Oxfordshire Brochure Final(5) - Flipbook - Page 2
THE RIFLES
The Rifles is an infantry regiment within the British Army
that formed in February 2007 through the merger of The
Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry; The Light Infantry;
The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire
Light Infantry; and The Royal Green Jackets. With this
unique history on which to build, The Rifles was forged
in the crucible of recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
to become a modern, exciting and popular new regiment of
choice that lives up to its motto: “Swift and Bold.”
"Fording the Alma" by Lewis H. Johns
RIFLE REGIMENTS
Rifle regiments have a long tradition in
the British Army. The normal, ‘line’ infantry
was armed with powerful but inaccurate
muskets. They wore red jackets and
generally fought shoulder to shoulder so
they could fire their muskets all together,
in volleys. From the 1750s onwards in
North America, the Army began to use
some lightly-equipped infantry soldiers
dressed in camouflage. Line Regiments
began to form Light Companies and it was
from these origins that Rifle Regiments
developed. In 1800, when the Baker
Rifle was invented, the Army created
an Experimental Corps of Riflemen to
make best use of this revolutionary new
weapon. The Army saw that the new
rifle needed to be used by a force that
would be quite different to the rest of the
infantry. The lighter and far more accurate
rifle allowed the riflemen - dressed in dark
green - to spread out.
Because of the way they fought, the
early rifle and light infantry regiments
needed to develop a special way of
working - an ethos. This ethos was based
around marksmanship, independence,
self-discipline and initiative. Riflemen
needed to be led by very capable and
independent junior officers and noncommissioned officers, who would
communicate with their men by voice,
bugles and whistles.
The Rifles carries forward this ethos into
the modern Army and every soldier and
officer in the Regiment is proud to say “I
am a Rifleman”.
The Rifles remains very much the Infantry Regiment of
Oxfordshire. Oxfordshire plays a part within each of The Five
Pillars of The Rifles: its Regulars, Reserves, Cadets, Associations
and Communities. Men and women are actively sought from
Oxfordshire to serve in all RIFLES Battalions. There is a RIFLES
Reserve Company based in Abingdon and an Association Branch for
veterans within the County. Hundreds of cadets wear the uniforms and
follow the unique traditions of The Rifles. The Rifles has also been
granted and exercises a number of Civic Privileges across
Oxfordshire.
With five Regular Battalions based across the UK
and three Reserve Battalions in the Regiment’s
historic footprint; The Rifles is fiercely proud
of its connection to Oxfordshire and offers
individuals wishing to join the Regiment a level
of opportunity and variety of choice that is
unmatched elsewhere in the British Army.
