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13 June 2005:

The Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association (which sponsors muzzle-loading artillery schools around the United States) has expressed a strong interest in collaborating to update the artillery training manuals currently in use. The current manuals are inadequate and a committee formed to look at their replacement has accomplished nothing of substance. The RHRA will retain all credits and copyrights on any use of or customizations to the manuals. The RHRA has agreed to make any customizations needed to ensure that our two artillery schools would be providing essentially the same courses of instruction so long as Principality and RHRA receives author credits.

The manuals are currently under review by the senior instructors of the artillery school. The will be conducting a final review of the manuals on the last weekend of September 2005. The financial arrangements for the use of these manuals will be determined at that time, although here is more value in having the RHRA and Principality credited with the authorship of the manuals than with fees. The are hundreds of artillerists trained every year by the Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter and this is an opportunity to get our Army and Nation better known within the artillery community.

26 November 2005:

The Royal Hutt River School of Artillery has completed creating the training curriculum for the muzzle-loading artillery school for the Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association. The recommendations and edits provided by Arthur Street, Chapter President, and Lt. Colonel Kieran McMullen (USA Ret.) have been incorporated into the training manuals, and a separate edition of the training manuals created for the Chapter. A license agreement was developed for the Chapter that allows them to copy their manuals and provide them to their students, but they cannot change the content nor provide the manuals to any other artillery school organization. ISBN Numbers have been obtained for the Royal Hutt River School of Artillery and Chapter versions of the manuals listing the Royal Hutt River School of Artillery as the publisher. Copies of all of the manuals are being provided to the US Library of Congress to register and secure our copyrights.

26-28 May 2006:

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery (and Commander of the Royal Hutt River School of Artillery) represented the Principality and the RHRA at the 22^nd Annual Artillery Live Fire Competition hosted by the Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association (USFAA) at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma over the Memorial Day weekend. The Live Fire Competition is an annual event that includes both an instructors training course as well as a scored competition for firing solid shot and canister shot from 19^th century patterned muzzle-loading cannons and mortars.

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery attended the event at the request of the Chapter senior officers who presented the Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery with a certificate of appreciation, at a ceremony on Saturday night, for the work that was done in producing the training manuals that are now in use for all Chapter muzzle-loading artillery schools. “He did an excellent job in producing a set of manuals that we can use,” stated Arthur Street, Chapter President, at the ceremony. “We had been trying to get new manuals written for a couple if years, and now we have something that is truly a quality work.” Copies of the Artillery Manuals were on display for members of the Chapter and other artillerists to peruse.

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery also participated in the Live Fire competition as one of the Range Safety Officers. In that capacity, the Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery helped ensure that the artillery range was clear and that the artillery units were all following the strict safety rules imposed by the United States Army.

23 August 2008:

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery (and Commander of the Royal Hutt River School of Artillery) conducted the first School of the Piece (Muzzle-Loading Artillery Drills) Training Program as a joint activity between the Royal Hutt River Army and the Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association (USFAA).

In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay, which impacted the central Florida weather far worse than anticipated, the first joint RHRA/Chapter School of the Piece was taught at Turkey Lake Park in Orlando, Florida with two cannons – the 6-pound gun of the Royal Hutt River Artillery and the 3-inch Ordinance Rifle of the Kilcrease Artillery. Nineteen students registered and 17 students attended the one day class, which covered artillery safety (lecture and demonstration), artillery structure and history, artillery ordnance, rolling proper artillery charges, as well as hands on drilling, including the misfire drill.

The students attending, which were a mix of experienced artillerists, as well as infantry soldiers wanting to know more about artillery, generally wished the course had been longer and many expressed interest in attending additional schools to get more hands-on practice with the guns and to learn more advanced topics of instruction.

20-25 May 2009:

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery (and Commander of the Royal Hutt River School of Artillery) represented the Principality and the RHRA at the Annual Conference of the Instructor Cadre of the Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association (USFAA) Artillery School at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma over the Memorial Day weekend. The Instructor Conference, held in conjunction with the Live Fire Artillery Competition, is an annual event that includes both an instructors training course as well as a scored competition for 19^th century patterned muzzle-loading cannons.

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery is one of the Senior Safety Instructors of the Chapter Instructor Cadre and is the author of the muzzle-loading artillery manuals used by the Chapter’s Artillery Schools around the country. Several active members of the United States Army were on hand for the Live Fire Competition practice rounds, and an impromptu training school was pulled together to give these soldiers a chance to live fire muzzle-loading cannons themselves. The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery participated as one of the three instructors and safety officers for this school. The soldiers learned a great deal about muzzle-loading artillery and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery was recognized at a special ceremony on Saturday night for his contributions in the production of the training manuals that are currently in use by the artillery school. The Commanding General of the United States Field Artillery inducted Colonel Speir into the Honourable Order of St. Barbara, who is the Patron Saint of Artillerists. Receipt of this award is typically limited to active, serving members of the United States Military, and it is very rare that anyone outside of the United States Military is ever presented with this award. The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery was deeply humbled for the recognition, which he shared with the RHRA and the Principality at the ceremony.

The certificate presented to Colonel Speir reads as follows:

TO ALL FIELD ARTILLERYMEN WHEREVER YE MAY BE

Greetings! Know ye that there appeared before a most arduous and select committee comprised of highly esteemed and proven Field Artillerists a likely candidate for the Honourable Order of Saint Barbara.

BE IT REMEMBERED: That the hereinafter mentioned individual has been inspected and passed on by Ourself and Our Loyal Staff and

BE IT KNOWN: By all ye Field Artillerymen who may be honored by this individual’s presence that

WILLIAM B. SPEIR, JR.

having been tried and found to be worthy to be numbered as one of our trusty members, has been gathered into our fold and duly initiated into the solemn mysteries of this traditional brotherhood of Stonehurlers, Archers, Catapulters, Rocketeers, and Gunners.

BE IT FUTHER UNDERSTOOD: That we hereby confer upon this individual the shield of Saint Barbara emblazoned above and enjoin all Field Artillerymen henceforth to show due honor and respect whenever this individual may enter their midst.

Given under our hand this 20^th day of May 2009,
Peter M. Vangjel
Major General, U.S. Army
Commandant

3 January 2010:

The Royal Hutt River School of Artillery announces the release of the Second Edition of the Artillery Drill Manual and the Artillery Instructor Manual for the Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association (USFAA). The Drill Manual has been updated to include revisions to the basic Field Artillery drill as requested by the Instructor Cadre of the Chapter’s Artillery School, as well as to include new drills for Muzzle-Loading Siege Mortars, Siege Cannons, Mountain Howitzers, and Naval Guns. Historical information on Field Artillery has also been included, as well as information on horse cannon limbering and unlimbering, safety checklists, and procedures for preparing and firing live ammunition.

The Instructor’s Manual has been updated to make teaching the drill consistent with the updated drills in the Drill Manual, and to include lecture topics on ordinance, deployment, and historical uses of field artillery.

These new Editions represent the first major revisions of the original Muzzle Loading Artillery Manuals, which were published in 2005. The Chapter’s Artillery Schools continue to use the artillery manuals that were written, provided, and copyright protected by the RHRA. The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery, and the Commander of the Royal Hutt River School of Artillery, continues to serve as a member of the Instructor Corps of the Chapter’s Artillery Schools and as Author and Editor-in-Chief of the Artillery Manuals.

17-18 April 2010:

The Chief of the Royal Hutt River Artillery (and Commander of the Royal Hutt River School of Artillery) conducted the second School of the Piece (Muzzle-Loading Artillery Drills) Training Program as a joint activity between the Royal Hutt River Army and the Loyal Train of Artillery Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association (USFAA).

The second joint RHRA/Chapter School of the Piece was taught at Turkey Lake Park in Orlando, Florida with one cannon – the 3-inch Ordinance Rifle of the Kilcrease Artillery. Sisteen students registered and 15 students attended the two day class, which covered artillery safety (lecture and demonstration), artillery structure and history, artillery ordnance, rolling proper artillery charges, as well as hands on drilling, including the misfire drill.

The students attending, which were a mix of experienced artillerists, as well as infantry and cavalry soldiers wanting to know more about artillery, generally wished there were more courses and more time for the hands-on drilling on the cannon. Many expressed interest in attending additional schools to get more hands-on practice with the guns and to learn more advanced topics of instruction.