THE RIFLESThe Rifles is an infantry regiment within the British Armythat formed in February 2007 through the merger of TheDevonshire and Dorset Light Infantry; The Light Infantry;The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and WiltshireLight Infantry; and The Royal Green Jackets. With thisunique history on which to build, The Rifles was forgedin the crucible of recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistanto become a modern, exciting and popular new regiment ofchoice that lives up to its motto: “Swift and Bold.”"Fording the Alma" by Lewis H. JohnsRIFLE REGIMENTSRifle regiments have a long tradition inthe British Army. The normal, ‘line’ infantrywas armed with powerful but inaccuratemuskets. They wore red jackets andgenerally fought shoulder to shoulder sothey could fire their muskets all together,in volleys. From the 1750s onwards inNorth America, the Army began to usesome lightly-equipped infantry soldiersdressed in camouflage. Line Regimentsbegan to form Light Companies and it wasfrom these origins that Rifle Regimentsdeveloped. In 1800, when the BakerRifle was invented, the Army createdan Experimental Corps of Riflemen tomake best use of this revolutionary newweapon. The Army saw that the newrifle needed to be used by a force thatwould be quite different to the rest of theinfantry. The lighter and far more accuraterifle allowed the riflemen - dressed in darkgreen - to spread out.Because of the way they fought, theearly rifle and light infantry regimentsneeded to develop a special way ofworking - an ethos. This ethos was basedaround marksmanship, independence,self-discipline and initiative. Riflemenneeded to be led by very capable andindependent junior officers and noncommissioned officers, who wouldcommunicate with their men by voice,bugles and whistles.The Rifles carries forward this ethos intothe modern Army and every soldier andofficer in the Regiment is proud to say “Iam a Rifleman”.The Rifles remains very much the Infantry Regiment ofOxfordshire. Oxfordshire plays a part within each of The FivePillars of The Rifles: its Regulars, Reserves, Cadets, Associationsand Communities. Men and women are actively sought fromOxfordshire to serve in all RIFLES Battalions. There is a RIFLESReserve Company based in Abingdon and an Association Branch forveterans within the County. Hundreds of cadets wear the uniforms andfollow the unique traditions of The Rifles. The Rifles has also beengranted and exercises a number of Civic Privileges acrossOxfordshire.With five Regular Battalions based across the UKand three Reserve Battalions in the Regiment’shistoric footprint; The Rifles is fiercely proudof its connection to Oxfordshire and offersindividuals wishing to join the Regiment a levelof opportunity and variety of choice that isunmatched elsewhere in the British Army.
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