Our history
The Band and Bugles of The Rifles upholds traditions dating back as far as the Napoleonic Wars. Instead of using the cumbersome drum the earliest Riflemen used bugles to communicate orders on the battlefield and were also able to react rapidly to orders by marching at a quickened pace or even marching at the double.
The Rifles History - An Aspire Defence Multimedia Centre film
During the North American Wars of the 1750s, the heavy equipment, conspicuous red and white uniforms and close formation fighting of the British Army proved totally unsuitable for the American terrain. As a result a Regiment of Light Troops was formed consisting of specially trained men, carefully chosen for their toughness and intelligence. These soldiers were able to scout and skirmish and use their initiative without waiting for orders. So successful was the new concept, that by 1770 every Infantry Regiment had its own Light Company. This led eventually to the formation of the Regiments of Light Infantry and Rifles.
The Band and Bugles of The Rifles was formed fromThe Band and Bugles of The Light Division on 1st February 2007. This event took place in conjunction with the formation of The Rifles, a new Regiment created through the amalgamation of The Light Infantry, The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry and The Royal Green Jackets.
For the history of the ceremony of Sounding Retreat please click on the left hand menu.
