 Outstanding soldiers of the King's Royal Rifles
(1881-1901)
Each year the best soldiers of the regiment were chosen for long service and good conduct medals. This register gives rank, name, regimental number, and date of recommendation. (The sample scan is from the East Surrey regiment). The register is essentially a register of recommendations, annotated with details of the issue of the medals. Where no gratuity accompanied the medal, the entry is marked 'W. G.' (without gratuity); where, for one reason or another, the medal was not issued, the entry is marked 'N. S.' (not sanctioned) and struck through. The rifle depot was at Gosport. The corps had four line battalions. The 1st battalion returned from Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2 January 1877, and was based at Limerick; it embarked for India 25 November 1890, and was stationed at Peshawar. The 2nd battalion returned from Bengal in 1882, and by 1885 was at Devonport; it embarked for Gibraltar 1 December 1891, and in 1895 was on Malta. The 3rd battalion embarked for Natal 19 February 1879, and in 1885 was on Cyprus; it returned from Gibraltar to England in December 1891, and in 1895 was at Shorncliffe. The 4th battalion embarked for India 2 November 1876, and in 1885 was at Ferozepore; it returned from India 4 December 1892, and in 1895 was at Dover. During the period of these records the corps fought in the Boer war (1881), the Egyptian war (1882) ("Egypt, 1882", "Tel-el-Kebir"), the Soudan campaign (1884: El Teb and Temai) ("Egypt, 1884"), the Hazara, Miranzai and Burmese expeditions (1890-1891), the Chitral relief force (1895) ("Chitral"), and the South African war (1899-1902: Talana, Rietfontein, Lombard's Kop, defence and relief of Ladysmith, Colenso, Spion Kop, Vaal Krantz, Pieter's Hill, Laing's Nek, Belfast and Lydenburg) ("South Africa, 1900-1902", "Defence of Ladysmith", "Relief of Ladysmith").NEESHAN. Cost: £8.00.  | Sample scan, click to enlarge
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