British Army - The Rifles

The Rifles

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The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five Regular and two Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light Division (with the exception of the 1st Battalion, which is an amalgamation of two individual regiments). Since formation the regiment has been involved in combat operations, first in the later stages of the Iraq War and in the War in Afghanistan.

The purpose of this project is to map the history of The Rifles giving details of amalgamations etc, and tracing the history of those Brigades involved in the amalgamations.

The Rifles was created as a result of the Future Army Structure (WIKI). 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 reserve battalion from within the Territorial Army (TA) as it was then called. However, on 24 November 2005, the Ministry of Defence 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:

• The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry
• The Light Infantry
• The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry
• The Royal Green Jackets

The Rifles was formed to serve as the county regiment of the following counties:

• Berkshire
• Buckinghamshire
• Cornwall
• Devon
• Dorset
• Durham
• Gloucestershire
• Herefordshire
• Oxfordshire
• Shropshire
• Somerset
• South Yorkshire
• Wiltshire

Rifles Overview (2007)

Formation

1. - The Rifles

Amalgamation of ...
1.1 - 1st. Battalion The Rifles

Amalgamation of ...
1.1.1 - 1st Battalion The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry
1.1.2 - 1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry

1.2 - 2nd Battalion The Rifles

1.2.1 - 1st Battalion The Green Jackets

1.3 - 3rd Battalion The Rifles

1.3.1 - 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry

1.4 - 4th Battalion The Rifles

1.4.1 - 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets

1.5 - 5th Battalion The Rifles

1.5.1. - 1st Battalion The Light Infantry

28. - 1st Battalion The Rifles (2006)

Amalgamation of ...
28.1 - The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
(11th, 39th and 54th)

Formed 17th May 1958 by amalgamation () of ..
28.1.1 The Devonshire Regiment (11th)
28.1.2 The Dorset Regiment (39th and 54th)

Formed 1881 by amalgamation of ...
28.1.2.1 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot
28.1.2.2 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot
forming The Dorsetshire Regiment, the title changing in 1951 to The Dorset Regiment.

28.2 - The Gloucestershire Regiment (1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire LI) Sub-Project
(28th and 61st)

Formed 1881 by Amalgamation of ...
28.2.1 - 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment

Raised March 1694 by Colonel John Gibson

28.2.2 - 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment

Raised 1756 as 2nd Battalion 3rd Foot (The Buffs). Reconstituted as 61st Foot in 1758.
...which became 1st and 2nd Battalions respectively.

28.3 - The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment
(Berkshire and Wiltshire) (49th, 62nd, 66th, 99th) See Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's)
Formed June 1959 by amalgamation of

28.3.1 - The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's)
Formed 1881 by amalgamation of ...

28.3.1.1 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's or Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot

Raised in Jamaica December 1743 by Colonel Edward Trelawny, The Governor, who amalgamated the 8 independent companies garrisoning the island.

28.3.1.2 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot

Originated in 1755 as 2nd Battalion, 19th Regiment of Foot (Green Howards). Augmented as separate Regiment in April 1758 under Colonel Edward Sandford and ranked as 66th Foot.

28.4 - The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's)
Formed 1881 by amalgamation of ...

28.4.1 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot

Originated in 1756 as 2nd Battalion, 4th (King's Own) Regiment. Augmented as separate Regiment April 1758 under Colonel William Strode - ranked as 62nd Foot.

28.4.2 99th (Duke of Edinburgh's) Regiment of Foot

Raised March 1824 as 99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot with Major General Gage John Hall as Colonel.

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29. 2nd Battalion The Rifles (2006)

29.1 - 2nd Green Jackets, The King's Royal Rifle Corps 1958 Sub-Project

Formed November 1958 by re-designation of The King's Royal Rifle Corps
29.1.1 - 2nd Battalion (The King's Royal Rifle Corps) The Royal Green Jackets

Formed 1992 renumbered 1st Battalion. Raised in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland in December 1755 by John Campbell, Earl of Loudon, and styled 62nd or The Royal American Regiment of Foot. Re-ranked 60th in 1756.

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30. 3rd Battalion The Rifles (2007)

Re-designation of the 2nd Battalion, The Light Infantry. Initially configured in the light role as part of 52nd Infantry Brigade, it moved to 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland under Army 2020. Personnel are based at Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh.

8.8 The Light Infantry

Became 1st Battalion Light Infantry in 1959 - Disbanded 25th Feb 1993

One of the largest amalgamations in the British Army, formed in July 1968 by the amalgamation (✽) of ...

8.8.1 ✽ The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry (13th, 32nd, 46th) Sub-Project

Formed Oct 1959 by amalgamation of ...
8.8.1.1 The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) (13th)
8.8.1.2 The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (32nd and 46th)

Formed 1881 by amalgamation of ...
8.8.1.2.1 32nd (Cornwall) Light Infantry
8.8.1.2.2 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot

8.8.2 ✽ The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (51st and 105th) Sub-Project
Formed 1881 by amalgamation of ...

8.8.2.1 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) or The King's Own Light Infantry Regiment
8.8.2.2 105th (Madras Light Infantry) Regiment

8.8.3 ✽ The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (53rd and 85th) Sub-Project

Formed 1881 by amalgamation of ...
8.8.3.1 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot
8.8.3.2 85th King's Light Infantry

8.8.4 ✽ The Durham Light Infantry (68th and 106th) Sub-Project

Formed 1881 by amalgamation of ...
8.8.4.1 68th (Durham) Light Infantry

Originally formed in 1756 as 2nd Battalion of the 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fusiliers). In April 1758 separated as the 68th Regiment of Foot under Colonel John Lambton

8.8.4.2 106th Bombay Light Infantry

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31. 4th Battalion The Rifles (2006)

32. 5th Battalion The Rifles (2007)