French and Indian War The King's Royal Rifle Corps was raised in the American colonies in 1756 as the
62nd (Royal American) Regiment to defend the colonies against attack by the French and their indigenous 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 that 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. 's depiction of
Sir William Johnson sparing
Lord Dieskau's life after the
Battle of Lake George. (Reportedly, the uniforms of soldiers in the background right are of the Royal Americans) A regimental history compiled in 1879 states that, in November 1755, Parliament voted the sum of £81,000 for the purpose of raising a regiment of four battalions, each one thousand strong, for service in
British North America. To provide experienced personnel, Parliament passed the
Commissions to Foreign Protestants Act 1756 (
29 Geo. 2. c. 5)
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. 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 (the Duke was the King's third son and also
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces). Prevost recognised the need for soldiers who understood forest warfare, unlike the regulars who were brought to America in 1755 by General
Edward Braddock. 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 volunteers from other British Army regiments were recruited. These men were Protestants, an 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, Scots, Irish, Dutch, Swiss and Germans. It was the first time foreign officers were commissioned as British Army officers. In total, the regiment consisted of 101 officers, 240 non-commissioned officers and 4,160 enlisted men. 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. Among the distinguished foreign officers given commissions in the 60th (Royal Americans) was
Henry Bouquet, a Swiss citizen, whose forward-looking ideas on tactics, training and man-management (including the unofficial introduction of the rifle and more practical clothing suited to bush-fighting) would come to be accepted as standard in the British Army many years in the future. Bouquet was commanding officer of the 1st battalion, and with his fellow battalion commanders, worked to form units that were better suited to warfare in the forests and lakes of northeast America. Elements of the new regiment fought at
Louisbourg in June 1758, the
Cape Sable Campaign in September 1758 and
Quebec in September 1759, and finally the
Montreal Campaign from July to September 1760 which finally wrested Canada from France. At
Quebec General
James Wolfe is said to have granted the 60th the motto (Swift and Bold). To reward and maintain their service and loyalty, Parliament passed the
American Protestant Soldier Naturalization Act 1762 (
2 Geo. 3. c. 25), which offered British naturalization to those officers, engineers and soldiers who had or would serve for two years, with certain conditions and on the model of the
Plantation Act 1740. In 1762, the 3rd Battalion sailed from North America to joining the
Earl of Albemarle's expedition to the West Indies. The battalion was closely involved in the
capture of Martinique and the successful siege and
capture of Havana. It later moved to West Florida prior to England and disbandment in 1764. The 60th was uniformed and equipped in a similar manner to other British regiments with red coats and cocked hats or grenadier caps, A 7th battalion was raised specifically for service in the American
War of 1812.
Anglo-Egyptian War and Second Boer War (1858–1927) , marching from their Depot in
Barnet in 1900. This battalion became
6th (Extra Reserve) Bn, KRRC, in the
Special Reserve in 1908. After the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment received a new title: first, in 1815, its name was changed to '''The Duke of York's Own Rifle Corps
and then, in 1830, to the King's Royal Rifle Corps''' (KRRC). In 1858, the
Rifle Depot at
Winchester was made their headquarters. The regiment served in the
Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882. During the rest of the 1800s, the unit also 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. Two officers from the regiment were awarded the
Victoria Cross; Lieutenant
Frederick Roberts and Lieutenant
Llewelyn Alberic Emilius Price-Davies. Private
Frederick Corbett also received the Victoria Cross for his action at
Kafr Dowar,
Egypt, on 5 August 1882; his VC was later rescinded when he was convicted of embezzlement, theft, and being absent without leave. Following the end of the war in South Africa, the 1st battalion was transferred to
Malta, where it arrived in October 1902. In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the
Territorial Force and the latter the
Special Reserve; the regiment now had two Reserve but no Territorial battalions.
First World War , Winchester
Regular Army The 1st Battalion landed at
Rouen as part of the
6th Brigade in the
2nd Division in August 1914 for service on the
Western Front. It saw action at the
Battle of Mons in August 1914, the
First Battle of the Marne and the
First Battle of the Aisne in September 1914 and
First Battle of Ypres in October 1914. It fought at the
Battle of Festubert in May 1915, the
Battle of Loos in September 1915 and the
Battle of the Somme in Autumn 1916 before taking part in the advance to the
Hindenburg Line, the
Battle of Arras in November 1917, the
Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, the
Second Battle of the Somme in Autumn 1918 and the
Battle of the Selle in October 1918. The 2nd Battalion landed at
Le Havre as part of the
2nd Brigade in the
1st Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front , inspecting men of the 2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps at Le Buissiere, near Bruay, 1 July 1918. The 3rd Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the
80th Brigade in the
27th Division in December 1914 for service on the Western Front The 4th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 80th Brigade in the 27th Division in December 1914 for service on the Western Front and saw action at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915 but moved to
Salonika in November 1915 before returning to France in June 1918. The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 41st Brigade in the 14th (Light) Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the
42nd Brigade in the 14th (Light) Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front The 10th (Service) Battalion and 11th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the
59th Brigade in the
20th (Light) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front to the 19th, 22nd and 23rd Reserve Battalions of the King's Royal Rifle Corps who trained there in 1916–18 as part of
26th Reserve Brigade. The 12th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the
60th Brigade in the 20th (Light) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front The
13th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the
111th Brigade in the
37th Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front The 16th (Service) Battalion (Church Lads' Brigade) landed at Le Havre as part of the
100th Brigade in the
33rd Division in November 1915 for service on the Western Front.
Inter-war years After 1918, the unit returned to garrison duties in India,
Palestine and Ireland. In 1922, the regiment was reduced from four to two battalions with the third and fourth being disbanded. In 1926, the Regiment was reorganised as one of the first
mechanised infantry regiments.
Second World War of the 1st Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps set up beside a farm building, Italy, 27 January 1945. The 1st Battalion, KRRC, commanded initially by
Lieutenant Colonel William Gott, was deployed to North Africa upon war's outbreak and saw action as part of the pivot group within the
7th Armoured Division at the
Battle of Sidi Rezegh in November 1941, the
First Battle of El Alamein in July 1942 and the
Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 during the
Western Desert Campaign.
Rifleman John Beeley was awarded a posthumous
Victoria Cross for his actions during
Operation Crusader in North Africa in late 1941. The battalion, now part of the
2nd Armoured Brigade of the
1st Armoured Division, was then engaged in action throughout the final stages of the
Tunisian Campaign. The battalion, now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Edward Williams, served in the
Italian Campaign then with the independent
9th Armoured Brigade and finally the
6th Armoured Division's
61st Infantry Brigade. The 2nd Battalion, KRRC, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Thomas Wilson, was part of the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that landed in France in May 1940. The battalion, which was part of the
30th Infantry Brigade, 1st Armoured Division, and now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Euan Miller, was lost in the
defence of Calais, where the brigade slowed the German advance and enabled the
Dunkirk evacuation to proceed. The battalion was reformed in the summer of 1940 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
George Erskine and transferred to the
22nd Armoured Brigade of the 1st Armoured Division. The reformed battalion took part in the
Battle of Gazala in May 1942 and the
Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 during the
North African Campaign, forming part of the division's
7th Motor Brigade during the latter engagement and transferring to
4th Armoured Brigade in January 1943. The battalion was later reformed in the United Kingdom and, in December 1940, transferred to the
27th Armoured Brigade, part of the newly formed
9th Armoured Division. The 9th Battalion (
The Rangers) was deployed to the
Mediterranean theatre as part of the
1st Armoured Brigade in the 7th Armoured Division. It saw action in the
Greek campaign in April 1941 before being disbanded in August 1942. In 1958, the regiment was re-titled the '''2nd Green Jackets, the King's Royal Rifle Corps''', while the two other regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade were re-titled the
1st Green Jackets (43rd and 52nd) and 3rd Green Jackets, the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) respectively. In 1966, the three regiments were amalgamated to form the three battalions of the
Royal Green Jackets. ==Regimental museum==