OSPREY· MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES'

CjIie 0 '01(]reen ]O£kets

Text byCHRISTOPHER

WILKINSO -LATHAM

Colour plates by

MICHAEL ROFFE

.·.

.1I

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

EDITOR: MARTIN WINDROWALBAN BOOK SERVICES

I

C]lie 0101green ]m;kets

Textby CHRISTOPHER WILKI SO -LATHAM

Colour plates by MI CHAEL ROFFE

OSPREY PUBLISHING LIMITED

Published in 1975 byOsprey Publishing LId, 12-14 Long Acre,London WC2E 9LPMember Company of the George Philip Group

© Copyright 1975 Osprey Publishing Lld

This book is copyrighled under the BerneConvenlion. All rights reserved. Apart from anyfair dealing for Ihe purpose of privale Sludy,research, criticism or review, as permitted under theCopyright Act, 1956, no pan of this publication maybe reproduced, slored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means electronic,electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photo­copying, recording or otherwise, without the priorpermission orthe copyright owner. Enquiries shouldbe addressed to the Pu blishers.

ISBN 0 85045 249 x

Printed in Great BritainMonochrome by BAS Printers Limited,Wallop, HampshireColour by Barnicotts Ltd, Taunton, Somerset

l

l

Carly:History of@nponent 'J<&;iments

•

4,3rd RegimentOriginally raised as the 54th Regiment of Footby Colonel Fowke, under a Letter ofService dated3 January 1741, they served on the island ofMinorca 'during the latter stages of the War ofthe Austrian Succession, returning home in 1747.Following the usual reductions in the army bythe disbandment of regiments in times of peace,the 54th were renumbered the 43rd Regiment ofFoot.

It was not until 1759, during the fighting inNorth America, that the 43rd gained its firstbattle honour at Quebec where, in a brilliantexample of combined operations, General Wolfe'ssmall foree disembarked about a mile west ofthe town and on the nigh t of 12-13 Septembermade a surprise landing, scaled the Heights ofAbraham and by dawn were positioned on thePlain. The outcome of the battle and the wholefuture of Canada was more or less decided by onedevastating volley from the British which brokethe French line, The 43rd were in the centre ofthe British line and were not as heavily engagedas the flanks. Quebec finally surrendered on the17 September.

During the winter of 1759, the British wereoccupied in holding the ground they'd won,defending the town against the French attemptsto retake it. Before returrting to England in July1764, the regiment was engaged in the captureof Martinique and Havana and garrison dutyon the island ofJamaica. •

The year 1775, saw the 43rd once more onactive service on the North American continent,where the colonists were in open rebellion. Duringthe American War oflndependence the regiment

saw much hard and varied service, which in­cluded the battle of Bunker Hill where, for thefirst time, they fought alongside the 52nd Regi­ment. They served through the rest of the warunder Howe, Clinton and Cornwallis until thesurrender of the British at Yorktown.

After spending a year as prisoners of war, the43rd returned to England and found that, undera Royal Warrant of 31 August, 1782, they hadbeen conferred with a County title in addition to

Private, .f3rd Regiment, Co .741 (National Army Museum)

3

their number, that of'MonmouthshireJ•

In 1794, the 43rd arrived at Barbados in timeto take part in the attack on Martinique. Theythen moved on'lO St. Lucia and finally atGuadaloupe, where they remained in occupationuntil, outnumbered, decimated by discase andwithout reinforcements, they were forced tocapitulate to the French. After an exchange ofprisoners the skeleton of the regiment returnedto England from where, after having augmentedtheir numbers and re-equipped, they returnedto the West Indies in 1797. Of the 1,000 men whoembarked only 300 returned in June 1800, therest having succumbed to the pestilent climate.After a six-month stay in England the regimentwas quartered in the Channel Islands, where theyremained until the beginning of 1804.

52nd ReginJ.entIn December 1755, under a Letter of Service,Colonel Hedworth Lambton raised a new regi­ment, the 54th of Foot, the original title of the43rd Regiment of Foot. In t757, after variousdisbandmellls it was renumbered the 52ndRegiment.

Quartered in England and Ireland, it was notuntil 1765 that the 52nd had their first taste offoreign service-when it arrived in Canada.During the American War oflndependence theysuffered heavy casualties, notably at the battle ofBunker Hill, where only eight men of theGrenadier Company remained unhurt. By theautumn of 1778 the regiment had become soweak in numbers that those remaining embarkedfor England, where they spent the next four years.

The year 1782 saw the introduction of Countytitles for regiments not already having a specialdesignation, such as 'The King's Own' or 'TheQueen's'. The 52nd were styled the 'Oxfordshire'Regiment of Foor.

The 52nd's next lOur of foreign service lOokthem for the first time to India, in the MadrasPresidency. Soon after its arrival a detachmentof tbe regiment took part in the siege of Can­nanore where, 'The resolute and determinedefforts of the British Division ... was worthy ofany troops sent abroad by our warlike nation. . .' Here an old soldier named Taylor, who hadserved in the regiment's Light Company in

4

Henry Bouquet, appointed in 1756 as first COJ:DJ:D.aDdingOfficer of the 1St Battalion, 60th Royal American Reghnentin North America (Royal Green Jackets)

America, received a reward of fifty guineas forsome scouting he did under heavy fire. In 1790the war against Tippoo Sahib started, culminatingin the storming of Seringapatam two yearslater.

In 1800 aftcr a short sojourn in England theregimen t, now two battalions strong-, took partin the Ferrol expedition and then returned toEngland in 1801 after having bcen stationed atGibraltar and Lisbon.

60th (Royal AInerican) ReginJ.entIn 1755 eleven new regiments of the line wereraised, one of them being the 62nd or Royal

. American Regiment. In 1757, after the disband­ment of Colonel Shirley's and Sir William Pep­perell's regiments, they were renulllbered the60th. Four battalions were authorised and duringthe period 1755-83, at least wo and often all,were in action in North America against theFrench and their Indian allies .

In 1763, after the Treaty of Amiens, whichconfirmed Britain's domination east of the Missis-

sippi, an Indian upTlsmg was led by Pontiac,Chiefof the Ottowa tribe. By 1765 all was reason­ably quiet again, the Indians having returncd totheir villagcs when it became clear to them thatthe French were not going to help.

In 1797, afttr the American War of Indc­penden~, during which th~ regiment ;vas in theWest Indies, a fifth battalIon was raIsed. ThIsbattalion, the first green-coated regular unit inIhe British Army, was so successful that in 1799a sixth was raised and despatched to the WestIndies to join their comrades. In I79B the 5thBattalion was engaged in putting down a rebellionin Ireland, and the following year took part inthe expedition to Dutch Guiana, where theycomposed part of the force that captured Surinam.In 1B05 the battalion returned home and latcrwent ba~k to Ireland.

95th or Rifle RegitnentTowards thccnd ofthe eighteenth century ColonelCoote Manningham and Lieutenant-ColonelWilliam Stewart proposed to the governmcnt theraising of a corps of riflemen. The proposal beingaccepted, a circular, dated 17 January IBoo, wasissued to the commanding officers of fourteeninfantry regiments asking them to ' ... selectfrom the regiment under your command 2

sergeants, 2 corporals, and go private men ... 'who were to be instructed as riflemen. In AprilrBoo Ihe 'Experimental Corps of Riflemen'assembled at Horsham under the command ofColonel Manningham.

At the end ofJuly IBoo a sIrong detachment ofIhe corps, commanded by Lieutenant-ColonelStewart, embarked. with the Ferrol expedition,with which it did good service in covering theadvance of the small British force which attackedon the 25 August. This date on which BritishRiflemen first came under fire has ever since beenobserved as the 'Regimental Birthday'.

In IBoI a detachment of the Corps, togetherwith the 49th Regiment (later the 1St BattalionRoyal Berkshire Regiment), served with the Fleetunder Sir Horatio Nelson at the victory ofCopenhagen. These two regiments are the onlyones to bear this aval Battle Honour. It was notuntil 1951 that both regiments were grantedpermission to use the Naval Crown superscribcd-

'2nd. April, IBoI' (Army Order 136). Early inIB03 the Corps was renamed the 95th or 'RifleRegiment'.

C]Iie :Afr!poleoni£ Wars,1804-1815In IB03 the 1St battalion of the 52nd Regimentbecame the 52nd Light Infantry. Its 2nd battalionwas separated from it and became the 96thRegiment. In early July, with the threat of aFrench invasion, the regiment was sent to Shom­cliffe, where they were joined in January IB04by the 43rd, who had also been designated LightInfantry. With the 95th Rifles already at Shorn­cliffe the nucleus of the famous Light Divisionwas complete. While the troops waited 'for aninvasion that would never come, Sir John Moore,the commander at Shorncliffe, trained his men,sweeping away the time-honoured drill of thecighteenth century and laying the foundation fora new system that would produce 'the thinkingfighting man'. It was this perfect training inmovement and marksmanship that led WilliamNapier to write of the Light Division, in hisHistory qf the Peninsular War, 'Those three regi­mcnts were avowedly the best that England everhad in arms'.

In 1805, the 43rd and 52nd again raised 2ndbattalions, who remained at Hythe and elsewherein Kent until they were sent on active service in

A silver engraved medal,one--and-a-half inches indiameter, cOID.DleIDoratingthe ~Victoryoft' Copen­hagen' (Royal GreenJackets)

5

1807 and 1808. A 2nd battalion was also addedto the 95th Rifle Regiment, at Canterbury inMay 1805 who, in 1807, were employed in thestorming of Montevideo and the disastrous attackon Buenos Aires. Later in the same year bothbattalions of the 95th, along with the Ist/43rd,and the 2nd/52nd, took part in the surrender ofCopenhagen under Sir Arthur Wellesley.

In 1803 Britain and France were again at war.At Boulogne apoleon assembled a large invasionforce but soon abandoned the operation and, in1805, turned his gaze towards Austria, whosearmy he resoundingly defeated at the battle ofAusterlitz. With Vienna and much of his countryin the hands of the French, Emperor Francis IIwas obliged to sue for peace. By 1807 everyEuropean port, except those in Portugal, waspart of the 'Continental System' and thereforeclosed to the British. When the Portuguesegovernment rejectcd Napolcon's command toclose its ports, he sent an army under Junot acrossSpain to occupy the country. The occupation ofPortugal inevitably carried with it the occupationof Spain. With the Portuguese Royal Family inexile in Brazil, and apoleon's brother Josephsupplanting Charles IV as King of Spain, thcscene was now morc or less set for the start ofone of the longest and costliest wars of attritionin the nineteenth century, the Peninsular War.

The year 1808 saw the landing of a Britishexpeditionary force in Portugal under the com­mand ofthe army's youngest Lieutenant-General,Sir Arthur Wellesley. With this force were fourcompanies of the 2nd/95th and the 5th Qattalionof the 60th, who were joined into a Light Brigadefor the advance on Lisbon. The first shots of thePeninsular campaign were fired by the 95th,who came into contact with the French at thevillage of Obidos. The enemy evacuated theirposition but were pursued by the British, whoattacked them again near Roli~a and drove themoff. Wellesley, hcaring that reinforccments wereabout to land at Mondego Bay, halted his forceand took up an extcnded position near Vimieroto cover the disem barkation. With the reinforce­ments were the 2nd battalions of the 43rd and52nd regiments.

On the 21st the French attacked the Britishline but, largely due to the counter-attacks of the

6

Officer'sjacket, Sth battalion, 60th Royal AInerican Regimentc.•800 (Royal Green Jackets)

43rd and 52nd, they were repulsed. Thc followingis a description of the battle, written by theAdjutant of the 2nd/43rd, Lieutenant HenryBooth:

'About twelve o'clock on Sunday the 21st wesaw the French advancing rapidly upon us inlargc columns to attack our position. They had14,000 infantry and cavalry, with a large pro­portion of artillery.

'We had about 10,000, with a small quantityof artillery and only one regiment of cavalry.At half past twelve a heavy cannonading tookplace on both sides, then they threw severalshells with great effcct, but our artillcry, beingrcmarkably well directed, did considerable execu­tion, in spite of which the French still rapidlyand bravely advanced, till both sides GOt!he toclose quarters. I must observe that our General,being engaged in disposing of the regiments onthe right, did not order the 43rd to take a positionon thc left till the firing from both Iincs began;of course we were a little too late when we hadtaken up the position, for the French were literally

,

within five yards of us under cover of an embank­ment, we were ordered to suspend our fire andretire, to our no small chagrin you may be sure,for had we arrived there a few moments soonerthe French could not have forced our position.According to order we retired from a steep hillthrough a vineyard. The French seeing that gaveus a'dreadful and well-directed fire which killedand wounded great numbers and threw the regi­men t in entire confusion for the momen t. We rallieda short distance further, and immediately com­menced a fire which killed great numbers. TheFrench, being disconcerted, began to retire. Wecharged them. They were then generally con­fused, the victory was ours.'

'The RiAes, .. .' according to RiAeman Harris,' ... as usual were pretty busy in this battle. TheFre~ch, in great numbers, came steadily downupon us, and we pelted away upon them like ashower of leaden hail. Under any cover we couldfind we lay, firing one moment, jumping up andrunning for it the next; and, when we could seebefore us, we observed the cannonballs making alane through the enemy's columns as theyadvanced, huzzaing and shooting like madmen.'

'Such is my remembrance of the commence­ment of the battle of Vimiero ... The battlesoon became general; the smoke thickened around,and often I was obliged to stop firing and dashit aside from my face and try in vain to get asight of what was going on, whilst groans andshouts and a noise ofcannon and musketry appear­ed almost to shake the very ground. It seemed hellupon earth.'

A few days later the lSt/S2nd landed, but theConvention ofCintra, whereby the French agreedto evacuate Portugal, brought the campaign toan end. The leniency with which the French hadbeen treated caused an uproar in England andresulted in Wellesley and two other generals beingrecalled for a court of inquiry. The command ofthe army in Portugal, and the task of clearingthe French out of Spain, was given to Sir JohnMoore who, after concentrating his men aroundLisbo,n, marched north to join up with a forceunder SirJohn Baird who had arrived at Corunna.With Baird were the remaining five companies ofthe Ist/9Sth RiAes, four companies of the 2ndbattalion, the ISt/43rd regiment and the 2nd/60th.

The sth battalion of the 60th did not marchwith Moore's army but remained in Portugal,for its commanding officer had enlisted over ahundred French prisoners into the ranks andMoore could not be certain, when faced by theirformer friends, where their allegiance would lie.

In the winter of 1808-9 Napoleon himself wentto Spain to attempt to set matters right. Seeingthe road to France threatened by Moore'sadvancing army Napoleon turned on him withan enormous force. Due mainly to the abysmalperformance of the Spaniards, Moore was forcedto retreat towards Corunna in conditions any­thing but favourable.

" ,

'\

Light Infantry Officer's Sword, c. lB03. This weapon bearson the blade the cypher GR and the regimental numberXLm, denoting the 43rd (Monmouthsbire) Light Infantry.(Wilkinson-Latham Colleetion)

7

'Winter had now completely set in; ... theweather was unusually severe.' recorded WilliamSurtees of the Rifles, 'Our prospect therefore wasby no means a pleasant one. To commence aretreat in front of a greatly superior force, andwith the probability that other French armiesmight be before us and intercept our retreat uponthe sea, which was distant from us some 250miles, with the country in our rear being alreadyexhausted of everything that could contribute tooursupport, and with such excessively bad weatherto perform the retreat in, rendered it, I may say,as unpleasant a situation as troops could well beplaced in. Added to which, our commissariat wasby no means so efficient ... and our troops ingeneral being young, and unaccustomed toprivation, it was but too obvious, that should theretreat continue long, many would be thedisasters attending it.'

While the 1st/95th covered the retreat of the

main army to Corunna, the 2nd battalion, alongwith the Ist/43rd and 2nd/52nd, all under thecommand of Major-General Robert Craufurd,withdrew to Vigo. Even with the appalling con­ditions, the feared and respected 'Black· Beb'Craufurd kept an iron discipline throughout hiscommand. In one instance, when two men werecaught straying away from the main body,Craufurd immediately ordered a drumheadcourt-martial, which duly tried the culprits andsentenced them to receive one hundred lasheseach. When the sentence was passed, Craufurdheard a man in the ranks mutter somethinguncomplimentary and he was ordered immedi­ately three hundred lashes. When darkness fellthe column moved on, but stopped at dawn inorder that the punishment could be carried out.

Craufurd's footsore and weary men eventuallyreached their destination, immediately embarkedon the waiting transports and after waiting a few

A waterc::olour by K. M. Clayton depicting the 95th Rifle Brigade at the battle of Waterloo (National Army Museum)

8

~ I'\

J

days for stragglers, set sail for Portsmouth.Meanwhile Moore's army struggled on. Har­

assed daily by the French they finally reachedthe heights above Corunna on I I January.During the next thirty-six hours the bulk of thetransport ships' arrived and the embarkationbegan. JJ.!st before 2 p.m. on 16 January theFrench attacked. The battle that followed wasa hard fought and costly action, for amongst thecasualties was Sir John Moore, who was mortallywounded by grapeshot, his left shoulder shatteredand a gaping hole in his left breast with thearm only attached to his body by thin strips ofskin. The command passed to Sir John Hopewho pressed home the British advance, whileMoore was carried back down to Corunna by sixsoldiers -:vho supported his shattered body in ablanket slung from two poles.

When the French had finally been beaten offthe troops embarked on the transports and,leaving their commander buried in the citadel,set sail for England.

On their arrival in England both battalions ofthe 43rd were quartered at Colchester and thoseof the 52nd at Deal, where they werc rapidlybrought up to full strength. The two battalionsof the 95th were stationed at Hythe, where theywere completed up to a strength of 1,000 meneach. So many volunteers came forward that theregiment was granted permission to raise a 3rdbattalion. While the 5th battalion of the 60thremained in Portugal, the 2nd battalion was for ashort time quartered on the Channel Islandsbefore being despatched to the West Indies.

In April 1809, Sir Arthur Wellesley, restored tohis command, arrived in Portugal, spent a weekorganizing his army and leaving a force to guardthe eastern frontier, marched to attack the FrenchArmy of the North under Marshal Soult who,with some 13,000 men had reached Oporto.Forcing a passage across the· River Douro,Wellesley sent Soult back into Spain and thenadvanced on Madrid.

After four months at home the 1st/95th Rifles,Ist/43rd and Ist/52nd sailed from England underthe command of Brigadier-General Craufurd.On landing in Portugal Craufurd's men marchedfor Lisbon, then proceeded up the Tagus Riverin boats and finally began a forced march from

Vallada, which Craufurd hoped would bringhim into contact with Wellesley whom he knewwas in touch with the enemy at Talavera.Unfortunately, by the time the Light Brigadearrived on 29 July, the battle had been foughtand the French had withdrawn.

Although the regiments as a whole missed theba ttle, they were each represented in the actionby a single company. In one of his despatches,Wellesley spoke highly of the 5th/60th, whose' ... steadiness and discipline ... were con­spicuous.' With the British victory at Talaveraoperations came to a standstill until the followingyear.

On 26 August ,809, the founder of the 95thRifle Regiment, Colonel Coote Manningham,died aged forty-four, from an illness brought onby the Peninsular campaign, in which he hadcommanded a brigade during the retreat toCorunna.

On 22 February 1810, Lord Wellington, as SirArthur Wellesley had become, issued a GeneralOrder which attached the 1St and 3rd battalionsof the Portuguese Ca~adores to Brigadier Crau­furd's Brigade, which was thereafter to be styledthe Light Division. A further General Order,issued on 4 August, divided the Division into twobrigades, the 43rd, 3rd Ca~adores and fourcompanies of the 95th in one and the 52nd, 1stCa~adores and four companies of the 95th in theother. Also attached to the Light Division wasCaptain Ross's (Chestnut Troop) of HorseArtillery.

There were four more years of bloody cam­paigning in the Peninsular in which the LightDivision and the 60th participated to the full,earning these regiments numerous ballie honours.

BUSACO, 27 September 1810. Wellington,realising that he was too weak to face the im­mense French army that had poured into Spainretired once again to Portugal. It was at theRidge of Busaco that he stopped and with his50,000 men halted Massena's advance. Fivecompanies of the 60th were engaged and lost fiveofficers and twenty-four other ranks. In his des­patch, Wellington specially mentioned the hardwork accomplished by the Light Division andrecommended that a sergeant from each regimentshould be nominated by his commanding officer

9

'The Morning of Waterloo' by J. D. Aylward. The Duke of Wellington and his stafF taking tea with the 95th (Royal GreenJackets)

tI

I '

for promotion to the rank of ensign. As the enemywere too strong to be permanently held Wellingtonretired to the previously prepared lines of TorresVedras to winter.

BARROSA, 4 March 18//. In southern Spainpart of the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 95thformed part of the small British division thatdefeated a French force ofnearly twice its strength.

FUENTES D'ONORO, 3-5 May 18lI. InMarch 181 I, Massena, after a very hard winter,retired to Spain, closely followed by Wellington.At Fuentes D'Oiioro Massena turned on hispursuers and attacked. At this battle the LightDivision and the 60th greatly distinguishedthemselves.

ALBUHERA , 16 May 18lI. A detachmentof the Anglo-Portuguese army, which includedfour companies of the 60th, under the temporarycommand ofWilliam Beresford, beat offa spiritedattempt by Soult to break through to the besiegedcity of Badajoz. It is interesting to note that

10

Captain John Galiffe and Rifleman Loochstadt,both of the 60th, were present at Fuentes D'Oiioroand Albuhera. Rifleman Loochstadt was oneof only two men to receive the Military GeneralService medal with fifteen clasps. Captain, laterColonel, Galiffe was entitled to fourteen clasps.

CIUDAD RODRIGO, 8-19 January 1812.After ten days of preparation, two breaches werestormed on the evening of 19 January, the lesserbreach by the Light Division. The losses on bothsides were very heavy, the one most deeply feltby the British was that of 'Black Bob' Craufurd,who was mortally wounded shortly after theassault began.

BADAJOZ, /7 March-6 April 1812. An 1811, #

Wellington had made an unsuccessful attempt tocapture Badajoz in which the British sufferedheavy casualties. His second attempt was asuccess but cost him more than 300 officers and5,000 men of his Anglo-Portuguese army: theLight Division, under the command of Lieu-

tenant-Colonel Barnard, being amongst theheaviest sufferers. In Wellington's despatch,dated 'Camp before Badajoz, 7 April 1812.' hereported that 'In Lieutenant-Colonel M'Leod,of the 43rd regiment, who was killed in thebreach, His Majesty has sustained the loss of anofficer who was an ornament to his profession,and~ capable of rendering the most importantservices to his country. I must likewise mentlonLieutenant-Colonel Gibbs of the 52nd regiment,who was wounded, and Major O'Hare of the95th, unfortunately killed in the breach ...Lieutenant-General Picton has reported to meparticularly the conduct of Lieutenant-ColonelWilliams of the 60th ... '

SALAMANCA, 22 July 1812. The capture ofCiuda? Rodrigo and Badajoz opened the roadto Spain for Wellington to pursue and engageMarshal Marmont's French army. On 22 July,Wellington pounced on Marmont, inflictingheavy c<\sualties and forcing him to evacuateMadrid. On 3' October, Wellington's armyquitted Madrid and began their return marchacross the Guadarrama Mountains with theCavalry and Light Division acting as rearguard.

In May ,813 Wellington, with a refreshed andreinforced army, left Portugal and marchednorthwards, forcing the French to withdrawtowards the Pyrenees. Burdened by a large trainof waggons and camp followers, King Josephdecided to make a stand at Vittoria. On 2 I JuneWellington attacked and gained a splendidvictory, capturing over '50 guns. The LightDivision, divided into two brigades and all thecompanies of the 5th/60th were heavily engaged.

Accompanying Wellington's despatch was astand ofColours and the French MarshalJourdan'sbaton. In accepting these the Prince Regentwrote to Wellington, on 3July, 'My Dear Lord,­Your glorious conduct is beyond all human praise,and far above my reward; ... You have sent me... the staff of a French marshal, and I send youin return that of England.'

Napoleon received the news of the disaster inSpain on I July, and realising the consequencesit might have, despatched Marshal Soult tocommand a single unified army in Spain.Unfortunately it was too late, for Wellingtonpushed the French back across the Pyrenees into

France and defeated them at Nivelle, Nive,Orthez and finally laid siege to and stormedToulouse. On 12 April 18, 4, news reachedWellington that Russian, Prussian and Austriantroops, Britain's allies, had entered Paris. On6 April ,8'4, Emperor Napoleon I abdicated.

Sir William Napier, in his English Battles andSieges in the Peninsular, summed up the six yearsof bloody conflict when he wrote, ' ... thoseveterans had won nineteen pi tched battles andinnumerable combats; had made or sustainedten sieges and taken four great fortresses; hadtwice expelled the French from Portugal, oncefrom Spain; had penetrated France, and hadkilled, wounded or captured two hundredthousand enemies-leaving of their own numberforty thousand dead, whose bones whiten theplains and mountains of the Peninsular'.

During the Peninsular War the 5th/60thgained sixteen battle honours and sustained a lossof sixty-eight officers and 767 other ranks killedand wounded, with two officers and 225 menmissing. The ISt battalion, which had alwaysbeen quartered in America, was brought toEngland, with the 4th battalion, in 1810, butwere shortly afterwards sent to the Cape ofC-oodHope and Dominica. In 18, 3, two additionalbattalions, the 7th and 8th, also dressed in green,had been raised at Gibraltar and Lisbon. By 1815,dark green clothing had been adopted by thewhole regiment, but as all the battalions wereoverseas in 1815 they were not present in theWaterloo campaign. After the fall ofNapoleon andthe return of peace the inevitable reductions in thearmy followed, cutting the 60th down to twobattalions.

The Ist/43rd arrived in England in July ,8'4and was quartered at Plymouth where it wassoon joined by the 2nd battalion from Hythe.The Ist/52nd, on their return to England, wereat Hythe and Chatham. The 2nd battalion, whichhad gone to Holland in 1813 and Belgium in ,8'4,later transferred its effectives to the ISt battalionand returned home.

The three battalions of the 95th Rifles arrivedin England in July 18 I 4.

On 10 October 1814, the ISt/43rd embarkedfor America, where it arrived on 31 Decemberin time to take part in the unsuccessful attack on

II

Ammunition pouch and belt, other ranks, 95th Ri8es, c. 1815 (National Ar:rny Museum)

·'

ew Orleans. Five companies of the 3rd/9Sthwere also present. The operations in NorthAmerica ended in January 181S, but the 43rddid not arrive in England until June, when theywere rapidly made up to full strength and sentto Belgium, missing the battle of Waterloo, butin time for the allied march on Paris.

In January 18'5, the Ist/S2nd embarked fromPortsmouth to Cork, where reinforcements wereassembling for North America. Held up by galesthey were finally sent to Belgium for apoleonhad escaped from Elba and had landed in France.The Hundred Days had begun.

Within eighteen days of his landing Napoleonwas installed in Paris, and Louis XVIII and hisentourage had fled to Ghent. Most of the Royalistarmy and most of its Marshalsjoined the returnedEmperor, who now decided to strike at his twomain enemies, Britain and Prussia, massed on hisnorth-eastern frontier.

Within a month of the escape from Elba,Wellington was in Brussels preparing his forces.He was sure that the Corsican would try anddestroy his and BlUcher's armies separately. Butwhere would the first blow fall?

On IsJune apoleon crossed the frontier and,

12

pushing the Prussians before him, got withintwenty-five miles of Brussels. At two o'clock on

Officer's belt plate, 1800-1820, of the S2nd Light Infantry(Royal Green Jackets)

;I

1

the 16th, the French attacked on a two-mile front,engaging the Prussians at Ligny and the Britishat Quatre-Bras. At Ligny they managed to splitBlucher's army in two and drive it back to Wavrebut at Quatre-Bras their attack was checked. Onthe 17th, apoleon sent Marshal Grouchy and33,000 men in pursuit of the Prussians, while themain weiltt of his army was flung against Wel­lington, who had withdrawn his troops to theridge at Waterloo. On the morning of Sunday18 June, Napoleon attacked both flanks of theAllied position.

On 22 June, an anxious public was informed,through the columns of The Times, that, 'TheDuke of Wellington's Dispatch, dated Waterloo,19 of June, states that on the preceding dayBUONAPARTE attacked, with his whole force,the British'line, supported by a corps ofPrussians:which attack, after a long and sanguinary con­flict, terminated in the complete Overthrow ofthe Enemy's Army, with the loss of 01 EHU DRED and FIFTY PIECES of CAN ONand TWO EAGLES. During the night, thePrussians under Marshal BLOCHER, who joinedin the pursuit of the enemy, captured SIXTYGUNS, and a large part of BUONAPARTE'SBAGGAGE. The Allied Armies continued topursue the enemy. Two French Generals weretaken.'

Ensign'Leeke, of the 52nd, described hisfeelings as he faced the enemy on that memorableday. 'I distinctly saw the French artilleryman gothrough the whole process of sponging out oneof the guns and reloading it; I could see that itwas pointed at our square, and when it was dis­charged I caught sight of the ball, which appearedto be in a direct line for me; I thought, shall Imove? No! I gathered myself up, and stoodfirm, with the colour in my right hand. I do notexactly know the rapidity with which cannonballsfly, but I think that two seconds elapsed from thetime that I saw this shot leave the gun until itstruck the front face of the square. It did not strikethe four men in rear of where I was standing,but the four poor fellows on their right'.

In his report to Lord Hill, Sir H. Clinton saidthat, 'The manner in which ... the 2nd and 3rdBattalions, 95th under Lieutenant-Colonels Nor­cott and Ross discharged their duty was witnessed

and admired by the whole Army.'After marching on Paris, the 43rd, 52nd and

95th regiments served with the Army of aceupa­tion before embarking for England.

19th (intury @mpaigns43rd (Monmouthshire Light lrifantry): 1817, 2ndbattalion disbanded; 1824, Gibraltar; 1827,Lisbon; 1831, England; 1835, Canada; 1846,England; 1848, Ireland; 1851, South Africa­2nd Kaffir War; 1852, a draft ofone sergeant andforty men, under Ihe command of LieutenantGiradot, were on board the Birkenhead when,seven hours out of Simonstown, she struck a rockand sank off Danger Point; 1853, India.

5:md (Oxfordshire Light Infantry): 1816, 2ndbattalion disbanded; 1821, Ireland; 1823, NorthAmerica; 1833, Ireland; 1836, Gibraltar; 1838,West Indies; 1842, Canada; 1847, England;1851, Ireland; 1853, India.

60th (Royal American) Regiment: 1824, titlechanged to 'The 60th Duke of York's Own Rifle

Officer's oval gilt belt plate, with Crown Bugle and DUDlberDtounted in silver, c. ]810. The wearing of a gilt plate isUDusual, as the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Light Infantry werea silver.laced regim.ent unti11830 (Royal Green Jackets)

Corps'; 1830, title again changed to 'The 60thKing's Royal Rifle Corps'; 1845, India-2ndSikh War, 1849 (1st Btn.); 1851, South Africa­2nd Kaffir War (2nd Bm.); 1855, 3rd battalionre-raised; 1857, 4th battalion re-raised.

95th or Rifle Regiment: 1816, removed from theLine and styled the Rifle Brigade; 1839-46,Ionian Islands, Malta and Canada; 1846, SouthAfrica-1St Kaffir War (1St Bm.); 1850, England;1851, South Africa-2nd Kaffir War (1st Btn.);1854, Ist and 2nd battalions proceed to the Crimea

13

Sword presented by the officers ot the 1St Bn. RiJlc Brigadeto Major General Sir Andrew Francis Barnard, K.C.B. in1820 (Royal Green Jackets)

14

where they were engaged at Alma, Inkerman andthe siege of Sebastopol. Of the regiment, Major­General Spencer remarked, concerning ' ... theirsoldier-like qualities and habits of discipline.'that 'The greatest proofs of these are the successwhich always attended their separate importantundertakings against the enemy, and also theirspeedy recovery from the effects of hardshipsthey, as well as every other regiment in thatarmy, experienced in the winters of 1854-5';,855, 3rd battalion re-raised; 1856, 1st and 2ndbattalions return to England; 1857, 4th battalionadded-2nd and 3rd battalions to India.

In March ,857, the Commander-in-Chief ofthe Madras Army wrote, 'The loyalty and fidelityof the native troops have been often severelytried ... But human endurance has a limit andI emphatically warn the Government that thelimit has been reached in the army.' CaptainMartineau, of the musketry school at Amballa,wrote to a colleague on 5 May, 'I am afraid to sayI can detect the near approach of the storm ...but can't say how, when or where it will break 1forth .. .' Five days later, on '0 May, 'TheDevil's Wind', that was to sweep across Bengaland parts of central India erupted at Meerut, agarrison town some forty miles north-east ofDelhi. :

The 1st/60th, stationed in India since ,845, .\formed part of the European garrison at Meerutand were mustering for church parade when themutiny occurred. The senior officer on parade,Captain Muter, immediately sent a company to

secure the treasury and issued ammunition fromthe regimental magazine. Due to the hesitation onthe part ofthe military commanders, the mu tineerswere able to leave the town and head for Delhi,the former capital of the Mughal emperor. Thenext morning, the mutilated bodies of womenand children were found everywhere. The 60th, [under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel JohnJones, ' .... came upon the corpse of Mrs. IChambers, who had recently arrived frOll'i England ""and was a general favourite in society, lying in aditch and literally cut to piecet Horror-strickenat the sight, officers and men raised their weaponsin the air and vowed to avenge her death.' Theballalion and their leader, known later as 'Jonesthe Avenger', made good their oath.

Under Brigadier Archdale Wilson the Meerutgarrison marched in pursuit of the rebels andfought two actions, in which the battalion took aprominent part. On 7 June, the column joinedthe army under Sir Henry Barnard at Alighurand moved agaitlj;t Delhi where, after clearingthe ridge overlooking the cantonments and thecity, ther'Settied in. The siege of Delhi hadbegun.

The 52nd, at Sealkote when the mutiny began,joined a movable column being formed atWuzeerabad and for the next three monthswere at Lahore, Umritsar, Jullundur and otherplaces, taking part in the disarming of variousnative regiments. In August they joined the forcebesieging Delhi.

On 13 September, after six days of heavybombardment, two breaches, one on the rightof the Kashmir Gale and Ihe other to the left ofthe water bastion, were reported practicable, andorders for an assault, to be made by four columns,were immediately issued. No. I Column, underBrigadier-General Nicholson, was to storm thebreach near the Kashmir Gate, NO.2 Column,under Brigadier William Jones, the breach, nearthe water bastion, NO.3 Column, under ColonelCampbell of the 52nd, which included 200 menof his regiment, were to storm the Kashmir Gateafter it had been blown in. NO.4 Column was tocapture the suburbs and then enter the KabulGate when it was opened by Nicholson. Therewere also 200 men of the 60th, who were split upin skirmishing order to cover the advance of theassaulting columns.

At daybreak the 52nd had got within 500 yardsof tile gate. The 60th Rifles covered the advance,with the storming party of the 52nd behind themwith, in the rear, the supports and the mail) bodyof the column. The bridge in front of the gatehad been destroyed but planks were quickly laidacross the gap and Lieutenants Home and Salkeld,with a party ofSappers and Miners, went forwardto blow the gate open. With the party was BuglerHawthorn of the 52nd, who was to sound theregimental call as soon as the way was clear.With bullets flying around them, the little groupof men managed to lay the charge and set thefuse and with a shattering explosion, the gatewas blown in. Lieutenant Home then ordered

Offic:er, 43rd (MoDIllouthsbire) Light InCantry, c. 18p.(Parker Gallery)

Bugler Hawthorn to sound the advance but, withthe noise of the assault, it was not heard. ColonelCampbell witnessed the explosion and orderedhis men forward and through the gate.

The assaults were successful and by nightfallthe city was partially occupied. It was not until20 September that the place was completely inBritish hands.

The siege and capture of Delhi gained twoVictoria Crosses for the 52nd-Bugler Hawthornand Private Smith, and seven for the 60th­Lieutenant Heathcote, Colour-Sergeants Waller

15

and Garvin, Bugler Sutton and Riflemen Divane,Thompson and Turner.

The S2nd were not engaged after the fall ofDelhi and spent the winter atJullundur, returningto Sealkote in 1858 and finally embarking forEngland in 1864. In 1858 the 1st/60th formedpart of the Roorkee Field Force, under Brigadier­General Jones, which operated against thc rebelsin April and May, then they took part in thecampaign in Oudh. The 2nd/60th, which arrivedfrom South Africa in 1858, were engaged in thefinal suppression of the mutiny.

During the early months of the rebellion, the43rd were stationed at Madras and Bangaloreand it was not until September that they wereused for the first time, in disarming the mutinous8th Native Cavalry at Vellore. Between Januaryand July 1858, the regiment covered 1,300 miles,between Madras and Calpce, clearing the districtsof rebels. At thc end of 1858, with the mutinyalmost completely suppressed, the regiment re-

Officer'" be1.l-topped shako, c. 1835 (Royal Green Jackets)

16

turned to the Madras Presidency until it wasordered to New Zealand in 1863.

On the outbreak of the mutiny, the 2nd and3rd battalions of the Rifle Brigade were im­mediately sent from England, landing in Calcuttaat different times in November 1857. This was thefirst occasion that any part of the regiment hadserved in India. Their first action was at Cawn­pore, where the 2nd battalion was joined in thenick of time by the 3rd, who had made a forcedmarch of forty-nine miles in twenty-six hours,dressed in European uniforms and shakos, inintense heat.

h was during the subsequent fighting aroundCawnpore that a rather amusing incident oc­curred. In the course of the 3rd battalion'sadvance, Captain Atherley's company werenearing the canal when they were approachedby an agitated mounted officer who ordered themto fix bayonets. Indignantly, Atherley replied,'We have not got any bayonets; we have swords,''Well,' said the other, 'fix what you have got.'Saying this the officer turned his horse and gallopedoff.

During the fighting around Lucknow, CaptainHenry Wilmot of the 2nd battalion won theVictoria Cross when he kept a large force ofmutineers at bay with his revolver, while a wound­ed man was being removed to safety. Both bat­talions were mentioned by Major-General SirJames Outram in his despatches; 'The spirit anddash of the men during this critical operation wasmost remarkable and merits my highest com­mendation. '

For the remainder of the rebellion, the twobattalions were engaged in dispersing and de­stroying the numerous rebel bands that roamedthe countryside. Writing of the 2nd battalion,William Howard Russell, The Times correspon­dent, sent home the following; 'The Rifle Brigade,!who are with us, are as hard as nails; faces tannedbrown and muscles hardened into whipcord; and Ito see them step over the grounq".with their~

officers marching beside them is a very fine sightfor those who have an eye for real first-class·soldiers. Lord Clyde is greatly pleased wi th the.officers because they do not ride on ponies asmany officers of other regiments are accustomedto do.'

The 2nd battalion remained in India until1867, when it returned home, but the 3rd didnot leave until 1870 and, after spending a year inAden, arrived at Portsmouth on 1January 1872.

The 43rd, under the command of Lieutenant­Colonel H. J. P. !Booth, reached Auckland ( ewZealand) on 1 I December 1863, and proceededto OtahU'ta. It was not until the end of April ofthe following year that the regiment encounteredthe Maoris, when a small detachment, underMajor F. M. Colville, was ambushed near FortMaketu. A week later, in the assault of the GatePah, the natives were defeated but only after avery severe combat, in which the 43rd sufferedheavy casualties: nine officers, including Lieu­tenant-Colonel Booth who died of wounds, andthirty-two other ranks. On 21 June Captain F. A.Smith won the Victoria Cross in the action atTauranga when, although wounded, he jumpeddown into the rifle-pits and engaged the enemyin a hand-to-hand combat. A number of smallactions took place during the next two years afterwhich, in March 1866, the regiment sailed forEngland. They continued to serve at home, inthe Channel Islands and Ireland, until inSeptember 1872, they embarked once again forIndia. In ,879, the regiment moved to Burma,returning to India in 1882 before embarking forhome inJanuary 1887, where they were quarteredin the south of England, followed in 1893, byanother tour in Ireland.

In March 1865, the 52nd arrived at Portsmouthfrom India, but the following year they were sentto Dublin, owing to the Fenian riots. The regimentleft Ireland in 1868 and after service on Malta andGibraltar, returned to England in ,874. In 1881,they moved gack to Ireland before moving toGibraltar, in 1884, and the following year toEgypt, where they supplied a detachment toserve with the Mounted Infantry in the NileExpedition. During the years ,886-1903, theregiment was stationed at various places in Indiaand took part in the Tirah cxpedi tion andnumerous other warlike operations on the North­West Frontier.

In 1860, the 1st/60th embarked for England,while the 2nd battalion, under Lieutenant­Colonel F. R. Palmer, set sail for China with theforce under General Sir Hope Grant. After taking

part in the siege of the Taku Forts and the captureof Peking, the regiment quitted China and by thespring of 1862 were back in England. The 4th/60th were despatched to Canada in 1861, wherethey helped to guard the frontier while theAmerican Civil War was in progress, returninghome in 1869. The year, 867 saw the 1st battalionmoved to Canada where, in 1870, they took partin the Red River Expedition against Louis Rieland his followers.

Twenty years after the Mutiny the 2nd/60thwere once morc stationed in India, taking partin the 1st Afghan War, in which they gained thebattle honours, Ahmed Khel, Kandahar andAfghanistan 1878-80. Meanwhilethe3rd battalionwas in South Africa, engaged in the second phaseof the Zulu War. It was in Zululand that BrevetLieutenant-Colonel R. H. Buller, later to becomeone of the most distinguished and controversialmilitary commanders of his day, won the VictoriaCross, when during the retreat at Inhlobane, herescued Captain D'Arcy and carried him tosafety on his own horse. Eighteen months afterthe Zulu War, the 3rd/60th took part in thedisastrous Boer War of 188 I.

In 1862, Queen Victoria, desiring toperpetuate the remembrance of her belovedhusband's connection with the Rifle Brigade ... 'commanded that the words 'The Prince Consort'sOwn' be added to the regimental title. The fourbattalions of the regiment were very active duringthe period 1864-98, taking part in many of thesmall wars and punitive expeditions that occurredduring the closing years of the Victorian era:

1St Battalion: Third Burma War, 1885-7.2nd Battalion: Ashanti War, 1873-4; iIe

Expedition, 1884 (detachment); Second AshantiExpedition, 1895-6 (detachment); MashonalandCampaign, 1896-7 (detachment); Khartoumand Omdurman, ,898.

3rd Battalion: Nile Expedition, 1884 (CamelCorps); Tochi Expedition, 1897.

4th Battalion: Canada, Fenian Raids, 1865;Expedition against the Jowakis (North-WestFrontier), 1877; First Afghan War, 1878--80;Expedition against the Waziris (North-WestFrontier), 188,; Pokan Expedition (Burma),,888-9; Mashonaland Campaign (detachment),1896--7.

17

I

Officers, N.C.O.'s and other ranks of the RiOe Brigade in various orders of Dress, c. 1840. A watercolour by R. Simkin(National Army Museum)

In 1878 a committee was set up under EdwardCardwcll to study the organisation of the BritishArmy. In 1881, the findings of the committeewere put into effect, converting log numberedregiments of foot into territorially-titled regi­ments. The 43rd (Monmouthshire Light In­fantry) and the 52nd (Oxfordshire Light Infantry),were united as the 1st and 2nd Battalions of theOxfordshire Light Infantry. The 60th King'sRoyal Rifle Corps just dropped their number andthe Rifle Brigade's full title did an about face,from The Prince Consort's Own (Rifle Brigade)to The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort'sOwn).

In 1877 the Transvaal Boer Republic, on theverge of bankruptcy and surrounded by warlikeBantus, was annexed by Britain. Four yearslater the Boers, under Paul Kruger, regainedtheir independence, after the first Boer War; butin 1886, gold was discovered on the Witwatersrandbringing with it an influx of wllanders. With thearrival of these newcomers fresh tcnsions de­veloped which culminated in the famous anddisastrous Jameson Raid in 1896. In the autumn

18

of 1899, the long-standing disputes betweenBritain and the Transvaal came to a head, whenKruger issued an ultimatum to the BritishGovernment demanding the immediate with­drawal of her armed forces from the Transvaal'sfrontier. On Wednesday I I October, ' ... at teatime ... ', as The Times humorously put it,Great Britain and the Transvaal Republic, alliedwith the Orange Free Statc, were at war.

CjIie ~oerWarThe Second Boer War, or South African War,was to prove the greatest conflict in wh'chBritain had been engaged in the nineteenthcentury since the apoleonic Wars. This 'Las ofthe Gentlemen's Wars', which as yaual the Bri hpublic felt sure was going to be a rapid 0lasted two-and-a-half years, cost [222,000,and involved 45°,000 Imperial troops of wh'ch22,000 died, just under three quarters of themfrom disease.

After waiting for more than a week on their

A young officer of the 43rd, sbowing the unifonn c. 1850(Parker Gallery)

frontiers the Transvaal and Orange Free Stateburghers advanced. In view of the vast area in­volved, the Boers moved east and west to cut therailways which were vital to the British. On thewest a large portion of track was captured andthe towns of Kimberley and Mafeking sur­rounded.

At Talana Hill, the first clash of the war, the1St/60th greatly distinguished themselves in theattack on the Boer position. Lieutenant-ColonelGunning, commanding the battalion, was killedleading his men. Out of seventeen officers, the1st had five killed and eight wounded along withmany N.C.O.s and Riflemen. After the battle ageneral retirement to Ladysmith was ordered.Joubert's men captured the railway to the southand cu t the town off. Wi th the three now famoussieges of Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmithunder way, thousands of British troops wererendered completely useless.

The 2nd/60th, who had landed in Natal, werein Ladysmith waiting to greet the ,st battalion.After the relief of the town, in February IgOO,

the 1St and 2nd battalions were with the 8thBrigade, 5th Dvision until, on I August ,goo,the 2nd proceeded to Ceylon with a boat-load ofBoer prisoners.

The grd/60th left England in November ,8gg,and took part in all the battles for the relief ofLadysmith, including Colenso, where LieutenantF. H. S. Roberts was killed while trying to savethe guns. For this gallant action, he was awarded·the Victoria Cross, the first time that the son of aV.C. (Lord Roberts) was similarly decorated.

In August IgOO, the 1st/60th were present atthe battle at Belfast and subsequently assisted inthe occupation of Lydenburg. On 16 October,they returned to Middelburg, where they werecontinually engaged in many minor operationsuntil July 'gOI, when they proceeded to theCape Colony, occupying seventy miles of Block­houses between De Aar and the Orange Riveruntil the end of the war.

The 1st Battalion Oxfordshire Light Infantry(4grd) arrived in Cape Town from England on14 January IgOO, and moved via Naauwpoort,Thebus and Modder River to take part in theoperations for the relief of Kimberley. On themorning of 15 February the regiment, after amarch of twenty-seven miles, reached Klip Driftand the next day bore the brunt of the fightingat Klip Kraal, sustaining some fifty casualties.Under cover of darkness the Boers, under Cronje,evacuated their position. On the night of the'7/r8 February, the battalion, part of the 'gthInfantry Brigade, 6th Division, bivouacked sometwo miles from Paardeberg Drift.

On the morning ofthe 18th, the British attacked.Severe fighting continued until dark and a verygallant charge cost the regiment in killed andwounded three officers and thirty-two other ranks.Although after twelve hours ofcontinuous fightingthe Boer laager remained uncaptured, Cronje'sforce was now surrounded. During the followingwcck Cronje's position was subjected to a severebombardment, while the infantry entrenchedthemselves and waited. At 6 a.m. on 27 FebruaryCronje unconditionally surrendered with 4,000men. The British now began preparation for theinvasion of the Orange Free State.

By 14 March the 6th Division had occu piedBloemfontein, where they remained while Lord

/9

Roberts marched on Pretoria, the capital of theTransvaal. During August and September, theregiment was employed in operations against DeWet, marching more than 500 miles beforereaching Heilbron on 3 October, where theystayed until June 190 I, afterwards moving on toKroonstad, Bloemfontein and then to MadderRiver. In September the regiment began block­house duties which occupied it up to the end ofthe war.

The 2nd Rifle Brigade arrived at Durban, fromCrete, and was moved north to Ladysmith, where,only four days after landing, they were besiegedin the town. The I st battalion arrived fromSouthampton on 25 November and joined SirRedvers Buller's army. At Colenso the battalionwas only lightly engaged but Captain Walter

Congreve, serving on the Staff, was awarded theVictoria Cross for trying to save the guns andthen, although wounded, returning to rescueLieutenant Roberts of the 60th.

Five days before the battle of CoJenso, on 10Deccmber 1899, five companies of the 2nd/RifleBrigade carried out a sortie from Ladysmith todestroy a Boer howitzer on a strongly-held heightcalled Surprise Hill. Sergeant W. E. Dantondescribed the way the riflemen fought their wayback after having accomplished their mission.'There was not time for thought but to act atonce and fight our way through at the point ofthe sword; bullets were flying like hailstorms ...My captain was shot ... He shouted for me toform up my men and get the wounded inside,which we did; during that time men were shot

Pioneers of the 43rd (MollJDouthshire) Light Infantry in Ireland, c. 1850. Note the aprons and various tools worn (parkerGallery)

20

Wing epaulettes or an officer or the 43rd, c.•850 (Royal Green Jackets)

on each side of me. After forming up we chargedthe Boers and cut our way through ... Afterthis we made for our entrenchments at which,thank God, we arrived safely after five hourshard fighting.'

At Vaal Krantz, the 1St battalion, together withthe 1St Durham Light Infantry, took a very activepart in holding the position they had won fortwenty-four hours. One of the correspondents ofthe Standard speaking of this action commented,'J t is to the gallantry of the Durhams and theRiAe Brigade that the achievement of stormingVaal Krantz and the walled farm-houses on theright is due.'

After the reliefof Ladysmith, the 2nd battalionwas employed in the Eastern Transvaal, on trekin various flying columns and in garrisoningLydenberg.

In addition to the 1st Oxfordshire Light In­fantry, K.R.R.C. and the RiAe Brigade, a largenumber of men from these battalions were alsoemployed as Mounted Infantry and did some veryvaluable work. Besides these there was also acomposite RiAe Battalion which was formed inNatal from drafts of the 1St and 2nd RiAe Brigade

and the K.R.R.C. Referring to this battalion SirRedvers Buller said, in his despatch of 30 MarchIgOO, 'I was much struck by the way in which aBattalion made up of drafts ... and officered by2nd Lieutenants worked.'

At the conclusion of the war and for the nexttwelve ycars, thc 1St Oxfordshire Light Infantry,King's Royal RiAe Corps and RiAe Brigadecontinued to provide garrisons for the Empire­Malta, Gibraltar, India, Burma and Egypt beingjust a few of the stations at which they werequartered. In Ig08, with the disbandment of the3rd battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry(Royal Bucks Militia), the title of the regularregiment was changed to 'The Oxfordshire andBuckinghamshire Light Infantry'.

As a result of the South African War, a lot ofthe cobwebs were dusted out of Horse Guards.The tactical errors, bad supply and trainingforced a wave of reforms which transformed thearmy into the most efficient regular military forcein the world, for its size, and prepared it for thecoming conAict which was to shake the founda­tions of the world.

21

CjIie great 'War

'You are leaving home to fight for the safetyand honour of my Empire.

Belgium, whose country we are pledged todefend,

has been attacked and France is about to beinvaded by the same powerful foe.

I have implicit confidence in you my soldiers.Duty is your watchword, and I know your dutywill be nobly done.

I shall follow your every movement withdeepest interest and mark with eagersatisfaction your daily progress, indeed yourwelfare will never be absent from mythoughts.

I pray God to bless you and guard you andbring you back victorious.'

(His Majesty King George V's message to histroops.)

The Oxfordshire and BuckinghamshireLight Infantry (43rd/52nd)

Battalions raised: seventeen. Died: 5,878.Battle Honours: fifty-nine, of which the follow­ing were au thorised to be carried on the Coloursand appointments: Mons; Ypres, '9'4, "7;Langemarck, 1914, I I 7; Nonne Bosschen; Somme,1916, ' 18; Cambrai, 1917, '18; Piave; Doiran,'9'7, ',8; Ctesiphon; Defence of Kut al Amara.

The above honours were emblazoned on theKing's Colour, and not the Regimental Colour.

Victoria Crosses awarded to the Regimentduring the First World War:

Company Sergeant-Major Edward Brooks, 2nd/4th Bin.

France, 28 April 19/7'for most conspicuous gallantry. This WarrantOfficer, while taking part in a raid on the enemy'strenches, saw that the front wave was checked byan enemy machine-gun at close quarters. On hisown initiative, and regardless of personal danger,he rushed forward from the second wave with theobject of capturing the gun, killing one of thegunners with his revolver, and bayonetting an-

22

Sugunt.Major's coatee, .ord Light lnCantry, c. 1850. Notethe badge of rank, a croWD above four downward pointingchevroD5 in silver lace, and the use or lace on cufF, collar and rwings (Royal Green Jackets)

other. The remainder of the gun's crew then made Ioff, leaving the gun in his possessio",,",Company ~

Sergeant-Major Brooks then turned the machine­gun on to the retreating enemy, after which he I

carried it back into our lines. By his courage and.initiative he undoubtedly prevented manycasualties, and greatly added to the success ofthe operations.' .

Corporal A. Wilcox, 2nd/4th Bin., France, /2 Sep-tember /9/8

'During a local operation on the morning of 12September [918, in front of Laventie, [he flankplatoon of A Company, 2/4th Battalion Oxfordand Bucks Light, Infantry, was held up by heavyand persistant machine-gun fire from a trenchabout s~nty yards distant. Finding it impossibleto advance, Lance-Corporal Wilcox crawledtowards the trench with four men, bombed it,and finally rushed the nearest to him, disposedof the gunner, and, being unable to take the gunalong with him, put it oUI of action. .

'He then worked his way up the trench, bombedthe next gun position (during which action two ofhis section were wounded), and himself againrushed the gun, killed the gunner in a hand-to­hand struggle, and put the gun out of action.

'In spite of the reduced number of his party,this N.C.O. continued his advance up thetrench. Bombing the gun positions, he killed onegunner, wounded another, and put two more

guns out of action (it still being impossible todispose of them otherwise), and successfullyreached his objective.

'Having by this time only one man wi th him,Lance-Corporal Wilcox was obliged to wi thdrawwhen the Germans counter-attacked in strength.Besides being so extremely outnumbered, he waswithout fire-weapons, rifles being clogged upwith mud, owing to the bad weather before andduring the operations. In spite orthe very superiornumbers against him, he withdrew successfully.'

The King's Royal Rifle Corps (60th)Battalions raised: twenty-six. Died: 12,842.Battle Honours: sixty, of which the followingwere authorised to be carried on Regimentalappointments; Mons; Marne, '9'4; Yprcs, 1914,'15, '17, '18; Samme, 1916, '18; Arras, 19J 7, '18;Messines, [917, '[8; Epehy; Canal du Nord;Selle; Sambre.

Victoria Crosses awarded to the Regimentduring the First World War:

Officers frock coat epauIettes of the s:md (Od'ordshire) Light Infantry, c. 1852 (Royal Green jackets)

23

RifI~maa, 60th Riftes, photoV-pbed by James Robertson, c. 1855. This photograph .shows the uniform and equipmentWOrD during the latter part oCthe Crimean War (National Army M1l.5eu.m)

24

Private, Colonel Fowkes' Regiment, 1742

2 Grenadier, 43rd RegiInent, 1751

3 renadier, 52nd Regiment, 1768

MICHAEL ROFFE

2

A

B

3

I Officer, 1St Bn. 60th (Royal Alnerican)Regitneat, 1800

2 Officer, 43rd (Monmoutbshire LightInfantry), 180]

3 Officer, 5th Bn. 60th (Royal Amd'ican)Regiment, 1800

Rifle green has been lightened-see note on page 34

MICHAEL ROFFE

Sergeant, 95th or Rifte Regintent, 180g

2 Private, 43rd (Monrnouthshire LightInfantry), 1810

3 Officer, 5th BD. 60th (Royal Atnerican)Regintent, 1812

3

MICHAEL ROFFE c

o

r Sergeant-Major, 60th Duke of York'sOwn Rifle Corps, 182.4

:I: Officer, Undress, 52Dd (OxfordshireLight Infantry), 1835

3 Officer, Court Dress, The Rifle Brigade,1825

Rifle green bas been lightened-see note on page 34

3

MICHAEL ROFFE

'v1ICHA[l ROFFf

1 Officer, 43rd (Monrnouthshire LightInfantry), 1850

2 Private, The Rifle Brigade, 18,54

3 Private, 52nd (Oxfordshire LightInfantry). 1857

E

F

2

I Officer, 1St Bn. The Prince Consort'sOwn (RiOe Brigade), 1870

2 Officer, 520d (Oxfordshire LightInfantry), .860

3 Officer, ISt Bo. O:dordshire LightInfantry, 1694

Rifle green has been lightened-see Dote on page 34

MICHAEL ROFfE

MICHAEL ROFfF

2

I Officer, The King's Royal Rifle Corps,.8gB

2: Sergeant, 1st/4th 8n. The Orlordshireand Buekinghamshire Light Infantry,48th Division, 1916

3 Officer, Mess Dress, The Rifle Brigade(Prince Consort's Own), 1934

3

G

I Private, 2nd Bn. Oxfordshire andBudc.iughamshire Light Infantry, 6thAirbonre Division, 1944

2 Officer, 1St Bo. The King's Royal RifleCorps, 7th Armoured Division, 1942

3 Officer, No. I Dress, The Royal GreenJackets, 1970

•

H

Rifle green bas been lightened-see note on page 34

MICHAEL ROffE

Lieutenant J. H. S. Dimmer, 2nd Btn., Belgium,12 November '914.

'This officer served his machine gun during theattack on the 12 ovember [914, at Klein

I Zillebeke, Belgium, until he had been shot five

Itimes-three tim'iS by shrapnel and twice bybullets-and continued at his post until his gunrwas destro1ed.'

l Captain J. H. P. Butler, K.R.R.C., attached to thePioneer Company, Gold Coast Regiment, WestAfrican Frontier Force. Cameroons, 17 November1914 and 27 December [9[4.

'For most conspicuous bravery in the Cameroons,West Africa. On the 17 November '9[4, with aparty of thirteen men, he went into the thick bushand at once attacked the enemy, in strength aboutone hundred, including several Europeans, de­feated them, and captured their machine gun andmany loadsofammunition. On 27 December [9'4,when on patrol duty with a few men, he swam theEkam River, which was held by the enemy, aloneand in the face of a brisk fire completed hisreconnaissance on the farther bank, and returnedin safety. Two of his men were. wounded while hewas actually in the water.'

Rijieman W .. Mariner, 2nd Btn., France, 22 May

1915.'During a violent thunderstorm on the night of22 May [9 [5, he left his trench near Cambrin,crept through the German wire entanglementsand, single-handed, destroyed a German machinegun emplacement that was damaging the Britishparapets and hindering the working parties.'

Rijieman G. Peachment, 2nd Btn., France, 25 September1915 (Posthumous Award).

'For most conspicuous bravery near Hulluch on25 September 19[5· During very heavy fightingwhen our front line was compelled to retire inorder to reorganise, Private Peachment, seeinghis Company Commander, Captain Dubs, lyingwounded, crawled to assist him. The enemy's firewas intense, but though there was a shell-holequite close, in which a few men had taken cover,Private Peachment never thought of savinghimself. He knelt in the open by his officer andtried to help him, but while doing this he was

first wounded by a bomb and a minute latermortally wounded by a rifle bullet. He was oneof the youngest men in his battalion, and gavethis splendid example of courage and self­sacrifice. '

Sergeant A. Gill, 1st Btn., France, 27 July 1916(Posthumous Award).

'For most conspicuous bravery. At Delville Wood,after a strong German counter-attack, SergeantGill rallied the remnantsofhis platoon, reorganisedhis defences and managed to hold up their ad­vance. Sergeant Gill was killed when he stood upto direct the fire of his men.

Sergeant E. Cooper, 12th Btn., Belgium, [6 October

[9[7·<For most conspicuous bravery and initiative inattack on 16 August 1917, at Langemarck,Flanders. Enemy machine guns from a concreteblockhouse, 250 yards away, were holding up theadvance of the battalion on his left, and were alsocausing heavy casualties to his own battalion.Sergeant Cooper, with four men, immediatelyrushed the blockhouse though were heavily firedon. About [00 yards distant he ordered his mento lie down and fire at the blockhouse. Findingthis did not silence the machinc guns he im­mediately rushed forward straight at them andfired his rcvolver into an opening in the block­house. The machine guns ceased firing and thegarrison surrendered. Seven machine guns andforty-five prisoners were captured in this block­house.'

Lieutenant-Colonel A. D. Borton, K.R.R.C., Com­manding the 2nd/22nd Btn., London Regiment,T.A., Palestine, 7 November 1917.

'For most conspicuous bravery and leadership on7 November [9[7, at Sheria, Palestine. Undermost difficult conditions in darkness and in anunknown country, he deployed his battalion forattack, and at dawn led his attacking companiesagainst a strongly held position. When the leadingwaves wcre checked by a withering machine gunfire, Lieutenant-Colonel Borton showed an uttercontempt of danger, and moved freely up anddown his lines under heavy fire. Reorganising hiscommand, he led his men forward and captured

2S

the position. At a later stage of the fight he led aparty of volunteers against a battery of field gunsin action at point-blank range, capturing the gunsand the detachments. His fearless leadership wasan inspiring example to the whole brigade.'

Rifleman A. E. Shepherd, 12th Btn., France, 20November 1917.

'For most conspicuous bravery as a companyrunner on 20 November 1917, at Cambrai. Whenhis company was held up by a machine gun atpoint-blank range he volunteered to rush thegun and, though ordered not to, rushed forwardand threw a Mills bomb, killing two gunners andcapturing the gun. The company, on continuingits advance, camc under heavy enfilade machinegun fire.

'When the last officcr and the last non-commis­sioned officer had become casualties he tookcommand of the company, ordered the men to liedown, and himself went back some seventy yardsunder severe fire to obtain the help of a tank.

'He then returned to his company and finallyled them to their objective.

'He showed throughout conspicuous deter­mination and resource.'

Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)Battalions raised: twenty-one. Died: I 1,575.Battle Honours: fifty-two, ofwhich the followingwere authorised to be carried on Regimentalappointments; Le Cateau; euve Chapelle;Ypres, 1915, '17; Somme, 1916, '18; Arras, 1917,'18; Messincs, 1917; Cambrai, 1917, 'I8;Hinden­burg Line; France and Flanders, 1914-[8;Macedonia, '915-18.

Victoria Crosses awarded to the Regimentduring the First World War:

Company Sergeant-Major H. Daniels and ActingCorporal C. R. Noble, 2nd Btn., France, 12 March

1915.'On 12 March 19 [5, Corporal oble, accom­panied by Company Sergeant-Major Daniels,moved forward from their position to cut a waythrough the barbed wire entanglements whichheld up the advance of the battalion. Both menwere severely wounded but managed to carryout their task, enabling the German trench to be

26

captured. Corporal Noble died ofhis wounds andwas awarded a posthumous V.C. CompanySergeant- Major Daniels recovered from hiswounds, was awarded the V.C. and granted acommission. Later he was awarded the Mili[aryCross for an act of bravery at Fromelles in 1916.

2nd Lieutenant S. C. Woodro.!!e, 8th Btn., Belgium,30 July /9/5 (Posthumous Award).

On 30July '915, [he Germans launched a suddenattack on the trenches on the outskirts of Hooge.

sing the new liquid fire they managed [0 forcethe British to retire. Lieutenant Woodroffe'sposition was attacked from the flank and therear, but he managed to hold on until his bombsupply was completely exhausted and then with­drew his men in good order. Almost immediatelyafterwards he led a counter-attack wi th greatbravery, but was killed while attempting to cuta way through the enemy's barbed wire underheavy rifle and machine gun fire.

Corporal A. G. Drake, 8th Btn., France, 23 November/915 (Posthumous Award).

Returning from a patrol in 0 Man's Land,Corporal Drake insisted on remaining with awounded officer, and bandaging his wounds.When a rescue party found them, Drakes bodywas riddled with bullets.

Major W. La Touche Congreve, Jrd Btn., France, 6-20July 1916 (Posthumous Award).

'For most conspicuous bravery during a period offourteen days preceding his death in action.

'This officer constantly performed acts ofgallantry and showed the greatest devotion toduty and by his personal example inspired all­those around him with confidence at criticalperiods of the operations. During the preliminarypreparations for the attack, he carried out person Ireconnaissances of the enemy's lines, taking outparties of officers and .C.O.s for [00 yards il'front of our lines in order to acquaj,Rt them withthe ground. All these preparations were madeunder fire. Later, by nigHt, Major Congrev 'conducted a Battalion to its position of deploYimen t, afterwards returning to it to ascertain thesituation after assault. He established himself inan exposed forward position from whence he

Officers of the 3rd Bo. King's Royal RiDe Corps, photographed in Dublin in 1855, in various orders of Dress (Royal GreenJackets)

4 •A group of officers of the 60th photographed inside the Palace at Delhi just after its capture. 'Jones the Avenger', with whitebeard, is seated in the centre (Royal Green Jackets)

27

successfully observed the enemy and gave ordersnecessary to drive them from their position.

'Two days later, when Brigade Headquarterswas heavily shelled, and many casualties resulted,he went out and assisted the M.O. to remove thewounded to places of safety, although he washimself suffering severely from gas and other shelleffects. He again on a subsequent occasion showedsupreme courage in tending wounded underheavy shell fire. He finally returned to the frontline to ascertain the situation after an unsuccessfulattack, and whilst in the act of writing his reportwas shot and killed instantly.'

Prior to the award of the Victoria Cross, MajorCongreve already held the Distinguished ServiceOrder, Military Cross and Legion of Honour.The award of the V.C. made him the first officerin the Army to hold all four decorations forgallantry. Major La Touche Congreve was theson of Lieutenant-General Sir W. Congreve whowon the Victoria Cross at Colenso when a Captainin the RiAe Brigade, a distinction held by onlytwo other families whose father and son hadserved in the British Army.

2nd Lieutenant G. E. Cates, 2nd Btn., France, 8 March[9 [7 (Posthumous Award).

'For most conspicuous gallantry and self-sacrifice.When employed wi th some other men in deepen­ing a captured trench, this officer struck with hisspade a buried bomb, which immediately startedto burn. 2nd Lieutenant Cates in order to savethe lives of his comrades placed his foot on thebomb which immediately exploded. He showedthe most conspicuous gallantry and devotion toduty in performing the act which cost him his lifebut saved the lives of others.'

Sergeant W. F. Burman, [6th Btn., Belgium, 20September [9 [7·

For gallantry during the Ypres offensive.

Sergeant W. Gregg and Rijleman W. Beesley, [3th Btn.,France, 8 May [9[8.

'For gallantry during an attack at Bucquoy ledby Sergeant Gregg after all the officers in hiscompany had become casualties. Sergeant Gregghad already been awarded the Military Medal in1914 and the Distinguished Conduct Medal in19 17.'

28

Sir AlIred Hastings Honford, K.C.B., RiOe Brigade, c. 1860.He commanded the list Battalion at the Alma, Ba.la.k1ava.,Inkerman and SebastopoL Colonel-Commandant of theRifle Brigade from 1880 until his death in 1885. He is wearingthe r855 pattern shako and the tunic introduced in the sameyear (Wilkinson.Latham Collection)

'Billy the Bugler'. Bandmaster WillialD Miller, Rifle Brigade,photographed in Canada between 1861-9- He is wearing anivory.hilted scimitar presented to him on his wedding bythe Prince of Wales (Wilkinson-Latham Collection)

The general feeling of the soldier at the frontcan be summed up by the following extract froma letter of a Rifleman, written home a few daysbefore he was killed in action on 8 May 1918.

'Dear Mother, just a few lines to you hopingthis letter will fidd you in the best of health as it

~ leaves m~t presen t. I am gelling on allrigh t now.. I It was a bit strainge the first two or three days but

1 I am getting a bit used to it now but bleedingJ wars that wants some getting used to I might tell

you.'

1934, when, after a spell in Waziristan, they pro­ceeded to Burma and finally in 1938 to Egypt.

In April 1922, the 2nd battalion went to Silesia,then to Cologne, finally returning home in June1925. In 1936, the battalion was sent to Palestinewhere they helped quell the Arab revolt, re­maining there for fourteen mon ths before returningto England.

In 1937, the 2nd battalion at home was con­verted to a 'Motor Battalion', as was the 1St

battalion a year later.

CJ3etween the Wars

,

The Oxfordshire and BuckingharnshireLight Infantry

lSt Batlalion

On 4 March 1919, the cadre of the 43rd sailedhome from Mesopotamia, arriving on 12 March.After being brought up to strength it formed partof the North Russian Relief Force and sailed forArchangel in May. On 25 June it was in actionagainst the Bolsheviks on the River Vaga, in theattack on Ignatofskaya. In September, afterfurther brushes with Red forces, they withdrewto the base and returned home in October. Aftera short spell in England they were sent to Irelandin connection with the 'Troubles'.

2nd BatlalionAfter serving in Ireland the 52nd sailed for India,where they were stationed at Rawalpindi beforemoving to Razmak on the North-West Frontier.In 1929, the regiment began a five-year tour ofduty in Burma, after which they returned to

India and were stationed at Mhow at the out­break of the Second World War.

The King's Royal Rifle CorpsAfter serving with the Army of Occupation, the1St and 2nd Battalions returned to England in19'9. In 1920 and '21, both battalions werestationed in Ireland, but at the end of 1922, the1st sailed for India where they were to takeover the duties of the 3rd and 4th battalionswho, on returning to England, were disbandedat Winchester in January and February 1923.India remained the home of the 1st battalion until

The Rifle BrigadeIn 1921, while the 1st battalion was stationed inIndia, the 2nd and 3rd were employed in Ireland.The 4th ballalion went to India in 1919, butreturned home in 1922 where, together with the3rd, it was disbanded on the general reductionof the Army.

In 1937, the regiment, together with theK.R.R.C., became motorized troops. On theoutbreak of the Second World War, the 1Stbattalion were at Tidworth and the 2nd inPalestine.

Edward, Prince ofWales, in the Rifle Brigade uniform c. J86g(Wilkinson-Latham Collection)

29

'Ihe<JecondWorld'WarOn Sunday 3 September 1939, at 11.15 a.m.,Neville Chamberlain spoke to the nation on thewireless.

'I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Roomat 10 Downing Street. This morning, the BritishAmbassador in Berlin handed the German govern­ment a final note, stating that unless we heardfrom them by I I o'clock that they were preparedat once to withdraw their troops from Poland, astate of war would exist between us. Thave to tellyou now that no such undertaking has beenreceived and that consequently this country is atwar with Germany.'

The 43rd went to France with the BritishExpeditionary Force, which fell back fighting onDunkirk after the collapse ofHolland and Belgiumand the advance of German troops into Frenchterritory.

On 23 May the 30th Infantry Brigade landedat Calais with orders to operate on the enemy'sleft flank. This Brigade consisted of the 2ndK.R.R.C., 1st Rifle Brigade, 1St Queen Victoria'sRifles and the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. On theafternoon of the 23rd, the Germans began shellingthe town and the next day surrounded it andopened a heavy bombardment. Fighting con­tinued in and around Calais until the 26th when,short offood and ammunition and with numerouscasualties, the Brigade was overwhelmed.

On 4 June 1940, the Prime Minister, WinstonChurchill, made the following statement inParliament:

'The Rifle Brigade, the 60th Rifles and theQueen Victoria's Rifles, with a battalion ofBritish tanks and one thousand Frenchmen-inall about four thousand strong-defended Calaisto the last.

'The British brigadier was given an hour tosurrender. He spurned the offer, and four daysof intense street fighting passed before silencereigned over Calais, which marked the end of amemorable resistance.

'Only thirty unwounded survivors were broughtoff by the Royal Navy, and we do not know the

30

An officer of the RiO~ Brigade in the busby introduced in18'1 (Wilkinson-Latham Collection)

fate of their comrades. Their sacrifice was not,however, in vain. At leasl two armoured divis fiS,

which otherwise would have been turned ag'linstthe British Expeditionary Force, had to be entto overcome them. ,

'They have added another page to the gl riesof the Light Division and the time gained ena ledthe Gravelines Walnlieu to be flooded and t;, beheld by French troops; and thus it was that theport of Dunkirk was kept open.'

The 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps

•

and the 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade, formed themotorized infantry units of the 7th ArmouredDivision's Support Group in the Western Desert.When Italy declared war on IOJune, the Divisionmoved forward to the Li byan fron tier and hadtheir first brush with the enemy and captured two

~ frontier ,2Psts, Fort Capuzzo and Fort Madalena., In December 1940, General Wavell began his

first offensive for Cyrenaica. The operation was1 a complete success, the Support Group covering

the left flank and cutting the enemy's line ofretreat to the west at Bardia and Tobruk. In thesefirst operations of the Desert War some 125,000Italian soldiers were captured, along with tanks,field guns, anti-tank guns and motor vehicles,resulting in the virtual collapse of the ItalianArmy.

During the three years of desert fighting thatwas to follow, the two Rifle formations continuedto distinguish themselves, Tobruk 194 I, SidiRezegh 1941, Bir Hacheim, El Alamein and Tunisbeing just a few of the honours they accumulatedwhile ridding North Africa of Axis troops.

After North Africa came the invasion of Italywith the Allies entering Rome on 4 June 1944.The advance continued, but was slowed up bythe withdrawal of troops in preparation for theinvasion of France, resulting in the Italian cam­paign lingering on until April 1945.

After their return from France in 1940, the43rd was transferred from one formation toanother, until it finally became part of the 53rdWelsh Division with which it remained until theend of the war. The 52nd at first formed part ofthe 31st Independent Brigade, but by 1943 hadbeen moved to the 6th Air Landing Brigade,forming the nucleus of the 6th Airborne Division.

At 1I p.m. on 5June 1944, a few hours beforethe main Normandy assault, a coup de main partyof the 52nd, along with a detachment of RoyalEngineers, set off in six gliders for France withthe objective of seizing the bridges of Ranvilleand Benouville over the Canal and River Orneneal' Caen. Both bridges were taken but notwithout some difficulty, especially at BenouvilleBridge, where the small party were eventuallyjoined by the 7th Parachute regiment and themain body of the 52nd, who reinforced the bridge.In memory of this operation Benouville Bridge

Lucius Falkland Carey, 2nd RUle Brigade in the uniformworn during the Ashanti War of 1874. Note that officendispensed with their swords and wore the broad-bladedbayonet desigued by Lord Elcho (Wilkinson.Latham Collec­tion)

31

has since been re-named 'Pegasus Bridge'.Eleven months after D-Day, on Tuesday 8 May

1945, Winston Churchill made the followingannouncement from lhe very same room inwhich eville Chamberlain had announced thecommencement of hostilities six years previously.'Yesterday at 2.41 a.m. the representatives of theGerman High Command ... signed the act ofunconditional surrender of all German land, seaand air forces in Europe ... The German waris therefore at an end ... Long live the cause offreedom. God save the King!'

This brief account of the part played by theGreenJacket regiments in the Second World Warcannot possibly hope to do justice to the bravery,tenacity and devotion to duty of all ranks.

The following are the Battle Honours won bythe three regiments in all the theatres of war.

The Oxfordshire and BuckinghaDlshireLight Infantry (43rd/52nd) (9 Battalions)

Defence ofEscaut; Cassel; Ypres-Comines Canal;Normandy Landing; Pegasus Bridge; Caen;Esquay; Lower Maas; Ourthe; Rhineland;Reichswald; Rhine; Ibbenburen; North-WestEurope '940, '44-5; Enfidaville; North Africa1943; Salerno; Sl. Lucia; Salerno Hills; Teano;

Monte Camino; Garigliano Crossing; Damiano;Anzio; Coriano; Gemmano Ridge; Italy 1943-5;Arakan Beaches; Tamandu; Burma 1943-5.

The King's Royal Rifle Corps (60th) (IIBattalions)

Calais 1940; Mont Pincon; Falaise; Roer; Rhine­land; Cleve; Goch; Hochwald; Rhine; Dreir­walde; Aller; North-West Europe, 1940, '44-5;Egyptian Frontier, '940; Sidi Barrani; DernaAerodrome; Tobruk, '94'; Sidi Rezegh, '941;Gazala; Bir Hacheim; Knightsbridge; Defenceof Alamein Line; Ruweisat; Fuka Airfield; Alamel Haifa; El Alamein; Capture of Halfaya Pass;Nofilia; Tebaga Gap; Argoub el Megas; Tunis;

orth Africa, '940-3; Sangro; Arezzo; Coriano;Lamone Crossing; Argenta Gap; Italy, '943-5;Veve; Greece, '941, '44-5; Crete; Middle East,194 1.

The Rifle Brigade (9 Battalions)Calais, 1940; Villers Bocage; Odon; BourguebusRidge; Mont Pincon; Le Perier Bridge; Falaise;Antwerp; Hechtel; Nederrijn; Lower Maas;Roer; Leese; Aller; orth-West Europe, 1940,,44-5; Egyptian Frontier, 1940; Beda Fomm;Mersa el Brega; Agedabia; Derna Aerodrome;

Officers and men ot the 3M Bo. 60th RiHes on the march in Zululand, 1879 (parker Gallery)

32...

!

Tobruk, '941; Sidi Rezegh, '941; Chor es Sufan;Saunnu; Gazala; Knightsbridge; Defence ofAlamein Line; Ruweisat; Alam el Haifa; ElAlamein; Tebaga Gap; Medjez el Bab; Kasserine;Thala; Fondouk; Fondouk Pass; EI Kourzia;Djebel Kournirle; Tunis; Hamman Lif; orthAfrica, l.5l4D-3; Cardito; Cassino II; Liri Valley;Melfa Crossing; Monte Rotondo; Capture ofPerugia; Monte Malbe; Arezzo; Advance to

Florence; Gothic Line; Orsara; Tossignano;Argenta Gap; Fossa Cembalina; Italy, '943-5.

Officer's waist belt clasp, Ord Light Infantry, c. 1875 (RoyalGreen Jackets)

After the war came the inevitable reductions inthe Army, phased over a period of years. Firstcame the disbandment of the war-time battalions,followed by the 2nd regular battalions, whichwere disbanded or were amalgamated with theirrespective' st Battalions. In '958, the Oxfordshireand Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, The King'sRoyal Rifle Corps and The Rifle Brigade wereformed into the three battalions of the GreenJackets Brigade. On 1 January 1966, the Brigadewas redesignated The Royal Green Jackets, oneof the Army Board's 'Large Regiments'.

Even though the Oxfordshire and Buckingham­shire Light Infantry, The King's Royal RifleCorps and The Rifle Brigade have now lost theirofficial individuality, their history will always beremembered. The three battalions of the RoyalGreen Jackets keep alive the identity of theirregimental forebears, whose traditions arehonoured. The rationalisation which is de­manded by modern military conditions need notmean the loss of that regimental morale andcharacter so central to the British Army'straditions, if the will to preserve it survives. Inrecent years the Light Infantry and RoyalGreen Jackets have emerged once again as unitswith a deliberately fostered "lite character, andrepeated tours of duty under the harsh condi­tions of Northern Ireland have failed to damagethis fine self-confidence.

* * *

Officer's helmet plate of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry.This pattern, with change of crown in 1901, was worn frOID1881 until IgoB (Royal Green Jackets)

~~:-,...~.

'I ""~._~''' ...~

·!f!. 'fir;-'···:.mtmn;"'I<I"":;'. ....."'..1).)..1)1)1"

Officers Green Cloth helmet of the 60th, K.iJ:t,g's Royal RiSeCorps, worn from 1881 until the adoption of the sealskincap in 1890 (Royal Green Jackets)

33

C]liePlatesSince true rifle green is so nearly black, we hauefollowed established conuention by lightening the shadein the colour plates so that detail would not be lost.

AI Priuate, Colonel Fowkes' Regiment, 1742.The headdress worn by battalion companies ofregiments of the line at this period was the tricornhat. It was of black felt, with the turned-up brimedged in white tape and had a black bow on theleft side. The coat was long, faced in lightishgreen, and in the case of the 43rd, had no lace.The large white leggings were found unsuitablefor marching as they quickly became soiled, soin '744 Colonels were ordered to provide greyleggings for marching and other duties.

A2 Grenadier, 43rd Regiment, 1751.The dress of grenadiers at this period is veryclearly shown in the Morier paintings in the

Royal Collection at Windsor. The cap had the.front in the facing colour, embroidered with theRoyal cypher surmounted by a crown. The flapon the front was in red material and bore anembroidered White Horse of Hanover and themotto, Nee Aspera Terrent. The coat was red withwhite facings and tumbacks. The regimentalpattern lace was of white worsted with red andblue lines and stars, and was sewn on the edgeof the lapels, cuffs and waistcoat and as loopsacross the chest.

A3 Grenadier, 52nd Regiment, 1768.In 1768, a Royal Warrant was issued abolishingthe cloth grenadier cap and replacing it with ablack fur one which bore a black japanned plateon the front with the King's crest and mottoraised in white metal. The coat was also affectedby the warrant. I t became shorter, tighter andhad lapels that were permanently turned back.The old patterned white gaiters had, by this time,been replaced by black ones.

Maxim Gun detachment, ut BD. King's Royal Ri.8.e Corps, Chitral Can:a.paign 1895 (National Army MUlieum)

34

I

Men of the Riffe Brigade pulling a porn-porn gun out of action during the Boer War, 1899-1902 (National Army Museum)

BI Officer, lSt Bn. 60th (Royal American) Regiment,1800.

Even after the raising of the 5th Battalion, the 1stcontinued to wear normal infantry dress: largecocked hat, scarlet coat with blue facings, silverbuttons with silver lace bUllon loops and a crimsonwaist sash. The crossbelt was ornamented with asilver plate engraved with the Garter Belt andmotto 'Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense' surmountedby a crown; in the centre of the Garter Belt wasthe number 60.

B2 Officer, 43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry),1803.

On the formation of the Light Division by SirJohn Moore, the 43rd adopted a scarlet pelisseedged with grey fur and laced in silver. This changein dress was probably brought about by a feelingofcompetition with the 60th and 95th Regiments,who continued to wear clothing very similar tothat of the light cavalry. The shako was of blackleather with a green plume fitted on the top anda silver bugle badge on the front. The cavalrytheme continued through the rest of the uniformwith a silver-laced jacket, a barrelled sash at thewaist, tight pantaloons and Hessian boots.

B3 Officer, 5th Bn. 60th (Rqyal American) Regiment,1800.

In 1797, it was decided to raise a unit in theBritish Army based on the lines of the German

Jager battalions-the 5th Battalion of the 60th(Royal American) Regiment.

The officers' full dress was similar in many waysto the light cavalry at this period, having theTarleton cap for a headdress and a short greenjacket, laced across the front in black with threerows of silver buttons. The cavalry influencewas carried right through the uniform with theuse of a red barrelled sash at the waist, a curvedbladed sword, tight green pantaloons and blackHessian boots. The crossbelt, in black patentleather, was ornamented with a lion's head,chains and whistle and a Maltese Cross badge, allin silver, and the cap with a silver-buttoned redcockade, with plumes and with a silver-chainedgreen tu rban.

CI Sergeant, 95th or Rifle Regiment, 1809.This illustration, based on contemporary infor­mation and the picture 'The Rear Guard' byJ. P. Beadle, depicts the unifonn of the regimenton the retreat from Corunna. The coat was darkgreen with black facings, the collar, cuffs andshoulder straps being edged in white. Thesergeant's waist sash had a central line in thefacing colour. The 95th were armed with theBaker rifle which had a range of some 300 yards.

C2 Private, 43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry),1810.

The black shako was ornamented with a silverbugle badge and a green worsted tuft on the top

35

A young officer of the Rifle Brigade Co 1900 (Wilkinson­Latham. Collection)

front. The coat was of red cloth with white collarand cuffs, the collar being edged in regimentalpattern lace. The buttons on the front were inpairs, each one having a button loop in regimentallace.

C3 Officer, 5th Bn. 60th (Royal American) Regiment,1812.

By 1802, the Tarleton cap had been discontinuedfor officers of the 60th and replaced by a shakosimilar to that worn by the men. The only newpiece of clothing adopted around this time wasthe pelisse, which was of dark green cloth, lacedin black and edged in brown fur. The overalls,as shown, were sometimes reinforced with leatherinside the legs and around the bottoms.

D1 Sergeant-Major, 60th Duke of rork's Own RifleCorps, 1824.

The broad bell-topped shako, modelled on thecontemporary French pattern, was made of

36

black felt and had a leather top. The round shakoplate was made of bronzed metal. The moststriking features of the shako were the black horse­hair falling plume and the green plaited cordswhich were fixed to either side at the top andhung down above the peak.

The coatee was of riAe green cloth and hadthree rows of buttons down the front. The collarand cuffs were faced in scarlet, which in the caseof the Sergeant-Major were heavily ornamentedwith black tracing braid. The rank badge was allin gold lace and embroidery. In the centre of alaurel wreath were four stripes surmounted by astringed bugle with the number '60' within thestrings and the motto Celer et Audax below. Abovethe bugle was a crown.

D2 Officer, undress, 52nd (Oxfordshire Light In-fantry), 1835·

The forage cap was in dark green cloth with ablack leather peak and chinstrap and a blacksilk oakleaf pattern lace band with the badge, astringed bugle and the number '52', above.

The frock coat was dark blue, single-breastedwith eight buttons down the front and two smallbuttons on each cuff. The shoulder straps wereof dark blue cloth, edged in gold lace and orna­mented with a gilt metal crescent with a goldem broidered bugle.

D3 Colonel-in-Chief, Court Dress, The Rifle Brigade,1825.

This illustration shows the Court 'Dress of theRiAe Brigade as worn by the Duke of Wellingtonwhen he was Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment( 1820--56).

The coatee was of dark green cloth with blackvelvet collar, cuffs and plastron front. Theturnbacks were white. The edge of the collarand cuffs were ornamented with silver embroider .The epaulettes were in silver' lace with a silve~metal crescent at the end and a crown an~'

Garter Star, in heraldic colours, olI"'the boardThe pantaloons were of white cloth and werworn with Hessian boots ornamented round thtop in black lace with a black tassel on the front.

n

Sergea.a.~. tunic and other ranks' helmet or the OxfordshireLight lnf'antry. Co ]900

£1 Officer, 43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry),

185°·The double-breasted coatee was of scarlet clothwith white facings, the collar being ornamentedwith two buttons and gold lace button loops oneach side and the cuffs with a slashed flap withfour buttons and gold lace loops. The skirts werewhite and had a slashed flap with buttons andloops. The Albert pattern shako, introduced in,844, was made of black beaver with a leathertop, and front and back peaks. The plate was in

gilt metal with a silver bugle, within a laurelwreath, with the number '43' in the centre of acircle inscribed 'Monmouthshire'.

£2 Private, The Rifle Brigade, 1854.The shako was the Albert pattern, with leathertop and front and back peaks and a bronze buglebadge on the fronl. The double-breasted coat wasof rifle green cloth, as were the trousers, with blackfacings. The waist belt and eq uipment straps wereall in black leather.

£3 Private, 52nd (Oxfordshire Light Infantry),1857.

This illustration shows the typical dress of the5,nd during the siege of Delhi, and is taken froma contemporary description. The headdress wasthe forage cap, worn with a khaki cover andneck curtain. The flannel shirt was dyed khakiand in some cases was worn outside the trousers.According to the same source the water bottle atthis time was 'a common lemonade bottle'.

F I Officer, 1st Bn. The Prince Consort's Own (RifleBrigade), 1870.

This illustration, taken from a contemporaryphotograph in the author's collection, shows thepattern of winter dress worn by the regiment inCanada.

The hat, mittens and great-coat collar were ofblack Astrakhan fur. The double-breasted coatwas of green cloth and had the leading edgedecorated with black lace and the front withhorizontal bars of black lace across the chest,which were used to close the coat by fastening onto black olivets.

F2 Officer, 52nd (Oxfordshire Light Infantry),186o.

The Albert pattern was made obsolete in 1855 bythe introduction of a much smaller shako basedon the contemporary French pattern. The starplate was in gilt metal with the bugle badge andnumber within a Garter Belt bearing the mottoHoni Soit Qui Maly Pense.

The single-breasted tunic was of scarlet clothwith buff facings, the cuffs and skirts beingornamented with a slashed panel with gilt buttonsand gold lace button loops. A crimson net sash

37

was worn over the left shoulder, passing under acrimson shoulder cord, and had tassels hangingon the right side.

F3 Officer, 1St BTl. Oxjordshire Light bifaTltry,1894.

The spiked helmet, based on the GermanPickelhaube, was of green cloth with gilt metalfittings, the star plate on the front bearing theregimental badge within a Garter, the wholebeing surrounded by a wreath of laurels. On thebottom of the wreath was a silver scroll bearingthe title 'The Oxfordshire Lt. Infy.'.

The scarlet tunic had white facings, the collarbeing edged in gold lace and ornamented with aregimental pattern button and a two-and-a­quarter inch strand of gold Russia braid. Thecuffs were pointed and decorated with gold laceand Russia braid. In Levee Dress the swordbeltand slings were of gold lace with a central stripeof crimson silk. The sash, also of gold lace, hadtwo crimson stripes. Trousers were of dark blue

cloth with a gold lace stripe down the outsideseam of each leg.

GI Officer, The King's Royal Rifle Corps, 1898.The black lambskin busby was first introducedfor Rifle regiments in 1873, made obsolete in1878 by the spiked helmet with bronze fittingsand finally re-introduced in 1890. The plumewas of black eagret feathers with a scarlet vulturefeather base. Below the plume was a black cordedboss, ornamented wi th a crown in bronzed metal.Below the boss was the Maltese Cross badge, alsoin bronze. The black square corded plait wasattached to each side of the busby and hung downon the front.

The tunic, of Rifle green cloth, was singlebreasted and had the front decorated with loopsof black square cord with netted caps and drops,fastening with black olivets. The crossbelt andpouch were of black patent leather wi th silverfittings.

The 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry charging the Prussian Guard al Nonne Douchen,November 11th, 1914 (Royal Green Jackets)

38

The conunanding officer and the Band of the 4th Battalion, Rifte Brigade. This photograph was taken in 19u,.the year ofthe battalion's disbandm.ent (Bivouac Books/Jack Bla..ke)

G2 Sergeant, lSt/41h Bn. The Oxfordshire andBuckinghamshire Light Infantry, 48th Diuision,'19/ 6.

The khaki serge tunic had a stand-and-fall collarand fastened down the front with five GeneralService buttons; the trousers were of the samematerial and were normally worn with khakiputtees and black boots. The shoulder strapsbore the regimental title in brass. The steel helmetwas introduced into service in 1916 to replace thekhaki peaked forage cap, and was often covercdwith hessian in the field. The use of thigh-lengthrubber waders by troops in flooded or foultrenches is attested by contemporary photographs.

The webbing equipment is the 1908 pattern, andIhe rifle is the' 303 Short Magazine Lee Enfield.

G3 Officer, Mess Dress, The Rifle Brigade (PrinceConsort's Own), 1934.

The Mess jacket was of rifle green cloth with ablack silk roll collar and black velvet pointedcuffs. A small silver bugle badge was worn oneach lapel. The shoulder cords were of sq uareedged black cord with miniature black metalrank badges. The vest was also in dark greencloth, open in the front, and fastened with fourblack bu ttons of regimen tal pattern.

39

HI Private, 2nd Bn. Oxfordshire and Buckingham-shire Light Infantry, 6th Airborne Division, 1944.

In 194', a rimless steel helmet and the DenisoncamouAaged smock were general issue to Airbornetroops. The helmet had webbing straps and arubber cup that fitted over the chin. Ordinarybattledress trousers with gaiters and black bootswere worn. The weapon is the 9 mm. Sten SMG.

OfficU1I White Wolseley Pattern Helmet. Note the silverbadge and green pugri. C. 1935

H2 Officer, lSt Bn. The King's Royal Rifle Corps,7th Armoured Division, 1942.

Regulation dress consisted of khaki drill shirt andshorts (or long trousers), the khaki Service Dresspeaked cap with officers' badge (silver bugle onred cockade) and black strap and buttons, andankle boots or shoes worn with long woollen hose.All ranks and units of 8th Army were notoriousfor their sartorial individuality, however, andthe practicalities of desert warfare led to amost relaxed attitude to dress regulations. Thecorduroy trousers and rubber-soled suede 'chukkaboots' were far more practical than the officialdress, and woollen sweaters-sometimes withblack-on-red rank badges added to the shoulders,as here-were widely worn. The revolver holsterwas often worn clipped to the bottom of theammunition pouch.

H3 O.lficer, No. 1 Dress, The Royal Green Jackets,1970.

The modern No. , Dress is entirely ofRiAe greencloth, cap, tunic and trousers. The cap has ablack leather strap across the front, fastening toa small black button at each side. The badge, insilver metal (anodised for other ranks) is theMaltese Cross, bearing the regiment's battlehonours, a stringed bugle and the title, surroundedby a laurel wreath surmounted by a crown. Thecrossbelt is in black plastic or black patent leatherwith silver metal fittings.

1,

i,

II

40

•

I

1

Men-at-Arms Series

THE SEVEN YEARS WARMONTCAI.M'S ARMY\VOLFE'S ARMY·TilE AUSTRO·I1UNGARIAN ARMY OF THESEVEN YEARS WARFREDERICK THE GREAT'S ARMY

NAPOLEONIC WARSFOOT GRENADIERS OF THE IMPERIAL G ARDCHASSEURS OF TilE GUARDBLOCH ER'S ARMY

"RUSSIAN ARMY OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARSTIlE BLACK BRUNSWICKERSAIJSTRO.HUNGAItIAN AR~IY OF THE~APOLEONJC WARSWELI,INGTON'S PENIi\SULAR ARMYKING'S GERMAN LEGION"

°:-iAPOLEON'S POLISH TROOPS'NAPOLEON'S GERMAN ALLIES (.)NAPOLEON'S GERMAN ALLIES (2)SPANISH AR.\1IES OF THE NAPOLEO IC WARSPORTIJGUESE ARMY OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARSXAPOLEO~'S ARTILLERYSCA:'\DI:"l"AVL.\~ARMIES o,,~ THE ~APOLEO~ICWARS

OTHER '9TH CENTURY CAMPAIGNSRUSSIAN ARMY OF THE CRIMEABRITISH AR~1Y OF THE CRIMEA'AlC\1Y OF THE GER~lAN E~1PIRE 187088THE SUDAN CAMPAIGNSTHE BOER WARTHE ZUL WAR

WORLD WAR nTHE WAFFEN SSLUFTWAFFE AIRBORNE A:\ID FIELD UNITSmE PA"<ZER DIVISIOI<S

THE JAPANESE AR~IY OF WORLD WAR IITHE SOVIET ARMY

BRITISH REGIMENTSTHE BLACK WATCHTHE COLDSTREAM GUARDSTHE ROYAL SCOTS CREYSTHE ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERSTilE CONNAUGHT RANGERSTHE BUFFSTHE ROYAL ARTILLERYTHE KINC'S REGIMENTTHE GURKHA RIFLES'THE goTH PUNjABISTHE SOUTH WALES BORDERERSTHE ROYAL GREEN JACKETS

AMERICAN SUBJECTSTHE STONEWALL BRIGADETHE IRON BRIGADETHE U.S. CAVALRYGEORGE WASlllNGTON'S ARMYTHE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPSTHE AMERICA' PROVINCIAL CORPSTHE BRITISH ARMY IN i\"ORTH AMERICA 1775--83"THE AMERICAN WAR 1812 14·THE ARMY OF TH E POTO~IAC

THE ARMY OF NORTIlf.Rl\ VIRGI:\'IATHE MEXICAN.AMERICAN WAR 1846--8WOLFE'S ARMY'MONTCALM'S ARMY

MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTSTHE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGIONTHE COSSACKSENGLISH CIVIL WAR ARMIESTH E ROMAN ARJ\IY FRO~'I CAESAR TO TRAJAN·MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN ARMIES 1300 '500THE LANDSKNECHTSTHE ARAB LEGIO!'l

• cased roilion also a\ailahle at £1.95

ISBN ° 85045 249 X

­o'