Wiltshire Brochure Final(5) - Flipbook - Page 11
LOCAL INTEREST
The 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot’s
first nickname was “The Splashers”,
commemorating the time they used their
tunic buttons as ammunition to beat
off a French attack on Carrickfergus
Castle, Northern Ireland in 1760. Another
nickname was “The Springers”, given
for their quickness into action in the
American War of Independence but the
more lasting one is “The Moonraker’s”,
due to the old folklore of Wiltshire locals
outwitting the Excise Men by raking the
“gurt cheese” (the moon’s reflection) in
the pond.
The Wiltshire’s Headquarters and Training
Depot was at Le Marchant Barracks
in Devizes from 1881 until 1959. The
Barracks remained the home of the
4th Territorial Battalion until 1 WESSEX
replaced them in 1971.
In the First World War, battalions of
the The Wiltshire Regiment (Wiltshires)
fought in France, Belgium, Italy, Gallipoli,
Palestine, Mesopotamia, Macedonia and
Greece.
In 1994 there was a further amalgamation
with the Gloucestershire Regiment
to create The Royal Gloucestershire
Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (RGBW).
Colours of the Wiltshire Regiment hang
in Salisbury Cathedral and in St James’s
Church Devizes. The first stand of DERR
Colours and their Book of Remembrance
are in St Michael Chapel, Salisbury
Cathedral. The second stand of the DERR
Colours are in the Regimental Museum in
Cathedral Close, Salisbury.
In 2007, The Royal Gloucestershire,
Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment,
together with three other regiments,
merged to form The Rifles.
The Rifles has a 700-strong Armoured
Infantry Battalion and Reserve Platoon
permanently based in Bulford, together
with a Company of Reserves in Swindon.
The Rifles also has the freedoms of three
towns and cities in Wiltshire: Devizes,
Salisbury and Swindon.
In the Second World War, battalions
fought in Burma, Sicily, Italy and North
West Europe. It was the 4th & 5th
Battalions The Wiltshires who had the
task of clearing Belsen Concentration
Camp at the end of the war.
A well-known Wiltshires sportsman
from National Service days was Ken
Barrington, the England batsman.
In 1959 The Wiltshires amalgamated
with The Royal Berkshire Regiment,
forming The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal
Regiment (Berkshire & Wiltshire) (DERR).
Between then and 1994 the battalion
served around the world, including Malta,
Germany, Malaya, British Honduras,
Berlin, Northern Ireland, Cyprus and
Hong Kong.
The Wiltshire Regiment Cap Badge
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:
•
Salisbury (RIFLES & RGBW)
•
Swindon (RIFLES & RGBW)
•
Warminster (RIFLES & RGBW)
•
West Wiltshire (RIFLES & RGBW)
•
Warminster (RGJ)
MUSEUMS:
The Rifles Regimental Museum | www.
riflesmuseum.co.uk
The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire
Museum | www.thewardrobe.org.uk
