“Rogues with Rifles; the story of the 5th/60th”

Speaker: Rob Griffiths
Venue: The Kincaid Gallery, The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
Date: Thursday 21 November 2019
Time: 6:15pm
Tickets: £20 (or £17.50 for friends of the RGJ Museum) per head including drink and canapes
Booking: https://shop.rgjmuseum.co.uk/evening-talk--21-nov-2019-1665-p.asp or 01962 828549

The 5/60th were the first rifle battalion in the British Army and they fought throughout the Peninsular War, against the forces of Napoleon; they have long been forgotten and overlooked Regiment, some would say unfairly overshadowed by the 95th Rifles.  Not only did the 5/60th Rifles have the honour of being the first rifle battalion in the British army, they won more battle honours than the 95th during the Peninsular War.
 
Raised in the American colonies in 1756 as the 62nd (Royal American) Regiment to defend the thirteen colonies against attack by the French and their Native American allies, and later deployed to the West Indies, by 1797 a 5th battalion had been raised on Barbados, with additional companies formed on the Isle of Wight, and equipped entirely with rifles.  The troops of the 5th battalion were so effective that Sir Arthur Wellesley recommended their use to the divisional commanders describing them as the “most useful, active and brave troops in the field”.  This is the story of their service in that long campaign recounted by discussing some of the extraordinary, distinctly roguish, characters in that Regiment.  You will hear tales of looting, murder and treachery, but also steadfastness, loyalty and heroism.
 
Tickets cost £20.00 (or £17.50 if you are a friend of the museum) and include a drink and canapes after the talk. Tickets must be purchased prior to the talk:
01962 828549
https://shop.rgjmuseum.co.uk/evening-talk--21-nov-2019-1665-p.asp
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