Army Group Royal Artillery

An Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA) was a British Commonwealth military formation during the Second World War and shortly thereafter.

There was still an absence of a higher command structure, and a need for one for the central control of artillery above the division had become apparent to the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of France in 1940 and in the early part of the Western Desert Campaign.

The AGRA concept was developed during Exercise Bumper held in the UK in 1941, organised by General Alan Brooke (a gunner), the commander of Home Forces, with Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery as chief umpire.

[5] AGRAs made their debut with First Army in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations and the concept was adopted during the North West Europe and Far East campaigns.

[9] AGRAs were not originally provided with their own Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) workshops, and experience proved that this was a mistake in theatres with limited support services, such as the Italian Front.