40. Arbroath, Angus. (ND 611 438)

45 Commando and howitzer

45 Commando is made up of three companies of Marines, 7 (Sphynx) Battery, 29 Commando Light Regiment Royal Artillery and a troop of engineers from 59 Independent Commando squadron. During Operation Veritas in Afghanistan, 45 Commando were part of the task group onboard HMS Ocean, a helicopter carrier. 7 (Sphynx) Battery were armed with the 105mm howitzer artillery, pictured above.

Condor' Base, home to the Royal Marines 45 Commando. The unit provides men and equipment to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, who saw active service in the Iraq war in 2003. According to the Royal Navy, 45 Commando is trained and equipped for a range of varying operational tasks, from tropical rain forest to arid desert.

3 Commando Brigade was formed during the Second World War and is part of the UK's Joint Rapid Reaction Force. The brigade is made up of 3,500 troops from three different Commando groups, including 45 Group in Arbroath. Service men and women from Arbroath have taken part in a number of military operations over the decades as part of the 3 Commando Brigade. This includes the final assault on Port Stanley during the Falklands War in 1982, and peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, the Congo and Sierra Leone. They also saw action during the 1991 Iraq war and 45 Commando were also deployed during the 'War on Terror' in Afghanistan.

In Iraq in 2003, the 3 Commando Brigade was instrumental in the attack and occupation of Basra. On the 6th April, as the 7th Armoured Brigade pushed into the centre of Basra, the Commandos attacked from the south, towards the old part of the city. After successfully completing their mission, it was announced 2 weeks later, that 3 Commando Group would be returning from Iraq.