Prince of Wales's Own Civil Service Rifles
| Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1798 – 1921 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Rifle Regiment |
| Part of | The London Regiment |
| Motto | Ich Dien (I Serve) |
| Engagements | Boer War, World War I |
The Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles were a regiment in the Volunteer Force and Territorial Force of the British Army from 1798 to 1921; they saw active service in the Boer War and World War I.
Originally formed in 1798 as the Bank of England Volunteers they were disbanded at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. To be reformed in 1860, by Viscount Bury, as the 21st Middlesex Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (Civil Service Rifles).
They after many name changes, including their main title, The Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles, were eventually amalgamated with 16th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment in 1921.
Battle honours
- South Africa 1900-02
- The Great War (3 battalions):
- Festubert 1915, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Messines 1917, Ypres 1917, Cambrai 1917, St. Quentin, Ancre 1918, Albert 1918, Bapaume 1918, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1915-18, Doiran 1917, Macedonia 1916-17, Gaza, Nebi Samwil, Jerusalem, Palestine 1917-18
Regimental motto
Ich Dien – (German for "I serve", a contraction of ich diene), the motto of the Prince of Wales.
Regimental memorial
The memorial for the Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles is situated at Somerset House, London. This was designed in 1923 by Sir Edwin Lutyens OM, KCIE, PRA.
Bibliography
- The History of the Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles. London : Wyman & Sons Ltd., 1921.
- Knight, Jill. The Civil Service Rifles in the Great War : all bloody gentlemen. Barnsley : Pen & Sword Military, 2004. ISBN 1-84415-057-7
- 2/15th Battn. County of London Regiment Prince of Wales Own Civil Service Rifles. [London : printed by The Art Reproduction Co. Ltd., 1920?]