ARTS

Brief History of 11 Mechanised Battalion

The History Of The Army Recruit Training School (ARTS) Dates As Far Back As 1926. It Was Started As A Regimental Depot In Kumasi And Was Later Designated The Gold Coast Regimental Training Centre. After Independence, It Was Renamed As Ghana Regimental Training Centre, With An Intake Of 350 Trainees. The Number Of Training Companies Was Increased From 2 To 3 In 1962. The Training Officers, Who Were Mostly British, Were Later Relieved By A Canadian Army Training Team. The Training Centre Was Responsible For Training Personnel For All Three Services, Army, Navy And Air Force. On 10 July 1963, The School Was Re-Designated To The Armed Forces Training Centre And Moved From Kumasi To Kaladan Barracks In Tamale. On 4 May 1969, It Relocated To The Old Airport At Nyohini (Also In Tamale) And Was Called The Armed Forces Recruit Training Centre (AFRTC). In February 1985, The AFRTC Was Disbanded And Its Courses Were Transferred To 6 Infantry Battalion. From 1986 To 1988 The Responsibility Of Training Was Again Assigned To 4 Infantry Battalion, Kumasi. The AFRTC Later Moved From Kumasi To Its Present Location, Shai Hills, In 1991 With 115 Recruits.

As A Result Of The Restructuring Of The Ghana Armed Forces, The Centre Was Re-Designated As The Army Recruit Training School (ARTS). It Is Now Exclusively Responsible For The Training Of Recruits For The Ghana Army. The School Has Over The Years, Passed Through The Hands Of Very Competent Commanding Officers. These Include Maj Gen JK Attipoe (Rtd), Lt Col F Fugar (Rtd), Brig Gen R Winful (Rtd), Lt Col RNK Bobee (Rtd), Brig Gen M Whajah (Rtd), The Late Col TN Ba-Taa-Banah, Brig Gen NK Kporku, Brig Gen W Agyapong, Brig Gen A Asiedu, Col AB Akanbong, Col FWK Agbebo, Col ELS Gyadu And Col JM Tenzii. The Current Commanding Officer Is Lt Col AW Issah.

The School Is Under The Operational And Administrative Control Of Army Training Command, Commanded By Brigadier General SWK Parbey. ARTS Is Organised Into A School Headquarters And 6 Training Companies For Ease Of Command And Control.