Download representational battle honours

From the pages of the Rifles website
http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regts/the_rifles/
REPRESENTATIONAL BATTLE
HONOURS
A battle honour is an official acknowledgement rewarded to military units for
their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign.
Granted only through the British monarch's Royal Authority, the rewarding of
battle honours is a military tradition practiced not only in Britain but also in
Commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc.
Battle honours are usually presented in the form of a name of a country, a
region or a city where the regiment's distinguished act took place together
with the year when it occurred. In the British Army a unit's battles honours
can normally be found engraved, painted or embroidered on:
The Queen's Colour or King's Colour
The Regimental Colour
The Queen's Truncheon of the Royal Gurkha Rifles
Drums of the regimental band and/or pipes and drums
The baldric worn by the Bugle/Drum Major of the regimental band/pipes and
drums
The Bugle/Drum Major's band mace
A regimental pipes and drums' pipe banners
The Cap Badge of Rifle Regiments
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Not every battle fought would automatically result in the granting of a battle
honour and sometimes a regiment or a battalion could obtain more than one
battle honour in the same operation for outstanding military
accomplishments. Additionally, a regiment need not have defeated the
adversary in order to win a battle honour. For instance, although the Hong
Kong Volunteer Defence Corps were unable to stop the invading Japanese
army from capturing Hong Kong in 1941, the unit was nevertheless awarded
the battle honour "Hong Kong" for its gallant actions and casualty rates.
For the British Army, the need to adopt a system to recognize military units'
battlefield accomplishments was apparent since its formation in the later part
of the 17th century. Although the granting of battle honours had already been
in place at the time (for example Gibraltar, Dettingen, Plassey, Minden etc), it
was not until 1784 that Infantry units were authorized to bear battle honours
on their colours. Before then, a regiment's colours were practical tools for
rallying troops in the battle field and not quite something for displaying the
unit's past distinctions.
During that period, a regiment needed only to engage the enemy with
musketry before it was eligible for a battle honour. However, the need to
develop a centralized system to oversee the selection and granting of battle
honours soon arised in the 19th century following the increase of military
engagements that British Army units were involved in around the globe. Thus
in 1882, a committee was formed to adjudicate applications of battle honour
claims. This committee, later called the Battles Nomenclature Committee in
the Second World War, still maintains its functions in the British Army today.
The Rifles do not carry Colours (being a Rifle Regiment). Instead, all officers
and soldiers wear them on their person. Traditionally these were incorporated
on cap and belt badges of Rifle Regiments and this tradition continues today
with the wearing of the Belt Badge incorporating representative battle
honours.
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The belt badge, which was personally approved by HM The Queen (click here
to download a larger image with HM The Queen's signature) has a number of
component parts and all are of historic significance.
The Peninsula scroll adorns the Maltese Cross. The Peninsula War (180814) witnessed the first modern use of British Light Infantry and Rifle troops.
All our former antecedent Regiments were represented during this campaign
and where, during the Battle of Corunna in 1809 the founding father of The
Rifles, General Sir John Moore, was killed.
Opposite The Peninsula Scroll is the Normandy Scroll, representing the
honours awarded to our founding regiments during the Normandy Campaign,
which was initiated on 6th June 1944. It was the largest amphibious assault
landing in military history (Operation Overlord).
The following are the remaining representative Battle Honours worn by The
Rifles on the Belt Badge:
(includes links about the battles to other websites - these are not under the
control of The Rifles are are linked to to provide the user a greater
understanding of the battles and campaigns)
Battle
Honour
Awarded
To
Campaign and
Significance
~ Pre-Napoleonic ~
Gibraltar 1704- Som LI, DCLI
05
War of the Spanish
Succession/Europe
• This was a significant day in history as
Britain captured Gibraltar and has held it
ever since.
• ‘The Garrison did more than could
humanly be expected and the English
Marines [of which the Som LI and DCLI
were part] gained immortal glory'.
• It is the oldest Rifles Battle Honour and
was the first Regimental link with the Royal
Navy.
• SCLI Regtl Day
* Dettingen
(1743)
Devons, Som LI,
DCLI,
War of the Austrian
Succession/Europe
• This was a significant battle in British
Army history as it was the last time a
British monarch (George II) commanded in
battle
• ‘No mean professional achievement to
have defeated an army thought to be the
best in Europe '
Plassey (1757) Dorsets
Seven Years
War/India
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• This was the beginning of the
establishment of British influence in India
and saw the British Army capture Bengal
• As a result the French were driven out of
northern India, destroying French trade in
India
• Robert Clive triumphs against
overwhelming odds (2900 v 50000) for the
loss of less than 70 men
• A unique honour (since R Munster Fus
and R Dublin Fus disbanded in 1922)
Minden (1759) KOYLI
Seven Years War/Europe
• The British Army was deployed to
support the Prussian Army under Frederick
The Great against the threat posed by
France and Austria. Minden was a
significant victory, which saw theAllies
reopen communications with Hanover.
• Lord Sackville refused to support the
Infantry who were ordered to ‘Advance on
the beat of drum'. This order was
misinterpreted as ‘Advance to the beat of
drum.' Therefore 6 British and 3
Hanoverian bns advanced against the
French cavalry in hazardous 'Line'
formation. But their discipline and courage
repelled 3 French cavalry charges and
smashed the French infantry
• ‘Those unsurpassable six, in industrious
valour unsurpassable' Thomas Carlyle
• It was KOYLI's ‘greatest battle honour'
and Regtl Day - Minden Day celebrated on
1st August with White Rose of Yorkshire
worn on headdress
Quebec (1759) Glosters, Ox
and Bucks LI,
KRRC
Seven Years
War/North America
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• At the same time as the British were
fighting the French in Europe, war was
being waged in North America. The victory
at Quebec allowed Britain to seize Canada.
• Quebec was a Joint and manoeuvrist
action. Gen James Wolfe (32), weak from
tuberculosis, leads his men across the St
Lawrence river in darkness, in boats with
muffled oars, to the foot of a steep wooded
cliff. 300 feet above are the Plains of
Abraham - with open access to Quebec.
Battle lasts an hour before the French flee
Martinique
Glosters, Ox
and Bucks LI,
KRRC, Dorset,
Seven Years War /West
Indies; Napoleonic
Som LI
Wars/West Indies (x 2)
• Combines 3 awards :
• Martinique 1762: Glosters, Ox and Bucks
LI, KRRC
• Martinique 1794: Dorset, Ox and Bucks
LI
• Martinique 1809: Som LI, KRRC
• Many antecedents of The Rifles
served in the West Indies and it is
right that this region should be
commemorated on the cross/belt badge.
By way of example, the DLI (the 68 th )
served in the West Indies three times from
1764-1806, losing the equivalent of 4 bns
alone to disease during that period. The
DLI earned their nickname ‘Faithful'
(emblazoned on the Colours to this day)
from this period
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• Geographically, the West Indies pushes
us towards South America . . . perhaps
allowing The Rifles to claim that we have
fought on every continent?!
~ NAPOLEONIC WARS ~
Marabout
(1801)
Dorsets
Napoleonic Wars/N Africa
• A subset of ‘Egypt with Sphinx' which is
commemorated in the Back Badge
• A unique honour – in addition to the
‘Sphinx' badge awarded to many
Regiments, the 54 th were given a French
cannon as a trophy. However, in 1840 the
War Office decided to re-house the cannon
at RMA Woolwich. In return 54 th were
permitted to use the inscription 'Marabout'
under the ‘Sphinx' rather than the usual
'Egypt.' Cannon now displayed at 'The
Keep' in Dorchester.
• Fort Marabout was 54th' s objective, key
to Alexandria's defences. The 54th
dragged Royal Artillery guns across the
sand and rock, under the burning Egyptian
sun, into a position to support the attack,
under cover of musket fire and
sharpshooters of the light companies.
Musket and cannon fire so effective that
enemy surrendered
* Waterloo
(1815)
Glosters, DCLI,
Ox and Bucks
LI, KOYLI, Rifle
Brigade
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Napoleonic Wars
• Wellington's best known battle and
resulted in the final defeat of Napoleon and
peace in Europe for 99 years, shaped
modern Europe
• ‘Did more than any other battle I know
towards the true object of all battles – the
peace of the world.' Duke of Wellington
~ IMPERIAL CONQUEST ~
Afghanistan
Som LI, Rifle
Indian Sub-continent
Brigade, KOYLI,
KRRC, Devons,
• Afghanistan's position as a buffer state
Royal
between the Russian Empire and British
Berkshires, DLI,
India, meant that the British and Indian
KSLI
authorities were anxious to ensure that a
pro-British Emir was always on the throne
at Kabul. Currently topical, ‘Afghanistan' c
ombines 5 awards :
• Affghanistan 1839: Som LI. NB . Double
‘f' as awarded in 1839 only
• Afghanistan 1878-1879: Rifle Brigade
• Afghanistan 1878-1880: KOYLI, KRRC
• Afghanistan 1879-1880: Devons, KSLI,
Royal Berkshire
• Afghanistan 1919: Som LI, DLI
Jellalabad
(1842)
Som LI
Indian Subcontinent/Afghanistan
• ‘ . . . upheld the honour of the British
Army for five months in a hostile country
surrounded by a treacherous enemy where
their comrades in arms had met with
unparalleled disaster.' (Sir Henry Everett:
History of The Somerset Light Infantry:
1685-1914 )
• A unique honour ‘with Mural Crown,
borne on Regtl Colour'
• 13th LI was besieged by a superior force
of Afghans in Jellalabad from Nov 1841 to
Apr 1842. Legendary courage and
resilience. 13 th broke out on 7 Apr 1842
and defeated an Afghan force
estimated to be six times bigger.
Queen Victoria was so impressed that she
ordered that the Regt should: be known as
'Prince Albert's Regiment of Light Infantry'
after her Consort; and approved the
change of the Regiment's uniform facings
from yellow to royal blue. A special
campaign medal was struck to
commemorate the siege. Regimental
badge to include the name 'Jellalabad' (in a
scroll at the top), a mural crown (referring
to the fortress walls of Jellalabad) and the
initials 'PA' (Prince Albert). The Prime
Minister referred to the Regiment as the
'Illustrious Garrison'.
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• Jellalabad Day celebrated on 7 Apr - ‘Of
all the Battle Honours bestowed upon the
Regiment none surpasses that of
'Jellalabad' . Som LI's ‘greatest battle
honour' and Regtl Day
Ferozeshah
(1845)
Wiltshires
Indian Sub-continent/1st
Sikh War
• One of the most bitterly contested battles
ever fought by the British in India (1800
British and 5000 Sikh casualties)
• In 1845 the 62nd was stationed in India and
was engaged in the First Sikh War. At the
battle of Ferozeshah on 2Ist / 22nd December
1845 the 62nd led the main attack and suffered
heavy casualties on the first day, losing 18 out
of 23 officers and 281 out 500 other ranks.
When the battle resumed next morning most of
the companies were commanded by sergeants.
A ceremonial parade is now held annually on
which, in appreciation of the service rendered
by the sergeants at Ferozeshah, the Colours are
handed over by the Commanding Officer to the
Warrant Officers and Sergeants for the rest of
the day and handed back in a ceremony at
midnight. Uniquely the RSM alone commands
the escort to the Colours during the parade...
Delhi (1857)
and
Lucknow
(1857-1858)
Glosters, Ox
and Bucks LI,
KRRC
DCLI, KSLI
Indian Subcontinent/Indian Mutiny
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• Recapture of Delhi the decisive
factor in the suppression of the
Mutiny
• On 7 Jun 1857 a hastily raised force of
4,000 men succeeded in occupying a ridge
overlooking Delhi. But too weak to retake
the city and faced by over 30,000
mutineers. Reinforcements arrived from
the Punjab, incl a siege train of 32 guns
and 2,000 men under Brig-Gen John
Nicholson.
• By 14 Sep the British had about 9,000
men before Delhi. A third were British while
the rest were Sikhs, Punjabis and Gurkhas.
Breaches were made in the city walls, a
gate was blown and after a week's vicious
street fighting, Delhi was back under British
control
• 10 RGJ VCs (KRRC: 8; 52 nd : 2). Close
affiliation with RGR based on this battle.
150 th Anniversary of Delhi in 2007 and will
be celebrated in major commemoration
ceremony at RMAS run jointly with RGR
Indian Subcontinent/Indian Mutiny
• On 4 Jul 1857 mutineers attacked the
Lucknow Residency, defended by Sir
Henry Lawrence and 1500 troops incl the
32 nd and loyal Bengal sepoys. Lawrence
killed early on so command passed to Col
John Inglis of the 32 nd (‘The Defender of
Lucknow')
• Maj-Gen Sir Henry Havelock (late Som
LI) broke into Lucknow on 25 Sep but his
force was too weak to evacuate the
defenders. On 16 Nov Lt Gen Sir Colin
Campbell's force, enraged by the slaughter
of 200 British dependants at Cawnpore,
stormed the Secundra Bagh and killed
2000 mutineers. Campbell evacuated the
Residency and finally captured Lucknow in
Mar 1858, having first had to clear the
mutineers in Cawnpore.
• Queen Victoria ordered that the
32 nd ‘in consideration of the
enduring gallantry displayed in the defence
of the Residency of Lucknow . . . be
clothed, equipped and trained as a light
infantry regt.'
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• If Delhi was the symbolic centre of the
Indian Mutiny, and Cawnpore provided its
most horrific episode, it was Lucknow that
caught the imagination of the British public.
• DCLI's ‘greatest battle honour' and Regtl
Day. Lucknow Day celebrated on 17 Nov;
Lucknow Silver; 8 x LI VCs (4 each to
DCLI and KSLI)
New Zealand
Wiltshires, Ox
and Bucks LI,
DLI
Australasia
• The New Zealand Wars, sometimes
called the Maori Wars, refer to a series of
conflicts that took place in New Zealand
between 1845 and 1872. The wars were
fought over disputed land being sold to the
European settlers by the native Maori. At
least 2 VCs: Sjt John Murray (DLI) and
Capt Frederick Smith (Ox and Bucks LI).
• Combines 2 awards, New Zealand
having been awarded 3 times:
• New Zealand 1846-1847 (Wiltshires)
• New Zealand 1860-1861 (No Rifles
recipient)
• New Zealand 1863-1866 (Ox and Bucks
LI, DLI)
Pekin 1860
KRRC,
Wiltshires
Second Chinese War/Far
East
• Relations between China and Britain
were strained following the1839 Opium
War and, in 1856, Chinese authorities
seized the Arrow , a British-registered ship
owned by a local pirate being used to raid
Chinese ships. The British consul in China
demanded that the Chinese released the
Arrow , its commander and its
crew, and apologise. The
Chinese refused. Without consulting the
British government, the consul threatened
military force. Eventually, the Chinese
agree to all the consul's terms except the
apology. When the Prime Minister,
Viscount Palmerston, learnt of the
situation, he saw it as a chance to open up
all of China to British trade. He backed the
consul and declared war. The conflict
lasted until October 1860, when troops
under British command marched to Peking
and burnt the emperor's Summer Palace.
Britain dictated terms for peace (Treaty of
Tien-tsin) – they included trade access to
the vast Chinese interior for a wide range
of goods, including opium.
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• A rare, though not unique Battle Honour
for The Rifles , but one that takes us into
the heart of Asia
South Africa
Devons, Som LI,
Glosters, DCLI,
Dorset, Ox and
Bucks LI, Royal
Berkshires,
KOYLI, KSLI,
KRRC,
Wiltshires, DLI,
Rifle Brigade,
Volunteer
Battalions
Africa/South Africa
• Combines 5 awards, South Africa having
been awarded 7 times:
• South Africa 1835 (No Rifles recipient)
• South Africa 1846-1847 (Rifle Brigade)
• South Africa 1851-1853 (Ox and Bucks
LI, KRRC, Rifle Brigade)
• South Africa 1877-1879 (No Rifles
recipient)
• South Africa 1878-1879 (Som LI)
• South Africa 1879 (KRRC, Wiltshires)
• South Africa 1899-1902 (Devons, Som
LI, Glosters, DCLI, Dorset, Ox and Bucks
LI, Royal Berkshires, KOYLI, KSLI, KRRC,
Wiltshires, DLI, Rifle Brigade,) Volunteer
Bns also provided reinforcement Coys to
Reg Bns from 1900-1902. Herefords
retained this battle honour.
• Allows The Rifles to
commemorate the Anglo-Zulu
War (Som LI – unlike the 24th (later the
RRW) – defeated the Zulus at Kambula
and Ulundi in 1879) and the Boer War
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• 3 X LI VCs (incl Rorke's Drift)
~ CRIMEAN WAR ~
* Inkerman
(1854)
Glosters, Royal
Berkshires, DLI,
Rifle Brigade
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Crimean War
• ‘One of the greatest actions the British
Army has fought having been victorious in
the face of odds of five-to-one' • Inkerman
is described as “The Soldier's Battle”, a
reference to the ferocity of the fighting, the
importance of the role of battalions,
companies and even small parties of men
and the foggy isolation of the soldiers who
were thrown on their own initiative
• 24/50 bns of the Russian Field Army
were defeated
• ‘Inkerman Chain' pre-dates this famous
Crimean War battle of 1854 by 25 years.
(Just 3/16 offrs killed or died of wounds)
• DLI's ‘greatest battle honour' and Regtl
Day; Inkerman Day celebrated on 5 Nov ( .
. . with fireworks and bonfires . . . )
~ FIRST WORLD WAR ~
Nonne
Boschen
(1914)
Glosters, Ox
and Bucks LI,
Royal
Berkshires,
KRRC,
Wiltshires.
First World War/NW
Europe
• 11 Nov 1914 antecedents of The Rifles
achieved fame at Nonne Boschen by
routing the Prussian Potsdam Guards,
almost 100 years after they had defeated
the French Imperial Guard at Waterloo.
17,500 Germans attacked a British force of
7850. The Germans advanced to Nonne
Boschen wood, where they were stopped
dead and thrown back by an incredible
charge of the Ox and Bucks LI. The
Glosters were in reserve and moved
forward to assist in the counterattack. The Germans had failed.
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• "None of the survivors who were present
at Ypres on the 11th November 1914 will
ever forget the final and violent effort of the
Germans on that day to break through the
British line. Twelve battalions of the
famous Prussian Guard, with other
German troops, were brought up to
accomplish what their comrades had failed
to do. Four of the most renowned
regiments of the German Army, each
consisting of 3 battalions of fresh troops,
advanced against a thin line of British
troops, who for 3 weeks had been engaged
in incessant fighting and were almost worn
out from fatigue."
* Ypres 191415-16-17-18
and
* Somme
1916, 1918
Devons, Som LI,
Glosters, DCLI,
Dorsets, Ox and
Bucks LI, Royal
Berkshires,
KOYLI,
HerefordsKSLI,
DLI, KRRC,
Rifle Brigade
First World War/NW
Europe
• 1914 . As the main body of the BEF was
fighting its way forward in the Flemish Hills,
so the 7th Division and 3rd Cavalry
Division were falling back westwards from
Ghent. They met and formed a continuous
body of troops around Ypres. Misinformed
Wiltshires, DLI, by intelligence about the overwhelming
Devons, Som LI, German strength advancing towards them,
Glosters, DCLI, Sir John French ordered the BEF to
Dorsets, Ox and advance to capture Menin with a view to
Bucks LI, Royal moving on towards Courtrai. The initial
Berkshires,
battle of encounter soon changed into
KOYLI, KSLI,
KRRC, Rifle
Brigade
dogged defence by the BEF against huge
odds, as the enemy attacked in force with
the intention of breaking through to
outflank the Allies on the River Yser.
Despite very heavy losses, the defence
held - although there were times when it
seemed that Ypres must be lost. With the
Belgian Army along the Yser on the
British left also desperately holding on,
the German Army failed in this last
colossal attempt of 1914 to break the
enemy line and turn its flank. Ypres, and
the Old Contemptibles, achieved
immortal fame.
• 1917 . ‘ . . . not a battle to
delight those who admire
Napoleonic modes and methods, or
devotees of civilized behaviour. It clearly
did not delight the modernists who held,
and hold, that modern techniques oriented
to new methods could have overcome the
slogging match on the Western Front.'
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Further research required for 1915, 1916,
1918
First World War/NW Europe
• One of the most important campaigns in
which the British Army has ever been
engaged, the dogged fighting on the
Somme has shaped modern memory of
the First World War
• After a disastrous opening for the British
attack, the Allied offensive pushed on yard
by yard through a hot summer and
eventually halted as the mud of winter
closed in. Little ground had been taken, but
the German army had been mortally
wounded.
Vittoria
Devons,
Veneto (1918) Glosters, Ox
and Bucks LI,
Royal
Berkshires,
KOYLI, DLI
• 29 Oct - 4 Nov 1918. British forces led
the way in dramatic advance across the
River Piave to a decisive victory over the
Austrians which led to the AustroHungarian surrender and the disintegration
of their Empire.
• The Allies, disappointed and angered at
the Italians inability to counterattack
against the Austrians, attempted to
persuade the Italians to action. Assurances
were at last received from Diaz (Italian Cin-C) on 6 Oct 1918. A combined Italian
force comprising 57 divisions, of which 3
were British (7 Div, 23 Div, - XIV Corps
under Lord Cavan) and 2 French, along
with a single U.S. regiment. Ranged
against them were 52 nominal AustroHungarian divisions. The plan was for
Allied forces to break through across the
Piave, separating the Austrian armies in
the mountains from those on the Vittorio
Veneto plain, and then to wheel
westwards. 'The appearance of the British
(at the Bund) created universal terror'
(Austrian Official History). XIV Corps was
the only attacking formation to achieve all
of its objectives on the day. In so doing it
captured 2,500 prisoners and 54 guns, and
advanced 3000 yards from the river. The
British were way ahead of the Italian units
on either flank. Mounted and cyclist troops
continued the advance as fast as could be
achieved . . . Gen Shoubridge (Comd 7
Div) said: 'You have only to march like Hell
and the war is won'. The advance
continued until 4 Nov until halted by the
Austrians signing the Armistice.
• British open-warfare offensive tactics
won the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, as did
incredible bravery and feats of engineering
. . . artillery support was light, and logistics
constrained by the bridging capacity at the
rivers. The Allies - and without question the
two British Divs of XIV Corps led the way utterly defeated two Austrian Armies on
this front.
• Prime Minister David Lloyd George
strongly believed that it was possible to
defeat Germany through attacking its
neighbours elsewhere, particularly in Italy.
While this proved not to be the case, there
is no doubt that the defeat of the Austrians
at Vittorio Veneto contributed to German
anxiety and the signing of the Armistice at
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Compiegne.
• 8KOYLI in reserve – KOYLI history
refers to manoeuvre, not contact) 12 (Svc)
Bn DLI
Megiddo
(1918)
Som LI, DCLI,
Dorsets,
Wiltshires,
First World War/Middle East
• The ancient fortress of Megiddo appears
in the New Testament as Armageddon, the
location of the millennial battle between
the forces of good and evil
• Name given to the action that launched
the final Allied offensive against
the Turks in Palestine and Syria.
Deceiving the Turkish high command that
his next offensive would be launched
across the Jordan River, General Sir
Edmund Allenby secretly concentrated his
forces on the coastal plain. His offensive
began with a massed infantry assault that
tore a hole in the Turkish line and allowed
the mounted forces to be unleashed into
the Turkish rear to sever the routes vital for
supply and reinforcement. Within 24 hours
the mounted troops had advanced over 50
kilometres into the Turkish rear areas.
Meggido brought about a rapid Turkish
collapse, facilitating a rapid advance on
Damascus by the Allied mounted troops.
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• Joint and asymmetric . . . Turkish supply
lines disrupted by Lawrence of Arabia's
attacks on the Hejaz Railway and the RAF
cut their communications with
headquarters, helping to delay attempts to
halt the cavalry wheel until it was too late
• Allenby routed the Turks in one of the
war's most decisive battles and there was
nothing to stop him advancing further
north, with Damascus as the immediate
prize
~ SECOND WORLD WAR ~
Calais 1940
KRRC, Rifle
Brigade
Second World War/NW
Europe
• 22 and 23 May 1940 a small British force
was disembarked in Calais IOT keep the
port open and establish LoC with Dunkirk.
30 Inf Bde consisted of the 2 KRRC, the 1
Rifle Brigade, 1 Queen Victoria's Rifles and
3 RTR. On 23 May, the Germans began
shelling the town and the next day
surrounded it and opened a heavy
bombardment. Fighting continued in and
around Calais until 26 May when short of
food and ammunition and with numerous
casualties the Bde was overwhelmed.
• "The Rifle Brigade, the 60th Rifles and
the Queen Victoria's Rifles, with a bn of
British tanks and 1000 Frenchmen - in all
about 4000 strong-defended Calais to the
last. The British Brigadier was given an
hour to surrender. He spurned the offer,
and 4 days of intense street fighting
passed before silence reigned over Calais,
which marked the end of a memorable
resistance. Only 30 unwounded survivors
were brought off by the Royal Navy, and
we do not know the fate of their comrades.
Their sacrifice was not however, in vain. At
least two armd divs, which otherwise would
have been turned against the British
Expeditionary Force, had to be sent to
overcome them. They have added
another page to the glories of the Light
Division and the time gained enabled the
Gravelines Walnlieu to be flooded and to
be held by French troops; and thus it was
that the port of Dunkirk was kept open."
Winston Churchill (4 Jun 1940)
* El Alamein
(1942)
KRRC, DLI,
Rifle Brigade
Second World
War/Africa
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• "Before Alamein we never had a victory,
after Alamein we never had a defeat."
Winston Churchill
Kohima (1944) Royal
Berkshires, DLI,
Dorsets
Second World War/Far
East
• Selected to represent the Burma
Campaign. The Battle of Kohima (NE
India) was fought from 4 Apr-22 Jun 1944.
British and Indian forces were besieged by
the Japanese, eventually relieved on 22
Jun.
• The British and Indian forces lost around
4000 men dead, wounded and missing.
The Japanese had lost 7000. The battle
was ultimately to prove to be the turning
point of the Burma Campaign. Lord
Mountbatten described it as: ‘Probably
one of the greatest battles in history . . .
in effect the Battle of Burma . . . naked
unparalleled heroism . . . the
Britsh/Indian Thermopylae.'
• Inscribed on the Commonwealth
Cemetery War Memorial at Kohima, near
the famous tennis court, is the well known
epitaph:
‘When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us and
Say
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today'
Pegasus
Bridge (1944)
Ox and Bucks LI
(also held by the
Para Regt)
Second World
War/NW Europe
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• 6th (Airborne) Div's 'coup de main' on the
night of5/index.htm6Jun 1944, securing the
eastern flank of the Allied invasion. 3
gliders dropped within yards of the target,
the road bridge across the Caen canal. 181
soldiers, mostly from D Coy 2 nd Ox and
Bucks LI under Maj John Howard, captured
the bridge in just ten minutes, becoming
the first objective seized on D Day
• Joint and manoeuvrist
* Normandy
[Landing]
(1944)
Devons,
Dorsets, Ox and
Bucks LI, Royal
Berkshires,
Second World War/NW
Europe
KSLI, Glosters,
DLI, Rifle
Brigade, KOYLI,
DCLI,
Wiltshires, Som
LI, KRRC,
Herefords (V)
• Representing:
• Normandy Landing: Devons, Dorsets, Ox
and Bucks LI, Royal Berkshires, KSLI
• Port en Bessin: Devons
• Villers Bocage: Glosters, Dorsets, DLI,
Rifle Brigade
• Tilly sur Seulles: Devons, Dorsets, DLI
• The Odon: Som LI, KSLI, Wiltshires,
Rifle Brigade, Herefords (V)
• Fontenay le Pesnil: KOYLI
• Cheux: DCLI
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• Defence of Rauray: DLI,
Herefords (V)
• Caen: Devons, Som LI, Dorsets, Ox and
Bucks LI, KSLI, Wiltshires,
• Carpiquet: Ox and Bucks LI
• Hill 112: Som LI, DCLI, Wiltshires
• Esquay: Ox and Bucks LI
• Bourguebus Ridge: KSLI, Wiltshires,
Rifle Brigade, Herefords(V)
• Troarn: KSLI
• Maltot: Wiltshires
• Etc etc
• 6 Jun 1944, saw the largest amphibious
assault landing in military history
(Operation Overlord). The allies, who were
stalled in Italy, needed to land on mainland
Europe and open another front against the
Germans.
Italy 1943-45 - Devons, Som LI,
Anzio (1944)
DCLI, Dorsets,
Berks, KOYLI,
Second World War/NW
Europe
KSLI, KRRC,
Wilts, DLI, Ox
and Bucks LI,
RB
• The Allies invaded mainland Italy on 3
Sep 1943. Italy surrendered 5 days later
and the Germans took over the fight.
This forced the Allies to a complete halt in
the winter of 1943-1944, south of Rome.
• Following the landing at Anzio on 22 Jan
1944, the Allies were able to break through
but it was the eventual (12 Jan-18 May
1944) but costly (54,000 Allied/20,000
Germans lost) victory at Monte Cassino
that paved the way to taking Rome on 4
Jun 1944.
Allied advances that winter were slow
because of troop re-deployments to
France. In early April, the Allies broke
through the Gothic Line and gradually
enclosed the main German forces
leading to their surrender in Italy
on 2 May 1945.
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• 58 Italian Theatre Battle Honours
awarded to antecedents of The Rifles,
including the unique ‘Incontro’ to 2DCLI –
‘a model of what a daylight attack by a bn
gp on a strong posn should be.’
• The KSLI's Regimental Day was Anzio
Day (11 May)
~ POST 1945 ~
Korea [The]
Imjin (1951)
Korea was
awarded three
times:
• Korea 19501951 (Glosters)
• Korea 19511952 (KSLI)
• Korea 19521953 (DLI)
Glosters, KSLI,
DLI
Korean War/Far East
• In Jun 1950, Russian-backed North
Korea attacked US-backed South Korea
(recognised by the UN as the lawful
authority for all Korea) and by Aug 1950
almost all had fallen to the North. UN
Comd, Gen Douglas MacArthur, launched
a successful amphibious landing 200 miles
behind en lines and struck North to
Chinese border. Chinese attacked but lines
stabilised along 38th parallel between Jan
and Jun 1951, followed by 2 years of semistatic warfare. An Armistice was signed on
27 Jul 1953. Around 4½ million deaths on
all sides.
During the spring of 1951 three divisions of
the 63rd Chinese Communist Army chose
an historic invasion route along which to
mount an attack on Seoul. Astride their
route of advance lay this valley, where 29
Bde had prepared its position overlooking
the Imjin River
• Although UN and Korean forces were
heavily defeated, they did manage to delay
the invading troops so that the bulk of their
forces could move south to regroup. The
bravery of the Glosters was widely saluted
and gained official recognition. VCs
awarded to the CO, Lt Col Carne, and to Lt
Curtis, attached from the DCLI (another
example of Rifles antecedents fighting
together)
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• After the battle the "Glorious
Glosters" could only muster 67 Offrs and
men. There were 59 dead and 526, of
whom 180 were wounded, had fallen into
enemy hands. Of these 34 died in captivity.
Though minor in scale the battle's ferocity
caught the imagination of the world .
• In addition to Imjin, The Glosters gained
the Battle Honours of ‘Hill 327’ and ‘Korea
1950-51’ whilst the LI gained ‘KowangSan’, ‘Hill 227’ (a fierce defensive battle
unique to the KSLI) and ‘Korea 1951-53’.
Iraq 2003
Devons, Som LI,
Glosters,
Dorsets, Ox and
Bucks LI,
Wiltshires,
DCLI, KOYLI, LI
The founding regiments have fought and
been awared battle honours in Iraq as
follows:
• Mesopotamia 1914-1918 (Devons, Som
LI, Glosters, Dorsets, Ox and Bucks LI,
Wiltshires)
• Iraq 1920 (DCLI, KOYLI)
• Iraq 1941 (No Rifles recipients)
• Iraq 2003 (LI)
• This is the newest Rifles Battle Honour
and visible on the Belt Badge