New Regiment

[squirrel]

Read in the paper this morning that a new regiment is to be formed from the Light Infantry, Royal Greenjackets, Devon & Dorset Light Infantry (?) and the Royal Gloucestershire, Wiltshire & Berkshire Regiment. It is to be called "The Rifles". Anyone know exactly what units are to be amalgamated and is this new tile correct?

[HERITAGE PLUS]

See: http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/the_rifles/

Dave

[PhilB]

Should have called `em "Sharpe`s Own"!

[squirrel]

And they've taken the cap badge motto from the KRRC only in Elglish and not Latin.

[Rob B]

Did I not read thet they are going to retain the Egypt badge of the Gloucesters on the back of their No 2 dress hats.

Rob

[BeppoSapone]

Wonderful choice of name!

[T8HANTS]

I am most put out by this, my Rifle Regiment living history group, have been called the Rifles for some years now, because we portray several of the Rifle Regiments, at one time or another, and what happens the blasted government pinches my groups name.

I think I will sue for breach of copyright, and theft of intellectual property, how much do you think I should claim?

Gareth

[pwenlock]

Looks like the Green Jackets come out quite well from this amalgamation

Yours aye

OxfordYeoman

[BeppoSapone]

I am most put out by this, my Rifle Regiment living history group, have been called the Rifles for some years now, because we portray several of the Rifle Regiments, at one time or another, and what happens the blasted government pinches my groups name.

I think I will sue for breach of copyright, and theft of intellectual property, how much do you think I should claim?

Gareth

I think that you are lucky that HM Government didn't sue you for breach of copyright, and theft of intellectual property.

[BeppoSapone]

Looks like the Green Jackets come out quite well from this amalgamation

Yours aye

OxfordYeoman

It's not what you know, its who you know.

[T8HANTS]

"I think that you are lucky that HM Government didn't sue you for breach of copyright, and theft of intellectual property. "

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM TRY!!

Gareth

[pwenlock]

It's not what you know, its who you know.

Would I dare mention the Black Button Mafia in public

[BeppoSapone]

Would I dare mention the Black Button Mafia in public

Not if you know whats good for you!

[BeppoSapone]

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM TRY!!

Gareth

So would I !!!

[Muerrisch]

Of course, the ultimate merger made in heaven is The Green Howards and the Duke of Wellingtons: The Green Wellies. Priceless.

I have huge affection for the Green Howards: their superb old museum [not the posh superb new one] up the hill [Frenchgate?] in Richmond Yorks. was resposible for starting my military history passion. A lot to answer for. There I discovered 'The British Army' by Talbot-Booth, c. 1935. The curator LENT it to me until I could find my own. Imagine that. Mind you, it was 40 years ago.

[pwenlock]

Of course, the ultimate merger made in heaven is The Green Howards and the Duke of Wellingtons: The Green Wellies. Priceless.

I'll pass that on to all the Green Howards I know. It had me rofl.

OxfordYeoman

[Graham Stewart]

To be honest its an absolute disaster for both the Light Infantry and Royal Green Jackets who have ultimatley been betrayed. Both these regiments adopted the four battalion large regiment system back in the 1960's whereas others who were less able to recruit managed to keep going by hook or by crook.

Within in a short space of time both of these regiments lost their fourth battalions, but in the tradition of the Light Division carried on and and earned themselves a reputation of being first class troops and who in the case of the Light Infantry had no problem recruiting from their old regimental recruiting areas. Unlike a lot of single battalion units which struggled to keep going.

Again in the 1990's they accepted the decision from the suits in Whitehall and reduced their regiments by a further battalion leaving them both with two battalions each. It was hoped that this would be the end of further reductions and amalgamations and like the other Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Queens Regiment, the Royal Anglians, they would be allowed to soldier on in peace, whilst those who should have formed large regiments years ago bore the brunt of any further amalgamations or disbandments.

Alas it's not to be and regiments which should have gone the journey, because of poor recruitment records have been saved again. Now we have the Devon & Dorset Light Infantry, since when were they ever b***dy Light Infantry, who now sodding take precedence in the new regiment and they've thrown in another non-Light regiment for good measure. What an absolute load of s**t.

It's no wonder that all the Light Infantry Associations gave a vote of "no confidence" in their Colonel for not fighting tooth and nail against this heavy regiment face saving exercise. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers were approached with similar plans and they told MOD to b****r off as they'd entered into the spirit of the large regiment years ago and it was about time others paid the penalty.

If the Devon & Dorset's, Royal Gloster, Berks & Wilts were so keen to form a large regiment why didn't they go off and form some two battalion West country regiment and leave the L.I. & R.G.J. to soldier on as they are.

The reason they didn't is because recruitment in the west country has been on the decline for years and without the L.I. & R.G.J. they would eventually fade away. What narks me is that the L.I. Colonel actually thought he was getting a good deal. Like s***e. The next round of cuts will see both the Light Infantry and R.G.J. elements removed from "The Rifles" leaving guess what??

If any young lad came up to me from Durham and said I want to join the Army, I'd tell them to forget the Rifles and join the Fusiliers, at least they still have connections with this area.

Graham.

[Bob Coulson]

David,

You are right with Frenchgate in Richmond before the new museum opened in the square.

A sad day for the Yorkshire Regiment.

Bob.

[Steven Broomfield]

Graham...if you didn't like it, you would say, wouldn't you?

For what it's worth, I agree with you.

[SMG65]

Graham

You are spot on!

Once again the great recruiting ground of Co Durham has been betrayed.

37 battalions of DLI in the Great War and as you know Graham a lot of the Tyneside Irish and Scottish were from the county, as well as the Royal Naval Division and Light Infantry regiments from the south.

When the next round of cuts come, and they will once 4 Armoured Brigade returns to the UK from Germany in 2008, (19 Light Brigade will become lighter and Northern Ireland committments will reduce), guess who will get the chop, not the 2 and 3 battalion regiments with territorial areas in their title (Yorkshire, Lancashire, Mercia, Wales, Scotland), but the 5 battalions of Rifles (the 5th bat being the old 2 LI, which has been for a few months 3 LI, to make way for the D & D who have for a few months been 1 D & D LI, making 1 LI into 2 LI - confused???? that is how farcical it has got!). They will be down to three battalions by 2009 and I have no doubt that within 12 months 1 Rifles (the old D & D and RBGW) will be full of Co Durham lads, as will the other battalions.

What the Light Infantry should have done was to give 1LI and 2 LI county titles and then fight to retain them.

As for Durham lads joining the Fusiliers, I agree Graham.

The Green Howards have for years been recruiting soldiers from Darlington, Stockton and Hartlepool and I hope this carries on.

The majority of my family were DLI and three are buried in France and Flanders.

Sadly when the Light Infantry disappear, I feel their memory has been let down.

Sean

[squirrel]

Yet another case of a b***s up all round by MOD and some of the senior officers involved don't seem to know the history and local ties of the regiments they are serving with.

"The Rifles" is a strange and somehow abstract name for a regiment incorporating County Regiments, Light Infantry and Rifle regiments.

Surely something more imaginative could have been chosen.

[Blackblue]

And heres where its all heading:

http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0129.html

A very sad state of affairs.

Rgds

Tim

[BeppoSapone]

"The Rifles" is a strange and somehow abstract name for a regiment incorporating County Regiments, Light Infantry and Rifle regiments.

Surely something more imaginative could have been chosen.

It works for me

[mac]

Folks

As an old Heavy Infantryman having served for a few years in the 1st Batalion Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) may I enter the debate. This wholesale destruction of the Infantry arm of the British Army is a complete disgrace and finance driven. None- the- less those serving and those supporting have to make the best of a bad job. I would like to stand up for the heavy infantry who in these debates get a disproportionate amount of bad flack. All Infantrymen think that their Regiment is the best, and I am no exception. My Regiment (DERR) merged with the Glosters just over ten years ago, and like all newly merged units took a dip in recruitment in the early days. A significant amount of work and effort was put in by the new Regiment (RGBW) and by the time of the latest round of cuts were all but fully recruited certainly no less than any of the Light Infantry units. The powers that be decided to use recruiting figures going back ten years, which of course disadvantaged the RGBW because of the earlier meger. I have no idea what happened behind the scenes but the prefered option of all those that I served with was for the D & Ds and the RGBW to form a two battalion 'Wessex Regiment' effectivly mirroring the PWRR in the South East of England. The link with the Light Infantry was a complete shock and even I must say that the RGJ and the LI who have already embraced the 'Large Regiment' concept were 'shafted' to say the least. One of the commentators above has hit the nail on the head, in the very near future the 5th Rifles, the 5th Scottish, and the 3rd Mercian will go in the next round of cuts which are Probably in the pipeline.The RGBW in their short time have won the Army Rugby Cup twice and are at present in Afghanistan where one of the lads paid the full price. The Heavy Infantry units may not wear bearskins, blackbuttons or other oddities, but their history is as good as anyones and the soldiers serving are without doubt not of a lesser quality.

Our Regimental Museum at Salisbury is a positive link with the Regimental past of Berkshire and Wiltshire, but we will support 'The Rifles' through thick and thin, but standby if you try to forget our past.

Cheers 'Mac'.....An old 'Farmersboy'

[Graham Stewart]

Mac,

I take my hat off to you for your input and at least we now know that the LI & RGJ have been well and truly "shafted", but the only b****r who couldn't past his nose end was the L.I. Colonel who agreed with it. What little sweetner was dangled his way then??

In all honesty I have no axe to grind with the heavy infantry, but this merger absolutely stank and a Wessex Regiment should have been the answer for the D and D & RGBW. My main gripe and it always will be that for the last forty years recruitment south of Birmingham has been absolute s**t and well recruited regiments always end up paying the bloody penalty for those regiments whose home population don't give a toss.

The L.I. wasn't immune from this either Shropshire, Somerset and Cornwall put very few soldiers into the new L.I. and even in the 1950's/60's before the merger Durham and Yorkshire were sending surplus recruits down there to keep deadend regiments alive. Ask anyone who served in any of the regular L.I. battalions the number of "carrot crunchers" could be counted on one hand.

During the 1980's when 25% of the male working population of Northumberland & Durham were out of work the MOD was rubbing it's hands in glee, they couldn't get enough lads from here through the recruiting office doors. What does Durham get for it's loyalty "sweet F.A.". At least a merger with the RGJ as "The Rifles" using the old Greenjackets Brigade badge would be an easier pill to swallow.

I think what scared the s**t out of a lot of Colonels was the fact if the mergers were recruitment based the only units left South of Brum would be the Queens Regt and Royal Anglians. Your biggest recruitment areas for the last forty years have been Scotland, Wales, North West and North East England, Yorkshire and the Midlands. Now there's North/South divide for you. If every man from these regions were to jack the Army in,

you would probably end up with a single Brigade serving the country.

As you can see I'm very wound up about these latest mergers, so I apologise for my tone.

Graham.