Cornwall Brochure Final(6) - Flipbook - Page 10
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The Rifles traces its Cornish origins
back to the regiment of Marines raised
by Colonel Edward Fox in 1702. Fox’s
Marines were given the title of the 32nd
Regiment of Foot in 1751 and then, for
the first time, a geographical reference
was included in the title in 1782 when it
became the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of
Foot.
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS THE RIFLES
Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road,
WINCHESTER, SO23 8TS
01962 828 527 | rhq@the-rifles.co.uk
There were many Cornishmen in the
ranks of the 32nd when it fought at the
Battle of Waterloo in 1815. At Lucknow,
an Indian city besieged during the
Mutiny of 1857, others defended the
Residency and surrounding buildings for
nearly five months. Not only were four
Victoria Crosses awarded to members
of the regiment but also, in honour of its
conduct, Queen Victoria ordered that the
regiment be renamed the 32nd (Cornwall)
Regiment (Light Infantry).
Among the Cornish units which were
eventually incorporated into the regiment
was the Royal Cornwall Rangers (Duke
of Cornwall’s Own Regiment of Militia),
which recruited solely from the County. In
1879 the Officers’ Mess included many of
Cornwall’s landed gentry, including two
Onslows, an Eliot, three St Aubyns, two
Trelawnys, two Vyvyans, a Bickford-Smith
and a Hext.
Another unit was the Duke of Cornwall’s
Rifle Volunteer Corps. Its Drill Hall in
Falmouth later became the Phoenix
Cinema where the name of the 3rd DCRV
can still be seen above the doors. Most
sizeable towns in Cornwall had a Drill Hall
where a local unit trained.
In 1881 the British infantry regiments
were given new titles and the 32nd
amalgamated with the 46th (South
Devonshire) Regiment to form the Duke
of Cornwall’s Light Infantry (DCLI). The
Regimental Depot was established at the
Keep in Bodmin, where Light Infantrymen
were trained for the next 87 years.
In 1898 Mrs Keveth, a widow of St
Breward on Bodmin Moor, received a
signed photograph of Queen Victoria and
a cheque for £10 in recognition of the fact
that six of her seven sons were, at that
time, serving in the DCLI. The seventh
son was in the Royal Marines and her two
daughters were married to soldiers.
In 1942, soldiers of the 6th Battalion DCLI
rescued villagers from the remains of
their homes in Coverack, on the Lizard,
when a German aircraft jettisoned bombs
meant for Falmouth docks.
In 1959 the DCLI amalgamated with
the Somerset Light Infantry to form the
Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
(SCLI). 27 Old Colours carried by the DCLI
since 1816 hang in the Soldier's Aisle of
St. Pedroc's Parish Church in the centre
of Bodmin. The colours of the SCLI hang
in Truro Cathedral.
The Rifles is now represented in Cornwall
by D Coy 6th Battalion The Rifles, based
in the Army Reserve Centre in Moresk
Road, Truro. All platoons of the Cornwall
Army Cadet Force wear The Rifles cap
badge, there is an active branch of the
DCLI, SCLI, LI and Rifles Association in
Bodmin, and The Rifles is proud to have
been granted the Freedoms of Truro,
Bodmin and, most recently, Liskeard.
REGIONAL OFFICES:
North (Pontefract) | 01977 703 181 |
yorkshire@the-rifles.co.uk
Midlands (Shrewsbury) | 01743 842 030 |
shrewsbury@the-rifles.co.uk
London (Kensington) | 0207 414 5441 |
london@the-rifles.co.uk
South (Winchester) | 01962 828 501 |
salisbury@the-rifles.co.uk
West (Taunton) | 01823 333 434 | taunton@
the-rifles.co.uk
South West (Exeter) | 01392 492 435 |
exeter@the-rifles.co.uk
South West (Bodmin) | 01208 72810 |
aobodmin@the-rifles.co.uk
JOIN US:
Regular & Reserve Officer |
armyjobs@the-rifles.co.uk
Regular & Reserve Soldier |
enquiry@the-rifles.co.uk
ARMY CADET FORCE
www.armycadets.com
THE RIFLEMAN'S ASSOCIATION:
SWIFT - www.theriflesnetwork.co.uk |
swift@the-rifles.co.uk
FORMING & ANTECEDENT REGIMENTAL
ASSOCIATION BRANCHES:
•
Bodmin (DCLI, SCLI, LI & RIFLES)
•
West Cornwall (LI)
MUSEUMS:
The Rifles Regimental Museum | www.
riflesmuseum.co.uk
Cornwall's Army Museum, Bodmin Keep |
www.bodminkeep.org