17 Field Artillery

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17 Field Artillery Regiment
17 Field Artillery Regiment emblem
Active	1975–1991
Country	South Africa
Allegiance	Republic of South Africa
Branch	South African Army
Type	Regular artillery
Role	Field Artillery
Size	Regiment
Part of	South African Army Artillery Corps Army Conventional
Garrison/HQ	Pretoria University of Pretoria Campus, Poynton Building
Motto(s)	Eminus Ferimus (From a distance)
Engagements	South African Border War
Battle honours	South-West Africa
Artillery Battery Emblems
Artillery Beret Bar circa 1992

17 Field Artillery Regiment was a reserve South African Artillery unit.

History[]

17 Field Artillery Regiment was formed in 1975 as a Citizen Force unit in Pretoria.

17 Field was originally an offshoot of the Regiment University of Pretoria.

Divisional Support[]

It was a new artillery counter-insurgency unit whose purpose was to provide support for 73 Motorised Brigade from 1975 to 1991. 17 Field Artillery also assisted 81 Armoured Brigade.

Artillery Type[]

The term was not quite descriptive of this unit which comprised a number of artillery elements such as field guns, medium mortars and a locating artillery element being essentially radar. It could also be referred to as a .

Commanders[]

• Commandant M. van Rooyen
• Commandant K.R.W. Harrison
• Commandant A.H. van Tonder

Operations[]

17 Field Regiment received indirect operational experience when it received experienced national servicemen returning from SWA and Angola. Members also did service as infantry in the operational area. The first actual operation duty for the regiment occurred in 1982 when a battery under command of Capt H.J. Bootha was sent to Sector 70. Another battery was sent as well to Sector 10 as Infantry to fill a strength requirement for the Brigade. A battery under Commandant Botha was also sent to the border in Sector 10 in 1988. The expected operation did however not occur.

Renamed[]

17 Field Artillery was also known as the Pretoria Artillery.

Amalgamation[]

17 Field Regiment was eventually amalgamated into the Transvaalse Staatsartillerie in October 1991.

Insignia[]

17 Field Regiment beret badge

Freedom of the City[]

References[]

• Further reading: Wilsworth, Clive. First In, Last Out: The South African Artillery in Action: 1975–1988. 30 Degrees South. ISBN 978-1-920143-40-4.

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