In the 1950s in South Africa, military units were attached to each large university. The University of the Orange Free State acquired an artillery capability. The concept was for long term students to complete their obligatory military training in these units. Training would also be organised so as not to unduly interfere with university work.
This unit could be considered an offshoot of the Regiment Potchefstroom Universiteit as that unit's Survey Battery was transferred to the University of the Orange Free State in the early 1950s.[1]
A survey battery would set up the gun line for cannons through determining the horizontal and vertical locations of each piece so that plotting could occur on a firing chart and accurate data correlated.[2][3]
Students completing their academic courses were transferred mainly to the Vrystaatse Artillerie Regiment, an active citizen force regiment which had a close association with the university.
This unit was finally amalgamated with 6 Field Regiment around 1974.[4][5]
^Dictionary of Missile and Artillery Terms, 1982, Major Gener5al AP Bogetskiy, Colonel Kusnetsov, Lieutenant Colonel AP Shapovalov; Chief Editor Lieutenant General of Artillery G Ye Perelel'skiy. Foreign Technology Division Translation FTD-ID(RS)T-1988-80
^The Development of Artillery Tactics and Equipment, Brigadier AL Pemberton, 1950