King's Royal Rifle Corps

King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps in 1880s by Harry Payne (1858-1927)
Active	1756 - 1966
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Rifles
Role	Light Infantry
Garrison/HQ	Winchester
Nickname	60th Rifles
March	Lutzow's Wild Chase

The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry formation, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later known as the 60th Rifles, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire. In 1956 the regiment became part of the Royal Green Jackets.

History

The King's Royal Rifle Corps was raised in the American colonies in 1756 as the 62nd (Royal American) Regiment to defend the thirteen colonies against infiltration by the French and their native American allies. After Braddock's defeat in 1755, royal approval for a new regiment, as well as funds, were granted by Parliament just before Christmas 1755 - hence the regiment's traditional Birthday of Christmas Day. However parliamentary delays meant it was 4 March 1756 before a special Act of Parliament created four battalions of 1,000 men each to include foreigners for service in the Americas.

According to a Regimental history compiled in 1879 by a captain in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, in November 1755 Parliament voted the sum of 81,000 Pounds for the purpose of raising a Regiment of four battalions, each one thousand strong for service in British North America. Parliament approved an Act, “To enable His Majesty [George II] to grant commissions to a certain number of foreign Protestants, who have served abroad as officers or engineers, to act and rank as officers or engineers in America only, under certain restrictions and regulations.” The Earl of Loudoun, who as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in North America, was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment. About fifty Officers’ commissions were given to Germans and Swiss, and none were allowed to rise above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.^[1]

According to a modern history of the Regiment, the idea for creating this unique force was proposed by Jacques Prevost, a Swiss soldier and adventurer, who was a friend of the Duke of Cumberland (William Augustus, who was the King's second son and was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army.) Prevost foresaw the need for soldiers who understood forest warfare, unlike the Regulars who were brought to America in 1755 by General Braddock.^[2]

The Regiment was intended to combine the characteristics of a Colonial Corps with those of a Foreign Legion. Swiss and German forest fighting experts, American colonists and British volunteers from other British regiments were recruited. These men were Protestants, and important consideration for fighting against the predominantly Catholic French. The officers were also recruited from Europe—not from the American colonies—and consisted of English, Scotch, Irish, Dutch, Swiss and Germans: it was the first time foreign officers were commissioned at British Army officers. The total Regiment consisted of 4,160 enlisted men, 101 officers and 240 non-commissioned officers. The battalions were raised on Governors Island, New York. The regiment was renumbered the 60th (Royal American) Regiment in February 1757 when the 50th (Shirley's) and 51st (Pepperrell's) foot regiments were removed from the British Army roll after their surrender at Fort Oswego.^[3]

Among the distinguished foreign officers given commissions in the 60th (Royal Americans) was Henri Bouquet, a Swiss citizen, whose ideas on tactics, training and man-management (including the unofficial introduction of the rifle and 'battle-dress`) were only to become universal in the British Army after another 150 years. With his counterparts, Bouquet, the commanding officer of the 1st battalion,^[4] set about creating a unit that was uniquely suited to warfare in the forests and lakes that were the North American theatre of battle between Great Britain and France. The Royal Americans represent a deliberate attempt to produce a different and more able soldier who was encouraged to use his initiative, whilst retaining the discipline that was noticeably lacking in the irregular units of colonial Rangers that were being raised at the same time.

The new regiment fought at Louisbourg in 1758 and Quebec in 1759 in the campaign which finally wrested Canada from France; at Quebec it won from General James Wolfe the motto Celer et Audax (Swift and Bold). These were conventional battles on the European model, but the challenge of Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763 was of a very different character and threatened the British control of North America. The new regiment at first lost several outlying garrisons but finally proved its mastery of forest warfare under Bouquet's leadership at the decisive victory of Bushy Run.

They were uniformed and equipped in a similar manner to other British regiments with red coats and Grenadier hats ^[4], but on campaign swords were replaced with hatchets, and coats and hats would be cut down for ease of movement on the North American frontier.^[4]

Napoleonic Wars

During the Napoleonic Wars the unit played a part in the Peninsular War. The first four regular battalions had been raised as regular line battalions, but a 5th battalion was raised and equipped entirely with the Baker rifles, and wore green jackets with red facings^[4]. The mixing of rifle troops and muskets proved popular enough that eventually the line battalions' light companies were replaced with rifle companies. The line battalions found themselves in different theatres, including the West Indies. The rifle battalion was soon supplemented with a second, and found themselves in the Peninsula with Wellington's army, serving along with the 95th Rifles, and the King's German Legion rifle units. A 7th battalion was eventually raised as a rifle battalion specifically for service in the American War of 1812^[5].

The unit's name was not changed until after the Napoleonic Wars; first to The Duke of York's Own Rifle Corps and then in 1830 to the King's Royal Rifle Corps. In 1858 the Rifle Depot at Winchester was made their headquarters. During the rest of the 1800s the unit was active in China, Canada (Wolseley Expedition), Afghanistan, India, Burma and South Africa. The regiment was deployed during the Second Boer War from the outset playing a key role in the first battle at Talana Hill.

World War I

In World War I the unit was expanded to twenty-two battalions and saw much action on the Western Front. Over 12,000 soldiers of the regiment were killed while eight members won the Victoria Cross and over 2,000 further decorations were awarded. After 1918 the unit returned to garrison duties in India, Palestine and Ireland. In 1926 the regiment was reorganized as one of the first mechanized infantry regiments.

World War II

In World War II after initial deployment to France as part of the BEF, the regiment lost two battalions at the Defence of Calais (2nd Bn KRRC and 1st Bn the Queen Victoria's Rifles(TA)) where a Green Jacket Brigade held up the German advance to enable the evacuation of the allied armies at Dunkirk. Redeployed to northern Africa the unit began to see success, continuing with actions in Italy, Austria, Germany and in the Battle of Greece and Crete (where its 9th Battalion, The Rangers (TA), served with 1st Armoured Brigade Group). The 1st Battalion served in the 4th Armoured Brigade that failed to link up with the 1st Parachute Division at the Battle of Arnhem. Post war the unit was deployed in Germany.

Royal Green Jackets

On 7 November 1958 the Regiment was re-titled as the 2nd Green Jackets, The King's Royal Rifle Corps, and the two other regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade, the former Oxs & Bucks Light Infantry and the Rifle Brigade] - which had existed since 1948 - also had their titles changed. In 1966 the three regiments of the brigade were amalgamated to form the three battalion Royal Green Jackets Regiment. In 1992 the 1st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets was disbanded, and the KRRC were renumbered as the 1st Battalion, with the 3rd Battalion (ex-Rifle Brigade) becoming the 2nd Battalion. The two battalion RGJ regiment was again amalgamated with other regiments, mainly of light infantry, in 2007 to form the five regular and two territorial battalion regiment The Rifles. The regiment's traditions are preserved as the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles which is a redesignation of the 1st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets.

Territorial Battalions

• Queen Victoria’s Rifles
• The Rangers
• The Queen's Westminsters

In WW2 these territorial battalions were made formally part of the KRRC as follows:

• 1st Battalion Queen Victoria's Rifles - 7th Battalion KRRC
• 2nd Battalion Queen Victoria's Rifles - 8th Battalion KRRC
• 1st Battalion The Rangers - 9th Battalion KRRC
• 2nd Battalion The Rangers - 10th Battalion KRRC
• 1st Battalion The Queen's Westminsters - 11th Battalion KRRC
• 2nd Battalion The Queen's Westminsters - 12th Battalion KRRC

Alliances

•  Canada - The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada (1956-1966)

See also

• Rifle Brigade - sister regiment sharing much common history and traditions

References

• Light Infantry Reunited - Site for all ex and serving Light Infantry/RGJ and Rifles personnel