During World War I it fought in the Gallipoli Campaign, taking part in the calamitous attack at Suvla Bay, and later at the battles of Gaza and Megiddo in Palestine.

Postwar the unit converted to the air defence role, then reverted to infantry, and its successors continue in today's Army Reserve.

[1] In 1859, artillery and infantry volunteer corps were raised in response to an invasion scare following the perceived resurgence of French naval power under Louis Napoleon III.

[2] On the Isle of Wight there was a major programme of fortification, including Forts Victoria, Albert, Golden Hill, and Culver and batteries at Sandown, Puckpool, Bouldnor and The Needles.

[1] The separate RVCs were brought under the umbrella of the 1st Administrative Battalion, Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers, formed on 5 July 1860 with headquarters (HQ) at Newport, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Dunsmore (formerly 42nd Highlanders) with Sir John Simeon promoted from the 2nd RVC as his Major.

The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war.

[7] After Black Week in December 1899, the Volunteers were invited to send active service units to assist the Regulars in the Second Boer War.

They served with the other Hampshire volunteers in a support capacity and distinguished themselves by marching 35 miles (56 km) in 12 hours to cover the withdrawal of a detachment under fire near Mafeking.

On 30 July 1915 the Isle of Wight Rifles sailed from Liverpool aboard the RMS Aquitania (some wood of which now forms a bar in Sandown Broadway), to join the fighting at Gallipoli.

[26][25][28][29][32][33] In an effort to re-invigorate the stalled Gallipoli campaign an Allied force under Lieutenant-General Hon Sir Frederick Stopford had landed at Suvla Bay on 7–8 August 1915.

Stopford (who set up his command post in a sloop – HMS Jonquil – anchored offshore) took the beaches but waited whilst stores were landed before occupying the empty hills.

163rd Brigade, consisting of the 1/5th Suffolks, 1/4th & 1/5th Norfolk Regiment, and 1/8th Hampshires (IoW Rifles), was landed on 10 August 1915 in order to attack the Turkish positions on Anafurta Ridge.

[26][32][25][29][34][35] On 12 August 1915 163rd Bde was ordered to advance 2 miles (3.2 km) across terrain varying from thick scrub to abandoned fields, all cut with dried watercourses.

Muddle and confusion hampered the planning with the individual battalions not receiving the warning order that the advance was to take place, while no clear objective was indicated.

The start line that had been doglegged around a small hill was then subject to a muddled order that changed the direction of the 1/5th Norfolks at the moment of advance.

The remainder of the battalion, including a company recruited from the Royal Estate at Sandringham, together with a party of 1/8th Hants, were able to advance the furthest into the forest.

At the end of the action the brigade held a temporary line formed along a road edge for 48 hours until relieved by the 161st (Essex) Bde.

In September the Rifles were sent south to Anzac Cove and did spells of duty in the front line trenches at 'South Wales Borderers Gully', 'Hill 60', and 'Cheshire Ridge', suffering a steady toll of casualties.

In October the 1/1st Eastern Mounted Brigade arrived from the UK (without their horses) to reinforce the weak 54th (EA) Division, and a party of 1/1st Norfolk Yeomanry was attached to 1/8th Hants for instruction in Trench warfare.

In January 1917 the 8th Hants marched 145 miles (233 km) in 12 days across the Sinai Desert from Mazar to the EEF's new forward base at el Arish from which it would advance into Palestine.

The first phase of the Rifles' operation to capture the Sheik Abbas ridge went well, but one of the tanks, a Mark I male, "Sir Archibald", was destroyed by artillery.

Sihan or Tank redoubt was briefly held by a handful of Norfolks, Rifles and Australians, until they were forced to retire through lack of ammunition and water.

Carrying out its task cost the Rifles 2 officers and 51 ORs killed, but the partial success fulfilled Allenby's aim, and 54th (EA) Division entered the deserted city of Gaza on 7 November.

When the assault went in on 19 September there was no preliminary bombardment: the artillery opening fire at 04.30 was the signal for the infantry to advance behind a Creeping barrage in what became known as the Battle of Sharon.

[26][32][55][56] The EEF now began a relentless pursuit of the broken Turkish army into Syria, but supply difficulties meant that several infantry formations got left behind, including 54th (EA) Division, which marched more slowly up the coast and reached Haifa on 4 October.

They fought no major battles but were involved in constant skirmishing through Amarah, Kut, Ctesiphon, Persia, Turkestan, Constantinople, Salonika, Italy and France, returning home in 1919.

[65] With the danger of invasion after the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from Dunkirk, the coastal artillery regiments underwent a major reorganisation in the summer of 1940.

The first phase of 'Crusader' lasted until January 1942, when General Erwin Rommel counter-attacked and Eighth Army fell back to dug in along the Gazala Line.

By this stage of the war many of the coast battery positions were manned by Home Guard detachments or in the hands of care and maintenance parties.

The rest of the regiment began entering suspended animation on 19 October 1945, with RHQ at Totland, and 127, 128 and 129 Btys at Cliff End, Fort Albert and Hurst Castle respectively.