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THE RIFLE BRIGADE (THE PRINCE CONSORT'S OWN) raised in 1800 as the Rifle Corps, becoming in 1802 to 1805 The 95th of
foot.
Battle Honours
- 1793 - 1802 Copenhagen during the French Revolutionary Wars
- 1807 Monte Video during the Expedition against the Spanish in
Brazil
- 1808 - 1814 Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Barrosa,
Fuentos d'Onoro Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle,
Nive, Orthes, Toulouse during the Peninsula War
- 1815 Battle of Waterloo
- 1846 - 1847 Seventh Kaffir war
- 1851 - 1853 Eighth Kaffir war
- 1854 - 1855 Alma, Inkerman, Sebastopol during the Crimean war
- 1857 - 1858 Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny
- 1873 - 1874 Ashantee, during the Ashantee war
- 1878 - 1880 Ali Masjid during the second Afghan war
- 1885 - 1887 Third Burma War
- 1896 - 1898 Khartoum, Sudan campaign
- 1899 -1902 Defence of Ladysmith and relief of Ladysmith during the Boer
War
- 1914 - 1918 Le Cateau, Marne, Neuve Chappelle, Ypres, Soome Arras,
Messines, Cambrai, Hindenburg Line,
.
Macedonia
- 1939 - 1945 calaise 1940, Neda Fomm, Sidi Rezegh, Alem el Halfa, El
Alamein, in North Africa in 1940 - 1943, Cassino,
Capture of Perugia both in Italy 1943, 1945
VICTORIA CROSS AWARDS, Twenty Four Members of the regiments have been awarded the Victoria
Cross, Eight during the Crimean war, Four in the Indian Mutiny, One in
Somaliland in 1903, seven during the first world War, one during the Second
world war
The Rifle Brigade
This
regiment of four battalions seems to have the first corps organised sa
rifleman, though it was not the first body armed with the new weapon.
Its experimental stage began in 1800, when detachments of the
Royals, the 21st,23rd,25th,27th,29th,49th,56th,69th,
and 71st Regiments were formed into a species of Provisional
Battalion, which saw service at Ferrol.
Though it was dispersed after this affair, another was formed of
detachments from “fencible” or Light regiments, and this, in its turn,
did duty in the Copenhagen expedition in 1801, first coming under fire on
shipboard, when the adjustment was slain.
The next year it was numbered the 95th of the Line, and
soon after the second battalion was raised, which served under Auchmuty at
Monte Video. The regiment
furnished a force for the second time in Denmark, for it was represented
at the battle of Kioge in 1807, and then the two battalions were
transferred to the Peninsula, where they added to the battle-roll, already
heavy, besides the names of Copenhagen and Monte Video, the titles Roleia,
Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Barrosa, Fuentes d’Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo,
Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nivelle,
Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, and the Peninsula.
Thus it was present throughout the whole of the great war, and, as
the above list shows, took part in nearly all the principal operations of
the campaign. But it saw much
hard work besides the battles already enumerated, and gained laurels, too,
at Obeidos, Casabelo, Barba del Puerco, Torres Vedras, Sobral, Valle,
defence of Tarifa, and Cadiz, Paialvo, Pombal, Redinha, Casa Nova, Foz
d’Aronce, Ponte de Murcella, Freizadas, Sabugal, Marialva, San
Francisco, Puente Larga, Hormuzas, San Millan, Santa Barbara, Bridge of
Yanci, Echalar, Bridge of Vera, Aerrhunes, Arcagnes, Tarbes, and Tourne
Feuille. Meanwhile
the 2nd battalion had hard fighting at New Orleans and fort
Boyer in 1817, and the three then existing battalions joined in the great
battles of Quatre, Bras and Waterloo, adding the name of the latter to the
regimental honours.
On the 16th February, 1816, the regiment was named
“The Rifle Brigade,” but it saw no further service until that in
Kaffirland in 1846-53, by which time a reserve battalion had been formed;
and during the Russian War its brilliant gallantry gained it the honour of
adding “Alma,” “Inkerman,” and “Sevastopol” to its battle
roll. The peace was followed
by an addition of one battalion to the “Rifles.”
The 2nd and 3rd battalions embarked for
India, and did good work during the Mutiny at Lucknow and elsewhere.
In 1862 the Brigade received its present title of “The Prince
Consort’s Own.” In
1874-75 the 2nd took part in the Ashantee War; and, and between
1873 and 1879, the 4th battalion took part in the expedition
against the Jowaki and Hazari tribes, and in the Afghan campaign, for
which it added “Ali Masjid” and “Afghanistan, 1878-79,” to the
list of honours; in 1886-87 the 1st battalion served in the
Burmese campaign. Both
the rifle Brigade and the King’s Royal Rifles have the peculiarity that
their supreme commanding officers are entitled “Colonel-in-Chief” and
“Colonel-Commandant,” other Foot regiments having only a
“Colonel.” There have
been many recipients of the Cross for Valour.
The Crimean campaign won it for Major Clifford, Captains
Cunninghame and Bourchier, Lieutenant Knox, and Privates Wheatley,
M’Gregor, Humpston, and Bradshaw; the Mutiny gave it to Privates Shaw
and Haukes, Corporal Nash, and Captain Wilmot; in 1866 it was bestowed on
Private O’Hea for his gallantry in extinguishing a fire in a railway
truck containing ammunition. The
uniform has had many changes. Up
to 1816 it had borne a Line number the 95th; but in that year
it was entitled the “Rifle Brigade.”
Probably, therefore, its uniform was much that of the Line at that
period; but, as with the 60th, there has been a tradition that
the rifle-green was originally adopted in Spain to match the colour of the
foliage of the cork woods. Up
to 1855 the jacket and pelisse had been worn by officers, but in this year
the tunic was substituted. The
present green uniform has black facings.
In 1871 the shako worn until then was replaced by a fur (racoon-skin)
busby with a bag and a plume in front; but this was replaced by a helmet
later on, which, in its turn, gave place to a busby of Astracan for
officers, and sealskin for the men, with a black plume.
The button carries a stringed bugle, crowned, within a
laurel-wreath, and the words “Rifle Brigade.”
The Maltese Cross has a lion between each pair of rays, and bears
the battle of the regiment; outside it is a wreath, also bearing battles,
and crowned. The words
“Waterloo,” “Peninsula,” and “Prince Consort’s Own” appear
also on the badge. The
affiliated Militia battalions are the Queen’s Own Tower Hamlets, the
Royal Longford, the King’s Own Royal Tower Hamlets, and the Westmeath
battalions. The volunteer
battalions are the 7th Middlesex, London Scottish (grey, and
blue facings); 14th, Inns of Court (grey and scarlet); 15th,
Customs and Docks (green and scarlet); the 16th, London Irish
(green and light green); the 18th, Paddington (green and
black); the 19th, St. Giles and St. George’s (green and
green); the 20th Artists (grey and grey); the 24th,
General Post Office (green and blue); the 26th Cyclists; and
the 1st and 2nd Tower Hamlets (scarlet and blue, and
grey and scarlet). The
regiment’s usual nickname is the either the “Green Jackets” or the
“Sweeps,” from its sombre uniform and facings.
The depot is at Winchester.
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