The Rifles is the largest British Army infantry regiment. There are a wide range of jobs in the regiment, which, unlike any other regiment in the infantry, are a three hour travelling time from anywhere in the UK.
The regiment was formed in 2007 as a result of the Future Army Structure and is made up of five Regular and two Reserve battalions. Since the formation of the regiment, it has been involved in many combat operations such as the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.
The Band and Bugles of The Rifles was formed by renaming the Band and Bugles of the Light Division. This then formed the band for The Rifles. The Buglers are selected from the regular battalions and are trained to play the bugle and a fast march of 140 paces per minute.
A private soldier in a rifle regiment is known as a Rifleman and Sergeant, which is spelt in the archaic fashion. The founding regiments have each contributed to the ceremonial uniform today. The black buttons are worn on all forms of the rifles dress, except the combat and the bugle horn badge of the Light Infantry is worn on the cap badge. The Maltese Cross of the Royal Green Jackets is worn as a buckle on the cross belt and the French Croix de Guerre ribbon is worn on both sleeves of the No. 1 and No. 2 dress.
The Rifles hold 913 battle honours, including 117 Victoria Crosses. The regimental motto is ‘swift and bold’ and the ‘Rifles’ name is broken down to stand for: Respect, Independence, Friends for Life, Learning, Excitement and Success.
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