THE RIFLES CHRONOLOGY 1685-2012 20140117_Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.Docx Copyright 2014 The Rifles Trustees http://riflesmuseum.co.uk/ No reproduction without permission - 2 - CONTENTS 5 Foreword 7 Design 9 The Rifles Representative Battle Honours 13 1685-1756: The Raising of the first Regiments in 1685 to the Reorganisation of the Army 1751-1756 21 1757-1791: The Seven Years War, the American War of Independence and the Affiliation of Regiments to Counties in 1782 31 1792-1815: The French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 51 1816-1881: Imperial Expansion, the First Afghan War, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Formation of the Volunteer Force and Childers’ Reforms of 1881 81 1882-1913: Imperial Consolidation, the Second Boer War and Haldane’s Reforms 1906-1912 93 1914-1918: The First World War 129 1919-1938: The Inter-War Years and Mechanisation 133 1939-1945: The Second World War 153 1946-1988: The End of Empire and the Cold War 165 1989-2007: Post Cold War Conflict 171 2007 to Date: The Rifles First Years Annex A: The Rifles Family Tree Annex B: The Timeline Map 20140117_Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.Docx Copyright 2014 The Rifles Trustees http://riflesmuseum.co.uk/ No reproduction without permission - 3 - 20140117_Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.Docx Copyright 2014 The Rifles Trustees http://riflesmuseum.co.uk/ No reproduction without permission - 4 - FOREWORD by The Colonel Commandant Lieutenant General Sir Nick Carter KCB CBE DSO The formation of The Rifles in 2007 brought together the histories of the thirty-five antecedent regiments, the four forming regiments, with those of our territorials. Collectively these regiments have given us a remarkable legacy from which we have drawn our modern identity – in terms of ethos, culture and regional affiliation. This historical chronology records the dates of significant events from the origins of the Regiment in 1685 through the Seven Years War, the formation of light troops, the Napoleonic Wars – including the Peninsular War that defined so much of what the Regiment is now about – the wars and skirmishes of Empire, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the World Wars, the Cold Wars and the post Cold War period. Our forebears fought on every continent and played a role in almost every campaign in which the British Army was engaged. From Argentina to Zululand, from Norway to New Zealand, men from our antecedent regiments fought and died for their country. But it is perhaps the number of Victoria Crosses that highlight the rich variety of our history most clearly, and each and every one of these is recorded in the chronology as an inspiration to every rifleman. It is worth reflecting on the scale of what our antecedent regiments accomplished. By 1862 there were 134,096 rifle volunteers in the United Kingdom; as we look forward to the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War in which 264 battalions were raised, 90 of which fought in the Battle of the Somme, and almost 100,000 died – every county and city whence we recruit was represented and their sacrifice is remembered with great pride. I take my hat off to Colonel Ted Shields for pulling this together. It is a remarkable piece of work that whilst not exhaustive or completely definitive, brings together for the first time the Regiment’s extraordinarily rich heritage. I commend it to you – it charts the evolution of today’s Regiment and the development of the ethos of innovation and forward thought that is our hallmark. Swift and Bold 20140117_Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.Docx Copyright 2014 The Rifles Trustees http://riflesmuseum.co.uk/ No reproduction without permission - 5 - 20140117_Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.Docx Copyright 2014 The Rifles Trustees http://riflesmuseum.co.uk/ No reproduction without permission - 6 - DESIGN The Rifles Timeline is a chronological list of every significant event in the history of the Regiment. These events are divided into ten discrete periods for ease of reference. An overview introduces each period and is shown in italics. Each entry gives the year (and precise date(s) where known), its location and a brief description of the event. Some entries have warranted greater explanation, most usually because the event or people mentioned are of particular significance. Battle Honours are marked with an asterisk and our representative Battle Honours are highlighted in bold. It should be noted that Battle Honours in the First and Second World Wars were awarded by Regiment, not Battalion. Regimental histories reveal most, but not necessarily all, of the battalions (Regular, Territorial and Service) who were present. Consequently, a few entries record only the name of the regiment and not the individual battalion(s). The British Army has always adapted and changed to best meet the needs of the Nation and its defence. As The Rifles constantly endeavour to be at the forefront of change, so did our predecessors similarly strive. Change has thus always been a constant. This, in part, explains frequent regimental re-titling. To keep things as simple as possible, it was decided to refer to regiments between 1685 and 1751 by the name of their first Colonel rather than to record the changes every time a new Colonel took command. Between 1751 and 1881 the regiments are referred to by the number they were allotted in accordance with the order in which they were raised. For example, the ‘Duke of Beaufort’s Regiment’ describes that regiment, which was to become the Devonshire Regiment, from 1685 until 1751. In 1751 this regiment was numbered the 11th. Although county titles were added in 1782, the Timeline refers to their regimental numbers until 1881 at which time the Cardwell Reforms paired regiments and substituted the numbers with names. For example, the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment and the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment were paired and became the 1st and 2nd Battalions The Gloucestershire Regiment. Abbreviated regimental titles, such as Glosters, R BERKS, SOM LI, KOYLI and KRRC, are used after 1881. Since the late 1950s, there have been a number of changes in name as regiments have amalgamated or have otherwise re-organised. These changes in name are made clear in the Timeline. The Rifles Family Tree at Annex A enables the reader to track the evolution of those regiments who now comprise The Rifles. The Timeline Map at Annex B allows the reader to better visualise our history. Reference material included: • David Ascoli (1983), A Companion to the British Army, Harrap (London). • Anthony Baker (1986), Battle Honours of the British and Commonwealth Armies, Ian Allan Ltd (Shepperton, Surrey). • Alexander Rodger (2003), Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces, The Crowood Press (Marlborough, Wiltshire). 20140117_Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.Docx Copyright 2014 The Rifles Trustees http://riflesmuseum.co.uk/ No reproduction without permission - 7 - • The Rifles Family Tree V3 01/10/09 created by Fostersolutions.co.uk. • Lineage and Battle Honours of London Volunteer Reserve Forces 1908-2008, RFCA for Greater London. • LI Handbook, RHQ LI, Chapter XII. • Various regimental histories held by the Prince Consort’s Library at Aldershot. No work of this scale and in its first iteration can claim to be free from error or omission. Comments on content and format are thus welcome in order to ensure that the next edition can be improved and provide a better resource to riflemen, past and present, as well as to supporters and historians of the Regiment. The Timeline will therefore be revised and updated from time to time. Observations and recommendations should be passed to the Regimental Secretary for consideration by the Heritage Committee. THECompiled RIFLES’ by ColonelREPRESENTATIVE Ted Shields MBE BATTLE on behalf HONOURS of The Rifles Heritage Committee 20140117_Rifles_Chronology_1685-2012_Edn2.Docx Copyright 2014 The Rifles Trustees http://riflesmuseum.co.uk/ No reproduction without permission - 8 - ‘As a rifle regiment, battalions of The Rifles will not carry Colours. Instead, battle honours are entrusted to each Rifleman, who wears a representative selection of battle honours from all the forming regiments on the cross belt or belt badge.’ (The Principles of The Rifles, 11 July 2006). The British infantry of the line have borne their Battle Honours on their Colours since 1784 but, such has been the rifleman’s role on the field of battle, no British (or Commonwealth) rifle regiment has ever carried Colours. A rifle regiment’s Battle Honours – or a representative selection - have thus been displayed on cap and/or belt badges. But it was not just our rifle forebears who chose to display particular Battle Honours on their badges. The cap badge of the 13th Light Infantry (later the Somerset Light Infantry) included a mural crown and the title ‘Jellalabad’ following the award in 1842. The cap badge of Dorsetshire Regiment included the title ‘Marabout’ and the Egyptian Sphinx after that award in 1801. The 66th (Berkshire) Foot displayed their nine Peninsular War Battle Honours on their Officers’ shoulder belt plate from 1829 to 1855. It had previously been agreed that The Rifles’ cap badge would be the bugle horn badge of the Light Infantry surmounted by St Edward's Crown. Representative Battle Honours would thus have to be selected for display on the belt badge only. The task of recommending to The Light Division Council which Battle Honours would best represent the new Regiment on the belt badge fell to the Working Group of Commanding Officers which met in late 2005 and early 2006. The Working Group’s ‘canvas’ was: ‘A wreath of laurel intertwined with a scroll, bearing Battle Honours of the Regiment. Within the wreath, a Maltese Cross. On the divisions further Battle Honours of the Regiment. On the centre of the Cross, a circle inscribed ‘The Rifles’ and ‘Swift and Bold’; within the circle a bugle with strings.