Action! Action! Action!

The History of the Employment of Australian Artillery 1871-2021

A Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company publication

By Nicholas Floyd and Paul Stevens

Published by Big Sky Publishing
RRP $19.99 in paperback | ISBN 9781923144422

Over one hundred and fifty years ago, on 1st August 1871, the Colony of New South Wales raised its first permanent battery, known as the New South Wales Artillery. This battery complemented existing colonial volunteer batteries. The previous year, the last British forces had departed for England, leaving the fledgling colonies across Australia to uphold their own defences.

This occasion marked the origins of the substantive, permanent presence of professional Australian artillery soldiers— a presence that endures to this day as the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery.

This book has been widely praised for the singular achievement of successfully condensing 150 years of Australian artillery activities into a relatively small volume.

It covers recent actions and planning implementation such as Plan Beersheba.

Sponsored by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company, this book certainly achieves its primary objective—to be a brief but authoritative reference for current serving Defence force members and for the wider community.

FOOTNOTE:

The book has been widely praised:

It’s important for all gunners to understand this impressive history as we prepare for the future and this publication lays that history out in an easy to read and digestible fashion. Just as important however is the need for all who defend our nation to get a better understanding of the role that all parts of the combined arms team play; I commend Action! Action! Action! to all who wear a service uniform.
 – Lieutenant General B.A. (Ash) Power AO CSC – February 17, 2025 (SOURCE: Publisher’s website)

I applaud the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company (RAAHC), especially Nick Floyd and Paul Stevens for their commitment to capturing the story of the employment of Australian artillery over the 150 years from 1871 to 2021. Action! Action! Action! is a story as much about the artillery as it is about the birth of a nation and the Australian Army. – Major General Craig Furini AM CSC, Representative Colonel Commandant RAA – February 17, 2025 (SOURCE: Publisher’s website)

Action! Action! Action! is a compelling work that readers will find easy to digest yet professionally fulfilling. The authors have succeeded in their remit to provide gunners with a starting point for understanding the role of their corps in the nation’s military history. Well done, Nick Floyd and Paul Stevens. – Dr Albert Palazzo – February 17, 2025