The 21st Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Volunteers) is a special forces regiment of the British Territorial Army. Special forces or special operations forces is a term used to describe relatively small military units raised and trained for reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and special operations. ... In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ...

History

The Artists' Rifles formed in 1859, part of the widespread volunteer movement which developed in the face of potential French invasion after Felice Orsini's attack on Napoleon III was linked to Britain. The group was organised in London by Edward Starling, an art student, and comprised various professional painters, musicians, actors, architects and others involved in creative endeavours. It was established on 28 February 1860 as the 38th Middlesex (Artists') Rifle Volunteer Corps, with headquarters at Burlington House. Its first commanders were the painters Henry Wyndham Phillips and Frederic Leighton. The unit's badge, designed by William Wyon, shows the heads of the Roman gods Mars and Minerva in profile. 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Felice Orsini (1819 - March 13, 1858) was an Italian revolutionary who tried to assassinate Napoleon III Felice Orsini was born at Meldola in Romagna. ... Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (April 20, 1808 - January 9, 1873) was the son of King Louis Bonaparte and Queen Hortense de Beauharnais; both monarchs of the French puppet state, the Kingdom of Holland. ... Greater London and the Regions of England. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Burlington House is a courtyard building off Picadilly in London. ... Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (December 31, 1830 - January 25, 1896) was an English painter and sculptor. ... William Wyon (1795—1851) was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. ... Mars was the Roman god of war, the son of Juno and a magical flower (or Jupiter). ... Minerva was a Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom. ...

In September 1880, the corps became the 20th Middlesex (Artists') Rifle Volunteer Corps, with headquarters at Duke Street. It formed the 7th Volunteer Battalion of the Rifle Brigade from 1881 until 1891 and the 6th Volunteer Battalion from 1892 to 1908. During this period, the Artists' Rifles fought in the Boer Wars. Following the formation of the Territorial Force, the Artists' Rifles was one of twenty-eight volunteer battalions in the London and Middlesex areas that combined to form the new London Regiment. It became the 28th (County of London) Battalion of the London Regiment on 1 April 1908. September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one in 1880-81 and the second from October 11, 1899-1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch origin (called Boere, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South Africa that put an end to the two independent... In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ... Middlesex as a traditional county. ... Battalions of the London Regiment early 1900s by Richard Caton Woodville (1856-1927) The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment in the British Army. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Artists' Rifles was a popular unit for volunteers. It had been increased to twelve companies in 1900 and was formed into three sub-battalions in 1914, and recruitment was eventually restricted by recommendation from existing members of the battalion. It particularly attracted recruits from public schools and universities; on this basis, following the outbreak of the first World War, a number of enlisted members of the Artists' Rifles were selected to be officers in other units. In October 1914, the Artists' Rifles was established as an Officers Training Corps. Over fifteen thousand men passed through the battalion during the war, ten thousand of them becoming officers. The battalion eventually saw battle in France in 1917 and 1918, suffering thousands of casualties and earning hundreds of honours. 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... A public school, in common English and Welsh usage, is a (usually) prestigious school, for children usually between the ages of 11 or 13 and 18, which charges fees and is not financed by the state. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... Missing image Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

In the early 1920s the unit was reconstituted as an infantry regiment within the Territorial Army, the 28th County of London Regiment. In 1937, this regiment became part of the Prince Consort' Own Rifle Brigade. The regiment was not deployed during the second World War, functioning again as an Officers Training Corps throughout the war. It was disbanded in 1945, but reformed in the Rifle Brigade in January 1947 and transferred to the Army Air Corps in July as the 21st Battalion, Special Air Service Regiment (Artists' Rifles). 21 SAS was active during the Malayan Emergency and in many subsequent conflicts. In 1952, members of the Artists' Rifles who had been involved in special operations in Malaya formed the 22nd Battalion of the SAS, the modern special forces regiment - the only time a Territorial Army unit has been used to form a unit in the Regular Army. Sometimes referred to as the Roaring Twenties. Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy Gun. ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Army Air Corps is a vital component of the British Army. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Official Unit Names 21 Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment (Volunteers) 22 Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment, British Army 23 Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment (Volunteers) Nicknames The Regiment 21SAS, 22SAS, 23SAS The SAS The sass Mottos Who Dares Wins (official) Speed Aggression Surprise (unofficial) Description Britains elite Special Forces... Malayan emergency was an insurrection and guerilla war of Malay Races Liberation Army in Malaysia from 1948-1960. ... 1952 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Special forces or special operations forces is a term used to describe relatively small military units raised and trained for reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and special operations. ...

Still constituted as 21 SAS, the Artists' Rifles became a reserve regiment in the Territorial Army in 1967. 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

Famous members

• A. V. Alexander
• Noel Coward
• William Holman Hunt
• John Lavery
• Frederic Leighton
• John Everett Millais
• William Morris
• Wilfred Owen
• Dante Gabriel Rossetti
• Edward Thomas
• Barnes Wallis

Artists' Rifles is also the name of a 2000 album by the indie group Piano Magic. Albert Victor Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough, (1 May 1885 - 11 January British Labour and Co-operative politician. ... Noel Coward Sir Noel Peirce Coward (spelling his forename Noël with the diaeresis was an affectation of later life, and Peirce is the correct spelling) (December 16, 1899 - March 26, 1973) was an English actor, playwright, and composer of popular music. ... William Holman Hunt - Self-Portrait William Holman Hunt (April 2, 1827 - September 7, 1910) was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. ... John Lavery (Born Belfast, 20 March 1856, died Kilkenny, 10 January 1941) was an Irish painter best known for his portraits. ... Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (December 31, 1830 - January 25, 1896) was an English painter and sculptor. ... John Everett Millais (June 8, 1829–August 13, 1896) was a British painter and illustrator who was one of founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. ... This page is about William Morris the writer, designer and socialist. ... Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, MC (March 18, 1893–November 4, 1918) was an English poet. ... Dante Gabriel Rossetti (May 12, 1828 - April 10, 1882) was an English poet, painter and translator. ... Do you mean: Edward Thomas, the English poet, killed at Arras in 1917 Corporal Edward Thomas, who fired the first British shots in World War I This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Sir Barnes Neville Wallis, FRS, commonly known as Barnes Wallis, (September 26, 1887 – October 30, British scientist, engineer and inventor. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Piano Magic is an indie group formed in 1996 by Glen Johnson, Dominic Chennell, and Dick Rance. ...