The
Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an
infantryInfantrymen 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...
regimentA regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the
British ArmyThe 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...
, one of two
"large regiments"A large regiment is a multi-battalion infantry formation of the British Army. First formed in the 1960s, large regiments are the result of the amalgamation of three or more existing single-battalion regiments, and perpetuate the traditions of each of the predecessor units.-Origins:Following the...
within the
Light DivisionThe Light Division was a light infantry Division of the British Army formed in the early 19th Century. It can trace its origins to the Light Companies which had been formed to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect the main forces by skirmishing tactics...
(the other being
The Light InfantryThe Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
).
History
It was formed in 1966 by the amalgamation of the three separate regiments of the
Green Jackets BrigadeThe Green Jackets Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the English rifle regiments. The designation "Green Jackets" was derived from their rifle green tunics indicating their status as rifles....
:
- 1st Green Jackets, (43rd and 52nd)
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
- 2nd Green Jackets, The King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
- 3rd Green Jackets, The Rifle Brigade
There were also two Territorial Army battalions made up as follows
- 4th(V) Bn Royal Green Jackets - formed from the remnants of the Rangers (KRRC), London Rifle Brigade, Tower Hamlets Rifles, Queens Westminsters, Queen Victoria's Rifles and Civil Service Rifles.
- 5th(V) Bn Royal Green Jackets - formed from the 4th Bn the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (TA) and the Buckinghamshire Battalion of the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry
In 1992 1st RGJ was disbanded and 2/RGJ and 3/RGJ renumbered 1/RGJ and 2/RGJ respectively.
The last ever Royal Green Jackets unit was the London Oratory CCF who were rebadged as
Irish GuardsThe Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
in 2010.
Their motto was
Celer et Audax (
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: "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 marches at 140 paces per minute (at a 15" pace) whereas other regiments march at just 120 (with an 18" stride). Until recently no other regiment has devoted so much time to becoming highly proficient with the rifle, even though it has been part of standard army issue for 140 years; as a consequence, the RGJ's lowest rank (other than 'recruit') is
RiflemanAlthough ultimately originating with the 16th century handgunners and the 17th century musketeers and streltsy, the term rifleman originated from the 18th century. It would later become the term for the archetypal common soldier.-History:...
(Rfn), rather than
PrivateA Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
(Pte), as in other regiments.
The regiment was classed as a 'rifle' regiment, having its lineage in the regiments of foot that were equipped with the first
Baker rifleThe Baker rifle was a flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British armed forces....
s. Traditionally, rifle regiments wore rifle green tunics, an early form of
camouflageCamouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, instead of the red jackets worn by line infantry, hence the regimental name. Also, the regiment carried no colours, as traditionally rifle regiments, being skirmishers and sharpshooters, had no need to identify where their fellows were on the battlefield. So, the battle honours of the Royal Green Jackets were worn on the regiment's
cap badgeA cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy...
. Infantry in the regiment wore a
beretA beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
with the badge behind the left eye towards the side of the head, traditionally to show that they do not need to hide behind their colours to show how good the regiment is. Green Jackets were issued with short swords instead of bayonets as the
Baker rifleThe Baker rifle was a flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British armed forces....
s of the past were shorter than the traditional
musketA musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
, fitting the sword to the rifle made the overall weapon length the same as a musket with bayonet attached. The RGJ still refer to their bayonets as 'swords'.
The Royal Green Jackets and its antecedent regiments have been awarded more Victoria Crosses than any other unit, with a total of 59.
Amalgamations of 2007
As part of the
2004 restructuring of the infantryThe 2003 Defence White Paper, titled Delivering Security in a Changing World, set out the future structure of the British military, and was preceded by the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the 2002 SDR New Chapter, which responded to the immediate challenges to security in the aftermath of the...
, the RGJ was scheduled to be largely unaffected - though the regiment had already been reduced to two Regular battalions in 1992. The regiment would have received a new Territorial Army battalion through the grouping together of the various RGJ companies of the Royal Rifle Volunteers and the
London RegimentThe London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry in 1908...
.
However, on 24 November 2005 it was announced that after discussions between
The Light InfantryThe Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
and the RGJ, the two would be merged together with the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry and Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry (RGBW) by the end of 2007 to form a single
large regimentA large regiment is a multi-battalion infantry formation of the British Army. First formed in the 1960s, large regiments are the result of the amalgamation of three or more existing single-battalion regiments, and perpetuate the traditions of each of the predecessor units.-Origins:Following the...
to be called
The RiflesThe 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...
. The new regiment was to contain five Regular Battalions and two TA Battalions.
The reorganisation into "The Rifles" took effect on 1 February 2007:
- The 1st Battalion Royal Green Jackets became 2nd Battalion, The Rifles
- The 2nd Battalion Royal Green Jackets became 4th Battalion, The Rifles
- the surviving Territorial Army companies of 4 & 5 RGJ, along with a company of the RGBW became 7th Battalion, The Rifles
The
Maltese CrossThe Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
cap badge of the RGJ was adopted as the belt badge of The Rifles and will carry the battle honours. The Rifles is a Rifle Regiment and as such will not carry colours. The title "rifleman" was adopted for soldiers of the rank of private, as it had been with the Royal Green Jackets.
The Royal Green Jackets had four Combined Cadet Force units, which are part of the
London Oratory SchoolThe London Oratory School is a Catholic secondary comprehensive school in Fulham, London. The Headmaster is David McFadden. It has around 1,365 pupils. It is not to be confused with The Oratory School, a Catholic boarding school...
CCF,
Winchester CollegeWinchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
CCF,
Rutlish SchoolRutlish School is a comprehensive school for boys. It is on Watery Lane, Merton Park, south-west London. It was formerly a grammar school.It is noted for caning its most famous alumnus politician, British Prime Minister Sir John Major in its grammar school period.-History:The school is named after...
CCF and Royal Grammar School High Wycombe CCF (which was originally attached to the Buckinghamshire Battalion).
Battle honours
- Louisburg, Quebec 1759, Martinique 1762, Havannah, North America 1763-64, Mysore, Hindoostan, Martinique 1794, Copenhagen, Montevideo, RoLica, Vimiero, Corunna, Martinique 1809, Talavera, Busaco, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Albuhera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthez, Toulouse, Peninsula, Waterloo, South Africa 1846-47, Mooltan, Goojerat, Punjab, South Africa 1851-53, Alma, lnkerman, Sevastopol, Delhi 1857, Lucknow, Taku Forts, Pekin 1860, New Zealand, Ashantee 1873-74, Au Masjid, South Africa 1879, Ahmad Khel, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1878-80, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882-84, Burma 1885-87, Chitral, Khartoum, Defence of Ladysmith, Relief of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
, PaardebergThe Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, Relief of LadysmithWhen the Second Boer War broke out on 11 October 1899, the Boers had a numeric superiority within Southern Africa. They quickly invaded the British territory and laid siege to Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking...
, South Africa 1899-1902.
- The Great War: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, 18, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914, 15, 17, 18, Langemarck 1914, 17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Boschen, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Heliewaarde, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Hooge 1915, Loos, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916, 18, Albert 1916, 18, Bazentin, Delville Wood
The Battle of Delville Wood was one of the early engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War. It took place between 14 July and 3 September, between the armies of the German Empire and allied British and South African forces...
, Pozières, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, 18, Bapaume 1917, 18, Arras 1917, 18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, 18, Arleux, Messines 1917, 18, Pilckem, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, 18, St. Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Villers-Bretonneux, LysThe Battle of the Lys was part of the 1918 German offensive in Flanders during World War I...
, Hazebrouck-Communications:The town enjoys excellent rail connections, with frequent daily services to Lille and Paris, some by High Speed Line. There is a small international airport, concentrating on business flights, at Merville-Calonne just 12 kilometre / 8 miles away...
, Bailleul, Kemmel, Bethune, Drocourt Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Epehy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Kortrijk, Selle, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Piave, Vittorio Veneto, Italy 1917-18, Doiran 1917, 18, Macedonia 1915-18, Kut al Amara 1915, Ctesiphon, Defence of Kut al Amara, Tigris 1916, Khan Baghdadi, Mesopotamia 1914-18.
- Archangel 1919
- The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Calais 1940, Cassel, Ypres-Comines Canal, Normandy Landing, Pegasus Bridge
Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge , built in 1934, that crossed the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham, in Normandy, France....
, Villers Bocage, OdonOperation Epsom, also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a Second World War British offensive that took place between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy...
, Caen, Esquay, Bourguebus Ridge, Mont Pincon, Le Perier Ridge, Falaise, Antwerp, Hechtel, Nederrijn, Lower Maas, Roer, Ourthe, Rhineland, Reichswald, Kleve, Goch, Hochwald, Rhine, Ibbenbueren, Dreirwalde, Leese, Aller, North-West Europe 1940, 44-45, Egyptian Frontier 1940, Sidi Barrani, Beda Fomm, Mersa el Brega, Agedabia, Derna Aerodrome, Tobruk 1941, Sidi Rezegh 1941, Chor es Sufan, Saunnu, Gazala, Bir Hacheim, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Ruweisat, Fuka Airfield, Alam el Halfa, El AlameinEl Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
, Capture of Haifaya Pass, Nofilia, Tebaga Gap, Enfidaville, Medjez el Bab, KasserineThe Battle of the Kasserine Pass was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II in February 1943. It was a series of battles fought around Kasserine Pass, a wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia...
, Thala, Fondouk, Fondouk Pass, El Kourzia, Djebel Kournine, Agroub el Megas, Tunis, Hamman Lif, North Africa 1940-43, Sangro, Salerno, Santa Lucia, Salerno Hills, Cardito, Teano, Monte Camino, Garigliano Crossing, Damiano, Anzio, CassinoCassino is a comune in the province of Frosinone, Italy, at the southern end of the region of Lazio.Cassino is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Rapido and Liri rivers...
II, Liri Valley, Melfa Crossing, Monte Rotondo, Capture of Perugia, Monte Malbe, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Gothic LineThe Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
, Coriano, Gemmano Ridge, Lamone Crossing, Orsara, Tossignano, Argenta Gap, Fossa Cembalina, Italy 1943-45, Veve, Greece 1941, 44,45, Crete, Middle East 1941, Arakan Beaches, TamanduTamandu was a village in Ann Township, Kyaukpyu District, in northern Rakhine State in the westernmost part of Burma . Tamandu was located on the southside of the Dalet River just after it passes through the Kolonzin Range of hills and on the edge of the delta...
, Burma 1943-44The fighting in the Burma Campaign in 1944 was among the severest in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It took place along the borders between Burma and India, and Burma and China, and involved the British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces, against the forces of the Empire...
.
Uniform
All Green jackets would have historically been made of wool with a lining of linen to give shape to the garment. The modern scarlet wool is also supplied by "Abimelech Hainsworth" and is much lighter than the traditional material, which was intended for hard wear on active service. Their boots were made of fake thick animal hide, this was then lined in a thin layer of wool. They had a small pouch on the side of their hip, this contained the ammunition for their rifles.
Notable members
- :Category:Royal Green Jackets officers
- :Category:Royal Green Jackets soldiers
- "Andy McNab
Sergeant ‘Andy McNab’ DCM MM is the pseudonym of an English novelist and former SAS operative and soldier.McNab came into public prominence in 1993, when he published his account of the failed Special Air Service patrol, Bravo Two Zero for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in...
" - Author and ex SAS soldier
- Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
John Ponsonby - Served in both the Army and the RAF, later becoming Air Officer Commanding No 22 Group RAFAir Officer Commanding No. 22 Group is the appointment held by the Royal Air Force Officer responsible for RAF personnel selection and non-operational training...
- General Sir David Ramsbotham, Baron Ramsbotham
General David John Ramsbotham, Baron Ramsbotham GCB CBE is a retired British Army officer, who later served as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons...
- Chief Inspector of Prisons
- Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Edwin Bramall, Baron BramallField Marshal Edwin Noel Westby Bramall, Baron Bramall KG, GCB, OBE, MC, DL, JP is a British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1979 and 1982, and as Chief of the Defence Staff, professional head of the British Armed Forces,...
KG, GCB, OBE, MC, DL, JP
Alliances
-
Melbourne University RegimentThe Melbourne University Regiment is an officer training unit in the Australian Army Reserve. It has a depot at Grattan Street, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia....
- The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) -
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light InfantryPrincess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three regular force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army. The regiment is composed of four battalions including a primary reserve battalion, for a total of 2,000 soldiers...
-
The Queen's Own Rifles of CanadaThe Queen's Own Rifles of Canada is a militia regiment within the Canadian Forces, based in Toronto, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only Primary Reserve regiment in Canada to have a parachute role. The regiment consists of the reserve...
(1966–2007) -
The Brockville RiflesThe Brockville Rifles is a Primary Reserve Infantry Regiment of the Canadian Forces. It is fifteenth in the order of precedence.The motto of the regiment is Semper Paratus meaning 'Always Ready'.-History:...
-
The Royal Winnipeg RiflesThe Royal Winnipeg Rifles are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armouries in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
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The Royal Regina RiflesThe Royal Regina Rifles is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Prior to 1982 the regiment was known as The Regina Rifle Regiment...
-
1st Battalion, The Royal New Zealand Infantry RegimentThe Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the main combat unit in the regular New Zealand Army. It was formed 9 January 1947 as the New Zealand Regiment with a single infantry battalion as part of the newly created infantry corps....
-
The Hauraki RegimentThe Hauraki Regiment is a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. The regiment is unique among the TF units in that it has never been amalgamated, and thus can trace its history directly back to its formation in 1898. The regiment was formed as the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Rifle Volunteers...
-
The Durban Light InfantryThe Durban Light Infantry Regiment is a Mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army unit or United States Army Reserve Unit unit.-Formation and Name:...
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The Kaffrarian RiflesThe Kaffrarian Rifles is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit...
-
2nd Battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment (Guides)For Pakistan's Border Guard see: Frontier CorpsThe Frontier Force Regiment is one of six Infantry regiments in the Pakistan Army. At present, the regiment consists of 67 battalions and has its regimental depot at Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. For that reason Abbottabad is also known as Home of...
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Sri Lanka Sinha RegimentThe Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment is the first rifle regiment in the Sri Lanka Army and the second oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of seven regular battalions, five volunteer battalions and a headquarter battalion...
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1st Battalion, The Ghana RegimentThe Ghana Regiment is an infantry regiment that forms the main fighting element of the Ghanaian Army.The regiment was formed in 1879 as the Gold Coast Constabulary, from personnel of the Hausa Constabulary of Southern Nigeria, to perform internal security and police duties in the British colony of...
-
HMS SomersetHMS Somerset is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy.Somerset is the eleventh of the class to join the fleet since 1989. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd on the River Clyde, in Scotland and was launched in June 1994 by Lady Elspeth Layard, wife of then 2nd Sea Lord Admiral and...