Herefordshire Brochure Final(3) - Flipbook - Page 6
HEREFORDSHIRE'S PART
IN RIFLES HISTORY
Most infantry regiments carry
their battle honours on Colours
(ceremonial flags). RIFLES
Battalions do not have Colours,
but all Riflemen carry 34
representative battle honours (of
913 awarded) on their belt badge.
Some honours were for great
battles of national significance,
like Waterloo, the Somme, El
Alamein and Normandy. Others
are unique to The Rifles, such as
Marabout and Pegasus Bridge.
One scroll on the belt badge
is left blank for a battle
honour yet to be won.
Normandy (1944) - 1 Herefords spent the early part of the
Second World War, 1939-42, on garrison duty in Northern
Ireland. In May 1942, the Battalion was converted from
infantry into motorised infantry and formed part of
the 159 Infantry Brigade, 11th Armoured Division. 1
Herefords landed in Normandy on 13th June 1944
and was soon on the frontline. Shortly afterwards 2
Herefords was disbanded, with the men being sent
over to Normandy as reinforcements for their brother
Battalion. They saw action throughout the Battle of
Normandy, including the Crossing of the Odon, the
Battle of Caen and the closing of the Falaise Pocket.
With Normandy secured, the Battalion would go on to
see heavy fighting in the drive up the coast, through
Belgium and the Netherlands, before crossing the Rhine
into Germany. 1 Herefords were also involved in Operation
Blackout, one of the last military operations of the Second
World War in Europe, which saw them assisting in capturing
the Flensburg government of Grand Admiral Doenitz – over two
weeks after the German surrender.
Abridged timeline of historical names and amalgamations of
1860
1881
1908
1st Administrative Battalion, The
Herefordshire Rifle Volunteers
The Herefordshire
Rifle Volunteers
The Herefordshire Regiment T
(Territorial Army) (Herefords)
