IN 2007, the Royal Artillery (RA) left its Woolwich home and moved to Salisbury, so it was fitting the Eltham Society should receive a lecture dedicated to the Shop', the nickname for the RA.
The talk was given by Brigadier Ken Timbers, much of whose life has been devoted to the historic institution.
Before the 18th Century, the Army's munitions activities were controlled by a board of ordnance under the master gunner at the Tower of London but the outbreak of the Jacobite rebellion, although abortive, brought about the creation of a specialised Royal Artillery arm in May 1716.
A man from Eltham named Pritchard (who was to become Lord Mayor of London and very rich) swapped a site he owned on the Thames for Tower Place and thus the historic R A Woolwich link was forged.
A Tudor manor on the new site was replaced by a structure purpose-built to Royal Artillery specifications.
The end of 291 years of Woolwich's relationship with the RA has been marked by celebrations.
However, there is still the Royal Artillery Museumand the Royal Artillery Band.
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