Devonshire and Dorset Regiment The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment , usually just known as the Devon and Dorsets , was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments . In 2007 it was itself merged into The Rifles , a " large regiment " . Formation . As part of the 1957 Defence Review , it was announced that there would be a reduction in the number of infantry battalions in the British Army . The reduction was to be effected by the merging of a number of pairs of regiments . Among the mergers to be carried out were those of the regiments of the two neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset . The amalgamation took place in Minden , Germany , on 17 May 1958 . The new 1st Battalion , Devonshire and Dorset Regiment was commanded by Lieutenant - Colonel Guy Young , formerly commanding officer of the 1st Devonshires , while the colonel of the regiment was Major - General George Neville Wood , formerly of the Dorsets . Service . 1958 - 1966 . In November 1958 the 1st Battalion moved to Cyprus , where they carried out anti - insurgency activities against the paramilitary EOKA organisation . A ceasefire was called in December 1959 , and the island achieved independence from Britain in August 1960 . Following the ending of the conflict the battalion carried out exercises in Libya before returning to the United Kingdom in 1961 . From 1961 to 1963 the battalion was based in Plymouth , taking part in exercises on Salisbury Plain and in recruitment activities following the ending of National Service . In May 1962 the regiment was given the freedom of the City of Exeter , and were presented with a stand of colours by the Colonel - in - Chief , Princess Marina , Duchess of Kent . From July 1963 the battalion was based in Holywood , County Down . Placed on twenty four hours travel notice , in May 1964 they moved to British Guiana where there was political and civil unrest . Elections were held in December of that year , a first step in the independence of the colony . The battalion returned to Hollywood in January 1965 . 1966 - 1971 . In February 1966 the battalion joined the British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ) as part of 6th Infantry Brigade based in Münster . In 1967 disturbances spread throughout the Arab world in the wake of the Six - Day War . The battalion were dispatched to Benghazi in Libya to evacuate isolated British personnel . In January 1968 the regiment were transferred within the BAOR to the 12th Infantry Brigade based in Osnabrück . In 1970 the battalion moved to Malta . Following the outbreak of " " The Troubles " " in Northern Ireland , the Devon and Dorsets were moved to Belfast with less than twenty four hours notice in June 1970 . They found themselves involved in the " " Battle of the Falls " " . They returned to Malta in August 1970 . 1971 - 1976 . In 1971 the battalion moved to Gordon Barracks in Gillingham , Kent . As an air - portable unit , elements of the Devon & Dorsets were frequently dispatched to various locations at short notice : In January 1972 they moved to County Armagh , to British Honduras in August 1972 , to West Belfast in October 1973 , to Cyprus in October 1974 and to Belize in November 1975 . 1976 - 1980 . In May 1976 the battalion rejoined the 12th Mechanised Brigade in Osnabrück . They did two tours of duty in Northern Ireland : in North Belfast from January to May 1977 and in Central Belfast from January to May 1979 . 1980 - 1987 . In April 1980 the battalion moved to Colchester . From July to November 1981 they did another tour in County Armagh under Operation Banner , and in 1982 took part in training exercises in Kenya . In the summer of 1982 , the Regiment provided a ceremonial guard for the Tower of London . In March 1983 the Devon & Dorsets became a resident battalion at Ballykinler in Northern Ireland as part of the 39th Infantry Brigade , remaining there until 1985 . In 1985 they joined the Berlin Brigade , remaining in the city until 1987 . 1987 - 1995 . From February 1987 the battalion formed part of 1st Brigade at Bulford . Elements of the regiment were sent to the Falkland Islands and Belize in 1987 and 1988 . From April to August 1989 they did another tour of duty in County Armagh . The Regimental Band were sent to the Gulf between October 1990 and March 1991 as part of Op Granby . In August 1991 the battalion returned to Germany and was based in Werl and Paderborn . In 1993 they had another tour of duty in Belfast . In 1994 they moved to Paderborn as part of the 20th Armoured Brigade . In 1994 , the Regimental Band was disbanded as part of " Options for Change " . Bosnia 1995 . In May 1995 the battalion the United Nations Protection Force intervening in the Bosnian War . Corporal Simon Harvey was awarded the Military Cross for twice extracting his Warrior tracked armoured vehicle from enemy fire on the Mount Igman route into Sarajevo . For part of the campaign they served alongside the French 2e Régiment Étranger d ' Infanterie , and a bond of friendship was later established between the two units . 1995 - 2005 . The battalion returned to Paderborn in November 1995 and was based there until 1998 . Parts of the unit spent time in Fermanagh between December 1996 and June 1997 . In March 1998 they moved to Warminster where they assumed responsibility for teaching infantry tactics at the Combined Arms Tactics Centre Battle Group . They moved to the Cavalry Barracks , Hounslow in 2000 . After intensive training , the battalion performed public duties in London and Windsor which included providing the Queen ' s Guard at Buckingham Palace and attending the State Funeral of Elizabeth , the Queen Mother . The Devon & Dorsets was again the resident battalion at Ballykinler from 2002 to 2004 . In 2004 the battalion moved to Catterick Garrison . Conversion to light infantry . In 2003 a defence white paper , " Delivering Security in a Changing World " , was published . Among the changes proposed was the amalgamation of all single - battalion infantry regiments into multi - battalion large regiment s . In December 2004 details of the amalgamations to be carried out were announced . The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment would cease to exist ; it would be amalgamated with the Royal Gloucestershire , Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment to form a new battalion of The Light Infantry . As part of the preparation for this , the regiment moved from the Prince of Wales ' Division to the Light Division , and was renamed the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry , on 22 July 2005 . Amalgamation . On 24 November 2005 , the Ministry of Defence announced further changes to the amalgamations . The regiment would still merge with the Royal Gloucestershire , Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment resulting in a single battalion ; however they were now to join a new large regiment created by the amalgamation of The Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets . This new regiment was to be called The Rifles and was to be formed in February 2007 . The battalion that resulted from the merger of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and the Royal Gloucestershire , Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was designated 1st Battalion , The Rifles . On becoming part of a rifle regiment , the Devon and Dorsets no longer carried their colours ; these were laid up in Exeter Cathedral on 27 January 2007 .