Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
Encyclopedia
The Duke of Cornwall
's Light Infantry (DCLI) was an infantry regiment of the British Army
from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles
.
The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms
, by the merger of the 32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot and the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot
. The DCLI also incorporated the militia
and rifle volunteers
of Cornwall
.
In 1959 the regiment merged with the Somerset Light Infantry to form the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
.
the two regular battalions were stationed as follows:
. The 2nd Battalion arrived in South Africa in the following month, where it took part in minor actions on the western border of the Cape Colony. In February 1900 it became part of the 19th Brigade. It saw action against the Boers at Paardeburg, and in March 1900 entered Bloemfontein
. It continued to take part in a series of skirmishes until the end of the war. The 1st Battalion took no part on the war, moving from India to Ceylon
in 1900 where its soldiers guarded South African prisoners of war
.
Following the war in South Africa, the system of rotating battalions between home and foreign stations resumed as follows:
Neither militia nor volunteer battalions were liable for service outside the United Kingdom. However, during the Second Boer War, both volunteer battalions contributed "Active Service Companies" that reinforced the regular battalions, and were awarded the battle honour "South Africa 1900–1901".
In 1908 reserve forces were reorganised by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907
(the Haldane Reforms). The militia was renamed the "Special Reserve", with the duty of providing trained recruits in time of war. The volunteer battalions became part of the new Territorial Force
, which was organised into 14 infantry divisions which were called upon to serve abroad. On 1 April 1908 the three reserve battalions were accordingly redesignated as the 3rd (Special Reserve), 4th (Territorial Force) and 5th (Territorial Force) Battalions, DCLI.
in Normandy
acquired the name "Cornwall Hill" after Cornish soldiers of 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry suffered 320 casualties in the fighting there.
houses the regimental museum, founded in 1925. It includes the history of the regiment from 1702, plus a military library. There is a fine collection of small arms and machine guns, plus maps, uniforms and paintings on show. Included in the display are the medals of Harry Patch
, the last British survivor of the First World War. and the VC awarded to Herbert Augustine Carter
for gallantry in Somaliland in 1903.
Bodmin Parish Church
was the regimental place of worship where there are memorials to some of the servicemen and regimental colours from the past.
is a 2009 play by the Cornish author Alan M. Kent
which follows the lives of three members of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on a journey from the mines of Cornwall to the fields of Flanders
, where they learned to surf with South Africa
n troops.
Eight soldiers of the DCLI were awarded the VC including:
Battle Honours
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry soldiers
Duke of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in the peerage of England.The present Duke of Cornwall is The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch .-History:...
's Light Infantry (DCLI) was an infantry regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
.
The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
, by the merger of the 32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot and the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot
46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot
The 46th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, created in 1741 and amalgamated into the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881.-History:...
. The DCLI also incorporated the militia
Militia (United Kingdom)
The Militia of the United Kingdom were the military reserve forces of the United Kingdom after the Union in 1801 of the former Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland....
and rifle volunteers
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
In 1959 the regiment merged with the Somerset Light Infantry to form the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.It was formed in 1959 by the merger of two regiments: The Somerset Light Infantry and The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry...
.
1881–1899
Under the Childers system, one regular battalion of each regiment was to be at a "home" station, while the other was abroad. Every few years, there was to be an exchange of battalions. In the period from the regiment's formation to the outbreak of the Second Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
the two regular battalions were stationed as follows:
| Location of 1st Battalion (ex 32nd Foot) | Years | Location of 2nd Battalion (ex 46th Foot) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Ireland | 1881–1885 | Gibraltar | 1881–1882 |
| Egypt | 1882–1885 | ||
| Malta Malta Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in... |
1885–1888 | Sudan | 1885–1886 |
| India and Burma (fought in Tirah Campaign Tirah Campaign The Tirah Campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah Expedition, was an Indian frontier war in 1897–98. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country.-Rebellion:... of 1897) |
1888–1900 | England and Ireland | 1886–1900 |
1899–1914
In October 1899 war broke out between the United Kingdom and the Boer RepublicsBoer Republics
The Boer Republics were independent self-governed republics created by the northeastern frontier branch of the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the north eastern Cape Province and their descendants in mainly the northern and eastern parts of what is now the country of...
. The 2nd Battalion arrived in South Africa in the following month, where it took part in minor actions on the western border of the Cape Colony. In February 1900 it became part of the 19th Brigade. It saw action against the Boers at Paardeburg, and in March 1900 entered Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
. It continued to take part in a series of skirmishes until the end of the war. The 1st Battalion took no part on the war, moving from India to Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1900 where its soldiers guarded South African prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
Following the war in South Africa, the system of rotating battalions between home and foreign stations resumed as follows:
| Location of 1st Battalion (ex 32nd Foot) | Years | Location of 2nd Battalion (ex 46th Foot) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 1902–1906 | England | 1902–1905 |
| England | 1906–1913 | Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
1905–1907 |
| Bermuda Bermuda Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida... |
1907–1910 | ||
| South Africa | 1910–1913 | ||
| Ireland (The Curragh) | 1913–1914 | Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
1913–1914 |
Reserve battalions 1881–1914
The 1881 reorganisation also redesignated the militia and rifle volunteers of Cornwall as battalions of the regiment as follows:- 3rd (Militia) Battalion (formerly the "Royal Conwall Rangers, Duke of Cornwall's Own Rifles", raised 1760)
- 1st Volunteer Battalion (formerly 1st Cornwall Rifle Volunteer Corps, raised 1860)
- 2nd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 2nd Cornwall Rifle Volunteer Corps, raised 1860)
Neither militia nor volunteer battalions were liable for service outside the United Kingdom. However, during the Second Boer War, both volunteer battalions contributed "Active Service Companies" that reinforced the regular battalions, and were awarded the battle honour "South Africa 1900–1901".
In 1908 reserve forces were reorganised by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907
Haldane Reforms
The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane...
(the Haldane Reforms). The militia was renamed the "Special Reserve", with the duty of providing trained recruits in time of war. The volunteer battalions became part of the new Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
, which was organised into 14 infantry divisions which were called upon to serve abroad. On 1 April 1908 the three reserve battalions were accordingly redesignated as the 3rd (Special Reserve), 4th (Territorial Force) and 5th (Territorial Force) Battalions, DCLI.
World War I
The war saw a large expansion of the regiment. This was done in two ways: by the formation of duplicate units to the existing territorial battalions, and by the raising of wartime "New Army" or Service battalions. The following battalions of the DCLI saw active service in the conflict:| Battalion | Service |
|---|---|
| 1st Battalion | Western Front Western Front (World War I) Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne... 1914–1917; Italian Front Italian Campaign (World War I) The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the... 1917–1918; Western Front 1918 |
| 2nd Battalion | Western Front 1914–1915; Macedonian Front Macedonian front (World War I) The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal... 1915–1918 |
| 1/4th Battalion | India 1914–1916; Aden 1916–1917; Egypt 1917–1918 |
| 2/4th Battalion | (Formed September 1914) India 1914–1918 |
| 1/5th Battalion | Remained in UK until 1916. Western Front 1916–1918 |
| 6th (Service) Battalion | (Formed August 1914) Western Front 1915–1918 (disbanded February 1918) |
| 7th (Service) Battalion | (Formed September 1914) Western Front 1915–1918 |
| 8th (Service) Battalion | (Formed September 1914) Western Front 1915; Mesopotamian Front 1915–1918 |
| 10th (Service) Battalion (Cornwall Pioneers) | (Formed March 1915) Western Front 1916–1918 |
Inter War period
| Years | 1st Battalion | Years | 2nd Battalion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919–1922 | Ireland | 1919–1920 | India |
| 1922–1939 | India | ||
| 1920–1921 | Iraq Iraqi revolt against the British The Iraqi Revolt against the British , or the Great Iraqi Revolution of 1920, started in Baghdad in the summer of 1920 with mass demonstrations of both Sunni and Shia, including protests by embittered officers from the old Ottoman army, against the policies of British Acting Civil Commissioner Sir... |
||
| 1921–1922 | Ireland Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed... |
||
| 1922–1924 | Germany (Army of occupation) | ||
| 1924–1927 | Guernsey | ||
| 1927–1932 | England | ||
| 1932–1935 | Gibraltar | ||
| 1935–1939 | England |
World War II
In 1944 Hill 112Hill 112
Operation Jupiter was an attack launched by the British Second Army's VIII Corps on 10 July 1944. The objective of the attack was to capture the villages of Baron-sur-Odon, Fontaine-Étoupefour, Chateau de Fontaine and recapture Hill 112. Following the capture of these objectives the Corps would...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
acquired the name "Cornwall Hill" after Cornish soldiers of 5th Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry suffered 320 casualties in the fighting there.
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Regimental Museum
The original barracks in BodminBodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
houses the regimental museum, founded in 1925. It includes the history of the regiment from 1702, plus a military library. There is a fine collection of small arms and machine guns, plus maps, uniforms and paintings on show. Included in the display are the medals of Harry Patch
Harry Patch
Henry John "Harry" Patch , known in his latter years as "the Last Fighting Tommy", was a British supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in Europe, and the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches of the First World War...
, the last British survivor of the First World War. and the VC awarded to Herbert Augustine Carter
Herbert Augustine Carter
Major Herbert Augustine Carter VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
for gallantry in Somaliland in 1903.
Bodmin Parish Church
Bodmin Parish Church
Bodmin Parish Church is an Anglican church in Bodmin, Cornwall, United Kingdom.The existing church building is dated 1469-72 and was until the building of Truro Cathedral the largest church in Cornwall...
was the regimental place of worship where there are memorials to some of the servicemen and regimental colours from the past.
Literature
Surfing TommiesSurfing Tommies
Surfing Tommies is a 2009 play by the Cornish author Alan M. Kent. It follows the lives of three members of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on a journey from the mines of Cornwall to the fields of Flanders, where they learn to surf from South African troops...
is a 2009 play by the Cornish author Alan M. Kent
Alan M. Kent
Alan M. Kent is a Cornish poet, novelist, dramatist, author and editor of a number of works on Cornish and Anglo-Cornish literature.-Creative writing:* Proper Job, Charlie Curnow!* Electric Pastyland...
which follows the lives of three members of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry on a journey from the mines of Cornwall to the fields of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, where they learned to surf with South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n troops.
Recipients of the Victoria Cross
- Lieutenant Philip CurtisPhilip CurtisPhilip Kenneth Edward Curtis VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
(medal displayed in the Museum) - Thomas Edward RendleThomas Edward RendleThomas Edward Rendle VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
(medal displayed in the Museum) - Clement Leslie SmithClement Leslie SmithBrigadier General Clement Leslie Smith VC MC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:Smith was 25 years old, and a lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion,...
(medal displayed in the Museum)
Others
- Lieutenant-General Arthur Nugent Floyer-AclandArthur Floyer-AclandLieutenant General Arthur Nugent Floyer-Acland CB, DSO, MC, DL was a British soldier.-Background:...
CBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSODistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MCMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, DLDeputy LieutenantIn the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(7 September 1885 – 18 February 1980) - Harry PatchHarry PatchHenry John "Harry" Patch , known in his latter years as "the Last Fighting Tommy", was a British supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in Europe, and the last surviving soldier to have fought in the trenches of the First World War...
, the last TommyTommy AtkinsTommy Atkins is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that was already well established in the 19th century, but is particularly associated with World War I. It can be used as a term of reference, or as a form of address. German soldiers would call out to "Tommy" across no man's land if...
(d. July 2009) - Harold Royffe
- Major-General David TyackeDavid TyackeDavid Noel Hugh Tyacke, CB, OBE, , was a senior British Army officer. His last post was as General Officer Commanding the Singapore District and he had previously been the last commanding officer of 1st Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry prior to amalgamation into the Somerset and...
(born 1915 at Breage, CornwallBreage, CornwallBreage is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated three miles west of Helston....
; d. 2010); Colonel 1957–59 (afterwards Deputy Colonel of the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry)
Battle HonoursBattle honours of the British and Imperial ArmiesThe following battle honours were awarded to units of the British Army and the armies of British India and the Dominions of the British Empire. From their institution until the end of the Second World War, awards were made by, or in consultation with, the British government, but, since 1945, the...
- From 32nd Regiment of Foot: Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Peninsula, Waterloo, Goojerat, Mooltan, Punjaub, Lucknow
- From 46th Regiment of Foot: Dominica, Sevastopol
- Gibraltar 1704-05, Dettingen, St. Lucia 1778, Tel el Kebir, Egypt 1882, Nile 1884-85, Paardeberg, South Africa 1899-1902
- The Great War (15 battalions): Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1915 '17, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Hooge 1915, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916 '18, Delville Wood, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Le Transloy, Ancre 1916, Bapaume 1917 '18, Arras 1917, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, Arleux, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Rosières, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Canal du Nord, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Italy 1917-18, Struma, Doiran 1917 '18, Macedonia 1915-18, Gaza, Nebi Samwil, Jerusalem, Tell 'Asur, Megiddo, Sharon, Palestine 1917-18, Aden
- The Second World War: Defence of Escaut, Cheux, Hill 112, Mont Pincon, Noireau Crossing, Nederrijn, Opheusden, Geilenkirchen, Rhineland, Goch, Rhine, North-West Europe 1940 '44-45, Gazala, Medjez Plain, Si Abdallah, North Africa 1942-43, Cassino II, Trasimene Line, Advance to Florence, Incontro, Rimini Line, Italy 1944-45
See also
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officersDuke of Cornwall's Light Infantry soldiers
- First DCLI Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, The BluffFirst DCLI Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, The BluffFirst DCLI Cemetery, The Bluff is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the First World War located near Ypres in Belgium on the Western Front....