Soldiers settle into new home (From Wiltshire Times)

Soldiers settle into new home

6:06pm Wednesday 12th September 2007 in News By John Ballard

SOLDIERS from the 1st Battalion The Rifles have settled into a new base at Beachley Barracks in Gloucestershire.

The battalion, which was formed earlier this year with the amalgamation of 1st Battalion The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Light Infantry and 1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Light Infantry, is preparing to join 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines next spring and will become the Army's only Amphibious Assault Battalion.

The soldiers in the 1st Battalion The Rifles are recruited from Wiltshire Devon, Dorset, Bristol and Gloucestershire.

Having just returned from a period of summer leave, the 600 members of the battalion are preparing for a challenging training regime, culminating in a major exercise in Belize with 3 Commando Brigade between February and April next year.