The Infantry of the British Army comprises 49 infantry battalions, from 19 regiments. Of these, 32 battalions are part of the Regular army and the remaining 16 a part of the Army Reserve. The British Army's Infantry takes on a variety of roles, including armoured, mechanised, air assault and light.
Recruitment and training
Recruitment
Traditionally, regiments that form the combat arms of the British Army (cavalry and infantry) recruit from specific areas of the country. Infantry regiments were assigned specific areas from which they would recruit from by the mid-eighteenth century. These were formalised under the Cardwell Reforms that began in the 1860s. Under this scheme, single-battalion infantry regiments were amalgamated into two-battalion regiments, then assigned to a depot and associated recruiting area (which would usually correspond to all or part of a county). The recruiting area (usually) would then become part of the regiment's title. It was this that gave rise to the concept of the "county regiment", with the local infantry regiment becoming part of the fabric of its local area.
Regiments have since been amalgamated further, which has led to recruiting areas of individual regiments increasing in size. Often, these amalgamations have been between regiments whose recruiting areas border each other. There have been occasions where regiments of a similar type, but from widely different areas, have been amalgamated. Two modern examples have been the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (amalgamated from the county regiments of Northumberland, Warwickshire, City of London and Lancashire, all of which were regiments of fusiliers) and The Light Infantry (amalgamated from the county regiments of Cornwall, Somerset, Shropshire, South Yorkshire and Durham, all of which were regiments of light infantry).
Before the Second World War, infantry recruits were required to be at least tall. They initially enlisted for seven years with the colours and a further five years with the reserve. They trained at their own regimental depot.War Office, His Majesty's Army, 1938
Since September 2007, when the most recent reforms were completed, the infantry has consisted of 18 separate regiments. The five regiments of foot guards recruit from their respective home nations (with the exception of the Coldstream Guards, which recruits from the counties through which the regiment marched between Coldstream and London). Scotland, Ireland and Wales each have a single regiment of line infantry from which they recruit (though the battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland recruit from the areas they recruited from when they were separate regiments), while England has seven line infantry and rifles regiments. The Parachute Regiment recruits nationally, while the Royal Gurkha Rifles recruits most of its serving personnel from Nepal, and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment recruits from the UK and Commonwealth nations
Training Unlike the other trades in the army, which have separate units for basic training and specialised training, new recruits into the infantry undergo a single course at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick. This course, called the "Combat Infantryman's Course" (CIC), lasts 26 weeks as standard and teaches recruits both the basics of soldiering (Phase 1 training) and the specifics of soldiering in the infantry (Phase 2 training). On completion of the CIC, the newly qualified infantry soldier will then be posted to his battalion.
For some infantry units, the CIC is longer, due to specific additional requirements for individual regiments: The Foot Guards CIC has an additional two-week enhanced drill course. The Parachute Regiment CIC has an additional two-week Pre-Parachute Selection (PPS) course. The Brigade of Gurkhas CIC combines the Common Military Syllabus with the CIC, together with courses on British culture and the English Language. The Gurkha CIC lasts 37 weeks.
Officers receive their initial training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, infantry officers then undertake the Platoon Commander's Battle Course, which is run at the Infantry Battle School at Brecon in Wales. It is here that leadership and tactics are taught to new platoon commanders. New NCOs and Warrant Officers are also sent on courses at Brecon when they come up for promotion. This encompasses Phase 3 training. Phase 3 training is also undertaken at the Support Weapons School at Warminster, where new officers, NCOs and soldiers are trained in the use of support weapons (mortars, anti-tank weapons) and in communications.
Reservist Infantrymen undertake preliminary training at Regional Training Centres prior to attending a two-week CIC (Reserve) at Catterick.
Headquarters Infantry Headquarters Infantry, which is located at Waterloo Lines on Imber Road in Warminster, is responsible for recruiting, manning and training policy of the Infantry. Headquarters Infantry was established in 1991 as a result of the Options for Change reform.
Divisions of infantry The infantry in the British Army is divided for administrative purposes into divisions. These are not the same as the ready and regenerative divisions (see below), but are based on either the geographical recruiting areas of the regiments, or the type of regiments: The Guards and Parachute Division has the regiments of Foot Guards plus the Parachute Regiment. The Union Division has the infantry regiments from Scotland, Wales and Ireland, plus one from England. The Queen's Division has the regiments from England, as well as Gibraltar. The Light Division has the two remaining regiments of rifles, The Rifles and Gurkha Rifles.
Each division, in addition to the regiments under its administrative control, also hosts a battalion of The Rangers, the newly formed special operations unit.
The four existing divisions were formed as a result of the Future Soldier reforms announced in 2021; prior to this, only the Queen's Division of the new formations existed. The Guards Division, Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division and King's Division were the other three formations, while a number of other regiments sat outside the divisional structure.
Guards and Parachute DivisionUnion DivisionQueen's DivisionLight DivisionRegular ArmyGrenadier Guards- 1st Battalion- Nijmegen CompanyThe Royal Regiment of Scotland- 2nd Battalion- 3rd Battalion- 4th Battalion- Balaklava CompanyThe Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment(Queen's and Royal Hampshires)- 1st BattalionThe Royal Gurkha Rifles- 1st Battalion- 2nd Battalion- Krithia Company- Coriano Company- Falklands CompanyColdstream Guards- 1st Battalion- No. 7 Company The Royal Yorkshire Regiment(14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)- 1st Battalion- 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers- 1st BattalionThe Rifles- 1st Battalion- 2nd Battalion- 3rd Battalion- 5th BattalionScots Guards- 1st Battalion- F CompanyThe Royal Welsh- 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment(King's, Lancashire and Border)- 1st BattalionThe Rangers- 4th BattalionIrish Guards- 1st Battalion- No. 9 Company- No. 12 CompanyThe Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)- 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshires,Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords)- 1st BattalionWelsh Guards- 1st BattalionThe Rangers- 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment- 1st Battalion- 2nd BattalionThe Parachute Regiment- 1st Battalion- 2nd Battalion- 3rd Battalion The Rangers- 3rd Battalion The Rangers- 1st Battalion Army ReserveLondon Guards- 1st BattalionThe Royal Regiment of Scotland- 6th Battalion- 7th BattalionThe Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment(Queen's and Royal Hampshires)- 3rd Battalion- 4th BattalionThe Rifles- 6th Battalion- 7th Battalion- 8th BattalionThe Parachute Regiment- 4th BattalionThe Royal Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)- 4th BattalionThe Royal Regiment of Fusiliers- 5th Battalion The Royal Welsh- 3rd BattalionThe Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border)- 4th Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)- 2nd BattalionThe Mercian Regiment (Cheshires, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords)- 4th Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment- 3rd Battalion Colonial and Crown Dominion unitsThe Royal Gibraltar Regiment
Types of infantry
Operations Within the British Army, there are six main types of infantry: Armoured Infantry – armoured infantry are equipped with the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle, a tracked vehicle that can deploy over all terrain. Mechanised Infantry – mechanised infantry (or "protected mobility infantry) are equipped with wheeled armoured vehicles for transporting troops. This is divided into "heavy protected mobility infantry" (with large vehicles such as Mastiff), and "light protected mobility infantry" (with smaller vehicles such as Foxhound). Light Infantry – light infantry are not equipped with armoured vehicles; such units may specialise in jungle and/or arctic warfare Air Assault Infantry – air assault infantry are trained to be deployed using helicopters, parachute or aircraft. Specialised Infantry – infantry configured to undertake training, mentoring and assistance to indigenous forces in partner nations. Public duties – infantry on public duties are essentially light infantry units undertaking primarily ceremonial tasks.
Traditions The infantry is traditionally divided into three types: Foot Guards – foot guards are those infantry regiments that were formed specifically to provide close guard to the monarch. Soldiers in the guards were usually the best trained and equipped members of the infantry. However, they would fight in the same way as ordinary regiments. Line Infantry – line infantry refers to those regiments that historically fought in linear formations, unlike light troops, who fought in loose order. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw expansion of the roles of the infantry. To this end, the companies stationed on each flank of an infantry battalion were specialist units, with a company of light infantry trained as skirmishers to operate independently on the battlefield, and a company of grenadiers, who were usually the biggest and strongest men in the battalion, operating as the lead assault troops. In later years, the British Army raised full line infantry regiments classed as light infantry, who operated with muskets alongside specialised regiments armed with rifles. Rifles – in the late eighteenth century, the development of the Baker rifle led to the commissioning by the British Army of regiments specially trained to use the new weapon. These regiments would operate as skirmishers and sharpshooters on the edges of the field of battle. These regiments wore green rather than red tunics to enable them to blend in more with the environment, thus giving them the nickname "green jackets".
The tactical distinctions between infantry regiments disappeared in the late nineteenth century, but remain in tradition. In the order of precedence, the five regiments of foot guards are ranked above the ten regiments of traditional line infantry, who are ranked above the two remaining regiments of rifles.
Divisions and brigades Under the Future Soldier reforms announced in 2021, the British Army will have a total of 31 regular infantry battalions, 16 reserve infantry battalions and nine independent companies performing a variety of tasks. Under the Future Soldier plan, postings are:
1st (United Kingdom) Division