62nd & 99th Regiments/Wiltshire/The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry/Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry/The Rifles
Below is some genealogy information on the 62nd & 99th Regiments, Wiltshire, The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry and The Rifles of the British army that may help searches for military ancestors.
Theatres of War, Army Regiments, Naval Detachments, RAF
Description: The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) was formed in 1881 when the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment and the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment were amalgamated. They saw action in the Boer Wars, fighting at Paardenburg. During the First World War they fought across the Western, Italian and Turkish fronts at battles such as Mons, Le Cateau, Marne, Aisne, Messines, the 1st battle of Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Bridge, Festubert, Loos, the Somme (1916), the Hindenburg Line, Arras, Cambrai, Passchedaele, the 1st battle of the Somme (1918), Lys, the 2nd battle of the Somme (1918), Selle, the advance in Flanders, Vittorio Veneto and Gallipoli. In 1921 they were renamed The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's). During the Second World War they fought across the Western, Italian, Far-Eastern and Middle-Eastern fronts, fighting at battles such as the invasion of Italy and Arnhem, part of Operation Market Garden. In 1959 they were amalgamated with The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's), forming The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire). Their nickname is The Moonrackers, The Splashers or The Springers.
Military actions:
- Boer war: Paardenburg
- WWI: Mons
- WWI: Le Cateau
- WWI: Marne
- WWI: Aisne
- WWI: Messines
- WWI: 1st battle of Ypres
- WWI: Neuve Chapelle
- WWI: Aubers Bridge
- WWI: Festubert
- WWI: Loos
- WWI: Somme (1916)
- WWI: Hindenburg Line
- WWI: Arras
- WWI: Cambrai
- WWI: 3rd battle of Ypres
- WWI: 1st battle of the Somme (1918)
- WWI: Lys
- WWI: 2nd battle of the Somme (1918)
- WWI: Selle
- WWI: Advance in Flanders
- WWI: Vittorio Veneto
- WWI: Gallipoli
- WWII: Invasion of Italy
- WWII: Arnhem
Websites:
- The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) museum: Wiltshire regiment history
- Wikipedia: Wiltshire regiment
- Wiltshire regiment website
Reading materials:
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