The 1st Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers, later the 8th (Isle of Wight, 'Princess Beatrice's Own') Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, but known informally as the 'Isle of Wight Rifles', was an auxiliary unit of the British Army formed to defend the Isle of Wight after a mid-19th Century invasion scare. During World War I it fought in the Gallipoli Campaign, taking part in the calamitous attack at Suvla Bay, and later at the battles of Gaza and Megiddo in Palestine. Between the wars it was converted to coast defence artillery and served in this role on the Isle of Wight throughout World War II. One battery was sent to reinforce the garrison of Tobruk, where it was captured in 1942. Postwar the unit converted to the air defence role, then reverted to infantry, and its successors continue in today's Army Reserve.
Volunteer Force The Isle of Wight had long been fortified against invasion, due to its strategic position. It had also had numerous troops billeted in the Napoleonic Wars. In 1859, artillery and infantry volunteer corps were raised in response to an invasion scare following the perceived resurgence of French naval power under Louis Napoleon III.Beckett. On the Isle of Wight there was a major programme of fortification, including Forts Victoria, Albert, Golden Hill, and Culver and batteries at Sandown, Puckpool, Bouldnor and The Needles. Infantry support was provided by eight Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) formed at various locations around the island (dates given are those of first officers' commissions):Beckett, Appendix VII.Frederick, pp. 251–2.IoW Rifles at Regiments.org.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, pp. 113–4. 1st (Ryde) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 25 January 1860, commanded by Captain Sir John Lees, 3rd Baronet, also a captain in the Hampshire Militia 2nd (Newport) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 27 August 1860, commanded by Capt Sir John Simeon, 3rd Baronet 3rd (2nd Ryde) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 7 December 1860, commanded by Capt John B.W. Fleming; absorbed into 1st RVC 1864 4th (Nunwell) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 17 July 1860, commanded by Lieutenant Sir Henry Oglander, 7th Baronet, promoted to captain in July 1860 5th (Ventnor) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 22 October 1860, commanded by Lt Albert J. Hambrough, promoted to captain in October 1860 6th (Sandown) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 31 March 1860, commanded by Capt Henry Farnell, with Sir George Lowther, formerly of the 69th Foot, as lieutenant; disbanded 1862 7th (Cowes and Osborne) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 27 April 1860, commanded by Capt William S. Graham formerly of the 2nd Bengal European Light Cavalry 8th (Freshwater) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers – 6 July 1860, commanded by Lt Benjamin T. Cotton; disbanded 1869
Those who served in the Corps paid for their own kit and expense; Newtown ranges were set aside for their training. They were soon 3,000 strong. With another 4,000 troops from the mainland, soldiers comprised 1 in 4 of the local population. By this time Queen Victoria had moved to the Isle of Wight at Osborne House.
The separate RVCs were brought under the umbrella of the 1st Administrative Battalion, Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers, formed on 5 July 1860 with headquarters (HQ) at Newport, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Dunsmore (formerly 42nd Highlanders) with Sir John Simeon promoted from the 2nd RVC as his Major. Francis Henry Atherley, formerly a major in the Rifle Brigade, was appointed as lt-col to command the Admin Bn on 30 June 1871.In 1880 the Admin Bn was consolidated as the 1st Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers, organised as follows:Army List, various dates. A & B Companies at Ryde – formerly 1st RVC C & D Companies at Newport – formerly 2nd RVC E Company at Nunwell – formerly 4th RVC F & G Companies at Ventnor – formerly 5th RVC H Company at Cowes – formerly 7th RVC
Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Volunteers were grouped into county brigades with their local Regular and Militia battalions – Sub-District No 40 (County of Hants) in Southern District for the Isle of Wight Rifles, grouped with the 37th and 67th Foot, the Hampshire Militia, and the three battalions of Hampshire RVCs.Spiers, pp. 195–6.
The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, and the Volunteers were formally affiliated to their local Regular regiment, the 1st Isle of Wight becoming a volunteer battalion of the Hampshire Regiment formed from the 37th and 67th on 1 July 1881; on 18 August 1885 it was redesignated the 5th (Isle of Wight 'Princess Beatrice's') Volunteer Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment, Princess Beatrice being Queen Victoria's youngest daughter, married to Prince Henry of Battenberg, who was appointed Honorary Colonel of the battalion.
While the sub-districts were later referred to as 'brigades', they were purely administrative organisations and the Volunteers were excluded from the 'mobilisation' part of the Cardwell system. The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–6.Dunlop, pp. 60–1; Appendix A.Spiers, pp. 228–9. Under this scheme the Volunteer Battalions of the Hampshire Regiment formed the Portsmouth Brigade (Hampshire Brigade from 1902).
Second Boer War After Black Week in December 1899, the Volunteers were invited to send active service units to assist the Regulars in the Second Boer War. The War Office decided that one company 116 strong could be recruited from the volunteer battalions of any infantry regiment that had a regular battalion serving in South Africa. Only 20 IoW Riflemen were accepted as the '1st Active Service Section, Isle of Wight Rifles' of the Hampshire company. They served with the other Hampshire volunteers in a support capacity and distinguished themselves by marching in 12 hours to cover the withdrawal of a detachment under fire near Mafeking. For the second contingent in 1901, despite many volunteering, only 10 IoW Rifles were accepted and only three passed the medical. Even so, the unit was awarded the Battle Honour South Africa 1900-01.
Territorial Force
When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Beckett, pp. 247–53.Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the five volunteer battalions of the Hampshire Regiment were numbered in sequence following the Regulars and Special Reserve, so that the unit became the 8th Battalion. It was regranted its 'Isle of Wight Rifles, "Princess Beatrice's" ' subtitle in March 1909 and was distributed as follows:London Gazette 20 March 1908. Battalion HQ at the Drill Hall, Drill Hall Road, Newport A Company at St James Street, Ryde,Ryde at Drill Hall Project. with detachments at BinsteadDill Stations at Drill Hall Project. Fishbourne and Havenstreet B Company at Upper Green Road, St Helens,St Helens at Drill Hall Project. detachments at Bembridge, Seaview and Brading C Company at Newport, detachments at Calbourne and Yarmouth D Company at Newport, detachments at Wootton and Locksgreen E Company at Broadway, Sandown,Sandown at Drill Hall Project. detachments at Shanklin and Wootton F Company at South Street, Ventnor,Ventnor at Drill Hall Project. detachment at Wroxall G Company at Newport, detachments at Niton, Whitwell, Godshill, Chillerton and Brighstone H Company at Denmark Road, Cowes,Cowes at Drill Hall Project. detachment at Northwood
The Territorials were now paid an annual bounty of £5 and the weekend and annual two-week camps, for which wages were received, were very popular socially. On 23 May 1913 a retired officer, Lt-Col John Rhodes, took command. He offered a £1 bounty for joining and as a result a number of men from the mainland joined up in preference to other units.
While the four mainland TF battalions of the Hampshires constituted the Hampshire Brigade in the Wessex Division, the 8th remained unattached under the orders of Southern Command, allocated to 'Southern and South Western Coast Defences'.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 125–31.Conrad 1914.
World War I Mobilisation When war broke out in August 1914, the Rifles were mobilised to man local fortifications under the command of Lt-Col Rhodes.James, p. 79.Hampshire Regiment at Long, Long Trail. Shortly afterwards TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service, and the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. Later, many 2nd line battalions were prepared for overseas service and 3rd line units were formed to supply reinforcement drafts to the 1st and 2nd.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
1/8th Battalion
Whereas the Wessex Division sailed to relieve Regular troops in India,Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 43–8. the 1/8th Battalion was left training at Parkhurst. However, on 19 April 1915 it was assigned to 163rd (Norfolk and Suffolk) Brigade in 54th (East Anglian) Division to replace the 1/4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, which had already gone overseas. The 54th (EA) Division had been employed on coast defence, but now it was preparing to go overseas, completing its training at Bury St Edmunds and Watford. On 30 July 1915 the Isle of Wight Rifles sailed from Liverpool aboard the RMS Aquitania (some wood of which now forms a bar in Sandown Broadway), to join the fighting at Gallipoli.54th (EA) Division at Long, Long Trail.Westlake, Gallipoli, pp. 142–4.
Suvla Bay In an effort to re-invigorate the stalled Gallipoli campaign an Allied force under Lieutenant-General Hon Sir Frederick Stopford had landed at Suvla Bay on 7–8 August 1915. The beach led to a plain overlooked by a range of hills. Stopford (who set up his command post in a sloop – HMS Jonquil – anchored offshore) took the beaches but waited whilst stores were landed before occupying the empty hills. By the time he decided to move upon them the Turks had filled them full of artillery and infantry. 163rd Brigade, consisting of the 1/5th Suffolks, 1/4th & 1/5th Norfolk Regiment, and 1/8th Hampshires (IoW Rifles), was landed on 10 August 1915 in order to attack the Turkish positions on Anafurta Ridge. Stopford delayed the attack, wishing to make good losses in his lines, until pressured by the overall commander, General Sir Ian Hamilton, to order the attack. This delay gave the Turks full warning of the impending attack.Aspinall-Oglander, pp. 312–5.North, pp. 174–6.