54 Heavy Regiment RA was formed from a cadre of various regiments, including 78 Field Regiment RA(TA) and 52 Heavy Regiment RA(TA) in December 1939 at Sheffield.
54 Heavy Regiment was initally stationed in coastal defence as part of Southern Command from late 1940, up until it was called upon to support the British First Army in North Africa, also being the first Heavy Regiment to be called up into the new AGRA formations as part of 1st AGRA.
In early 1943 in Tunisia, the 54 Heavy Regiment mainly supported the French Army XIX Corps in the South, assisting in their push towards Zaghouan, as well as indirectly supporting 2nd AGRA, who were assisting the central push into Tunis. After North Africa, 54 Heavy Regiment would go to Italy in December 1943, this time with the British Eighth Army. Over the next year, the regiment would serve with both the British Eighth and American Fifth Armies, fighting at Ortona, Florence and in the battles along the Gothic Line late in 1944. The regiment would valiantly serve in Italy with heavy weaponry until it was converted in February 1945 to 54 Super Heavy Regiment RA.
Illustrations of the formation badges under which a unit served or supported are given. This is no guarantee that the unit used this formations badge.
| Dec 39 | Formed | Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK | |
| Dec 39 | Home Forces | UK | |
| Oct 40 |  |
Southern Command | Bournemouth, Dorset, UK |
| Sep 42 |  |
1 Army Group RA | UK |
| Mar 43 | |
1 Army Group RA | N Africa |
| Dec 43 | |
1 Army Group RA | Italy |
| Feb 45 | Became 54 Super Heavy Regiment |
Batteries
| Dec 39 | A, B, C, D |
| Mar 42 | P, Q, R, S |
| Jan 43 | 11, 12, 13, 14 |
Equipment
The dates shown below are for when the heavy batteries received the final of their weapons, even if the regiment operated two different weapon types.
When a battery or batteries are specifically highlighted below in brackets (e.g. A/54 for A Battery), it indicates that this battery or batteries operated a different weapon type to the rest of the regiment at the time of the date shown.
| Apr 40 | 9.2in MkII Howitzers & 6in MkXIX Guns (D/54) |
| Aug 42 | 7.2in MkI Howitzers |
| Dec 43 | 7.2in MkI Howitzers & 155mm Guns (12/54 & 14/54) |
Commanding Officers
The dates shown below are the month for when the applicable officer took charge of the regiment. Note that the ranks shown are the rank of the officer when they took charge, and do not include wartime/temporary ranks.
| Jan 40 | Major D.G Brodie |
| Mar 40 | Major John Henry Edward de Robeck MBE |
| Mar 41 | Major Geoffrey Heming Gilkes |
Casualties
The numbers below are the total casualties suffered in the regiment during the course of the war. Note that these figures account for deaths as a result of ill health, accidents and enemy action.
| ORs | 17 |
| NCOs | 2 |
| Officers | 4 |
Commendations
The numbers below are the total commendations received by all members of the regiment during the war.
| Military Medal (MM) | 2 |
| Military Cross (MC) | 1 |
| Distinguished Service Order (DSO) | 1 |
Page last updated on 23/10/25.