Heavy Regiments - The Royal Artillery 1939-45

After the First World War, any units involved in coastal defence, and the few remaining units of the Royal Garrison Artillery, were designated Heavy Regiments.

Heavy Regiments (Field Force)

The majority of Heavy Regiments were formed after the outbreak of the Second World War.

1 Heavy Regiment RA	57 (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment RA
32 Heavy Regiment RA	58 Heavy Regiment RA
51 (Lowland) Heavy Regiment RA (TA)	59 (Newfoundland) Heavy Regiment RA
52 (Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Heavy Regiment RA (TA)	60 Heavy Regiment RA
53 Heavy Regiment RA	61 Heavy Regiment RA
54 Heavy Regiment RA	75 (Highland) Heavy Regiment RA (TA)
55 Heavy Regiment RA	171 Heavy Regiment RA
56 Heavy Regiment RA

Heavy Regiments converted to Coast Regiments

In late 1940, only the Field Force regiments remained as Heavy, while the rest became Coast Regiments.

2 Heavy Regiment RA	7 Heavy Regiment RA
3 Heavy Regiment RA	8 Heavy Regiment RA
4 Heavy Regiment RA	9 Heavy Regiment RA
5 Heavy Regiment RA	11 Heavy Regiment RA
6 Heavy Regiment RA	12 Heavy Regiment RA

Named Heavy Regiments

Some Heavy regiments employed in coastal defence were named rather than numbered. From mid 1940 to early 1941 they were converted to Coast Regiments.

Name	Formed	Became	Date
Antrim	Mar 40	525 (Antrim) Coast Regiment	Jul 40
Clyde	1924	538 (Clyde) Coast Regiment	Jan 41
Cornwall	Jan 40	523 (Cornwall) Coast Regiment	Jul 40
Devonshire	1924	566, 567, 568 (Devon) Coast Regiments	Apr 41
Dorsetshire	1924	522 (Dorsetshire) Coast Regiment	Jul 40
Durham	1924	511, 526 (Durham) Coast Regiments	Jul 40
East Riding	1924	512, 513 (East Riding) Coast Regiments	Jul 40
Fife	1939	504, 507 (Fife) Coast Regiments	Jul 40
Forth	1924	501, 502, 503, 505, 506 (Forth) Coast Regiments	Jul 40
Glamorgan	1938	531 (Glamorgan) Coast Regiment	Sep 40
Hampshire	1924	527, 528, 529 (Hampshire) Coast Regiments	Sep 40
Kent & Sussex	1924	519, 520, 521 (Kent & Sussex) Coast Regiments	Jul 40
Lancashire & Cheshire	1924	524 (Lancashire & Cheshire) Coast Regiment	Jul 40
Orkney	1938	533, 534, 535 (Orkney) Coast Regiments	Sep 40
Pembrokeshire	1924	532 (Pembrokeshire) Coast Regiment	Sep 40
The Princess Beatrice’s Isle of Wight Rifles	1937	530 (The Princess Beatrice’s Isle of Wight Rifles) Coast Regiment	Jul 40
Suffolk	1924	514, 515 (Suffolk) Coast Regiments	Jul 40
Thames & Medway	1938	516, 517, 518 (Thames & Medway) Coast Regiments	Jul 40
Tynemouth	1924	508, 509, 510 (Tynemouth) Coast Regiments	Jul 40

Page last updated on 02/11/25.