A Bugler within the DCLI.
Sergeant Thomas Edward Rendle, recipient of the Victoria Cross.
| The two battalions forming this regiment both had West Country county titles before the amalgamation of 1881, previous to which date they had been simply “linked.” The 1st battalion (the 32nd) was styled the “Cornwall Light Infantry” (receiving its county title in 1782, and the Light Infantry designation in 1858), the 2nd, the 46th (the South Devonshire), was raised in 1702 as Colonel George Villiers’ Regiment of Marines.
The 46th wore yellow facings in 1881; now both wear white. The buttons bear the bugle and Duke of Cornwall’s coronet; the collar the county badge, also coroneted, with the motto, “One and All.” The helmet-plate has across the bugle-strap two red feathers (from the 46th), with below the turreted arch (in commemoration of the defence of Lucknow, in which the 32nd took so distinguished a part). The Sphinx and “Egypt” appeared formerly on the appointments of the 46th. The “United Red and White Rose” is the territorial badge.
The Militia battalion is the Royal Cornwall Rangers (1760), which was the first to volunteer for service in Ireland, when the men seem to have worn red, with blue facings. In 1875 they were titled the “The Duke of Cornwall’s Own,” and were equipped as rifles, in green with black facings; in 1881 they ceased to be rifles. The Volunteer battalions are the 1st Cornwall, Falmouth (grey and scarlet), the 2nd Cornwall, Bodmin (scarlet and white). The 32nd seem to have had no pet name; but the 46th have been called “Murray’s Bucks,” after their colonel; the “Surprisers,” after the attack on Wayne’s brigade in 1777, when the red tuft was won; and the “Lacedemonians,” from their then colonel having once, when under fire, made a lengthy speech about the discipline of those people.
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 Cornwall 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, in 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.
DCLI Insignia.
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