The History of the Rifles – The Rifles Living History Society

The Rifle Brigade owes its origins to the men of the 95th Rifles who fought in the campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars. After the defeat of Napoleon the British Army endured a series of cut backs and disbandments. To keep the Rifle Regiment as part of the army’s order of battle, the 95th were removed from the regiments of the line and restyled the Rifle Brigade by order of parliament in 1816.
The Rifle Brigade, Prince Consorts’ Own, as they were later titled fought in almost all the major campaigns during the reign of Queen Victoria, from the Crimea to the Indian Mutiny and from Southern Africa to Afghanistan. Battalions of the regiment fought in both world wars and on their amalgamation into the Royal Green Jackets had won 29 Victoria Crosses, more than any other British infantry regiment.
The Kings Royal Rifle Corps originally formed in the American colonies, as the 60th Royal Americans, later 60th Rifles. They have a long and illustrious history. As part of General Wolfe’s army, the 60th gained immortality at the Heights of Quebec, gaining for them the motto Swift and Bold. Two battalions of the regiment converted to Riflemen and fought with the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsula. The 60th, like the Rifle Brigade, fought in nearly all the campaigns of the Victorian period, their green uniforms with red facing and black Maltese Cross cap badge making them one of the most distinctive regiments of the period. Battalions of the 60th fought in both world wars and like the Rifle Brigade were converted to the role of motor battalions in support of the armoured divisions in World War Two.
The London Regiment owes its origins to the Victorian Rifle volunteer battalions. In 1908 with the formation of the County of London, these volunteer units became the battalions of the new London Regiment. It is the Rifle battalions of the London Regiment to which our members pay their respects, badging as the London Rifle Brigade, Queen Victoria Rifles, Rangers and Civil Service Rifles. The London Regiment disbanded in 1937, many of its Rifle battalions becoming Territorials’ of the Rifle Brigade, Kings Royal Rifle Corp, and Royal Ulster Rifles. Known to have the longest name in the British Army, the 8th (Territorial) Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, Princess Beatrice’s

Isle of Wight Rifles, served with battalions of the London Regiment in the campaigns against the Ottoman Turkish forces in the Dardanelles, Suez Canal and Palestine. It is to these battalions we honour with our new Middle East impression.