The Rangers (British regiment)

The Rangers was a volunteer unit of the British Army. It was first raised at Gray's Inn on 30 April 1860 as the 40th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps (Central London Rangers), a rifle volunteer unit forming part of the 3rd Administrative Battalion with the 39th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps (the future Finsbury Rifles). It became the 22nd Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps (Central London Rangers) in 1880 and a volunteer battalion of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) the following year.[1][2]

In 1891 it underwent a slight renaming as the 22nd Middlesex Volunteer Rifle Corps (Central London Rangers), before becoming the 12th (County of London) Battalion of the new London Regiment on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908. On the outbreak of World War One in August 1914 it formed part of 3rd London Brigade within 1st London Division.[3][4] It was mobilised and moved to Bullswater, then to Crowborough in September and Roehampton in December. In the interim, during October 1914, it was assigned to guard Waterloo-North Camp (Aldershot) railway.

On 25 December 1914 it left its division on landing at Le Havre. On 8 February 1915 it was put under the command of 84th Brigade within 28th Division. It was transferred to GHQ Troops on 20 May that year to form a composite unit with the London Regiment's 1/5th and 1/13th Battalions - that only lasted until 11 August, when the three battalions regained their original identity. On 12 February 1916 it was moved into 168th Brigade within 56th (London) Division. The unit was formally transferred to the corps of the KRRC on 7th July 1916, though it also remained a battalion of the London Regiment until 1937, when it was renamed The Rangers, The King's Royal Rifle Corps. It switched brigade on 31 January 1918, moving to 175th Brigade within 58th Division - at the same time it absorbed its duplicate battalion, 2/12th Battalion, which had been formed in September 1914.

A duplicate 2nd Battalion was formed again on 31 March 1939, leading the original unit to add 1st Battalion to its name. On 22 March 1941 it became 9th Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps (The Rangers) and six years later The Rangers, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own). In 1960 it amalgamated with the London Rifle Brigade to form London Rifle Brigade/Rangers, whose successor unit is G (Royal Green Jackets) Company of the current London Regiment.

References

  1. ↑ regiments.org - The Rangers
  2. ↑ Ian F. W. Beckett (30 July 2007). Riflemen Form: A Study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859-1908. Pen and Sword. pp. 60, 111–112, 161, 190. ISBN 978-1-84415-612-2.
  3. ↑ The Long Long Trail - King's Royal Rifle Corps
  4. ↑ Navy and Army Illustrated. 1904. p. 290.
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