams received far more practical training in the direction of artillery fire over the course of a year, since they had no other duties and, overall, the time spent in OP work lasted longer per individual as there were no other roles to be fulfilled. (In a typical regular unit the OP Officer held post for 2–3 years, whereas in the OP Batteries - of which there were three in the TA - the teams existed for much longer, resulting in higher standards being attainable. For example, it was not unusual for the officers to stay in post for 6 or more years.) Training in the UK was carried out with a gun troop of 3 x 25 pounders. In addition, the teams occasionally supported other TA Units with their Battalion and Company HQ training by providing OP Teams during exercises. This enabled the other units to gain better appreciation of the artillery support role.

In 1989, 269 (West Riding) Battery RA(V) re-roled to the 105 mm L118 Light Gun, dropping "OP" from its title. 269 Battery joined 19 Regiment RA 'The Highland Gunners', a regular regiment in 24 Airmobile Brigade, in 1993.