Douglas

The Witwatersrand Rifles (often familiarly known as the "Wits Rifles or the Wit Rifles") was formed by proclamation on 1 May 1903 and absorbed the members of the Railway Pioneer Regiment and the Rand Rifles, both of which had fought on the British side during the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899 – 1902. They absorbed the Transvaal Light Infantry in 1907 and were the first regiment to go on active duty during WW1. After chasing the Germans around Southwest Africa in 1915, supplied drafts for the 3rd, 7th, and 8th South African Infantry regiments. Theregiment saw extensive service in Italy and was amalgamated with the De La Rey Regiment (possibly due to casualties). A 2nd battalion was raised and saw service in the middle-East.

To maintain its Scottish links, the regiment had formed alliances with the title="Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)" href=" data-mce-href=" (Scottish Rifles)and the title="King's Own Scottish Borderers" href=" data-mce-href=" Own Scottish Borderers(now amalgamated into the title="Royal Scots Borderers" href=" data-mce-href=" Scots Borderers). Up to the disbandment and name change, members of the regiment continued to maintain their traditional Scottish Lowland uniforms and traditions and uphold very high standards of discipline and effective military training.

The regiment also had an active pipe band as well as one of the top shooting teams in the country and was ably supported by a Regimental Council, a very active Regimental Association and a Ladies Committee up to the point of the renaming process.

Today, theBambatha Rifles (formerly the Witwatersrand Rifles) is a reserve mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army