48 Searchlight regiments of the Royal Artillery

This list of regiments of the Royal Artillery covers the period from 1938, when the RA adopted the term 'regiment' rather than 'brigade' for a lieutenant-colonel's command comprising two or more batteries, to 1947 when all RA regiments were renumbered in a single sequence.

The 2nd Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery formed just before World War II. Deploying to France with the British Expeditionary Force and RAF Advanced Air Striking Force in 1940, it found itself caught up in ground fighting during the Battle of France, including actions at Arras, Boulogne, Calais, and Hondeghem. After the evacuation from Dunkirk it served in home defence in Anti-Aircraft Command until 1944, when it deployed to Europe again, seeing action in the defence of Antwerp and the Scheldt, then the river crossings as 21st Army Group advanced into Germany at the end of the war. It was disbanded in 1948.

The 3rd (Ulster) Searchlight Regiment was a Supplementary Reserve (SR) unit of the Royal Artillery raised in Northern Ireland just before the outbreak of World War II. It distinguished itself in the Battle of France before being evacuated from Dunkirk. It then served in Anti-Aircraft Command, converting into the 4th (Ulster) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment in 1942. In that role it served in the campaign in North West Europe, defending Brussels against V-1 flying bombs. It was reformed postwar and its successor units continued to serve in the Territorial Army (TA) until 1993.

The 5th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was a short-lived air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. Formed to defend Singapore in 1941, the regiment was captured less than a year later when the fortress surrendered to the Japanese.

The City of London Rifles (CLR) was a volunteer regiment of the British Army, originally raised as the 'Printers' Battalion'. It saw a great deal of action as an infantry regiment in World War I. During World War II it served in the air defence role, first as a searchlight regiment in the United Kingdom, and later as an anti-aircraft artillery regiment in North West Europe.

The 7th Battalion of the London Regiment was a volunteer unit of the British Army from 1860 until 1961. Recruited from London working men, it sent volunteers to the Second Boer War, saw extensive service on the Western Front during World War I, and defended the United Kingdom as a searchlight regiment during World War II.

The 19th Battalion, London Regiment was a Volunteer unit of the British Army in existence from 1860 to 1961 under various titles. A detachment served in the Second Boer War and two full battalions fought in World War I, receiving the surrender of Jerusalem and crossing the Jordan among other exploits. During World War II the regiment operated as a searchlight unit and briefly as an infantry battalion, before becoming an anti-aircraft regiment in the postwar years.

The 1st Surrey Rifles was a volunteer unit of the British Army from 1859 until 1993. It saw considerable service on the Western Front, at Salonika and in Palestine during World War I. It served as a searchlight unit and as a light anti-aircraft regiment during World War II.

The 36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment was a volunteer air defence battalion of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) from 1936 until 1961, at first as part of the Royal Engineers, later in the Royal Artillery. As part of 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade it defended air bases in East Anglia through the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. Towards the end of 1944 the unit underwent infantry training, serving briefly in Norway at the end of the war. After the war, the 36th continued as a TA unit, with some women serving with it. In 1961, the remnants of the regiment amalgamated with others to form a combined infantry battalion, and all links with air defence were severed.

The 37th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) during World War II. It served in the Battle of France, when it was one of the last British units evacuated. It then served in Anti-Aircraft Command defending the UK, particularly against V-1 flying bombs.

The Liverpool Rifles was a unit of the Territorial Army, part of the British Army, formed in Lancashire as a 'Rifle Volunteer Corps' (RVC) in 1859, becoming a battalion of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) in 1881. It saw action on the Western Front in the First World War and later became a searchlight unit of the Royal Artillery in the Second World War.

The 5th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, was a volunteer unit of Britain's Territorial Army from 1900 until 1967, serving as infantry on the Western Front during the First World War and as an air defence unit during and after the Second World War.

48th (Hampshire) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed just before the outbreak of World War II from existing searchlight companies of the Royal Engineers. It served in Anti-Aircraft Command until 1944, including the Portsmouth Blitz and Operation Diver. At the end of the war it formed an infantry unit for garrison duties in liberated Europe. It continued in the postwar TA until AA Command was disbanded in 1955.

The 51st (Highland) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was a Scottish unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) formed for air defence just before World War II. It later served as an anti-aircraft (AA) artillery unit in the North West Europe Campaign 1944–45, and continued in the postwar TA into the 1950s.

The 2nd Northumberland Rifle Volunteer Corps, also referred to as the Tynemouth Rifles, was an infantry unit of Britain's part-time force, the Territorial Army. The corps was raised during the expansion of the Volunteer movement in the 1850s and then served with the Territorial Force during the First World War. It converted to an anti-aircraft role just prior to Second World War, and continued to serve until it was amalgamated in 1950.

The 59th (Warwickshire) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of the Territorial Army (TA), part of the British Army, and was raised in Birmingham in 1938 just before the Second World War. It later served as a light anti-aircraft gun unit and continued in the postwar TA.

The 9th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment was an infantry battalion of the British Army. Part of the Volunteer Force, later the Territorial Force, the battalion was part of the Middlesex Regiment and recruited from the north-western suburbs of London. It served as infantry in the Mesopotamian campaign during World War I and as an air defence regiment during and after World War II.

The 5th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, was a unit of the British Army's Reserve Forces first established in St Helens, Merseyside, in 1860. It served as infantry in some of the bitterest fighting on the Western Front in World War I and as a searchlight regiment in Anti-Aircraft Command during World War II.

The City of Bristol Rifles was a Volunteer unit of the British Army from 1859 to 1955. It became a battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment and fought in France, Flanders and Italy in World War I. As a searchlight unit in World War II it defended the West Country against air raids before moving to the East Coast late in the war. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army (TA) as a heavy anti-aircraft artillery regiment until amalgamated with other Gloucestershire units in 1955.

70th (Sussex) Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) raised just before the outbreak of World War II, which served as part of Anti-Aircraft Command during and after the war.

The 71st Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA), which was raised just before the outbreak of World War II and served as part of Anti-Aircraft Command during and after the war.

72nd (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) raised just before the outbreak of World War II, which served as part of Anti-Aircraft Command during and after the war.

75th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) raised just before the outbreak of World War II and served as part of Anti-Aircraft Command in the early part of the war. Later, it changed role and served in Sicily and Italy, and reformed in AA Command after the war.

The 76th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was a British Army air defence unit during World War II. It was engaged during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz, defending Royal Air Force airfields and the towns of southern England.

The 77th Searchlight Regiment was an anti-aircraft (AA) unit of Britain's Royal Artillery (RA) formed during World War II. After serving in Anti-Aircraft Command during the Blitz it was converted into a Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) gun unit. Although assigned to 21st Army Group for Operation Overlord, it did not go overseas and was disbanded in June 1944.

78th Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. It protected the United Kingdom as part of Anti-Aircraft Command from the Blitz of 1940 until 1943.

79th Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. It protected London and South East England as part of Anti-Aircraft Command from the Blitz of 1940 until Operation Diver in 1944, after which it was disbanded.

80th Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. It protected the United Kingdom as part of Anti-Aircraft Command from the Blitz of 1940 until it began to disperse in 1944.

The Cornwall Fortress Royal Engineers, was a volunteer unit of Britain's Royal Engineers formed in 1908. It helped to defend the coastal towns of Cornwall and sent engineer units to work on the Western Front. Converted to an air defence role before World War I, it served as a searchlight unit during the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, then, as a light anti-aircraft gun unit, it served in the most heavily attacked part of the South Coast of England throughout 1942–44, including the V-1 flying bomb campaign.

The Dorsetshire & Wiltshire Fortress Royal Engineers was a part-time unit of Britain's Royal Engineers formed in 1908. It helped to defend the naval base of Portland Harbour during World War I and provided a detachment to serve with the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. Between the World Wars the unit took on the additional role of anti-aircraft searchlight defence and during World War II it was expanded into a full searchlight regiment that served during the Plymouth Blitz.

83rd Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. It protected the United Kingdom as part of Anti-Aircraft Command from the Blitz of 1940 until the V-1 flying bomb offensive in 1944.

The 2nd Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery formed just before World War II. Deploying to France with the British Expeditionary Force and RAF Advanced Air Striking Force in 1940, it found itself caught up in ground fighting during the Battle of France, including actions at Arras, Boulogne, Calais, and Hondeghem. After the evacuation from Dunkirk it served in home defence in Anti-Aircraft Command until 1944, when it deployed to Europe again, seeing action in the defence of Antwerp and the Scheldt, then the river crossings as 21st Army Group advanced into Germany at the end of the war. It was disbanded in 1948.

The 84th Searchlight Regiment, was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery during World War II. It protected Humberside and the North Midlands of England as part of Anti-Aircraft Command from the Blitz of 1940 until it was disbanded in 1943.

The 132nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery during World War II. The regiment was formed in March 1942 from the short-lived 85th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery which had only been raised in the previous year as part of the rapid expansion of Anti-Aircraft Command. It served in Home Defence throughout the war, until disbandment in 1945.

The 120th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery during World War II. It landed on D-Day and saw action throughout the campaign in North West Europe, defending the vital Scheldt Estuary until the end of the war.

The 128th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. The regiment was formed in March 1942 from the short-lived 87th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery, which had only been raised in the previous year as part of the rapid expansion of Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences. It served in AA Command until near the end of the war, when it was converted into an infantry battalion for garrison duties in North West Europe.

The 88th Searchlight Regiment was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. The regiment was formed in March 1941 as part of the rapid expansion of Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences during The Blitz. It served in AA Command until disbandment in 1943.

The 133rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. It saw action during the campaign in North West Europe, defending the vital port of Antwerp against V-1 flying bombs and supporting the advance into Germany.

The 90th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery, was a short-lived air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. It served in Anti-Aircraft Command from 1941 to 1943, mainly in Northern Ireland, and never deployed overseas.

The 114th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, was an air defence unit of the British Army's Royal Artillery during World War II. It landed on D-Day and saw action throughout the campaign in North West Europe, defending the vital port of Antwerp against Parachute mines and V-1 flying bombs.

The 92nd Searchlight Regiment was an air defence unit of Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II. The regiment was formed in May 1941 as part of the rapid expansion of Anti-Aircraft (AA) defences during The Blitz. It served in AA Command until disbandment in 1943.

93rd Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an all-female British air defence unit during World War II, formed in October 1942 and disbanded in July 1945.

The 37th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) during World War II. It served in the Battle of France, when it was one of the last British units evacuated. It then served in Anti-Aircraft Command defending the UK, particularly against V-1 flying bombs.

The 7th Battalion of the London Regiment was a volunteer unit of the British Army from 1860 until 1961. Recruited from London working men, it sent volunteers to the Second Boer War, saw extensive service on the Western Front during World War I, and defended the United Kingdom as a searchlight regiment during World War II.

The 19th Battalion, London Regiment was a Volunteer unit of the British Army in existence from 1860 to 1961 under various titles. A detachment served in the Second Boer War and two full battalions fought in World War I, receiving the surrender of Jerusalem and crossing the Jordan among other exploits. During World War II the regiment operated as a searchlight unit and briefly as an infantry battalion, before becoming an anti-aircraft regiment in the postwar years.

The 36th (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment was a volunteer air defence battalion of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) from 1936 until 1961, at first as part of the Royal Engineers, later in the Royal Artillery. As part of 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade it defended air bases in East Anglia through the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. Towards the end of 1944 the unit underwent infantry training, serving briefly in Norway at the end of the war. After the war, the 36th continued as a TA unit, with some women serving with it. In 1961, the remnants of the regiment amalgamated with others to form a combined infantry battalion, and all links with air defence were severed.

72nd (Middlesex) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery was an air defence unit of Britain's Territorial Army (TA) raised just before the outbreak of World War II, which served as part of Anti-Aircraft Command during and after the war.