Bristol Brochure Final(8) - Flipbook - Page 11
LOCAL INTEREST
During the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685,
the oldest of The Rifle’s antecedent
regiments were raised – the Duke of
Beaufort's Musketeers and Huntingdon’s
Regiment of Foot. Beaufort's Musketeers
were raised in Bristol, of which city
Beaufort was Lord-Lieutenant. The
Regiment prepared to defend the city
from the advancing army of the Duke of
Monmouth, going as far as to deploy for
battle on the 24th June. However, the
attack never came. The rebel army had
been halted by skirmishes with Royalist
cavalry and had fallen back. Beaufort's
Musketeers continued to hold the vital
port until the end of the rebellion.
Huntingdon’s Regiment of Foot became
the 13th of Foot and subsequently the
Somerset Light Infantry. Many Bristolians
served in the Somersets, the North
Somerset Yeomanry and the Light
Infantry.
The 61st (South Gloucestershire)
Regiment Foot, was initially raised in 1756
during the Seven Years War, and later
became based in Bristol. Their first action
was the capture of Guadeloupe in 1759.
After the end of the Napoleonic Wars,
the Royal Bristol Volunteer Infantry were
disbanded. However, an interest in
military volunteering continued and in
1859, with an invasion scare from France
in the air, a new unit was raised. These
became the City of Bristol Rifles.
In 1881 the 28th (North Gloucestershire)
and the 61st (South Gloucestershire)
regiments amalgamated to form 1st and
2nd Battalions of the Gloucestershire
Regiment. Change to the Volunteer
Force also took place and with the
creation of the Territorial force, after
the South African War, both 4th (City of
Bristol) Battalion and the 6th Battalion
were based in the City. Regimental
Headquarters was at Horfield.
12th Glosters (Bristol’s Own) was a
Kitchener Battalion made up entirely of
Bristolians. Within less than a fortnight
of being raised on 14th September 1914,
500 recruits had joined and in less than a
month their target was met.
Between December 1917 and March 1918,
12th Glosters were redeployed to Italy.
There they fought near the River Piave
before being ordered back to France
in anticipation of the German spring
offensive of 1918.
The 1/4th Battalion and the 2/4th
Battalion had their roots in 4th (City of
Bristol) Glosters a Territorial Force unit.
Cpl Selwood of C Company 1/4th became
the regiment’s first Territorial to win the
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) on
20th April 1915, near Ypres.
In the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940, 2nd
Glosters held at Cassel for three days
protecting the evacuation of the British
Expeditionary Force; almost all were
taken prisoner.
In 2007, The Rifles was granted the
Freedom of the City of Bristol in
recognition of the actions of antecedent
regiments and their long association
with the City. Bristol’s own and adjoining
regiments are now integrated within The
Rifles.
CONTACT US
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS THE RIFLES
Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road,
WINCHESTER, SO23 8TS
01962 828 527 | rhq@the-rifles.co.uk
REGIONAL OFFICES:
North (Pontefract) | 01977 703 181 |
yorkshire@the-rifles.co.uk
Midlands (Shrewsbury) | 01743 842 030 |
shrewsbury@the-rifles.co.uk
London (Kensington) | 0207 414 5441 |
london@the-rifles.co.uk
South (Winchester) | 01962 828 501 |
salisbury@the-rifles.co.uk
West (Taunton) | 01823 333 434 | taunton@
the-rifles.co.uk
South West (Exeter) | 01392 492 435 |
exeter@the-rifles.co.uk
JOIN US:
Regular & Reserve Officer |
armyjobs@the-rifles.co.uk
Regular & Reserve Soldier |
enquiry@the-rifles.co.uk
ARMY CADET FORCE | www.armycadets.
com
THE RIFLEMAN'S ASSOCIATION
SWIFT - www.theriflesnetwork.co.uk |
swift@the-rifles.co.uk
FORMING & ANTECEDENT REGIMENTAL
ASSOCIATION BRANCHES:
•
Bristol (RIFLES & LI)
•
Bristol (RIFLES & RGBW)
MUSEUMS:
The Rifles Regimental Museum | www.
riflesmuseum.co.uk
The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum |
www.soldiersofglos.com
The Somerset Military Museum |
www.swheritage.org.uk
