Talk:History of British light infantry

a good article
It might look better if you added a table to show how all the Light Infantry were amalgamated into the Light Infantry and the Rifle Brigade etc into the ''Green Jackets' then both into the present day Rifles Jim Sweeney (talk) 08:18, 27 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I have just assessed this article as being start class, but only as it presently doesn't cover British light infantry during the 20th Century. If cited material is added on this topic along similar lines as the current material the article would easily reach B-class. Nick Dowling (talk) 02:29, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

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Very poor
This is a very poor article; woeful; both incoherent and inaccurate.

To cite but one example- the British Army in America 1775-1783 did not suffer from a lack of light infantry. Building on experience of the 7 Years War, the American War of Independence was where the Light Infantry tradition was forged. Indeed, the composite Light Infantry battalions formed by brigading Light Flank companies taken from Line battalions (added in 1770) were among the most effective troops the British commanders had at their disposal. Light orders of uniform and equipment, together with open order tactics, were also used by the infantry in general. Provincial Loyalist troops acted as light troops as well. The long list of British victories- Bunker Hill, Long Island/New York, Brandywine, (Monmouth- a draw), Savannah, Charleston, Camden, Guilford Courthouse, Hobkirk's Hill, although admittedly at the cost sometimes of heavy casualties, proves that the war was lost not by unwieldy infantry on the ground but by bad generals and inept politicians. —Preceding unsigned comment added by JF42 (talk • contribs) 14:29, 4 October 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree this article is highly innacurate. Unfortunately this myth still persists that the british army did not use light infantry before the Napoleonic wars. However there was extensive use of light infantry both during the French and Indian war and American revolutionary wars, and these were not iregular or mercenary formations, they were regular British units. It was actually the 'reforms' of Sir David Dundas immediatly after the American revolution that left the british army without light infantry units going into the French revolutionary wars. A good book that destroys the myth is 'With Zeal and With Bayonets Only, The British army on campaign in North America'. Ben200 (talk) 15:23, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

Postscript to above comment
I have removed the following section and related footnote:

"contributed to the British loss during the American wars, and" —Preceding unsigned comment added by JF42 (talk • contribs) 09:14, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

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