Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps: Vol 4 "The K.R.R.C." 1872-1913

Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps: Vol 4
Author: Major-Gen. Sir Steuart Hare
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2013-01-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781510210

The fourth volume in the unit history of the 'K.R.R.C.' details its activities in the last years of the 19th century and the opening decade of the 20th, principally the 1899-1902 Boer War. The history describes the reforms which slowly replaced the amateurish army of the 19th century with the trained professional force which went to war in 1914, reforms which were hastened by the shock of the Boer War. Earlier in Africa, the Corps' Third Battalion took part in the 1879 Zulu War and the first Boer War of 1881, including the Battle of Majuba Hill under Sir George Colley. The 2nd Battalion fought in the Second Afghan War of 1878-1880 under General Roberts; and the Third Battalion fought in the Egyptian campaign of 1882 and in the Sudan in 1884. The Fourth battalion took part in colonial campaigns in India and Burma in the 1890s. The Corps took part in the major campaigns of the Boer War under Sir Redvers Buller, including the Siege of Ladysmith, and under Roberts and Kithcener in the later 'mopping up' period of guerrilla warfare against the Boer commandos. With two appendices on Corps commanders and the unit's sporting achievements, four portraits and twenty maps.

Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps: Vol 3 "The K.R.R.C." 1831-1871

Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps: Vol 3
Author: Lieut-Col. Lewis Butler
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2013-01-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 1781510199

The third in the excellent five-volume history of the K.R.R.C. takes the story from the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars in the 1830s to 1873. The 19th c. K.R.R.C. was the creation of Col. Robert Beaufoy Hawley, who adapted its early principles to mid-19th century military conditions. The early chapters detail the unit's service in Ireland and the Mediterranean, recounting such hazards as the capture of officers by Balkan brigands, shipwrecks and an outbreak of yellow fever in Jamaica which carried off a Col. A. F. Ellis MP. Serving in South Africa and India, the Corps took part in the 2nd Sikh War under Sir Charles Napier, the siege of Mooltan and camapaigns against the Afghan tribes. The book describes the discontent which led to the Indian Mutiny, and the Mutiny itself, in which the Corps took part in the siege and storming of Delhi - winning no fewer than seven VCs in the action. The Corps took part in the 'Opium Wars' in China, helping to capture Peking (Beijing). Later in the century the Corps was deployed to counter Chartiist unrest in Britain and Irish Fenians in Ireland itself and Canada. It also took part in the Red River expedition under Colonel Garnet Wolseley. With three appendices detailing regimental leisure activities and battle honours, eight illustrations and six maps.

Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps: Vol 2 "The Green Jacket"

Annals of the King's Royal Rifle Corps: Vol 2
Author: Lieut-Col. Lewis Butler
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2013-01-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 178150993X

This second of the fine five-volume unit history of the King's Royal Rifle Corps begins with the development of the unit's characteristic weapon - the rifle - and of its equally ubiquitous uniform, the green jacket, under its Colonel, Baron Francis de Rothenburg. It details the unit's role in crushing the Irish rebellion of 1798, and in repelling the French invasion of Ireland in the same year. The Rifle Battalions then saw service in their old battlegrounds of the Americas, in Martinique, Surinam and Halifax, Novia Scotia, before returning to Europe to take part in the Peninsula War against Napoleon. They came under the command of both Sir Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) and Sir John Moore, repelling the French invasion of Portugal and fighting at Rolica and Vimiero. Under Wellesley, the Battalions pursued Marshal Victor, taking part in the Battle of Talavera. They manned Wellington's impregnable Lines of Torres Vedras, thwarting Marshal Massena's invasion of Portugal, relieved Almeida and took part in the battles of Fuentes de Onoro and Albuera. The Battalion fought Marshal Marmont at Arroyo Molinos, stormed Ciudad Roderigo and Badajoz, and took part in the Battle of Salamanca and the siege of Burgos. In 1813 the Battalion again advanced into Spain against Marshal Soult under Wellington, taking part in the Battle of Vitoria as he drove the French across their frontier. By 1814 the unit, now eight battalions strong, had crossed the Pyrenees and had reached Toulouse when Napoleon abdicated. The book concludes with the creation of the King's Royal Rifle Corps. With six appendices, 8 illustrations, and 12 maps.