Alicia Defence Force: 2300AD

Infantry and Cavalry Regiments

Introduction

The Alician Defence Force has been engaged in a long running low intensity conflict in the Ramadenthian Archipelago since its creation. Although initially a problem with low level piracy and smuggling the situation has grown into almost a proxy war between French backed pirates and mercenaries and the ADF. The Kafer War caused priorities to be re-examined however and the ADF re-organised itself to resist an expected Kafer invasion that thankfully never came. This militarisation of Alician society has unfortunately led to a loss of patience with the French colony of Nouvelle Europe.

Alician society is well known for its social rigidity and elaborate courtesy, indeed they are often called the New Victorians by those looking to insult them. In a military context this has led Alician soldiers to be renowned for their willingness to follow orders to the letter, and stubbornly attempt to complete a task whatever the obstacles in front of them. However the century of fluid confrontation in the Archipelago has also left the Alician soldier with an impressive level of tactical sophistication. The length of the Alician day (some 21 standard days) also means that Alician soldiers are completely at home in night fighting.

The Alician 8th Brigade has been fighting on Beta Canum Venaticorum 4 under II British Corps, where it has gained an impressive reputation. Initially they were used for rear area duties as their unbending (often humourless) discipline meant that supply losses to hungry refugees were very low. However once the Corps Commander became aware of their night-fighting ability he used them to spearhead several successful night attacks on Kafer strongholds. The revived New African press has named the Alician unit 'the Nightfell Wolves' after a vicious nocturnal predator, and the brigade has taken to wearing a stylised representation of this yellow eyed animal on a shoulder patch.

II Corps commander has put in a request for more Alician soldiers to be sent up arm, which is being considered by the Alician parliament. Currently the 8th Brigade is grouped with the 1st Wellon Armoured Brigade and New African Armoured Brigade in the 11th (Commonwealth) Armoured Division.

Index

Cavalry

The Duchess of Alicia's Dragoons
The Alician Hussars
The Northern Greys
The Alician Light Horse
The Red Lancers of Alicia
The King's Mounted Rifles

Infantry

The British Beowulf Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Alicia
The Duke of Alicia's Own Regiment
The New Gloucestershire Regiment
The Royal Strathy Highlanders
The Alician Light Infantry
The Dragon Regiment of Alicia

Cavalry

The Duchess of Alicia's Dragoons

The Duchess of Alicia's Dragoons are the senior Alician cavalry regiment despite having only been formed in 2227. The Dragoons were formed when it became obvious that the Alician infantry were lacking support in many confrontations in the Archipelago. The ADF drew up plans for an armoured recce/strike formation to support any major operations, and the Alician Dragoons were the result. They were recruited from a nucleus of seconded British servicemen from a variety of cavalry regiments and men from the eastern coastal cities. From the very earliest days the Dragoons aimed at maintaining the highest social standing and standards of decorum.

The Dragoons finished their training and were equipped with the Paget series of hover-vehicles in 2229. They were often stationed in the western parts of the Archipelago, ready to be brought forwards if needed but were rarely called upon in the early years. As a result the regiment gained in much in tradition but little in the way of battle-preparedness. Eventually as the situation in the Archipelago deteriorated the Dragoons were more often called into battle, where they were forced to learn valuable lessons. For many years they were the only true armoured unit in the ADF and they gained much experience and several battle-honours. In 2253, the 2nd Duchess of Alicia agreed to become the regiments patron (reputedly because of a dalliance with a squadron commander) and they became the Duchess of Alicia's Dragoons.

The creation of further armoured regiments means that the Dragoons are no longer as prominent as they once were and recruitment of the some of the best officers and men has been curtailed by other regiments. Nevertheless they retain a prominent social standing in Alicia and many key appointments in the ADF hierarchy go to its members. The Dragoons are currently the attached to the 2nd Brigade and are equipped with Montgomery hovertanks. Several Dragoons serve in the Red Company of the Dragon Regiment and one officer commands that company.

The Dragoons also have a ceremonial capacity and as such have a ceremonial outfit including cuirass and helmet over a red tunic with green trousers. They have a cap-badge depicting St George slaying the Dragon worn on a red patch on a grey beret.

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The Alician Hussars

The Alician Hussars are the oldest cavalry regiment, but come second in seniority due to their origins outside of the ADF. The Alician Hussars, like most Alician regiments came into existence because of the situation within the Ramadenthian Archipelago. The were formed in 2191 when it became obvious that smugglers and pirates in the Archipelago were taking advantage of the loosely patrolled border to commit a range of crimes. Whilst the presence of the British Army and Paramilitaries from the Beowulf Police was something of a deterrent, they were normally not deployed right on the border to avoid tension with the French colony.

To keep the border under surveillance the Colonial Office and Governor-General created an office under the civilian government to undertake this task. The Border Integrity Office was a group of specialists armed only for self-defence but equipped with sophisticated surveillance and mapping systems. Although many were former or seconded military personnel, their civilian status gave rise to good relations with their French counterparts. BIO Officers were often responsible for calming situations that could have spiralled out of control.

The BIO remained under the direct responsibility of the Governor-General until 2235 when it became a part of the ADF. Until this time the BIO often came in to conflict with harder line parts of the military who saw them as being too easy on pirates and smugglers on the border. Nevertheless the BIO became increasingly militarised as acts of violence against them accelerated, but once part of the ADF their previously cordial relations with French authorities began to fade.

Increased levels of violence in parts of the Archipelago previously untouched by the troubles caused an increase in the size of the BIO and the creation of the Northern Greys. Working with the Greys the BIO gradually lost the last of the civilian ethos that had served them so well in the first 50 years of their existence. Finally in 2142 it was decided to rename the BIO to reflect this change, and the Alician Hussars came into being. They continued their border reconnaissance role with success until 2275, and also added a rapid reaction reserve function equipped with heavily armed hover jeeps. It was whilst serving in one of these units in 2269 that Trooper Alison Paul became the first ever female (and 2nd Alician) to win the Victoria Cross after being ambushed on Findhorn's Island by a pirate band.

In 2275 the Hussars were totally reorganised into two armoured regiments and attached to the 2nd and 3rd Brigades, loosing their reconnaissance role. Instead members of the Royal Alician Constabulary and local volunteers were to patrol the border whilst military units were pulled back in another attempt to reduce tensions. Many experts rate the increased tensions of the last 20 years to the withdrawal of the Alician Hussars and their long years of experience from the border regions.

The Hussars gradually became efficient in their armoured role and the 1st Regiment saw frequent service in the Archipelago whilst the 2nd Regiment was stationed in the Avon Valley. Thus the Hussars were able to rotate crews with greater frequency between regiments and were generally regarded to be the most competent Alician cavalry formation. The Kafer War has led to the 2nd Alician Hussars returning to the reconnaissance role becoming the Divisional Recce unit for the 2nd Division. The 1st Alician Hussars remain an Armoured Regiment now equipped with the powerful Montgomery. Volunteers from the Hussars make up the majority of the Dragon Regiment's Red Company as well as a substantial portion of the IV Corps Recce Group.

The Alician Hussars recruit from the Eastern seaboard and the Avon Valley. Their capbadge is a representation of an Beowulf Sea Wyvern swooping to the kill.

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The Northern Greys (Victoria, Duchess of Edinburgh's Life Guard)

The Northern Greys have a unique history within the Alician Defence Forces. They trace their history from the accession of Henry IX to the throne of the British Isles on the death in childbirth of Anne II in 2184. Headstrong Anne's child, Victoria was far too young to take the throne, and in any case was illegitimate, which at the time was both a bar to the throne and a significant social stigma. Instead after some wrangling Anne's great uncle Richard, Duke of Lancaster became King as Henry IX. Victoria's childhood, tinged by tragedy as it was, was conducted in the full light of media attention but she grew up to be a poised, intelligent and attractive young woman.

With Henry's death in 2205 his son, a successful merchant banker before his fathers unexpected elevation was next in line to the throne. However he was also in his 60's and spectacularly un-charismatic when compared to the youthful Victoria. A popular campaign, doomed to failure, grew up to crown Victoria in his stead. However one of the astute George VIII's first moves was to create Victoria Duchess of Edinburgh and bring her into the circle of the Royal Family, an immensely popular measure.

However Victoria began to chafe under the restrictions place upon her and once she achieved her PhD at Cambridge she applied for work with the Foundation of Practical Knowledge and travelled across human space working as a marine biologist and mathematician on several expeditions. Through it all her popularity increased while that of the ageing, and increasingly testy George VIII declined. Victoria became the head of an expedition to the remote Strathy Peninsular then being explored and settled.

An attempt on Victoria's life by a unbalanced gunman in 2218 has long been debated, especially by conspiracy theorists, as the attempted assassin's confession claimed the King told him to do it (He would also later claim to be a reincarnation of Lee Harvey Oswald). Its main result was that friends of the Duchess organised a body-guard for her, and many included themselves in it. These men and women, numbering initially 20 and including former special forces members travelled to the Alician city of Aliceport, where the Duchess was recovering, and pledged their service to her. Thoroughly embarrassed the Duchess attempted unsuccessfully to dismiss these volunteers but instead returned with them to the town of Stewart where she worked.

For many years the Duchess' Life Guard, as they named themselves, became something of a social organisation as well as providing body-guards for her occasional trips off Alicia for the FPK. It also became fashionable amongst the liberal officers of certain cavalry regiments to undertake a couple of years of service on Alicia. The Duchess though usually found much less romantic duties for these young paladins, who could be found undertaking a range of mostly dirty and unglamorous tasks, which strangely didn't stop the steady stream of volunteers.

However all of this changed when an FPK expedition in the Ramadenthian Archipelago was slaughtered by pirates in 2236. Disgusted, the Duchess ordered several of her Life Guards to act as security for other expeditions, and through their reports she became increasingly aware of the situation in the area. After no little thought and in consultation with the authorities she agreed to the creation of an anti-piracy unit to aid out the increasingly overstretched units in the Archipelago. Using her prestige and Life Guards as a core, a unit recruited from the Strathy Peninsular came into being and passed into the control of the ADF.

The Northern Greys, as the unit was known, were a small reconnaissance formation who operated frequently along the border alongside the Border Integrity Office (now the Alician Hussars). The Northern Greys shared a training depot with the BIO, and it was the Greys' adoption of cavalry traditions that influenced the future development of the Alician Hussars. The Greys matured into an excellent surveillance unit, but gradually developed a rapid reaction reserve to back up sometimes exposed Observation Posts.

In 2275 the Northern Greys lost their reconnaissance role becoming the armoured contingent for the 4th Brigade, working alongside the Royal Strathy Highlanders. The changed role was much resented within the unit, but they soon became proficient with their new Hussar armoured vehicles. However it became rare for the unit to deploy to the Archipelago, although squadrons would sometimes deploy with 1 RSH on that units frequent deployments to L'Horizon.

The Kafer War has changed much for the Northern Greys as it has for all of the Alician regiments. The Northern Greys were the first unit in the Alician Ground Wing to receive the new Montgomery hovertanks. They travelled to Earth in the summer of 2301 to be trained by Britain's Royal Armoured Corps on this new hovertank. The returned to Alicia later in the year to become a centre of excellence for tactical training on the Montgomery, now being produced under licence on Alicia. The Northern Greys remain as part of 2nd Division and have benefited enormously from the sustained training on the build-up to the Battle of Beowulf.

One sad duty performed by the regiment was the burial of Victoria, then Duchess of Edinburgh and Strathy, in 2291 in her beloved town of Stewart where she spent much of her later life. Her daughter Lindsay, Duchess of Strathy remains Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment. The regiments regimental toast remains the somewhat seditious 'The Rightful Queen.' The Northern Greys have close institutional links with both the Scots and Dutch Greys in British service. Their cap-badge is the thistle and yellow rose over crossed lances and the motto 'Toujours L'Audace' and is worn on a grey beret.

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The Alician Light Horse

The Alician Light Horse was formed at the same time as the Alician Light Infantry in 2266 and raised from the same areas along the Midavon valley and the interior plains. Most of the Alician Light Horse recruits came from the nomadic groups of colonists who guarded the herds of Rangerunners that were a key resource of the region. The ALH officers were drawn from natives of the region serving in the existing cavalry regiments which gave the ALH a unique outlook. The tough plainsmen of the ALH proved themselves excellent soldiers if a bit too contemptuous of authority for many ADF officers.

The regiment was soon equipped with Dragoon armoured vehicles, with which they gained a rapid affinity for its quick strike role, famously overcoming the Duchess of Alicia's Dragoons on their first proper exercise. The ALH became the armoured element in the 5th Brigade and saw frequent deployment as a reserve alongside the ALI in the Archipelago. The Kafer War saw an expansion of the unit with the addition of a second regiment. The herders of the Midavon and Central Lowlands flocked to the colours and combined with an experienced leadership cadre the unit was rapidly effective and became the armoured element of the 4th Brigade. Both regiments are re-equipping with the Montgomery hovertank.

The plain speaking Light Horsemen have no special dress uniform but wear a Australian style bush-hat with the left brim up with the standard No 1 dress uniform. They have the usual grey cavalry beret and a cap-badge depicting a rearing horse and a lightning bolt and a scroll bearing the words 'Furqueues' (the name of their first Colonel's horse according to regimental myth.)

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The Red Lancers of Alicia

The Red Lancers have a long history, but have only recently been brought into the ADF proper. The regiment started as a militia body recruited almost exclusively from the student body of the University of Alicia in New Greenwich. The unit was modelled on the many Officer's Training Corps of British Universities back on Earth, and provided an education in basic military skills, leadership whilst providing an extra social club for the students. The unit also had a secondary role of providing a militia force when called upon, instructors would become the units leader and students the rank and file. Perhaps not surprisingly the unit was never particularly effective, suffering from the syndrome of having too many chiefs and not enough Indians. The regiment's name was bestowed upon it by a Netherlands-born Colonel-in-Chief who also happened to be a history don, and refers to the famous regiment of Lancers in Napoleon's Imperial Guard.

However in 2278 the expansion of the ADF was continuing apace and the need arose for another cavalry regiment. By this time the number of officers in the ADF who had graduated from the University of Alicia and gained their first taste of military life with the Red Lancers was a significant proportion of the whole. It was their influence that brought about the regulation of the Red Lancers, whilst the student body was renamed the University of Alicia OTC. Officer recruitment was good but it took some time for enlisted recruitment to reach the required levels, the target population of working class residents of New Greenwich seemed to want little to do with the regiment and eventually recruitment was widened to the other eastern cities.

The professional skills of the regiment have slowly increased through the years, and it has served two tours in the archipelago before the turn of the century. The regiment was initially equipped with Dragoon AFV but now is beginning to equip with the modern Montgomery. One characteristic of the regiment is the number of high flying graduates of the University of Alicia who serve for 3 years in the ranks. The regiments cap badge has a red dragon rampant above crossed lances and the motto 'Ça Ira', naturally the regiments dress uniform is exceptionally flamboyant (and expensive).

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The King's Mounted Rifles

The KMR are a recently formed reconnaissance formation, trained to act as a divisional recce group for 1st Division. Created in 2301 and originally called the Herot Mounted Rifles, the unit was inspected by King Christian on his visit to Alicia (one of his last official duties), and were granted permission to bear the royal title. The KMR was formed at the same time as the 2nd Alician Light Horse, but whilst that formation had a backbone formed from serving members of the ADF, the KMR was mostly composed of former soldiers, both British and Alician, living in Herot and recalled to the Colours.

The cap-badge of the KMR is a knight from a chess set, over crossed SMLE rifles, surmounted by a crown and above a scroll reading 'Osons'. It is worn on a rifle-green beret. Unlike most of the cavalry regiments the KMR has no special dress uniform, wearing the generic ADF No.1 uniform with a beret. Recruitment is from across Alicia but continues to contain a large number of Commonwealth ex-regulars.

Infantry

The British Beowulf Fusiliers

The British Beowulf Fusiliers are the descendants of the paramilitary division of the British Beowulf Police (now Royal Alician Constabulary) paramilitary units. During the initial skirmishes in the Ramadenthian Archipelago at the turn of the century the BBP's paramilitaries were deployed alongside regular British forces. They stayed there so long that the police structure was no longer valid, and they were operating strictly as a military unit. The change of title came in 2204, and next year the regiment will celebrate their centenary

The Beowulf Fusilier's currently have two regular battalions, both deployed on Alicia and currently equipped with Dragoon AFV's, and have seen regular service in the Archipelago for many years. The regiment is the most socially exclusive on Alicia with many of the scion's of Alicia's leading families serving in its ranks. The regiment also provides many instructors and SNCOs for the Royal Military Academy, Herot and normally that institution's commanding officer. However recently the Fusiliers have been over taken in terms of numbers of senior officers in the higher echelons of the ADF by the Marines.

The regiment recruits from throughout Alicia, but most come from Herot and the other eastern cities. Many BBF servicemen go on to serve in the Royal Alician Constabulary and other local police forces. The BBF have several uniform idiosyncrasies, wearing blue Service Dress and beret as well as hackles with a blue, rather than a red tip. The regiment's cap badge is the traditional fusiliers 'flaming grenade' engraved with the Alician Dragon. It is also tradition, carried on from their time as policemen, that no one calls senior ranks 'sir', the persons rank of 'Guv' being used instead. The BBF normally provide the honour guard on the Governor-General's residence.

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The Royal Regiment of Alicia (Christian, Prince of Wales' Beowulf Regiment)

The Royal Regiment of Alicia was the first regular Alician regiment to be formed in 2202, from a number of companies taken from volunteer militia forces around Alicia, as the situation in the Archipelago worsened. Originally known as the Beowulf Regiment the regiment had a single battalion which was intended to back up other forces in the Archipelago. However the system of mobilising militia companies and bringing them under the command of a professional HQ proved to be less than completely successful. In fact units of the Beowulf Regiment were responsible for a number of massacres that occurred in the islands, which caused major political turmoil in the colony.

Part of the outcome of this was for the Beowulf Regiment to be seriously reorganised on a more conventional regular basis. A training depot was established on the outskirts of Spenceton with the help of the British Queen's Division and a professional training regime established. The new battalion established from this was greatly superior in all counts to that ad-hoc body used earlier. The regiment gained a second battalion and a new name in early 2221, becoming the Royal Regiment of Alicia (Beowulf Regiment).

The Defence Review of 2275, which brought about the substantial reorganisation of Alician forces as well as a retrenchment of British regulars deployed on-planet, also saw the formation of two extra RRA battalions on a ready reserve basis and their establishment within the rapid reaction brigades. However the Kafer War brought about the regularisation of all the RRA battalions, and these units along with the Beowulf Fusiliers make up the infantry of the 1st Division. They are all equipped with the Dragoon AFV.

The RRA finds most of its recruits from the major metropolises of the Eastern coast. The regiment is much less socially exclusive than the Beowulf Fusiliers and has a relatively widely recruited officer corps and soldiers rising from the ranks is not unknown. The capbadge is a dragon salient above a yellow rose, surrounded by a scroll reading 'Royal Regiment of Alicia' and surmounted by the Prince of Wales' three feathers device (an honour granted after Prince Christian's visit to the colony when holding that title). The RRA wear a standard brown infantry beret.

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The Duke of Alicia's Own Regiment

The Duke of Alicia's Own Regiment, or 'Cathcart's Guards' as they are sometimes referred to by the rest of the ADF, were the third Alician infantry regiment to be formed. The Regiment has its roots in the exasperation felt by the recently ennobled Duke of Alicia, Edward Cathcart, about the level of protection being given to his installations in the Archipelago by the British and nascent ADF. In response he brought in a group of retired-officers from off-world and commissioned them to create a rapid reaction mercenary unit to protect his holdings. A long-running wrangle with the Colonial Office, in which Cathcart used his considerable influence, finally gave the unit semi-official sanction.

Major Thomas Ponsonby, formerly of the Grenadier Guards was the first commander of the Consolidated Alicia Corporation's Fifth (Mobile) Security Detachment. Whilst mostly officered by British, Hanoverian and Dutch ex-servicemen, the men of the unit were primarily recruited from ex-British soldiers settled on Alicia but also included soldiers for hire from much further afield. Fifth MSD saw several sharp actions against French-based pirates in the first years of its existence, and on occasions took the fight to the pirates' territory. However the MSD's successes were resented by British and Alician servicemen constrained by tight rules of engagement. The French colonial authorities also protested long and hard about les affreux Anglais.

The Colonial Office's answer to this problem was to remove the MSD from the control of the CAC, and make it a regular part of the ADF. A sop to the Duke of Alicia was to be the regiments name, an increase to full battalion size and the retention of the units new traditions and links with the Ducal family. The regiment, uniquely at the time in Alician service, formed a permanent independant battle-group with one armoured and two armoured infantry companies as well as supporting arms. The DAO for many years was the heavy reserve for Alician operations in the Archipelago, holding a place in Alician cultural perception and popular fiction not unlike that of the US Cavalry. Always arriving just in time to save the day.

With the Kafer War the DAO has become the central pillar of the newly formed 8th Brigade, of the Alician Expeditionary Force. Two further units have been formed in the image of the DAO to complete the brigade, which has deployed to Beta Canum Venaticorum and seen some minor fighting in mopping up actions.

The Duke of Alicia's Own has several organisational quirks when compared to other ADF units. It continues to offer commissions to officers of other militaries who can join its ranks as 'contract officers'. It also allows non-Commonwealth citizens to join its ranks, although these must complete standard training. The regiment also receives much non-standard equipment as a result of a trust fund established by the 1st Duke of Alicia, the disposal of the substantial proceeds from which are at the discretion of the Regimental Council.

The DAO wears a light brown infantry beret, and the DAO capbadge of a roman numeral 'V' inside a wreath surmounted by a ducal crown, and above the Cathcart motto 'Sans Peur, Sans Pareil'. Other nicknames for the regiment include the 'Monks' and the 'Carpet Baggers'. The DAO is a single battalion regiment equipped with Montgomery and Templer AFV's.

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The New Gloucestershire Regiment

New Gloucestershire Regiment was formed in the early 2221 at Grendal's Moor training area. They were formed as an auxiliary to the British Beowulf Police who at the time were having difficulties controlling a daring bandit gang in the immense Avon Valley. The campaign against the Hood (as this gang were known) was never particularly successful due to that groups integration into the civilian populace of the area. Eventually around 2225 the Hood's activities died away of their own accord, and peace returned to the area.

Rather than disbanding the New Gloucestershire Regiment it was put to work alongside the other regiments in the Archipelago. The NGR gained itself a reputation when its soldiers mutinied over pay and conditions in 2247, and as such are the only ADF regiment not to have colours which were removed in disgrace. The regiment gained a second battalion in 2275, and became the infantry complement of 3rd Brigade.

The New Gloucestershire Regiment recruits its soldiers from the dispersed farming communities on the banks of the river Avon, and especially the town of New Gloucester. The regiment is renowned for its rather placid but extremely dogged character. Its capbadge depicts a half-submerged Tusker, and is mounted on a blue patch of fabric on the usual brown beret.

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The Royal Strathy Highlanders

The large Strathy Peninsular, actually a sub-continent, is far removed from the eastern coastline that has been the centre of Alician development. Settled in the 2210's by a mixture of British (mostly Scots and Irish), Canadians and some Americans (mostly Alaskan). The harsh conditions of the northern peninsular and the coastline where most made their living in mining, forestry and fishing industries produced a hardy breed of men and women. It's remoteness and lack of crime led to the area being militarily underdeveloped except for some small volunteer units.

The upsurge of violence in the Archipelago in the 60's brought about a realisation that overstretch was becoming a real problem for ADF units operating there. The ADF looked around to develop previously overlooked recruiting grounds, one of these was the rapidly developing Strathy Peninsular where the Alician Maritime Regiment had trained for many years. A study revealed that there was just enough surplus manpower outside of the new urban areas to successfully recruit a new infantry formation. Instead of creating an extra RRA battalion it was decided to create a new regiment.

The Scottish nature of the Peninsular made the new regiment's name fairly obvious, and the Duchess of Edinburgh resident in the capital Stewart contributed the support of the Royal Family to the exercise. Aided by a surge of unemployment because of new working methods in the mining and forestry industries recruitment for the RSH was immediately successful, the standard of recruits was high and the battalion oversubscribed. Officers were brought in from other ADF formations and also some came from the Regiment's of the British Army's Scottish and Irish Divisions.

The RSH quickly established themselves, becoming an active formation some two years after formation, gaining a reputation for physical toughness and tactical excellence. Their first tour in the Archipelago followed soon after, and was a swift success. The down to earth and easy going Highlanders were well liked and respected and established an excellent rapport with the people in the border islands. Whilst their later tours were more difficult the Highlanders remained the most popular unit in the Archipelago.

The Defence Review of 2275 brought about the creation of a second battalion for the Highlanders. Because of the nature of the new Rapid Reaction Brigades the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion were mostly all from urban areas, to be closer to airports in order to rejoin their units at short notice, and had a slightly different culture to that of the more rural based 1st Battalion. Due to this distance problem the Highlanders were little used in their allotted role, although the 1st Battalion was often roled to undertake garrison duties in the Archipelago. Fortunately however recruitment remained high.

The Kafer War brought about the regularisation of the 2nd Battalion and the re-equipment of the units with Dragoon AFV to replace the slower Hussar AFV. The character of the RSH is one of the most open of the Alician units, with little of the formality and social separation of officers and other ranks that occurs in the Eastern Regiments. Many officers from these regiments complain about the rudeness and lack of respect they get from the Highlanders when working with them. The Highlanders just laugh.

The Highlander's wear a Scottish style bonnet with a capbadge depicting a stag's head below a yellow rose and crown. Scrolls below the badge hold the tile 'Royal Strathy' and the Highlander's traditional motto of 'Cuidich 'n Righ', the RSH tartan is the green and black Government Sett with Alician green, white and red colours.

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The Alician Light Infantry

The ALI were formed slightly after the RSH and due to the same underlying reasons. There recruitment ground were the Central Lowlands to the south of the Midavon Valley and in the dead centre of the colony. The people here earned their living pursuing a range of careers mostly related to prospecting and mining or herding rangerunners. (Miners tend to join the ALI, and herders the ALH.) However these independently minded and tough living individuals made excellent, if rowdy, soldiers and gained an reputation as the toughest Alician soldiers alongside the Maritime Regiment.

However the experiment of rotating the ALI with the Maritime Regiment went badly wrong after a series of ambushes and engagements in 'Bloody May' 2281 forced the 1st Battalion to be withdrawn. The ALI (and other infantry units) have never forgotten this and have proved amongst the most aggressive units deployed in the Archipelago and are especially feared by the local population. Their second battalion was raised in 2275 and have formed the infantry of the 5th Brigade ever since.

The ALI wear the usual brown beret (not rifle green) and have a capbadge of a Light Infantry bugle with a yellow rose on a patch of green fabric. The ALI have managed to retain the traditional fast march of the Light Infantry however.

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The Dragon Regiment of Alicia

The Dragon Regiment was formed in late 2301 from volunteers from throughout the Alician military, who answered the call for a unit to serve off-world. Formed under the guidance of the flamboyant Colonel Kennedy the regiment was soon oversubscribed. Like the Duke of Alicia's Own it is a combined arms battlegroup including armour and infantry. However the Dragon Regiment never left Beowulf and had to be content with preparing to defend Alicia. Since the Battle of Beowulf however the regiment has deployed to BCV as part of 8th Brigade and has seen some action.

Its name comes from both the flag of Alicia and the Dragon from the ancient saga of Beowulf. Its internal organisation has Red, Green, White and Fire Companies. Soldiers from virtually all regiments of the ADF can be found in its ranks with most coming from the Alician Hussars and Royal Regiment of Alicia. The regiment attracted some of the best Alician soldiers and has gained and excellent reputation in training and operations. There are rumours of the regiment being regularised on its return from the Arm.

The soldiers of the regiment continue to wear their original berets, however a specially issued green side cap with red and white trim is more commonly worn. They also wear a 'Dragon' shoulder flash above the normal 'Alicia' one.

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Copyright 2009, D Hebditch