1st Battalion, The Rifles

1st Battalion, The Rifles (1 RIFLES) is a light infantry battalion of The Rifles under the command of 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team.[1][2]

1st Battalion, The Rifles
Cap and Back badges of The Rifles
Active1 February 2007 –
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeLight Infantry
SizeBattalion
Part of7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team
Garrison/HQBeachley Barracks, Chepstow
Motto(s)Swift and Bold
ColoursRifle Green
MarchQuick: Mechanised Infantry
Double Past: Keel Row/Road to the Isles
Slow: Old Salamanca
Commanders
Colonel CommandantGeneral Sir Nicholas Parker KCB CBE
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Arm BadgeCroix de Guerre
From Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry
Abbreviation1 RIFLES

History

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C Company 1 Rifles and the Afghan National Army engaging the Taliban in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2009.

The battalion formed on 1 February 2007 as part of 52 Infantry Brigade, merging the single battalions of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.[3] The battalion then moved in August 2007, to its permanent home of Beachley Barracks at Chepstow.[4]

From 2008 to 2012, it was attached to 3 Commando Brigade as the fourth manoeuvre unit of the brigade alongside the three battalion sized commando units of the Royal Marines.[5]

From March 2020, 1 RIFLES was deployed throughout Wales on Operation Rescript, supporting the UK's efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The battalion helped install hospital beds at Dragon's Heart Hospital, a temporary critical care hospital for COVID-19.[6]

Future

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The battalion is currently based in Dhekelia, British Forces Cyprus until 2025. 1 Rifles will return to Chepstow in the summer of 2025 to take on a new role as a Light Mechanised Battalion driving Foxhound vehicles. Towards the end of the decade, 1 Rifles will move to new build facilities at Caerwent Barracks.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "1st Battalion The Rifles". British Army. Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  2. ^ "1st Battalion The Rifles". British Army. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  3. ^ "History of the Light Infantry". Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Barracks set to close as part of armed forces cutbacks". Chepstow Beacon. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. ^ "The Resubordination of the 1st Battalion The Rifles to 3 Commando Brigade RM on 1 April 2008" (PDF). Royal Marines Badge & Insignia Reference. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Duchess makes first visit to The Rifles in new role". BBC News. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Riflemen bid fond farewell to South East Wales – for now | The British Army".
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