Page 80 - Bugle Issue 18 Auntumn 2021

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REGIMENTAL SILVER
The Rifles is extremely lucky and grateful to have had most of the property of the Forming Regiments passed to on formation in 2007. Sadly a quantity of the silver (that is not part of a collection) is beyond repair, not useable any longer and unappealing
to the battalions – where all the Messes already have fantastic pieces on display (and some!).
This meant it being stored out of sight and the light of day since formation in 2007. This property belongs and is maintained by The Rifles and is overseen by the Regimental Trustees, amongst which each of the Forming Regiments is represented. A decision was taken by the Trustees and in wider discussion to sensitively ‘re-cycle’ some of the most damaged and ‘unusable’ silver (most of it cutlery) in order to commission something new, special and appealing for generations of Riflemen to come.
2 RIFLES took on the project to commis- sion a contemporary silver statuette to commemorate its most recent Op TORAL tour, with the intention of using the mould to then provide limited edition copies for all battal- ions. Working
together with a very reputable silversmith they developed a figurine of what we know
to be ‘The Green Boy.’ This is a very striking portrait, commissioned by 3 RIFLES when creating the Afghan Market Day painting that now hangs in Edinburgh.
The first statuette is already with 2 RIFLES and the subsequent identical figurines are nearing completion before being signed over to the remaining RIFLES battalions - in recognition of all the Riflemen that served in Afghanistan - prior to the end of NATO’s mission in Afghanistan this year.
80 RIFLES The Bugle