Wight Rifles - Post War

Post War

In 1947 the regiment was reformed as 428 (Mixed) HAA Regt RA The Princess Beatrice's IoW Rifles with three batteries based at Ryde, Newport and Cowes with RHQ at Newport. They were armed with 3.7 HAA Guns and associated radars and predictors. They were briefly at the end years of AA Command and AADUK responsible for the manning of the 5.25 gun sites on the Island. After the demise of AA Command the Rifles were once again renamed, now becoming the "P (Princess Beatrice's IoW Rifles) Battery, 457 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery, now equipped with mobile 3.7 guns. When the regiment was equipped with Thunderbird SAMs the battery became P HQ Bty 457 Heavy Air Defence Regt RA TA (The IoW Rifles) The Hampshire Caribineers Yeomanry. The main element of the battery was the Regimental Surveillance Troop with 4 mk 7 & height finding radars They had received two Distinguished Service Orders,a Distinguished Conduct Medal, four Military Crosses, seven Military Medals and various mentions in despatches during their wartime service.

In 1967 457 Regiment RA was disbanded and reconstituted as C (Wessex Royal Artillery, Princess Beatrice's) Company, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Territorials in TAVR III before being reduced to cadre in 1969. In 1971 the cadre was reconstituted as 6 Platoon, B Company (Hampshire), 1st Battalion, Wessex Regiment (The Rifle Volunteers) in TAVR II - a mobilisation component of 1 (Guards) Infantry Brigade (the Guards title being dropped during the 1970s). In 1986 the company (including 6 platoon) was moved to the 2nd Battalion and the mobilisation role was changed to home defence in 43 (Wessex) Infantry Brigade.

Under the 1992 drawdown ("Options for Change") The Queen's Regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Hampshire Regiment to create the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshire). A and B companies of 2 Wessex were amalgamated as C (Duke of Connaught's) Company, 6th/7th Battalion PWRR, and the Isle of Wight Rifles became 9 (Princess Beatrice's) Platoon, awkwardly placing the company in 145 (Home Counties) Brigade district whilst the remainder of the battalion (and the sister 5th Battalion) were in 2 (South East) Brigade district. It also gave the unit the distinction of having the longest name of any unit in the British Army of the time. The 1998 Strategic Defence Review reorganised the TA infantry along brigade lines, and the Isle of Wight Rifles became 9 Platoon of a new battalion (The Royal Rifle Volunteers) formed by all the TA infantry in 145 Brigade in 1999. Due to the continued lineage and affiliation to Princess Beatrice, all former members of the unit up to this point are entitled to wear the cap badge of the Isle of Wight Rifles (worn officially 1908-1947), though they would have worn the cap badge of their regular parent Regiment whilst serving within the unit.

Under SDR New Chapter the high operating costs of the platoon due to its remote location and Hampshire lineage led to a successful campaign in RHQ PWRR to divest itself of the platoon, although the attempt to reject the rest of the company at Portsmouth failed when the planned formation of a 2 battalion "Royal Wessex Regiment" failed due to objections from the Royal Gloucester, Berkshire and Wiltshire Colonel led to the battalion being chosen for disbandment over the Green Howards (now 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment). 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps had an interest in the Island as they were sponsors of the Army Cadet Force and agreed to take the Isle of Wight Rifles into their TA counterpart, 165 Regiment, to maintain the TA Centre. The lineage was officially discontinued upon the takeover in 2006. The majority of personnel transferred to D Company, 3rd Battalion, PWRR.