The Rifles

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Cap Badge History

• The Rifles

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Rifles History

• The Rifles was created as a result of the Future
  Army Structure. Under the original announcement,
  the Light Division would have remained
  essentially unchanged, with the exception of the
  Light Infantry gaining a new battalion through
  the amalgamation of two other regiments, and both
  gaining a TA battalion. However, on 24 November
  2005, the MOD announced that the four regiments
  would amalgamate into a single five-battalion
  regiment. The Rifles was formed on 1 February
  2007 by the amalgamation of the four Light
  Infantry and Rifle Regiments of the Light Division

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The Rifles History

• The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry
• The Light Infantry
• The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and
  Wiltshire Light Infantry
• The Royal Green Jackets
• The two existing battalions each of the Light
  Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets were
  renamed, while the single battalions of the DDLI
  and the RGBWLI were merged into one battalion.
  This brought the whole of the Light Division
  under a single cap badge.

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The Rifles
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The Rifles
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The Rifles
A Proud History
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The Rifles

• As a rifle regiment, a private soldier in The
  Rifles is known as a Rifleman and Serjeant is
  spelt in the archaic fashion the regiment wears
  a Rifle Green beret.
• A number of golden threads have been brought into
  the new regiment from each of its founder
  regiments

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The Rifles

• Croix de Guerre- the French Croix de Guerre
  ribbon awarded to the Devonshire Regimen in World
  War I, and subsequently worn by the Devonshire
  and Dorset Light Infantry, it
• is worn on both sleeves of No. 1 and No. 2 dress
• .

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The Rifles

• Back Badge - the badge worn on the back of
  headdress reads Egypt. This was awarded as an
  honour to the 28th Foot, and subsequently worn
  by the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and
  Wiltshire Light Infantry is worn on the forage
  cap and side hat, and on the Shako of the
  regimental band and bugles

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The Rifles
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The Rifles

• Bugle Horn - the bugle horn badge of the Light
  Infantry, now surmounted by St Edwards Crown, is
  the regiment's cap badge.
• .

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The Rifles

• Maltese Cross - the Maltase Cross of the Royal
  Green Jackets is worn as a buckle on the cross
  belt, and will contain the regiment's
  representative battle honours currently one
  space is kept free for future honours. In
  accordance with the tradition of rifle regiments,
  the regiment does not carry colours

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The Rifles

• Black Buttons - the traditional black buttons of
  a rifle regiment are worn on all forms of dress
  with the exception of combat dress.
• In addition, the new regiment's "Double Past"
  march (the music used when marching past at the
  double) is an amalgam of the Light Infantry's
  (Keel Row) and the Royal Green Jackets' (Road to
  the Isles).

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The Rifles

• In 1800, an "Experimental Corps of Riflemen", was
  raised by Colonel Coote Manningham and
  Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. William Stewart,
  drawn from officers and other ranks from drafts
  of a variety of British regiments. these were
  known as The chosen men
• The Corps differed in several regards from the
  Line infantry of the British Army. Most
  significantly, the Rifles were armed with the
  formidable Baker rifle, which was more accurate
  and of longer range than the musket, although it
  took longer to load. As the rifle was shorter
  than the musket, it was issued with a 21-inch
  sword bayonet.

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The Rifles

• The Baker rifle could not usually be reloaded as
  fast as a musket, as the slightly undersized lead
  balls had to be wrapped in patches of greased
  leather
• 3 aimed Shots a minute
• Accuracy was of more importance than rate of fire
  when skirmishing. The rifleman's main battlefield
  role was to utilise cover and skirmish

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The Rifles

• Riflemen wore dark green jackets rather than the
  bright red coats of the British line infantry
  regiments of that time close-fitting pantaloons,
  rather than breeches black facings and black
  belts rather than white a green plume on their
  "stovepipe shakoes" which the light infantry also
  wore, as well as other accoutrements unique to
  Rifles regiments.

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The Rifles

• The riflemen were trained to work in open order
  and to be able to think for themselves. They were
  to operate in pairs ahead of the main infantry,
  which were bunched in close formations. They were
  taught to make best use of natural cover and to
  harass the enemy with aimed shots

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The Rifles

• . These tactics, which had originated in
  campaigns in North America, were unorthodox for
  the time. It was considered too impractical for
  individual soldiers to aim at specific targets
  and conventional tactics favoured the mass volley
  from a close formation and the bayonet

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The Rifles

• The treatment of soldiers in the new Rifle Corps
  was markedly different from the line infantry.
  Although flogging existed as a means of enforcing
  military discipline, it was seldom used.
• The unit held regular shooting and sporting
  competitions, and men were rewarded for their
  achievements.
• Officers would regularly dine with their men and
  so became familiar with each man in their
  respective companies, an unusual practice at the
  time.

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The Rifles
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The Rifles

• The 95th Regiment
• In 1802 the Rifle Corps was brought into the line
  of the British Army as the 95th Regiment of Foot,
  the 95th Rifles. In 1803 the 95th moved to
  Shornclife, Kent, where it underwent training,
  along with the light infantry regiment the 43rd
  and 52nd Regiments of Foot, under the tutelage of
  Colonel Coote-Manningham and Sir John Moore, the
  latter, like the 95th, would gain fame during the
  Peninsular War.

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The Rifles

• 2nd Battalion
• In 1805 a 2nd Battalion was raised at Canterbury,
  Kent
• The 95th fought in numerous major battles and
  skirmishes during the campaign as part of the
  elite Light Division
• The 95th, having seen distinguished service in
  the Napoleonic Wars, became the "Rifle Brigade
• the 95th was reassigned in 1823 to the newly
  formed county regiment of the 95th (Derbyshire)
  Regiment of Foot

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The Rifles

• Battle honours
• The following battle honours are a representation
  of the total honours awarded to the regiments
  which formed The Rifles. These are inscribed on
  the regiment's belt badge
• Gibraltar, Copenhagen, Plassey, Dettingen,
  Minden, Quebec, Martinique, Marabout, Peninsula,
  Waterloo, Afghanistan, Jellalabad, Ferozeshah,
  Delhi, Lucknow, New Zealand, Pekin, South Africa,
  Inkerman
• Great War Nonne Boschen, Ypres, Somme, Vittorio
  Veneto, Megiddo
• Second World War Calais, El Alamein, Kohima,
  Pegasus Bridge, Normandy, Italy 1943-45, Anzio
• Imjin, Korea, Iraq 2003