Item Details: A framed, hand-written memorandum regarding a request to His Majesty the King that the 60th Regiment be permitted to resume the motto ‘Celer et Audux’.
The motto Celer et Audax – “Swift and Bold” – is traditionally said to have been conferred on the 60th Royal American Regiment by General James Wolfe in recognition of its bravery during the siege of Quebec in 1759. Although no contemporary record confirms the event, nor specifies the act of gallantry that inspired it, the story was widely accepted in later years. When, in 1824, the Regiment petitioned to resume the use of the motto, both the memorial and the official response treated Wolfe’s bestowal as established fact.
The origins of the motto were later explored in the Annals of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Several possible actions were suggested: the grenadier companies of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions driving off enemy forces near Wolfe’s position by the Falls of Montmorency in July 1759, or the capture of a redan and its two guns by Royal American grenadiers during the same campaign. While the precise occasion remains uncertain, what is clear is that the Regiment’s reputation for boldness was firmly rooted in its service during the Quebec expedition.
At some point after these campaigns, the motto fell out of use—possibly because it had been associated with the 3rd Battalion, which was later disbanded, or because the War Office had never formally authorised its adoption. It was not until 30 September 1824 that the Regiment formally requested to be allowed to resume the motto once more. The memorial, now on display in the Museum, reads:
Most humbly submitted to His Majesty
That the 60th Regiment (or Duke of York’s own Rifle Corps) be permitted to resume the Motto, “Celer et Audax,” which is stated to have been formerly borne by that Regiment in commemoration of the distinguished bravery of the Regiment while employed with the British Army in North America under Major General James Wolfe in the Year 1759.
30th September 1824
The Deputy Adjutant-General at Horse Guards approved the request, and from that point the motto became a defining part of the Regiment’s identity. It adorned cap badges and accoutrements and embodied the ethos of the Rifle regiments.
The motto’s legacy endured well beyond the 60th (later KRRC). Its English translation, “Swift and Bold,” was formally adopted by The Royal Green Jackets, and in 2007 it was taken up once more by the newly formed regiment of The Rifles. Its continued use today testifies to the lasting influence of the early Rifle regiments and their pioneering role in shaping The Rifles today.
