Australian Based Rifle Regiment

Battles are on weekends training before each battle.

The Regiment was formed during 1755-56 in North America initially as the 62nd and then as the 60th Royal American Regiment. The Regiment recruited from colonists and volunteers from other British Regiments with the purpose of adopting an ‘Indian system’ of forest warfare with lighter equipment, more mobile and open formations. This was because the European method of mass volleys launched in unison proved to be ineffectual when fighting in the dense woodland of North America. The Regiment formation was in direct response to ‘Braddock's Defeat’ in 1755 when a British military expedition failed to capture the French Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War.

The 1st battalion was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Henri Bouquet and his ingenuity led to the Regiment being more lightly equipped and camouflaged and focused upon certain attributes such as independent action and swift initiative enforced with firm discipline. The Royal American Regiment played a distinguished part in establishing British power in North America.

The Regiment became an invaluable part of any campaign therefore were present at most action of the British Empire including; The Conquest Of Canada 1785, The Peninsula War 1808-1814, The Indian Mutiny 1857–1859, The Zulu War 1879, The American Civil War 1861–1865, Afghanistan, Manipur & Burma 1878–1898 and South Africa 1899–1902. Following the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 the Regiment was awarded the new title of The Duke of York's Own Rifle Corps when His Royal Highness Frederick, Duke of York became colonel (and later Commander-in-Chief) until his death in 1827. This was changed to the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) in 1830 when King George IV ascended to the throne and his brother His Royal Highness Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge became colonel.

In 1948 the Regiment was merged with The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) to form The Green Jackets Brigade, further amalgamations followed with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in1958. In 1966 these three Regiments became the three battalions of the Royal Green Jackets and in 2007 were further merged with the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, The Light Infantry and The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry to become The Rifles.

VIEW ALL

POPULAR DISCUSSIONS

1 Comments

< >