Battle to be the Chosen Man: Riflemen compete for battalion's historic title
Soldiers from 3 Rifles have been competing against each other for the right to call themselves the Chosen Man.
The troops have been taking part in a week-long patrol competition near Edinburgh to test their core skills and claim the historic honour.
The title is steeped in history and goes back to the Napoleonic Wars when an elite private soldier selected for exceptional marksmanship, intelligence and leadership was awarded the moniker.
Operating primarily in light infantry units like the 95th Rifles, they served as the informal equivalent of a modern Lance Corporal.
The modern Riflemen have been taking part in a week-long event to test their core soldiering skills across the Pentland Hills.
Rifleman Jack McAssey said: "If we ever go to war and we don't know some of this stuff, then everything's just going to hit the fan.
"You need to work in a team because you need to communicate with each other so you know everything that's going on.
"It's good to work as an individual, but it's always better to work as a team, especially in some of these skills and drills.
"You need to learn. It's good to always learn from people who know what they're doing - learning from them has helped me become a better soldier."
In modern times, the Chosen Man is the Rifleman believed to be top of their cohort - demonstrating the ethos and values of The Rifles.
Rifleman Jakub Basaj added: "You want to keep on top, because whenever you go overseas or on exercises you want to look good - and that's the way to do it.
"Just keep revising and just doing these small exercises that build up to create a better Rifleman.
"So mainly we're training navigation skills, so that's just from getting point A to B.
"That's important because if you're a point man, you've got all the responsibility to get your section from one point to another in a firefight."
For some in the competition it signals their first intent to move up the ranks as well as being an important part of the regimental heritage that reflects the exploits of those who have served across the decades.
Lance Corpoal David Lund explained: "We've got lads going off and doing different tasks, so it's always good to get the basics, just keep rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing, because skill fade is a massive thing within our job.
"It's always good to get the lads revising, reminding them to revise and getting assessed to see actually where they are and what work-on points we can give them.
"You've got the Rifleman, new and old. The new ones are preparing to look up to the seniors and get prepared for an NCO cadre if that's the way that they're inclined and they want to do that for their career."
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