Royal Green Jackets
| Royal Green Jackets | |
|---|---|
Queen Elizabeth II | |
| Last Colonel Commandant | Lieutenant General Nick Parker |
The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry).
History
The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgamation of the three separate regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade:[1]
- 1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd)
- 2nd Green Jackets, the King's Royal Rifle Corps
- 3rd Green Jackets, the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own).
There were also two Territorial Army battalions made up as follows:[2]
- 4th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets – formed from the remnants of the Rangers (KRRC), London Rifle Brigade, Tower Hamlets Rifles, Civil Service Rifles.
- 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets – formed from the 4th Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) and the Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
During the 1970s, 1980s and onwards up until the end of “The Troubles”, the battalions were deployed to various parts of Northern Ireland (Operation Banner). The 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions were also based in West Germany, Osnabrück (1 RGJ), Minden (2 RGJ) and Celle (3 RGJ).[1]
The regiment's greatest loss of life at one time came on 20 July 1982, when seven RGJ bandsmen were killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb while giving a public concert in Regent's Park. The bomb exploded underneath the bandstand as the bandsmen played music from Oliver! to 120 spectators.[3]
In 1992, 1 RGJ was disbanded and 2 RGJ and 3 RGJ renumbered 1 RGJ and 2 RGJ respectively.[1][4]
After the 1992 reorganisation, the unit was mostly based overseas in
On 24 November 2005, the Ministry of Defence announced that the regiment would be amalgamated with The Light Infantry, the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry to form a single large regiment to be called The Rifles. The reorganisation into The Rifles took effect on 1 February 2007 with the 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets becoming the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles and the 2nd Battalion Royal Green Jackets becoming 4th Battalion, The Rifles.[1] The 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets' final operational tour was in Basra, in Iraq, on Operation Telic in 2006-07.[5]
Regimental museum
The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum is based at Peninsula Barracks in Winchester.[6]
Traditions
Their motto was Celer et Audax (Latin: "Swift and Bold"). As they were used as shock troops and marksmen, they had to get to the front line of battle as fast as was possible; as a result the RGJ marched at 140 paces per minute (at a 30" pace) whereas other regiments march at just 120.[7]
The regiment was classed as a 'rifle' regiment, having its lineage in the regiments of foot that were equipped with the first
The cap badge was a
Battle honours
The battle honours are:[8]
- Louisburg, South Africa 1899–1902.
- The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Mesopotamia 1914–18.
- Archangel 1919
- The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Burma 1943-44.
Alliances
Australia - Melbourne University Regiment- Australia - Sydney University Regiment
The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own)- Canada - Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
- The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada(1966–2007)
- The Brockville Rifles
- The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
- The Royal Regina Rifles
New Zealand - 1st Battalion, The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment- New Zealand - The Hauraki Regiment
South Africa - The Durban Light Infantry- The Kaffrarian Rifles
Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
Ghana - 1st Battalion, The Ghana Regiment
Royal Navy - HMS Somerset (F82)
See also
- Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps
- Pegasus Bridge
- 7 RGJ Bandsmen killed by IRA in 1982 Regent's Park Bombing
- Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
References
- ^ a b c d e "Royal Green Jackets". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Royal Green Jackets (TA)". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "1982: IRA bombs cause carnage in London". BBC News. 20 July 1982. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Hansard: Restructuring of the Army - Statement by Secretary of State for Defence on 23 July 1991". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 23 July 1991. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ Draper, p. 17
- ^ "Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum". Visit Winchester. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ a b c "The Royal Green Jackets Legacy". Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "Battle honours". Royal Green Jackets Association. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
Sources
- Draper, Robin Anthony (2015). Redcoats to Riflemen: A short History of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire County Regiment. Royal Green Jackets Museum Trust. ISBN 978-0954937034.
Further reading
- Allen, Charles (1990). The Savage Wars of Peace: Soldiers Voices', 1945-1989. Michael Joseph. ISBN 978-0718128821.
- Pringle, Andrew (2007). Swift and Bold - A Portrait of The Royal Green Jackets 1966-2007. Third Millennium. ISBN 978-1903942697.
- Swinson, Arthur (1972). A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army. Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 978-0855910006.
- Wallace, Lt. General Sir Christopher (2005). The King's Royal Rifle Corps: The 60th Rifles. A Brief History: 1755 to 1965. From Royal Americans to Royal Green Jackets. Royal Green Jackets Museum. ISBN 0-9549370-0-7.
- Wallace, Lt. General Sir Christopher; Cassidy, Major Ron (2006). Focus on Courage. The 59 Victoria Crosses of the Royal Green Jackets. Royal Green Jackets Museum. ISBN 0-9549370-1-5.
- Wilkinson-Latham, Christopher (1975). The Royal Green Jackets. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-0850452495.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
