Royal Rifle Volunteers

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The Royal Rifle Volunteers is a former regiment of the British Territorial Army. It was, for most of its existence, the TA infantry in the counties of Hampshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight.

[edit] History

Members of the former B Company on exercise

The regiment was formed on 1 July 1999 by the amalgamation of elements of the 6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment and the 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Green Jackets due to the reforms of the Territorial Army implemented following the Strategic Defence Review. It was the infantry component of 145 (Home Counties) Brigade.

Its companies during its 8 year existence were:

HQ Company in Berkshire - 1999-2007
A (Royal Green Jackets) Company in Oxfordshire - 1999-2007
B (Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire) Company in Berkshire - 1999-2006 (amalgamated into HQ Company, keeping it's rifle platoon in Swindon, Wiltshire)
C (Duke of Connaught's) Company in Hampshire - 1999-2005 (became D Company, 3rd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, minus it's rifle platoon based on the Isle of Wight)
E (Royal Green Jackets) Company in Buckinghamshire - 1999-2007
F (Royal Green Jackets) Company in London - 2006-2007
G (Royal Green Jackets) Company in London - 2006-2007

In 2002 the Royal Rifle Volunteers took part in a major NATO "Partnership for Peace" exercise in the Ukraine codenamed Exercise COSSACK EXPRESS. In 2003 the Royal Rifle Volunteers took part in a major NATO exercise in the Eastern European country of Lithuania codenamed Exercise AMBER HOPE. A formed platoon was also deployed to Afghanistan as part of Op FINGAL. Some soldiers from E (RGJ) Coy also deployed to Bize, Albania in support of the Royal Welsh Regiment's "Partnership for Peace" exercise codenamed ALBANIAN EXPRESS. In 2005 a formed company (Roebuck company) from the RRV, along with a platoon attachment from the 3rd Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment was dispatched to Iraq which was part of the Multi-National Division (South East) as part of Op TELIC.

On 24 November 2005, the MOD announced a reorganisation of the army, and it was planned that the RRV would become 4th Battalion, Royal Green Jackets. However, at a later date the Light Division decided to amalgamate the Light Infantry and Royal Green Jackets. The RRV became their 7th Battalion on formation of the new regiment, 1 February 2007.

The commanding officers were: