THE LIGHT INFANTRY
1. Unique among the New Regiments and Divisions is the Light Infantry of the Light Division whose roots are deep in the past and connected with the Counties of Durham, Yorkshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Somerset and Cornwall. Today ~the Light Infantry Regiments of these Counties have merged into one Regiment of Light Infantry. Its history is that of the County Regiments and it is served by Geordies, Yorkshiremen, Salopians, Herefordians, Somerset and Cornishmen. What follows is a concise history and customs of’ this Regiment.
2. During the North American wars in the 1750’s experiments were carried out in Infantry training and equipment. The war was against the French who were frequently aided by Indians. Fighting took place in dense and trackless forests and mountains, where slow moving troops were at a heavy disadvantage against the hunting skills of the natives. Their heavy equipment, cumbrous uniforms and methods of fighting impeded their progress through the trees and scrub and over crags and gullies. In 1755 General Braddock’s column of regular troops, dressed in white breeches and bright red tunics, advanced in close formation .through the Canadian forests and met disaster at the hands of an inferior force of French Canadian and Indian sharpshooters. General Wolfe, with the approval of Sir Harry Clinton, the Commander-in-Chief, decided to have a proportion of specially trained Infantry, who could scout and skirmish, move about quickly and quietly and use individual initiative without waiting for orders. To put this into practice he formed the Light-Armed Troops, men hand-picked from their regiments and chosen for their efficiency, toughness, and high standard of intelligence. They were lightly equipped, their dress modified, its colour was brown and russet green as being colours which toned with the natural countryside. They’ were also given a special course of training which was based on the system of Roger’s Rangers.
3. This was so successful that a Light Company was formed in every Infantry Regiment in 1770, and they and the Grenadiers became known as the “ Flank “ companies.
4. In 1803 Sir John Moore was entrusted with the task of training "Light" formations. He was a very enlightened and progressive soldier, who had served in the 5lst Regiment of Foot (later to become the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry) as an ensign and which he subsequently commanded. Napier, who served under Sir John wrote of the Light Infantry that “ he so fashioned them that afterwards, as the Light Division under Wellington, they were found to be soldiers unsurpassable, perhaps never equalled “.
5. Sir John Moore was indeed the father of .the Light Division and the record of the Light Division in the Peninsular War is his memorial. It is difficult to improve on the tribute by a modern historian, Arthur Bryant, who wrote: “ Moore’s contribution to the British Army was not only that matchless Light Infantry who have ever since enshrined his training, but the belief that the perfect soldier can only be made by evoking all that is finest in man; physical, mental and spiritual “.
THE TITLE
6. The title “Light Infantry” was conferred on 6 English Regiments as a special honour and in 1959 they formed the Light Infantry Brigade with 4 Regiments-the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry, the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and the Durham Light Infantry.
BACK TO TOP
7. In 1967 the Government announced a reduction in manpower and the Light Infantry Brigade decided to form one Regiment consisting of 4 Battalions which was done on Vesting Day 10 July 1968. In 1969 the 4th Battalion was disbanded.
8. To day the Battalions of the Light Infantry, together with the Battalions of the Royal Green Jackets, form the Light Division which was founded by the Duke of Wellington after the death at Corunna of Sir John Moore.
LIGHT INFANTRY DRILL
9. To this day the Light Infantry retains many old customs, such as marching at the trail with a speed of 140 paces to the minute, they have bugles instead of drums and use special calls of their own. On ceremonial occasions they perform the double past.
BACK TO TOP
THE HORN
10. The horn, forming part of the badge, originated from the horn of the Bugle, an ox-like animal from the continent, which was used instead of the drum to communicate orders in the l8th century.
BACK TO TOP
THE RED BACKING
11. The wearing of red backing behind the cap badge was originally awarded as a result of the participation of the Light Company of the 46th South Devonshire Regiment (later 2nd Bn DCLI) in an attack on the Americans during the American War of Independence. On the night of 20th September 1777 the Light Companies attacked a detachment of 1,500 Americans lying in the forest of Paoli inflicting 300 casualties and capturing 100 at a cost of only 3 killed. As a result of this action the Americans vowed vengeance, declaring that they would give no quarter. The Light Company in their turn sent word that they would stain the feathers in their caps red, so that others not involved would not suffer. These feathers are now represented by the piece of red cloth worn behind the cap badge.
BACK TO TOP
THE RED SASH
12. The Warrant Officers and Sergeants wear the red sash when on duty or parade tied to the right side, the opposite side to the rest of the Army, as they did in the Somerset Light Infantry. The true record giving the reason was destroyed at Azihghur in 1868 but it is said that the tradition stems from the Battle of Culloden, on 10 April 1746, when most of the officers were casualties and the sergeants took their places in charge of the troops.
THE RED SASH & INKERMAN CHAIN
13. Fastened to the sash by the left shoulder is a lion’s head clasp with a long double chain ending in a whistle fixed at the other end and tucked into the right of the waist belt. It is called the “ Inkerman Chain and Whistle “. During the war in the Crimea the battle of Inkerman took place on 5 November 1854. During the battle 200 men of the 68th (Durham Light Infantry) threw off their greatcoats, thus being the only troops showing their red coats, and attacked down a steep hill, on the orders of General Sir George Cathcart, the Yakutsk Regiment of the Russian Army. Such was the ferocity of the 68th’s attack that the vast body of Russians were driven pell-mell from the field. Many of the officers of the 68th were casualties and the sergeants took over control. Since then it was a tradition that the Warrant Officers and Sergeants of the 68th wore the Inkerman Chain and Whistle as did the officers at the Crimea.
BACK TO TOP
THE LOYAL TOAST
14. The Light Infantry also have the distinction of not drinking the loyal toast. The privilege was conferred upon the 85th, later the 2nd Bn KSLl, by George IV after officers of the Regiment had dealt with rioters who insulted him in a theatre in Brighton. The custom in the Durham Light Infantry originated during their campaign in the West Indies in the 1700’s against the Caribs, when they were awarded the designation “ Faithful “ since then it was not considered necessary to demonstrate their loyalty by drinking the Loyal Toast.
BACK TO TOP
REGIMENTAL DAY
15. The Regiment celebrates as a Regimental day the 22 July, the date of the Battle of Salamanca, at which all 4 former Regiments took part. The battle was a resounding victory and proved to be the turning point in the Peninsula Campaign.
BACK TO TOP
16. The Light Infantry are justly proud of their tradition of military skill, of their speed, precision and endurance on the march, of their turnout in dress and their inheritance of green in their dress. They are proud of the bugle which leads the Band on all ceremonial marches. They are proud of their drill, which is always carried out from and to the stand-at-ease position, signifying that they are on all occasions alert.
Formation of the New Regiment
The new regiment, The Light Infantry (LI), was formed on Vesting Day 10th July 1968 from the four regular battalions remaining from the old Regiments: 1 SCLI, 1 KOYLI, 1 KSLI, 1 DLI and the Light Infantry Volunteers. The Light Infantry Brigade Depot at Shrewsbury became the Light Infantry Depot, and the Regiment was grouped with the Royal Green Jackets in the Light Division - a grouping of two regiments with much in common. The Light Infantry was so structured that the traditions and customs of its forbears were embodied equally in all battalions. The long established and much cherished links with the counties from which the regiments sprung were retained, the new regiment receiving on formation, and in the years immediately thereafter, the Freedom of 21 County Boroughs, Cities and Boroughs. These important links with the counties, and the Light Infantry interests therein, were maintained through the establishment of Light Infantry Offices in Durham, Pontefract, Shrewsbury, Taunton and Bodmin.
The silver bugle cap badge, drill from the 'at ease' position, rapid marching pace and green beret bear testimony to the ancestry of The Light Infantry. Distinctions of dress serve as an ever-present reminder of the former great regiments; red backing to the capbadge from the DCLI, sashes tied on the right from the SOM LI, the Inkerman chain from the DLI and the wearing of white roses on Minden Day from the KOYLI. The Regiment has the distinction of not being required to drink the Loyal Toast; a privilege which had been conferred upon both the KSLI and the DLI.
On 22nd July each year the Regiment celebrates its Regimental Day, the anniversary of the Battle of Salamanca (I 812), a battle in which all the former regiments fought. The Light Infantry was intensely proud to have as its first Colonel-in-Chief Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, an association which began in 1927 when, as Duchess of York, Her Majesty became Colonel-in-Chief of the KOYLI. It was also the Regiment's very good fortune to have as Deputy Colonel in-Chief, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, who had been Colonel-in Chief of the DLI. The Royal patrons have a prodigious knowledge of, and interest in, all branches of the Light Infantry family, and their concern for the Regiment is an inspiration and encouragement to Light Infantrymen everywhere.
Since 1968, when the Light Infantry was firmly established as a thoroughly professional regiment, rooted in the counties from which its predecessors sprang and from which, to this day, it still draws its fighting men. Emphasising this point, the volunteer Battalions now incorporate the County names, cementing the links with the past and identifying the Regiment to the area from which it recruits. As the 8th Battalion The Yorkshire Light Infantry changed its role to become a Reconnaissance Regiment under the operational control of the Director Royal Armoured Corps, the capbadge, the silver bugle, the green beret and the swift marching pace all serve to show the Regiments antecedents, and its ability to adhere in modern times to the concepts of forward thinking and adaptability espoused by General Sir John Moore in 1802.
BACK TO TOP
Rifle and Light Infantry Regiments and Battalions
of the
British Army |
Rifle Regiments
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
The King's Royal Rifle Corps
The Royal Irish Rifles
The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own)
Light Infantry Regiments
Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry),
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry,
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry,
The Royal Marine Light Infantry
The King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry),
The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry,
The Durham Light Infantry,
The Highland Light Infantry
Royal Guernsey Light Infantry
Red Coats From about 1720 until the 1840s infantry soldiers of the British Army, dressed in scarlet tunics and armed with the "Brown Bess" musket. A trained soldier could fire two or three shots each minute, but he was not expected to fire at an individual target. The focal point of each regiment was its Colours, (flag to the uninitiated) around which it formed.
Blocks of infantrymen were manoeuvred into position by their officers, to face the enemy, two or more ranks deep. Sergeants to the rear, with halberds held waist high parallel to the ground, forming a barrier, keeping the lines straight, and preventing the faint hearted from making off.
Until preparations were complete, between the red coats and the enemy, were specially trained troops, called light infantry. When all was ready, the light infantry withdrew, and under orders from their officers, the red coats fired their muskets in volleys. Whilst one rank fired, another re-loaded. Repetitive volleys sent a continuous hail of bullets towards the enemy.
Orders were passed orally or by the beat of the drum or brass bugle
Light Companies Light Infantry of the British Army originated in the North American wars of the 18th Century. Tried and tested European way of fighting battles; with soldiers drilled Prussian style, failed. in the thick forests of the New World. Selected men were trained on a system used by the local units like Rodgers Rangers, who themselves learned from the Indians.
These men had to be very fit, quick-thinking, and develop skills required by a poacher. For the first time, British infantrymen were encouraged to use their initiative, like the modern Commando.
From 1770 each regiment had a Light Company. Light Companies, and later Light Infantry regiments, wore red tunics, were armed with smooth bore Brown Bess muskets. When not employed on these special duties, they took their place in the Line.
1803 the 43rd and 52nd Regiments of Foot (The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry) converted to Light Infantry, and with the 95th Regiment of Foot (The Rifle Brigade) formed the Light Brigade under Sir John Moore which fought with distinction during the Peninsula War.
Green Jackets A development of the Light Infantry were Rifle regiments. "Rifles" were specialist skirmishers and sharpshooters, who moved quickly about the battle field and wore dark green tunics. Between 1800 and 1840 units of the Army were selected to be trained in the use of the new fangled Baker "rifle", so called because the inside of the barrel had grooves (or rifling). This caused the bullet to spin in flight, which in turn
facilitated far greater accuracy. The rifling made reloading slower. Friction made loading more dangerous, the French Army had abandoned rifles for this reason.
It is true that in those days, it was volleys from the red coats who stood shoulder to shoulder which won battles, not individuals who fired accurately.
Following the successful use of light companies of skirmishers, "rifle regiments" were raised and trained for those special duties on active service.
The practical differences, between Green Jackets and Red Coats lasted but a few short decades. Many Rifle regiment and Light Infantry ideas and tactics became standard infantry training.
Traditions By 1914 all British infantry soldiers were trained to fight in a modern war. they wore khaki uniforms, carried the famous .303 inch calibre Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle with which they were trained to fire 15 aimed rounds per minute. There was in truth, little difference between any infantry battalion of any regiment of the Line, be they the formerly red coats, light infantry or green jackets.
However, Rifle and Light Infantry regiments retained by tradition aspects of their original role.
Light troops were sent out in advance of the main army, to act as scouts and skirmishers. Should the main body of troops change direction, the riflemen were required to move quickly to regain their position, for this reason light companies and rifle regiments were trained to march much faster. Rifle and Light Infantry regiments march at 140 paces per minute.
In their role as scouts, they wore green uniforms as camouflage. Dark "Rifle" green is the colour of Rifle Regiment's ceremonial uniform, and a prominent part of Light Infantry regiment's dress The King's Royal Rifle Corps and Rifle Brigade, are nick-named the Green Jackets or The Sweeps. In an Army which spent much time polishing brasses, Rifles wore black
buttons, and badges.
Expecting to encounter the enemy at any moment, scouts carried their weapons ready to use, (not over the shoulder at "Slope Arms"). Rifle and all but one Light Infantry regiment carry rifles at "The Trail" - the rifle carried by the side, at the point of balance, parallel to the ground.
The Baker rifle came issued with a long 18 inch bayonet, like a sword, and employed as such, by skirmishers in close contact with the enemy. Rifle regiments refer to bayonets as "Swords".
Spread out across the battle field in front of the Army, individuals or small groups of skirmishers received orders via hunting horns, and later silver bugles (with a quite different pitch to a brass bugle or trumpet). The hunting horn is incorporated in the cap badge of almost every Rifle and Light Infantry regiment. Silver bugles are part of Rifle and Light Infantry regimental bands, having them in preference to a Corps of Drums or Pipes. Therefore a Bugle Major not a Drum or Pipe Major. (These being the senior non commissioned officer exponent of these instruments).
As Rifles did not "rally to the Colours", there was no requirement for them. Rifle regiments do not have Colours to this day. Light Infantry regiments do. By tradition, Rifle regiments have battle honour incorporated into their cap badge.
Immediately before the two main armies met in battle, the skirmishers withdrew behind the red coats, their main function completed, to became the general's reserve; ready to be sent anywhere on the battle field. Often to support a weakened part of the line, where the fighting was fiercest.
A Private in the Rifles is called "Rifleman", no special title was accorded to a Light Infantryman.
MISCELLANEOUS Many local volunteer regiments used "Rifle" in their title, and on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908, retained this distinction.
Territorial Infantry Battalions with "Rifle" as a sub title :
6th (Rifle) Battalion The King's (Liverpool Regiment) TF
8th (Isle of Wight Rifles, Prince Beatrice's) Battalion The Hampshire Regiment TF
5th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade) TF
6th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Rifles) TF
8th (City of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) TF
9th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles) TF
11th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles) TF
15th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own Civil Service Rifles) TF
16th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles) TF
17th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Poplar and Stepney Rifles) TF
18th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (London Irish Rifles) TF
21st (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles) TF
28th (County of London) Battalion The London Regiment (Artists Rifles) TF
6th Battalion The Durham Light Infantry once a "rifle volunteer regiment" wore black badges and buttons, until the DLI became part of The Light Infantry in 1968.
The King's Royal Rifle Corps, at the outbreak of war in 1914 held the highest number of Battle Honours, at thirty two, followed by the Highland Light Infantry with twenty nine.
Modern History (how the British Government destroyed more regiments than the Kaiser and Hitler put together). The Somerset LI and Duke of Cornwall's LI amalgamated as The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry in the 1960s. The SCLI, KOYLI, KSLI and DLI formed The Light Infantry in 1968. The O&BLI, KRRC and RB formed The Royal Green Jackets.
The LI and RGJ form the administrative Light Division, in 2002 consisting of four regular battalions.
BACK TO TOP 
