29th Regiment of Foot
Encyclopedia
The 29th Regiment of Foot was, from 1694 to 1881, an infantry
regiment of the British Army
. It now forms part of the Mercian Regiment
.
Thomas Farrington, an officer of the Coldstream Guards
during War of the Grand Alliance
known in America as King William's War
. It was disbanded in 1698 after the Peace of Ryswick and reformed in 1702 for the War of the Spanish Succession
, also known as Queen Anne's War
. The regiment served under John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
at the victorious Battle of Ramillies
in 1706 against the French in what is now Belgium and in the siege of Ostend
. In 1727 the regiment saw action at Gibraltar
and were sent to Fortress Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island
in 1745. In 1749, the regiment was at the site of Halifax, Nova Scotia
, where the soldiers cleared the land for the new town. An altercation with some Native Americans
led to an order that all officers in the regiment must always be armed, thus earning their first nickname as the Ever Sworded due to the sword
s the officers are required to wear even when off-duty a tradition still in effect today as the orderly officer is still armed even at the officers mess.
Until the middle of the eighteenth century British Army regiments were known by their colonel's name. This led to frequent changes of title. In 1747 regiments were required to establish their precedence, with each unit taking a numerical "rank". The process was completed in 1751 when a royal warrant formally substituted numbers for the names of colonels. Accordingly, Colonel Peregrine Hopton's Regiment became the 29th Regiment of Foot.
In 1759 Admiral Lord Edward Boscawen
gave to his brother Colonel George Boscawen 10 black youths he acquired in the capture of Guadeloupe from the French in the same year. These young men were released from slavery
and joined the regiment as drummers, a tradition the regiment continued until 1843. These men received the pay of a corporal
and if they survived to retire received a pension
from the army.
In 1768 the 29th along with the 14th Regiment of Foot
were sent to Boston, Massachusetts, where on the evening of 5 March 1770, men of the 29th Grenadier
Company under the command of Captain Thomas Preston
took part in the Boston Massacre
. Five colonists died during the riot in front of the Boston customs house. Due to the incident, the regiment earned the nickname the Vein Openers for drawing first blood in the American Revolution
. The men involved were tried for murder and were defended by John Adams
(who later became President of the United States
). Two of the men involved, Hugh Montgomery and Matthew Kilroy
, were found guilty of manslaughter
and branded on the thumb. Captain Thomas Preston and the other men involved were found not guilty. The 29th left Boston in 1771 for British controlled Florida
before returning to England in 1773.
, the 29th Regiment of Foot under the command of Lt. Col. Patrick Gordon was sent with other British regiments to relieve the siege of Quebec City by an American army. On 25 July Lt. Col. Patrick Gordon was shot and mortally wounded by Benjamin Whitcomb of Whitcomb's Rangers
, Lt. Col. Thomas Carleton
of the 20th Regiment of Foot was then promoted to command the 29th. After pushing the American army down the St. Lawrence River at the Battle of Trois-Rivières
, men from the battalion companies served on board the ships of General Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester
in the Battle of Valcour Island
on Lake Champlain
on 11 October 1776. In 1777, the Light Infantry
Company and the Grenadier Company were with Lt. General John Burgoyne
as he headed down from Montreal
to Saratoga
. Both the Light Infantry Company and Grenadier Company saw action at the Battle of Hubbardton
under the command of Brigadier
Simon Fraser, as part of his Advance Corps on 7 July 1777. Both companies surrendered with the rest of Burgoyne's Army after the defeats at Battle of Freeman's Farm and Battle of Bemis Heights in September and October of 1777. The other eight Battalion Companies remained in Canada and took part in raids and small battles along the Vermont
and New York frontiers during the rest of the American Revolution led by Major
Christopher Carleton
and Lt. John Enys
. In 1781 the 29th was linked to the county of Worcestershire
in England, giving them a recruiting area and home. The 29th Regiment returned to England in 1787.
For more details on the raids along Lake Champlain and the upper Hudson Valley
see Carleton's Raid (1778)
and Burning of the Valleys.
presented the regiment with the music of a march of her own composing, which received the name of 'The Royal Windsor'. In 1881 it became by authority the Quickstep of the four battalions of the Worcestershire Regiment.
The march, with its impressive drum cadence
recalling later American marches, appears to have been composed by HRH Princess Augusta at Windsor Castle
under the tutelage of Lord William Cathcart
, an officer of the 29th who became Colonel of that regiment in 1792. Lord Cathcart was a talented musician and, while previously serving in the Coldstream Guards
, was influential in the development of the band of that regiment. It was he who brought the talented musician Christopher Eley, composer of The 'Duke of York's March' from Hanover to London.
The march became popular in Russia and it has been suggested that Lord Cathcart and the Princess used material of Russian origin. It is true that Lord Cathcart's father was ambassador
to St. Petersburg and that his son visited Russia in 1771, but Russian music was not at that time held in high regard even in Russia itself, where the court composers were almost all foreigners.
It is more likely that Lord Cathcart took the composition to Russia in 1812, when he proceeded to Russia as ambassador and military commissioner. In the latter capacity he served with the headquarters of the allies throughout the War of Liberation (1812–1814); his success in the delicate and difficult task of maintaining harmony and devotion to the common cause amongst the generals of many nationalities was recognized after the war by his elevation to the earldom (July 1814). He then went to St. Petersburg, and continued to hold the post of ambassador until 1820, when he returned to England. He died at his estate near Glasgow on 16 June 1843.
on the regiment. The Coldstream Guards and the 29th are the only two regiments to have the elongated star and garter of the Order of the Garter
as their regimental badge with its motto "Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense" translated "Shame be to him who evil thinks" earning a third nickname The Guards of the Line.
and Worcestershire
was created, with headquarters at Norton, three miles from the city of Worcester
. The Worcester barracks became the depot for the 29th Foot along with the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot and the militia of the two counties.
the 29th Regiment of Foot was with the Duke of York
in Holland
in 1799 and later with the Duke of Wellington
's Army in Spain and Portugal from 1808 to 1811.
ships HMS Brunswick
and HMS Ramillies
during the naval battle known as the Glorious First of June
under Admiral Richard Howe against a French Fleet in the North Atlantic Ocean. During the fight The HMS Brunswick sunk the French Ship of the Line
Le Vengeur du Peuple
and disabled the Achille
. The regiment was awarded a Naval Crown
dated 1 June 1794 for its participation in the engagement.
on 17 August 1808 the 29th along with the 9th Regiment of Foot
assaulted a French position on the heights for over 2 hours until the French lines broke when the flanking British units attacked. Colonel Lake was killed with another officer, two other officers were wounded and 177 men were killed or wounded along with 25 captured.
was fought. Here the 29th held off a French attack giving time for the 71st Regiment of Foot and the 81st Regiment of Foot time to regroup and rejoin the battle.
attack three French regiments (24th Line
, 96th Line and the 9th Light
) on the hill called Cerro de Medellin
. After the composite battalion broke, the 29th — with a single volley and a bayonet charge — drove the French from the hill on the evening of 27 July, the French 9th Light Regiment receiving the brunt of the assault.
On the morning of 28 July, massed French artillery
fire hit the hill followed by an assault by the French 24th Line and 96th Line Regiments. The French regiments (6 battalions total) advanced in column
and the British defended the hill in a line formation. The fire power of the line where all member could shoot soon overwhelmed the French attack. The 29th captured two French colours in the bayonet charge the drove the French regiments off the field.
is perhaps the most celebrated battle honor of the 29th Regiment. Ensigns Edward Furnace and Richard Vance gave their lives to save the 29th Regiment's colours
during this battle. After suffering heavy casualties at the Battle of Albuera the 29th was sent back to England to recruit more men. Of a total strength of 31 officers and 476 other ranks the 29th lost 17 officers and 363 other ranks killed, wounded or missing at Albuera.
The 29th Regiment of Foot was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel White at the Battle of Albuera. It formed part of Major General Hoghton’s
Brigade. Lt. Col. White died in Elvas, Portugal on 3 June 1811 of wounds received in the battle. His stone was installed in the British Cemetery, Elvas
in 2003 upon the discovery of his obituary in the Gentleman’s Magazine.
, Canada during the War of 1812
. The regiment did not see any major action while stationed in North America. They were quickly recalled back to Europe in 1815 to face Napoleon during the Hundred Days
campaign but arrived shortly after the Battle of Waterloo
.
in the Indian Ocean. From 1845 to 1846, the 29th Regiment of Foot fought in the First Anglo-Sikh War
in the Punjab
area of India at the final battle of the war at Sobraon the 29th and two battalions of Indian Sepoys twice unsuccessfully assaulted the sikh
earthworks
before finally breaking through on the third assault, 10 days later the British Army occupied Lahore
ending the war. The friendship between the Regiment and the 10th Regiment of Foot
is an old one. The Regiments refer to each other as "Our Cousins". It is supposed to have arisen in the Napoleonic Wars, if not earlier, when the 29th and 10th Regiments many times fought side by side. The friendship was cemented in the Sikh Wars, when the two Regiments met in the captured trenches at the bloody Battle of Sobraon
on 10 February 1846 where the 29th again suffered heavy casualties 186 men were killed or wounded out of a total of 552. From 1848 to 1849, the 29th served in the Second Anglo-Sikh War
. The 29th was still in India and Burma until 1859 during which time the Indian Mutiny took place. A large detachment from the regiment helped to keep open the Grand Trunk Road
during the mutiny.
. On 1 July 1881 the 29th Foot became the 1st Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment, while the 36th became the 2nd battalion.
On 17 December 1948 the Worcestershire Regiment was reduced to a single regular battalion, when the former 29th and 36th were merged. In 1970 the regular battalions of The Worcesters and the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) were merged to become the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment.
In 2007 the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters was itself merged with the Cheshire
and Staffordshire Regiments to form a new "large regiment
". The 1st Battalion W&SFR became the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment
.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. It now forms part of the Mercian Regiment
Mercian Regiment
The Mercian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of three existing regiments on 1 September 2007.The regiment has three regular army battalion's and one Territorial Army or reserve battalion...
.
Formation
The regiment was raised in 1694 by ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Thomas Farrington, an officer of the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
during War of the Grand Alliance
War of the Grand Alliance
The Nine Years' War – often called the War of the Grand Alliance, the War of the Palatine Succession, or the War of the League of Augsburg – was a major war of the late 17th century fought between King Louis XIV of France, and a European-wide coalition, the Grand Alliance, led by the Anglo-Dutch...
known in America as King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
. It was disbanded in 1698 after the Peace of Ryswick and reformed in 1702 for the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, also known as Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
. The regiment served under John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
at the victorious Battle of Ramillies
Battle of Ramillies
The Battle of Ramillies , fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705...
in 1706 against the French in what is now Belgium and in the siege of Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
. In 1727 the regiment saw action at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and were sent to Fortress Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
in 1745. In 1749, the regiment was at the site of Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, where the soldiers cleared the land for the new town. An altercation with some Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
led to an order that all officers in the regiment must always be armed, thus earning their first nickname as the Ever Sworded due to the sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s the officers are required to wear even when off-duty a tradition still in effect today as the orderly officer is still armed even at the officers mess.
Until the middle of the eighteenth century British Army regiments were known by their colonel's name. This led to frequent changes of title. In 1747 regiments were required to establish their precedence, with each unit taking a numerical "rank". The process was completed in 1751 when a royal warrant formally substituted numbers for the names of colonels. Accordingly, Colonel Peregrine Hopton's Regiment became the 29th Regiment of Foot.
In 1759 Admiral Lord Edward Boscawen
Edward Boscawen
Admiral Edward Boscawen, PC was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall. He is known principally for his various naval commands throughout the 18th Century and the engagements that he won, including the Siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos...
gave to his brother Colonel George Boscawen 10 black youths he acquired in the capture of Guadeloupe from the French in the same year. These young men were released from slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and joined the regiment as drummers, a tradition the regiment continued until 1843. These men received the pay of a corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
and if they survived to retire received a pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
from the army.
Boston Massacre
Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of The West Yorkshire Regiment and The East Yorkshire Regiment...
were sent to Boston, Massachusetts, where on the evening of 5 March 1770, men of the 29th Grenadier
Grenadier (soldier)
A grenadier was originally a specialized soldier, first established as a distinct role in the mid-to-late 17th century, for the throwing of grenades and sometimes assault operations. At this time grenadiers were chosen from the strongest and largest soldiers...
Company under the command of Captain Thomas Preston
Thomas Preston (Soldier)
Captain Thomas Preston was an officer of the 29th Regiment of Foot who was present at the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. He was acquitted of all charges in a trial held in Boston, Massachusetts. Future United States President John Adams was his attorney...
took part in the Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, called the Boston Riot by the British, was an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers killed five civilian men. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support...
. Five colonists died during the riot in front of the Boston customs house. Due to the incident, the regiment earned the nickname the Vein Openers for drawing first blood in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The men involved were tried for murder and were defended by John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
(who later became President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
). Two of the men involved, Hugh Montgomery and Matthew Kilroy
Matthew Kilroy (British Army soldier)
Private Matthew Kilroy was a soldier of the 29th Regiment of Foot who was present at the Boston Massacre. He killed one man and was found guilty of manslaughter.-Boston Massacre:...
, were found guilty of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and branded on the thumb. Captain Thomas Preston and the other men involved were found not guilty. The 29th left Boston in 1771 for British controlled Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
before returning to England in 1773.
American Revolution
Early in the spring of 1776 during the start of the 2nd year of the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the 29th Regiment of Foot under the command of Lt. Col. Patrick Gordon was sent with other British regiments to relieve the siege of Quebec City by an American army. On 25 July Lt. Col. Patrick Gordon was shot and mortally wounded by Benjamin Whitcomb of Whitcomb's Rangers
Whitcomb's Rangers
Whitcomb's Rangers were authorized on October 15, 1776, and formed in November 1776 at Fort Ticonderoga in New York. The unit consisted of two companies of New Hampshire rangers for service with the Continental Army under the command of Benjamin Whitcomb, a veteran of Bedel's Regiment. They saw...
, Lt. Col. Thomas Carleton
Thomas Carleton
Thomas Carleton was a British army officer who was promoted to Colonel during the American Revolutionary War after relieving the siege of Quebec in 1776. After the war, he was appointed as Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, and supervised the resettlement of Loyalists from the United States in...
of the 20th Regiment of Foot was then promoted to command the 29th. After pushing the American army down the St. Lawrence River at the Battle of Trois-Rivières
Battle of Trois-Rivières
The Battle of Trois-Rivières was fought on June 8, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. A British army under Quebec Governor Guy Carleton defeated an attempt by units from the Continental Army under the command of Brigadier General William Thompson to stop a British advance up the Saint...
, men from the battalion companies served on board the ships of General Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, KB , known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Irish-British soldier and administrator...
in the Battle of Valcour Island
Battle of Valcour Island
The naval Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and Valcour Island...
on Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
on 11 October 1776. In 1777, the Light Infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
Company and the Grenadier Company were with Lt. General John Burgoyne
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
as he headed down from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Saratoga
Saratoga, New York
Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
. Both the Light Infantry Company and Grenadier Company saw action at the Battle of Hubbardton
Battle of Hubbardton
The Battle of Hubbardton was an engagement in the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought in the village of Hubbardton, then in the disputed New Hampshire Grants territory . On the morning of July 7, 1777, British forces, under General Simon Fraser, caught up with the American...
under the command of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Simon Fraser, as part of his Advance Corps on 7 July 1777. Both companies surrendered with the rest of Burgoyne's Army after the defeats at Battle of Freeman's Farm and Battle of Bemis Heights in September and October of 1777. The other eight Battalion Companies remained in Canada and took part in raids and small battles along the Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and New York frontiers during the rest of the American Revolution led by Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Christopher Carleton
Christopher Carleton
Christopher Carleton was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England into a military family. Christopher's parents died at sea when he was only four years old and his uncles Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester the future Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief, North America along with Sir...
and Lt. John Enys
John Enys
Lieutenant Colonel John Enys was a British Army officer who served during the American Revolution.-Family and education:...
. In 1781 the 29th was linked to the county of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
in England, giving them a recruiting area and home. The 29th Regiment returned to England in 1787.
For more details on the raids along Lake Champlain and the upper Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
see Carleton's Raid (1778)
Carleton's Raid (1778)
Carleton's Raid was a British raid led by Major Christopher Carleton during the American War of Independence, conducted in fall 1778 from the Province of Quebec against targets in upstate New York and the Vermont Republic.-Prelude:...
and Burning of the Valleys.
Regimental March 'The Royal Windsor'
During the winter of 1791 Princess AugustaPrincess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom
The Princess Augusta Sophia was a member of the British Royal Family, second daughter of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was a Princess of the United Kingdom and a Princess of Hanover....
presented the regiment with the music of a march of her own composing, which received the name of 'The Royal Windsor'. In 1881 it became by authority the Quickstep of the four battalions of the Worcestershire Regiment.
The march, with its impressive drum cadence
Drum cadence
In music, a drum cadence is a work played exclusively by the percussion section of a modern marching band , descended from early military marches, primarily as a purposefully emphasized means of providing a beat to marchers and often using patterned rhythmic drum strokes to produce a drum beat.A...
recalling later American marches, appears to have been composed by HRH Princess Augusta at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
under the tutelage of Lord William Cathcart
William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart
General William Schaw Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart KT, PC, PC , Scottish soldier and diplomatist, was born at Petersham, and educated at Eton.-Military career:...
, an officer of the 29th who became Colonel of that regiment in 1792. Lord Cathcart was a talented musician and, while previously serving in the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, was influential in the development of the band of that regiment. It was he who brought the talented musician Christopher Eley, composer of The 'Duke of York's March' from Hanover to London.
The march became popular in Russia and it has been suggested that Lord Cathcart and the Princess used material of Russian origin. It is true that Lord Cathcart's father was ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to St. Petersburg and that his son visited Russia in 1771, but Russian music was not at that time held in high regard even in Russia itself, where the court composers were almost all foreigners.
It is more likely that Lord Cathcart took the composition to Russia in 1812, when he proceeded to Russia as ambassador and military commissioner. In the latter capacity he served with the headquarters of the allies throughout the War of Liberation (1812–1814); his success in the delicate and difficult task of maintaining harmony and devotion to the common cause amongst the generals of many nationalities was recognized after the war by his elevation to the earldom (July 1814). He then went to St. Petersburg, and continued to hold the post of ambassador until 1820, when he returned to England. He died at his estate near Glasgow on 16 June 1843.
Garter Star badge
The regimental badge of the 29th and later of the Worcestershire Regiment show the influence of the Coldstream GuardsColdstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
on the regiment. The Coldstream Guards and the 29th are the only two regiments to have the elongated star and garter of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
as their regimental badge with its motto "Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense" translated "Shame be to him who evil thinks" earning a third nickname The Guards of the Line.
Link to Worcestershire
On 31 August 1782 a royal warrant was issued conferring county titles on all regiments of foot that did not already have a special title. The regiment was retitled as the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot. The change was an attempt to improve recruitment, but no depot was established in the county, and Worcestershire recruits were liable to serve in any regiment. It was not until 1873 that a practical system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted. The 29th Sub-District, consisting of the counties of HerefordshireHerefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
was created, with headquarters at Norton, three miles from the city of Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
. The Worcester barracks became the depot for the 29th Foot along with the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot and the militia of the two counties.
Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812
During the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
the 29th Regiment of Foot was with the Duke of York
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
in Holland
Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland
The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland refers to the campaign of 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British and Russian troops invaded the North-Holland peninsula in the Batavian Republic...
in 1799 and later with the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's Army in Spain and Portugal from 1808 to 1811.
Glorious First of June
On 1 June 1794, the 29th served as marines aboard the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships HMS Brunswick
HMS Brunswick (1790)
HMS Brunswick was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 30 April 1790 at Deptford.On 29 October 1792, three condemned mutineers of the Mutiny on the Bounty were hanged from her yardarms....
and HMS Ramillies
HMS Ramillies (1785)
HMS Ramillies was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 12 July 1785 at Rotherhithe.In 1801, she was part of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker's reserve squadron at the Battle of Copenhagen, and so did not take an active part in the battle.In August 1812, Sir Thomas Masterman...
during the naval battle known as the Glorious First of June
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
under Admiral Richard Howe against a French Fleet in the North Atlantic Ocean. During the fight The HMS Brunswick sunk the French Ship of the Line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
Le Vengeur du Peuple
French ship Vengeur du Peuple
The Vengeur du Peuple was a 74 gun ship of the line of the French Navy launched in 1762.Originally offered by the city of Marseille, and named the Marseillois , she saw action during the American War of Independence...
and disabled the Achille
French ship Annibal
Six ships of the French navy have born the name Annibal in honour of Hannibal:* Annibal , an unbuilt ship of the line * Annibal , a 74 gun ship of the line, lead ship of Annibal class ship of the line...
. The regiment was awarded a Naval Crown
Naval crown
The Naval Crown was a gold crown surmounted with the prows of ships. It was a Roman military award, given to the first man who boarded an enemy ship during a naval engagement....
dated 1 June 1794 for its participation in the engagement.
Roliça
At the Battle of RoliçaBattle of Roliça
In the Battle of Roliça an Anglo-Portuguese army under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated an outnumbered French army under General Henri Delaborde, near the village of Roliça in Portugal. The French retired in good order...
on 17 August 1808 the 29th along with the 9th Regiment of Foot
9th Regiment of Foot
The 9th Regiment of Foot was a infantry line regiment of the British Army from 1751 to 1881. It became the Norfolk Regiment following the Army reforms of 1881.-Early history:...
assaulted a French position on the heights for over 2 hours until the French lines broke when the flanking British units attacked. Colonel Lake was killed with another officer, two other officers were wounded and 177 men were killed or wounded along with 25 captured.
Vimeiro
Four days after Roliça on 21 August 1808 the Battle of VimeiroBattle of Vimeiro
In the Battle of Vimeiro the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro , near Lisbon, Portugal during the Peninsular War...
was fought. Here the 29th held off a French attack giving time for the 71st Regiment of Foot and the 81st Regiment of Foot time to regroup and rejoin the battle.
Talavera
Fought 27 and 28 July 1809 the Battle of Talavera saw the 29th and the 48th Regiment of Foot with a composite battalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
attack three French regiments (24th Line
Line infantry
Line infantry is a type of infantry which composed the basis of European land armies from the middle of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century....
, 96th Line and the 9th Light
Voltigeurs
The Voltigeurs were French military skirmish units created in 1804 by Emperor Napoleon I.-Etymology:Voltigeurs hold their name from their originally conceived role of cavalry-transported skirmishers: the voltigeurs were intended to jump onto the croup of cavalry horses in order to advance more...
) on the hill called Cerro de Medellin
Medellín (Spain)
Medellín is a village in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain, notable as the birthplace of Hernán Cortés in 1485 and the site of the Battle of Medellín, during the Peninsular War...
. After the composite battalion broke, the 29th — with a single volley and a bayonet charge — drove the French from the hill on the evening of 27 July, the French 9th Light Regiment receiving the brunt of the assault.
On the morning of 28 July, massed French artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fire hit the hill followed by an assault by the French 24th Line and 96th Line Regiments. The French regiments (6 battalions total) advanced in column
Column (formation)
A military column is a formation of soldiers marching together in one or more files in which the file is significantly longer than the width of ranks in the formation...
and the British defended the hill in a line formation. The fire power of the line where all member could shoot soon overwhelmed the French attack. The 29th captured two French colours in the bayonet charge the drove the French regiments off the field.
Albuera
16 May 1811, the Battle of AlbueraBattle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
is perhaps the most celebrated battle honor of the 29th Regiment. Ensigns Edward Furnace and Richard Vance gave their lives to save the 29th Regiment's colours
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
during this battle. After suffering heavy casualties at the Battle of Albuera the 29th was sent back to England to recruit more men. Of a total strength of 31 officers and 476 other ranks the 29th lost 17 officers and 363 other ranks killed, wounded or missing at Albuera.
The 29th Regiment of Foot was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel White at the Battle of Albuera. It formed part of Major General Hoghton’s
Daniel Hoghton
Major-General Daniel Hoghton was a talented and experienced British Army officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars with distinction until his death during combat with the French at the Battle of Albuera in the Peninsula War...
Brigade. Lt. Col. White died in Elvas, Portugal on 3 June 1811 of wounds received in the battle. His stone was installed in the British Cemetery, Elvas
British Cemetery Elvas
The British Cemetery at Elvas, Portugal is one of the oldest British Military Cemeteries in existence. It holds only five known graves but two of these are the only marked graves of the thousands of British soldiers who fell at the Battle of Albuera and another is the sole marked grave of the...
in 2003 upon the discovery of his obituary in the Gentleman’s Magazine.
War of 1812
In 1814 the 29th was dispatched back to Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. The regiment did not see any major action while stationed in North America. They were quickly recalled back to Europe in 1815 to face Napoleon during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
campaign but arrived shortly after the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
.
India
In 1842 the 29th was sent to garrison the island of MauritiusMauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
in the Indian Ocean. From 1845 to 1846, the 29th Regiment of Foot fought in the First Anglo-Sikh War
First Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom.-Background and causes of the war:...
in the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
area of India at the final battle of the war at Sobraon the 29th and two battalions of Indian Sepoys twice unsuccessfully assaulted the sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
earthworks
Earthworks (engineering)
Earthworks are engineering works created through the moving or processing of quantities of soil or unformed rock.- Civil engineering use :Typical earthworks include roads, railway beds, causeways, dams, levees, canals, and berms...
before finally breaking through on the third assault, 10 days later the British Army occupied Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
ending the war. The friendship between the Regiment and the 10th Regiment of Foot
10th Regiment of Foot
The 10th Regiment of Foot was raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath...
is an old one. The Regiments refer to each other as "Our Cousins". It is supposed to have arisen in the Napoleonic Wars, if not earlier, when the 29th and 10th Regiments many times fought side by side. The friendship was cemented in the Sikh Wars, when the two Regiments met in the captured trenches at the bloody Battle of Sobraon
Battle of Sobraon
The Battle of Sobraon was fought on 10 February 1846, between the forces of the British East India Company and the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab...
on 10 February 1846 where the 29th again suffered heavy casualties 186 men were killed or wounded out of a total of 552. From 1848 to 1849, the 29th served in the Second Anglo-Sikh War
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...
. The 29th was still in India and Burma until 1859 during which time the Indian Mutiny took place. A large detachment from the regiment helped to keep open the Grand Trunk Road
Grand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...
during the mutiny.
Amalgamations
The 1873 linking of the 29th Foot with the 36th was followed by their amalgamation into a single regiment under the Childers ReformsChilders Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
. On 1 July 1881 the 29th Foot became the 1st Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment, while the 36th became the 2nd battalion.
On 17 December 1948 the Worcestershire Regiment was reduced to a single regular battalion, when the former 29th and 36th were merged. In 1970 the regular battalions of The Worcesters and the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) were merged to become the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment.
In 2007 the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters was itself merged with the Cheshire
Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division.The regiment was created in 1881 as part of the Childers reforms by the linking of the 22nd Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire...
and Staffordshire Regiments to form a new "large regiment
Large regiment
A large regiment is a multi-battalion infantry formation of the British Army. First formed in the 1960s, large regiments are the result of the amalgamation of three or more existing single-battalion regiments, and perpetuate the traditions of each of the predecessor units.-Origins:Following the...
". The 1st Battalion W&SFR became the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment
Mercian Regiment
The Mercian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of three existing regiments on 1 September 2007.The regiment has three regular army battalion's and one Territorial Army or reserve battalion...
.
See also
- List of Regiments of Foot
- List of British Forces in the American Revolutionary War
- List of nicknames of British Army regiments
- List of British Army regiments (1881)
- Structure of the British ArmyStructure of the British ArmyThe structure of the British Army is broadly similar to that of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, being divided into two Commands: HQ Land Forces and the Adjutant-General. As top-level budget holders, these two organisations are responsible for providing forces at operational readiness for...
- History of the British ArmyHistory of the British ArmyThe history of the British Army spans over three and a half centuries and numerous European wars, colonial wars and world wars. From the early 19th century until 1914, the United Kingdom was the greatest economic and imperial power in the world, and although this dominance was principally achieved...
Sources
- The American Journals of Lt. John Enys, John Enys and Elizabeth Cometti (editor), Syracuse Univ. Press 1976
- Travels Through the Interior Parts of America 1776-1781 Volumes 1 and 2, Thomas Anburey, Houghton Mifflin Company 1923
- The Worcestershire Regiment: The 29th and 36th Regiments of Foot, Richard GaleRichard Nelson GaleGeneral Sir Richard Nelson "Windy" Gale GCB, KBE, DSO, MC was a soldier in the British Army who served in both world wars. In World War I he was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 whilst serving as a junior officer in the Machine Gun Corps...
, Leo Cooper LTD. 1970 - The Boston Massacre, Hiller B. ZobelHiller B. ZobelHiller B. Zobel is an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts and author or coauthor of several books on various legal topics, including the Boston Massacre and John Adams. He graduated from Harvard College in 1953 and received his law degree in 1959 from Harvard...
, W.W.Norton and Company 1970 - The Burning of the Valleys, Gavin K. Watt, Dundurn Press 1997
- Carleton's Raid, Ida H. Washington and Paul A. Washington, Cherry Tree Books 1977
- The British Army in North America 1775-1783, Robin May and Gerry Embleton, Osprey Men-at-Arms Series # 39 1997
- History of Thomas Farrington’s Regiment: Subsequently designated the 29th (Worcestershire) Foot 1694-1881, Huge Everard, Littlebury and Company 1891
- Die Hard: Dramatic Actions from the Napoleonic Wars, Philip HaythornthwaitePhilip HaythornthwaitePhilip J. Haythornthwaite is a military historian and author, with a particular interest in the Napoleonic Wars. He has written over 40 books.-References:...
, Arms and Armour Press 1996 - Impossible Victories: Ten Unlikely Battlefield Successes, Bryan Perrett, Arms and Armour Press 1996
- At Them with the Bayonet: The First Anglo-Sikh War 1845-1846, Donald F. Featherstone, Leonnaur Books 2007
External links
- Official British Army History Website
- Worcestershire Regiment website
- 29th Regiment of Foot - American Revolutionary War reenactor website