County Brochure Mansfield(6) - Flipbook - Page 10
LOCAL INTEREST
For many years Mansfield and the
surrounding area has had a close link
with The Rifles and its predecessors, The
Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) and The Rifle
Brigade. As a sign of the importance of
the area a RIFLES Recruiting Serjeant
was allocated to the Mansfield Recruiting
Office until 2013 when the system of
recruiting was changed.
Year on year around 30 young men of
Mansfield enlisted as Riflemen, as the
strength of a platoon is usually about 30
it could be said that Mansfield provided
one platoon of Riflemen per year. Many
of these Riflemen have returned to
Mansfield and the surrounding area
providing a large veteran community.
A high proportion of the Riflemen
of Mansfield rose to the very top of
a soldier’s career reaching the rank
of Regimental Serjeant Major and
subsequently became commissioned
officers. One of these Riflemen was Major
Gary (Gaz) Case who left his home in
Ladybrook, Mansfield in 1991 to join the
RGJ. He served with the RGJ until 2007
when it formed with other regiments
to become The Rifles. Gaz continued
to serve as a Rifleman with distinction
progressing through the ranks to achieve
the appointment of Regimental Serjeant
Major of the 4th Battalion, The Rifles in
March 2011. He subsequently gained
a commission and rose to the Rank of
Major.
During his career he took part in
operations in Bosnia, Northern Ireland,
and Iraq. His last regular appointment
was as the Quartermaster to the newly
formed 8th Battalion, a difficult and
demanding task which he took on with
his trademark efficiency and humour. He
achieved all the aims he was set and was
recognised for his efforts with the award
of an MBE by HM The Queen in June
2019.
A (RIFLES) Company of the
Nottinghamshire ACF had the honour to
have the designate of Robin Hood Rifles
inserted into their title until 2007 when,
as part of the formation of The Rifles,
all cap badged organisations involved
unified under one cap badge becoming
Riflemen. They now proudly carry the title
of RIFLES.
Since the formation of light companies
in Napoleonic times the bugle has been
part of the makeup of The Rifles, its
forming and antecedent Regiments.
In Nottinghamshire, this tradition is
exemplified by A (RIFLES) Company of
the Nottinghamshire Army Cadet Force
who have their own corps buglers. As a
recognition of their high standards Cadet
Bugle Major Callum Walsh was selected
in 2020 as the ACF National Bugle Major.
