Winchester County Brochure Final(5) - Flipbook - Page 3
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 recent
crucible of 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 lightlyequipped 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 non-commissioned 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
Winchester. Winchester 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
Winchester to serve in all RIFLES Battalions. Cadets in Winchester
wear the uniforms and follow the unique traditions of The Rifles
and there is an association branch for veterans within the city.
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 Winchester and offers
individuals wishing to join the Regiment a
level of opportunity and variety of choice
that is unmatched elsewhere in the British
Army.
