Garrison Artillery Volunteers – Easter Training Weekend 2025
On April 16th, 2025, six Battlefront Malta members met at the Malta International Airport ready to depart on the club’s next international adventure. The goal was simple – to learn about use of the 25-Pounder cannon, during the Second World War. This was made possible by an invitation from the Garrison Artillery Volunteers (GAV), with their extensive experience, knowledge and equipment.
Upon landing in London, the members made their way via train as far as possible, before being picked up by two GAV members and driven the rest of the way to the campsite. Accommodations were luxurious by usual event standards – a barn to billet in, running water, toilets and even a canteen that served three hot meals a day! A formal dinner on the first night set everyone off to a great start getting to know the GAV and their other guests
On Friday, training continued. Now that the gunners were familiar with their guns, it was time to practice bringing them into position and moving them out after action. The tractors and their drivers were called into action, having spent the previous day doing last-minute maintenance to ensure no mechanical failures befall them during the upcoming exercise. The gunners learned how to maneuver the limber into position, connect the gun, and then how to hook up everything to the tractor before embarking onboard, ready to move out. This maneuver was of critical importance during operations, as once a fire mission went out, you can be certain that everyone within miles knew where the guns were, and a counter battery could be expected. Moving in a timely and efficient manner was critical to survival. Once everything was connected up, the tractor would drive forward a few meters, and a dismount would be called, followed by the setting up of the gun and limber, and readying to fire. These drills were repeated several times by each crew until the gun commanders were satisfied with the detachment’s performance. Laying the guns on target with the assistance of the directors was also practiced, to ensure the rounds would be landing where intended. Evening meal was served, and afterwards the operations brief was held for the next day’s mission. The battery would deploy at 9:00am sharp and be expected to return to camp at midnight. Final preparations were made, equipment stowed, food rations packed and, perhaps most importantly, all gun tractors were checked to have sufficient supplies of water and tea.
On Saturday everyone woke up early and the excitement of a full day out on the field could be felt all around camp. Breakfast was eaten quickly at the canteen, before the detachments assembled in front of their tractors. Tractors, limbers and guns were all lined up just across the billets. The supporting vehicles, command cars, motorcycles, and scouting jeeps which carried the directors, mechanic’s truck, and even a field kitchen truck and trailer were all ready to spend a day out. Finally seeing everything in one place was awe inspiring. Over 70 re-enactors, 9 guns, 5 supporting trucks, 4 motorcycles, 3 jeeps, a field kitchen and a staff car made for an impressive grouping.
The day’s exercise consisted of setting up in a number of positions, aligning the guns, laying down fire to support the (imaginary) infantry, before relocating to a new position. At noon, lunch was eaten in the field using pre-packed rations. Although it had rained lightly on the previous days, and in the morning, by this time the weather was sunny. Afterwards, further positions were occupied, before stopping in a wooded grove with abandoned buildings to eat the evening meal, which had been prepared by the Belgian detachment manning the field kitchen. A final briefing was held for the night operation, during which ranges, bearings and fire orders passed on. No radios were to be used, or voice commands to be yelled, to avoid giving away our positions at night. As the sun set, the vehicles moved out to wait in the woods until it was pitch black.
The final part of the operation consisting of moving from the hiding area into the firing position about a mile away, with only a small hand-held colored light held by each gun commander to guide the tractor into position. All the guns eventually made it into position, and one-by-one lined up with the directors. Again, they could only use small colored lights to signal to each other – no noise was to be made, and no lights were to be used besides the dim hand-held torches. When the battery commander was sure everyone was in position, one word was spoken: “Fire!” And then the guns spoke.
Once all rounds were fired and a hasty retreat was made, out of the fields and back to camp several miles away. A debrief was held, and everyone celebrated a successful weekend of training. The next day, the Maltese detachment made their way to the train station, thanks to the assistance of two GAV members who drove them there, and they retraced their steps back to the airport.
The event was an amazing adventure, and our members learned a great amount during their time there.
Battlefront Malta was pleased to participate in this event, supported by VisitMalta, where it highlighted Malta’s historical sites and opportunities. This sponsorship successfully targeted the right audience, promoting military tourism to those interested in exploring our rich heritage.