Page 132 - The Rifles Bugle Autumn 2019
P. 132

       130 SEVENTH BATTALION THE RIFLES
 Commanding Officer’s Foreword
  Just over two years ago, in June 2017, three Riflemen stood in an old and largely disused Army Reserve Centre in Bishop Auckland marked out for disposal. It was hard to imagine at that time that these three Riflemen and their shell of a building would grow so rapidly into a capable Army Reserve Battalion; one that is now 330 strong and on an upward trajectory. In that time, the Battalion has deployed Riflemen to Gabon, Sierra Leone, Jordan, Kenya, Sweden, Canada, Italy and France.
The 8th Battalion’s beginnings saw D (RIFLES) Company 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and E Company 6th Battalion, The Rifles come under command and form the foundation of the Battalion.
Y Company was grown in Yorkshire, strad- dling locations in Pontefract and Doncaster; D Company branched
out to form two
Platoons in Sunderland; whilst E Company continued
to grow their own outstation in Birmingham; and HQ Company took up their position in Bishop Auckland.
The Battalion’s growth and success is attributable to the five pillars of The Rifles; it has been a shared endeavour. The regular cohort supported the Battalion, through advice, manpower and opportunities for deployments that were found in our pairing with the 2nd Battalion. Our Riflemen who had joined other cap-badges as Army Reservists flocked back to the newly formed Companies. The
veterans were eager
to re-join while our
associations and
cadets have
The Battalion’s next challenge is to Triglavski National
Park, Slovenia – they wont
be spending much time in
the picturesque town... the mountains in the background will be the location
of the exercise
    The Battalion has focused on developing thinking fighting Riflemen
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