The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment of the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)

68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)

The 68th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Durham Light Infantry in 1881. It saw action during the Seven Years War before being converted to Light Infantry in 1808. Fighting with distinction in the Peninsular Army under Arthur...

 and the 106th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Light Infantry)

106th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Light Infantry)

The 106th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1862 to 1881, when it was amalgamated into The Durham Light Infantry, which was itself later amalgamated into the Rifles....

 along with the militia

Militia (United Kingdom)

The Militia of the United Kingdom were the military reserve forces of the United Kingdom after the Union in 1801 of the former Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland....

 and rifle volunteers

Volunteer Force (Great Britain)

The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...

 of County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

. Following a series of mergers since 1968, the regiment's lineage is continued today by The Rifles

The Rifles

The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...

.
Originally raised in County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

 by General John Lambton

John Lambton

Major-General John Lambton of Harraton Hall, later of Lambton Castle, County Durham, was a British soldier and Member of Parliament.Lambton was the fourth son of Ralph Lambton...

 in 1758, the 68th Regiment of Foot was transformed into a light infantry

Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...

 regiment in c.