The Rifles Museum
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From December 1944 to January 1945, in what would later become known as the Dekemvriana, December Events, antecedents of The Rifles fought a difficult battle against partisans in the streets of Athens during the Greek Civil War. German troops evacuated Athens on 12th October 1944 and by the end of the month had withdrawn all forces from mainland Greece. This created a power vacuum, which was filled by competing partisan groups. These ranged from royalists and nationalists o...Continue reading

The Rifles Museum is open again! Come in to discover the story of The Rifles. Also, check out our shop and second-hand book corner perfect for finding a Christmas present for a special someone this year. Don’t miss your chance to see the Museum before we close for Christmas from Friday 18th December. Opening times: Wednesday Saturday, 10:00am 2:30pm (last admission 1:45pm)... We ask that all visitors please wear face masks, maintain social distance from each other and provide contact details to support NHS Track and Trace. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you!

Top 5 Rifles of The Rifles Number 1: LeeEnfield In the final entry on our list of Top 5 Rifles of The Rifles, we are looking at the longest serving rifle in the history of British Army the LeeEnfield.... In 1888 the British Army adopted the bolt-action Lee-Metford. The rifle was the product of the marriage of a bolt-action and detachable magazine created by Scotsman James P. Lee, and a rifled barrel developed by Englishman William E. Metford. However, the Lee-Metford’s service life was short, largely due to the fact that the new smokeless powder cartridges, which generated much greater heat and pressure than older black powder ammunition, wore away the rifling of the barrel. This led to the replacement of the barrel with a sturdier design produced at the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield. Hence, in 1895, the Lee-Enfield was born. The Lee-Enfield established a well-founded reputation for reliability and ruggedness, making it equally at home in the trenches of the Western Front, the jungles of Burma, the deserts of North Africa or the frozen forests of Northern Canada. It featured a ten round magazine and a smooth, rapidly cycling bolt action, giving it an excellent rate of fire. Fifteen accurate, aimed rounds per minute were common, twenty attainable and some exceptional soldiers were capable of thirty or more (the latter known as a ‘Mad Minute’). Antecedents of The Rifles were armed with the LeeEnfield in the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and dozens of other conflicts and peace keeping missions throughout the first half of the 20th century. Over the decades, the LeeEnfield was repeatedly redesigned and upgraded, with newer variants featuring stronger bolts, more reliable magazines, improved sights and a simplified design that was cheaper to manufacture. Even after the adoption of the L1A1 SLR in 1957, the Rifle No. 4, the latest version of the LeeEnfield, continued in service until the early 60s. A sniper rifle variant of the LeeEnfield, the L42A1, remained in British Army use until the 1990s. The Lee-Enfield continues in service to this day. In nations throughout the Commonwealth, such as Bangladesh, Tonga, the Solomon Islands and Malawi, it is seen in the hands of police officers and kept as a reserve weapon. As recently as 2016 it was the rifle of the Canadian Rangers. Would the Lee-Enfield have been number one on your Top 5 list? Which variant of the Lee-Enfield is your favourite? Let us know in the comments and tell us what other aspects of The Rifles, past or present, you would like to see covered in a Top 5 list. [Picture 1: A Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) Rifle Mk III, from the collection of the National Army Museum] [Picture 2: Soldiers of 1/Glosters, during the Korean War, armed with Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk I rifles]

The 11th October marks the 121st anniversary of the start of the Second Boer War in 1899. Numerous antecedent regiments of The Rifles saw service during the conflict and were awarded the battle honour ‘South Africa’, which today appears on the belt badge of The Rifles. In 1899, British and Boer peace negations broke down and, on the 11th October, the South African Republic (often known as the Transvaal) and Orange Free State declared war on the British Empire. Despite their ...Continue reading

Top 5 Rifles of The Rifles Number 2: Baker Rifle The fourth and penultimate rifle on our Top 5 list this week is the first rifle to see widespread adoption by the British Army the Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle, better known as the Baker Rifle.... Prior to the introduction of the Baker Rifle, rifles had seen some limited use by British troops, notably rangers and scouts in North America. These had tended to be privately purchased or acquired from German mercenary Jägers, who fought beside British troops. In 1797, a Fifth Battalion of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot was raised, which would be entirely equipped with rifles. In 1800, the decision was made to raise a new force entirely equipped with rifles. They would be initially known as the Experimental Corps of Riflemen and, from 1802, as the 95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles). They were armed with a rifle designed by the expert London gunsmith Ezekiel Baker. It was designed to be tough and reliable, making it suitable to mass production and military service. Baker’s rifle performed well in weapon trials, proving highly accurate at ranges of 300 yards, three times that which a skilled soldier, armed with a musket, could usually hope to achieve a hit. In expert hands, it was capable of accurate shooting at even greater ranges. In 1809, Rifleman Thomas Plunkett shot a French general and then his aide at 600 yards. Because the Baker Rifle was significantly shorter than the standard infantry musket of the day, 45.75-inches compared to 55.5-inches, it was decided to equip the weapon with a long sword bayonet, reducing the Rifleman’s vulnerability to cavalry in close quarters. Upon its adoption by the British Amy, the rifle was officially titled the Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle, but was widely known by the name of its inventor. The Rifles antecedents of the 95th Rifles, and the 5th Battalion and companies from the 6th and 7th Battalions 60th Royal Americans, were equipped with the Baker Rifle during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. They proved deadly in the hands of light, fast moving troops, capable of picking off enemies at hitherto near-impossible ranges. These regiments, later known as the Rifle Brigade and King’s Royal Rifle Corps, would continue to carry the Baker Rifle into combat until the introduction of the Brunswick Rifle in 1836. Would the Baker Rifle have been on your Top 5 List? Would it have been number one? Tomorrow we will be posting the final rifle on our list let us know in the comments what you think it might be! [Picture 1: A Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle, from the collections of the National Army Museum] [Picture 2: Riflemen from the 60th Royal Americans and 95th Rifles during the Peninsular War, both armed with Baker Rifles]

The 2nd October 2020 is the 221st anniversary of the Battle of Egmont op Zee (1799). Also known as Alkmaar, the battle took place during the Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland. Two antecedents of The Rifles, the 49th and 85th Foot, fought in the battle. The Dutch Republic had been destroyed by Revolutionary France in 1795, with the Batavian Republic, a client state of France, created in its place. In August 1799, a Coalition invasion force, composed of British and Russian troo...Continue reading

Top 5 Rifles of The Rifles Number 3: SA80 L85 Rifle The third rifle we are looking at this week in our Top 5 List is the L85. Part of the SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) family of weapons, the L85, and variants of that rifle, have served the British Army since 1985. The L85 is a bullpup rifle, meaning that the gun’s action and magazine are located behind the trigger. This greatly reduces the overall length of the rifle, making it more suitable for use in cramped environmen...ts, such as urban combat, or when travelling in mechanized or armoured vehicles. The L85 is the first rifle widely adopted by the British Army capable of both semi-automatic and fully-automatic fire, granting an individual soldier considerably more close quarters firepower. Firing an intermediate round, the 5.5645mm NATO, the L85 is classed as an assault rifle, rather than a battle rifle (unlike its predecessor, the SLR). The first model of the L85 to see service with the British Army was the L85A1 in 1985. Issues with the early model, regarding reliability in poor conditions, and fragile and faulty components, led to the rifle seeing major redesigns, leading to the introduction of the greatly improved L85A2 in 2000. The L85A2 featured improved reliability, stability and accuracy. The greatly enhanced reliability of the weapon, in both hot and cold environments, would prove very important over the following 20 years. In 2018, a still further improved variant of the rifle was produced, the L85A3, which was lighter, more durable, better camouflaged, even more resistant to adverse conditions and still more accurate than its processor. The British Army currently plans to keep the L85 rifle in service beyond 2025. Antecedents of The Rifles first saw action with the L85, in a limited capacity, during the Gulf War. They would go on to use the rifle in Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leon, Iraq and Afghanistan. Since its formation in 2007, The Rifles have used the newer variants of the L85 across the world, in a wide variety of environments, conflicts, peace keeping activities and training exercises. Despite early issues, the L85 has proven itself a versatile and effective rifle, and one that The Rifles and the British Army as a whole will be continuing to use for many years to come. Would the L85 have made your list of rifles of The Rifles? Do you have personal experience of using the British Army’s current rifle? Let us know in the comments and look out for the penultimate post of the week tomorrow! [Picture 1: An L85A1 SA80 rifle, from the collection of the National Army Museum] [Picture 2: A Rifleman, armed with the L85A2]

The 27th September 2020 is the 101st anniversary of the end of the North Russia Intervention. This campaign, fought between March 1918 and September 1919, saw British troops deployed to the region to prevent it falling to the Bolshevik revolutionaries during the Russian Civil War. Many antecedents of The Rifles took part in the campaign. The newly formed Russian Soviet Republic officially signed the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty with the Central Powers in March 1918. The Allies,...Continue reading

Top 5 Rifles of The Rifles Number 4: L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle The second rifle on our Top 5 list this week is the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, often simply known as the SLR. The SLR was the British version of the Belgian FN Fusil Automatique Léger (or the FAL). The FAL had been developed by Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal in 1953 and was quickly adopted by the armies of many nations around the world. Due to its widespread use by NATO forces during the Cold War, it gained ...the nickname ‘The Right Arm of the Free World’. The SLR entered British service in 1957 and had largely (but not completely) replaced the Lee-Enfield bolt action rifle by the late 50s to early 60s. The SLR was the first semi-automatic rifle to be universally adopted by the British Army and had a rate of fire of 650 rounds a minute. It was classed as a battle rifle, rather than an assault rifle, due to its full-powered rifle cartridge (7.6251mm NATO). The British variant differed from Belgian FAL in a number of respects, such as being modified to make it less vulnerable to poor environmental conditions, such as sand and mud, and the elimination of a fully automatic mode of fire (as it was felt that the rifle’s powerful cartridge would make it difficult to control). Despite having some issues, especially soon after its adoption, with the accuracy of its sites, the SLR would go on to prove itself a tough, ruggedly reliable and extremely hard-hitting rifle. Antecedents of The Rifles would use the SLR in a wide variety of conflicts and peace keeping duties, including Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Aden, Borneo and Malaya. The SLR was perhaps most famously deployed during the Falklands War, which saw British troops armed with semi-automatic SLRs, doing battle with Argentinian forces equipped with fully automatic FALs. Would the SLR have made your list of Top 5 Rifles of The Rifles? Do you feel that the British Army should have adopted the EM-2 rifle instead? Give us your thoughts below and keep a look out for tomorrow’s entry! [Picture 1: An L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, from the collection of the National Army Museum] [Picture 2: Soldiers of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, armed with SLRs, in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, from the collection of the Keep Military Museum, Dorchester]

Today, the 20th September 2020, is the 166th anniversary of the Battle of the Alma (1854). Taking place during the Crimean War, the Alma was the first large battle of the Allied invasion of the Crimea. Four antecedent regiments of The Rifles fought in the battle the 28th, 49th and 68th Foot, and the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade. Allied forces first landed in the Crimea, with the objective of capturing Sevastopol, the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, on 13th September 18...Continue reading

Today, the 13th September 2020, marks the 261st anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, fought in 1759. The battle resulted in the capture of Quebec and was a key moment in both the Seven Years War and the history of Canada. Four antecedents of The Rifles fought in the battle. The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known simply as the Battle of Quebec, took place during the French and Indian War, the American theatre of the wider Seven Years War. The conflict f...Continue reading

Rifleman’s Rations: In the last Wonderful Wednesday of the Summer Holiday, we are making our own version of a Rifleman’s ration kit. Follow The Rifles Museum’s online guide to create your version of a British Army field ration kit. For this activity you will need a box, tin or other small container, a pair of scissors and either plain paper and colouring pens/pencils/crayons, or some old magazines or newspapers, which include pictures of food. Make sure that you are careful w...ith the scissors. If you are a younger Ration kit maker, it might be a good idea to do this with a grown up. Army ration packs are carried by soldiers when they are on operations or taking part in exercises. They are usually designed to last for either 12 or 24-hours and provide the soldier with tons of energy and plenty of calories. They can be eaten hot or cold. As well as food they can also contain other useful supplies like water purification tablets (which makes unclean water safe to drink), tissues and wet wipes. But what would you want in your ration pack? Choose 10 things that you’d like to eat or drink. Do you think they would be OK if it was very hot or cold? Would they last a long time? What would you have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and what snacks would keep you going in between? Here are some examples of items of food and drink sometimes found in a ration kit: Dried fruit Fruit paste Energy bar Soup in a packet Instant noodles Powdered chocolate Powdered milk Powdered fruit juice Muesli Peanut butter Hot sauce Sweets Biscuits Curry in a packet Teabags Coffee Jams Crackers Pasta and bolognaise sauce in a packet Beans and bacon in a packet Honey When you have decided which items you want in your ration pack, you can either draw them or find pictures of them in magazines or newspapers and cut them out. You could even print off pictures, found online, and use these instead. Think about what alternatives you could use to things you would usually have in your lunch box at school or on a picnic. Instead of fresh fruit, which will go bad quickly, what about dried fruit? Instead of a bar of chocolate, which will melt, what about sweets or biscuits? Put your finished pictures into your box and, congratulations, you have created your own Rifleman’s Ration kit! We’d love to see how your ration packs turned out! Send us pictures of your finished kits on The Rifles Museum’s social media accounts. We hope that you enjoyed today’s Wonderful Wednesday activity and all of the other activities hosted online by The Rifles Museum this Summer Holiday.

Today, on the fifth Wonderful Wednesday of the Summer Holiday, we are doing Camouflage Colouring. Copy some real military camouflage patterns or come up with your own! If you invent your own camo design, think about where it would be useful. Will it keep you hidden in the forest, jungle, mountains, desert, city or somewhere else? Camouflage is an important part of being a solider. It helps keep you safe on the battlefield, because it makes you more difficult to spot. The curr...ent camouflage worn by The Rifles, and the rest of the British Army, is called Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP). Unlike earlier military camouflages, designed to hide a soldier in one or two different environments, MTP is intended to conceal the wearer in almost any. It proved very useful in Afghanistan, where soldiers often found themselves operating in a wide range of environments, including deserts, forests, mountains and cities. Send us pictures of your Camo Colouring and let us know where it would keep you hidden!

Sword Making: This week in the Summer Holiday, follow The Rifles Museum’s guide to making your own sword at home! All you need are some cardboard, tinfoil, scissors, glue and colouring pens or pencils. Did you know that in The Rifles regiment bayonets are called swords? This means that the modern Rifleman still goes into battle with a sword! To find out where the name swords comes from in The Rifles, see our post on the 28th April 2020 ‘Rifles Heritage Fact: Swords, not Bay...onets’. Now let’s fix swords and get started! Step 1: Firstly, you will need to decide what sort of sword you are going to make today Have a look at some of the pictures of swords used by The Rifles today and antecedent regiments in the past. Why not try copying one of them? Or you could try coming up with your own design! Step 2: Once you have decided on what type of sword you want to make, it’s time to find a piece of cardboard large enough for it. A cereal box or other cardboard box could be a good idea. When you have your cardboard ready, draw the sword onto it. Remember, don’t worry about adding too many details now, as a lot of them may get covered up later. Step 3: When you have drawn your sword (no pun intended), you can cut it out. If you are a young sword maker, it might be a good idea to get a grown-up to help with this part. Carefully cut around the outline until you are left with just your sword design. Step 4: You now have your sword cut out and ready to decorate. To give the blade a shiny, polished look (a good Rifleman always keeps his or her sword in excellent condition), cover it with a layer of tinfoil. You can either wrap the foil around the blade or cut it out so it’s just the right size. You will then need to stick it down with some glue. Step 5: It’s time for the finishing touches. Why not colour-in the handle of your sword? If you have been making Baker rifle sword, it would be gold/bronze. The modern L3A1 has a black handle. Meanwhile, many swords, such as the Pattern 1907 and L1A3 have wooden grips. What will you go for? Top tip! If the cardboard you are using is shiny and difficult to colour-in, try marker pens or even paint. Well done, you’ve finished your sword! We hope you enjoyed this Summer Holiday activity from The Rifles Museum. We’d love to see any pictures of your homemade swords! Send them to us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Next Wonderful Wednesday we’ll be doing some Camouflage Colouring. (Pictured swords, top to bottom: Baker Rifle sword, Pattern 1907, L1A3 and L3A1)

The 15th August 2020 is the 75th anniversary of VJ Day Victory over Japan Day. On the 15th August 1945, the Japanese Empire accepted the surrender terms laid out in the Potsdam Declaration, issued by the Allies. The Rifles Museum has written a series of posts for the Regiment, telling the story of how VJ Day came about, which antecedent regiments were active in the Far East at the time and what they did afterwards. Make sure to check them out on The Rifles social media accounts! [Pictured: Allied servicemen and civilians celebrate in the streets of London on the 15th August 1945, upon hearing news of the Japanese surrender.]

On the third Wonderful Wednesday of the Summer Holiday, we are doing Cap Badge Colouring. Colour in or draw the cap, belt or back badges of The Rifles or the cap badge of one of the antecedent regiments of The Rifles. There are plenty to choose from! Or if you prefer, why not try creating your own cap badge? We would love to see your Cap Badge Colouring! Please send us photos of your colouring sheets and drawings at our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. (Pictured cap badges of antecedent regiments of The Rifles. Top row, left to right: Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, The Light Infantry, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, and Royal Green Jackets. Bottom row, left to right: Devonshire Regiment, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Royal Berkshire Regiment and King’s Royal Rifle Corps).

Pebble Painting: For this week of our Summer Holiday activities, The Rifles Museum encourages you to do some Pebble Painting. All you need are a pebble or a stone, some paints and paint brushes. Use our step by step guide for a fun family craft activity. Step 1: First, make sure you have everything you will need for your Pebble Painting. Ideally, your pebble or a stone will be fairly smooth and flat this will make it easier to decorate. If your pebble comes from your garde...n or the beach, you may need to wash it first. Next, choose which paints you want to use and grab some brushes and a pot of water to clean them in. Finally, you will need to set up a space to do your painting. Putting down some old newspaper is a good idea to prevent a mess! Step 2: Now it’s time to choose what design you want to paint on your pebble. Why not try copying the cap, belt or back badge of The Rifles? In the past, we have seen some other fantastic designs, including frogs, dragons and horses! What will you go for? Step 3: When painting your pebble, its often best to first put on a base coat of paint. By painting the entire pebble and then waiting for it to dry, you will find it easier to decorate later. Step 4: Once your pebble’s first coat of paint has dried, you can finally paint on your design. A thinner brush can be a good idea here, especially for those finer details. When you are finished you can leave your pebble to one side to dry. Step 5: When your pebble is dry and you are happy with your design, you are finished! However, if you would like to add some further details, why not put on some stickers, googly eyes, glitter or whatever other craft materials you like? We hope that you have enjoyed your Pebble Painting from The Rifles Museum. What design did you go for in the end? We’d love to see them! Send us pictures of your painted pebbles on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Look out next Wonderful Wednesday, when we will be doing some fun Cap Badge Colouring!

On the first Wonderful Wednesday of the Summer Holiday, we are doing online Medal Making at The Rifles Museum. Create your own medal or copy an existing one. What will your medal be awarded for? What colour will the medal ribbon be? What will appear on the front and back of the medal itself (the obverse and reverse)? It’s up to you! For this activity all you will need are some colouring pens, pencils or crayons, and any other materials you want decorate your medal. For inspi...ration, check out the attached images of current British military medals and some examples from other militaries around the world. If you are designing your own medal, think about what the colours on the ribbon will represent, what will appear on the medal itself and, most importantly, what is it being awarded for. Military medals can be won and awarded for many different things acts of bravery, taking part in campaigns or operations, long service, good conduct, performing special tasks, getting wounded in action and more. We would love to see your completed medals. Why not send us the pictures of your medals on The Rifles Museum’s social media accounts?

The Rifles Museum wishes to offer its thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh for his many years of service as the Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles, and congratulations and best wishes to the Duchess of Cornwall on becoming the new Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment.

Today is Salamanca Day the annual Regimental Day of The Rifles. It celebrates the anniversary of the Allied victory at the Battle of Salamanca on the 22nd July 1812, which famously saw the Duke of Wellington’s British and Portuguese army beating 40,000 men in 40 minutes. Salamanca is of special significance to The Rifles, because every one of the forming regiments had at least one antecedent regiment present at the battle. The Devonshire and Dorsetshire Light Infantry wer...e represented by the 11th Foot, the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry by the 61st Foot, The Light Infantry by the 32nd, 51st, 53rd and 68th Foot, and the Royal Green Jackets by the 43rd, 52nd and 60th Foot, and the 95th Rifles. Salamanca saw an evenly matched British and Portuguese army, composed of 48,500 men, doing battle with a French force nearly 50,000 strong. Wellington kept much of his force hidden from view behind a ridge, while deploying a screen of skirmishers from the 60th, 68th and 95th. The French army spread itself too thinly across an opposing ridge, meaning that each division was no longer able to support each other. Seizing the opportunity, Wellington declared By God! That will do! and launched a full-scale attack. Caught out of position and by surprise, the French were forced back everywhere. A counter-attack by French cavalry was halted by the 53rd, who formed square. The spearhead of the Allied attack was led by the 11th and 61st, who pushed the French back up the slope in the face of very heavy resistance. Both regiments took over 65% casualties the action earning the 11th the title The Bloody Eleventh. The result was a decisive Anglo- Portuguese victory. The Allied total casualties were 5,173, while the French lost over 13,000 killed, wounded or captured. Salamanca marked the turning point in the Peninsula War resulting in the permanent weakening of the French position in Spain. Salamanca should be remembered for the example it sets for hard fighting, disciplined infantry and excellent leadership qualities that live on in The Rifles today.