Shown below are significant events for the month of July.
| Anniversary | Date | Year | Occurence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 124 | 1.July | 1902 | The Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria Regiments of Royal Australian Artillery amalgamated with the Permanent Artilleries of South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania to form he Royal Australian Artillery Regiment. Its strength was 43 officers and 922 other ranks. |
| 123 | 1.July | 1903 | The volunteer and partially paid artillery of the six states reorganized as the Australian Field Artillery and the Australian Garrison Artillery. |
| 101 | 1.July | 1925 | The first medium artillery brigades and artillery survey companies were raised as part of the Australian Garrison Artillery. |
| 99 | 1.July | 1927 | The Royal Australian Field Artillery and The Royal Australian Garrison Artillery amalgamated as the Royal Australian Artillery. |
| 81 | 1.July | 1945 | The landing at Balikpapan on 1 July 1945 by the 7th Australian Division, under Major-General Milford (a Gunner), was the largest amphibious operation by an Australian formation during the war. Milford had a complete division, including his three infantry brigades, an allocation of corps troops, the support of a substantial naval force, the RAAF’s 1st Tactical Air Force and the US 13th Air Force. Milford had been the original CRA of the 7th Division when it had been formed in 1940 and he was determined to use as much fire support as possible to deal with the heavy Japanese defences around the town of Balikpapan. The preliminary bombardment of the Balikpapan-Manggar area was unprecedented for an Australian operation, and in the twenty days before the assault the area received 3, 000 tons of bombs, 7,361 rockets, 38, 052 shells and 114, 000 rounds from automatic weapons. In the opening stages of the landing naval ships fired 17, 250 shells and rockets, and later 13,850 shells were fired at the call of officers ashore. Naval gunfire support was provided by five cruisers, including HMA Ships Shropshire and Hobart, and fourteen destroyers, directed in many cases by teams from A Troop, 1st Australian Naval Bombardment Group (headquarters staffed by Gunners). |
| 78 | 1.July | 1948 | General recruiting of other ranks commences to reform the Citizen Military Forces. Artillery units were provided for two divisional artilleries, two independent infantry brigades, an armoured brigade, and corps troops. |
| 84 | 2.July | 1942 | At the conclusion of their recruit training, twelve AWAS were posted to the RAA and reported to Sydney Fortress Coast Artillery at North Head. Categorised as ‘draughtswomen’, they were allocated to the plotting room for training as plotters. They became the first Australian servicewomen posted to an operational battle station. |
| 71 | 8.July | 1955 | The 105th Field Battery is raised. |
| 84 | 10.July | 1942 | At Tobruk the Germans had four medium batteries (each of four guns) and four heavy batteries. They out-numbered the Australians who inevitably came under enemy counter-battery fire. Sergeant-Major Keith Grandin of F Troop, equipped with Italian 100-mm guns, recalled an incident on 10 July when No 1 gun was hit, the camouflage nets were a fire hazard as we tried to get the wounded out. Gee! I remember that day. Right Ranging – Bang. Then an 88-mm air burst crumpled over the wadi. Another round fired, then in the next second, an 88-mm burst right in the gun pit. Wally Redfern was ill and lying in a slit trench near the gun. Gunner Eddie Harvey was killed as was young Gunner C. J. Wright. Gunner Rupe Smith was badly wounded and as we carried him down the wadi to the RAP, he appeared to be sinking fast. I guess we can chalk that tragedy up to “Herman” the German artillery spotter who, in his slow but highly manoeuvrable Henchel plane just cruised around unopposed, watching our gun flashes. By the time the 2/12th Field Regiment was withdrawn, along with other units, in mid-September it had fired 56,000 rounds, of which 27, 000 were 75-mm. It had suffered 24 killed and 24 wounded. The 2/3rd Anti-Tank Regiment lost 11 killed or died of wounds, 39 wounded and 96 prisoners of war. |
| 127 | 14.July | 1899 | A despatch of this date from the Secretary of State for the Colonies of the United Kingdom sent to the Governors of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, notifies that the designation of Queensland, etc, Regiment of Royal Australian Artillery, is conferred on the Permanent Artillery of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria by Her Majesty Queen Victoria. |
| 111 | 17.July | 1915 | At Anzac artillery duels continued, and on that day a high explosive shell from a Turkish 75 mm gun struck a gun of the 8th Battery, commanded by Sergeant Sydney Mick Taylor. The No 2 on the gun was Driver Douglas Barret-Lennard and the No 3 was Gunner Stanley Carter. In the back of the pit was Sergeant Bill Wallis. Gunners Barret-Lennard and Carter died from wounds, and Sergeant Taylor was badly wounded and lost a leg. The gun could still be fired, and so came the order, ‘Man the gun with a fresh detachment’. When ‘Sergeant Wallis called out “Come on, lads'”, there was a rush to fill the vacant seats and the first man in was a driver who was up relieving one of the gunners . . . and so the Battery kept up a fierce fire until Target 1 was silenced’. |
| 84 | 17.July | 1942 | In North Africa an attack by the 24th Aust Infantry Brigade followed a similar pattern with the divisional artillery supporting the attack and the anti-tank gunners repelling the German counter attacks. The effectiveness of the anti-tank defences relied on the skill and courage of individual gunners, some of whom kept guns in action despite casualties to many of the detachments. In the 2/32nd Battalion area one gun, commanded by Sergeant Daley who was twice wounded, knocked out six tanks. Between 10 and 17 July four anti-tank gunners, including Daley, earned the Distinguished Conduct Medal. |
| 110 | 23.July | 1916 | At night a single gun from the 6th Battery, under the command of Lieutenant S. R. Thurnhill was brought forward with muffled wheels and harnesses and manoeuvred by hand to a position on top of a crest 200 yards behind the front line on the main Albert-Bapaume Road. The wagon was placed to form a screen from machine-gun fire from the left flank. At 12. 30 am the gun fired 115 rounds directly into the enemy’s position in the centre of Pozieres village. |
| 144 | 25.July | 1882 | South Australian Artillery is raised as a permanent battery. |
| 144 | 31.July | 1882 | The Colony of Victoria establishes a permanent Battery of Garrison Artillery, totalling 125 all ranks. |