Light Division
Encyclopedia
The Light Division was a light infantry
Division
of the British Army
formed in the early 19th Century. It can trace its origins to the Light Companies which had been formed to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect the main forces by skirmishing tactics. The Light Division was primarily aimed at disrupting and harassing the enemy in light skirmish engagements before the two opposing armies clashed. Over the course of the following two centuries, the regimental makeup of the Division differed, but the philosophy remained constant.
43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry) Regiment
, the
52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
and the
95th Rifles. Portuguese Army
Caçadores being later added. Not all of the Light Infantry was grouped into the Light Division. The 60th (Royal Americans) had already raised a Rifle battalion (the 5th) in 1797, followed by two more Rifle battalions (the 6th and 7th) in 1799. The command of this first Rifle battalion was given to Francis de Rottenburg
, who had extensive experience with Light Infantry. Although Moore finished training the 43rd, 52nd, and 95th in September 1805, four further battalions were trained in a similar manner as a 'light brigade' in the Curragh of Kildare in Ireland in May 1808 by Rottenberg himself. Later, Rottenberg returned to England and, at Brabdourn Lees barracks in Ashford, trained the 68th, 85th and 71st as light infantry to help meet the demand for such troops in the Peninsula.
Since the three Rifle battalions of the 60th Royal Americans were already wearing the green clothing and black leather equipment typical of continental light infantry , the 95th Rifles adopted the same uniform as the 60th. But despite the best efforts of General Sir John Moore, the Light Infantry regiments were ordered to conform to the regulations for light companies of Line regiments by retaining their red jackets..
The 95th came armed with the Baker rifle
and wearing dark green uniforms, the Green Jackets were hard to spot and spent their time picking off officers, sergeants and any other figure of authority in an enemy formation. Though nowhere near as devastating as a musket
volley from the line infantry, a well-aimed shot could bring down an enemy commander with ease, lowering morale in the enemy. The Baker Rifle enjoyed far greater accuracy and range than the standard muskets of the time and the men using them were considered marksmen, trading devastating firepower for superior accuracy and range.
In 1807, the Light Division were involved in the Second Battle of Copenhagen and in 1808 the Corps of Light Infantry sailed for Spain
, with General Moore for what would become known as the Peninsular War which proved to be the making of the concept of Light Infantrymen and Riflemen on operations.
having allied itself with France, the corps of light infantry (43rd, 52nd and 95th), led by Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, were part of a force which bombarded and captured Copenhagen
and with it the entire Danish fleet.
, (January 16, 1809), was an attack by 16,000 French
under Marshal Soult
during the amphibious evacuation of 16,000 British
under General Sir John Moore
. Moore had hoped to draw the French Army away from Portugal
, to allow the small British force in that country to be reinforced, and to allow the Spanish armies to reform. The Light Division, under the command of Charles Alten
and Robert Crauford, was sent to the port of Vigo
. But the retreat, made in a harsh winter, was a shambles. The exhausting marches, cold weather and frequent skirmishes with the pursuing French units saw many turn to alcohol and become so drunk that they were left behind. The Battle is remembered for what became known as Plunkets Shot
Thomas Plunket was a Rifleman in the 95th Rifles.During the retreat Plunket shot the French Général de Brigade
Auguste-Marie-François Colbert at a range of between 200 and 600 metres using a Baker rifle
. Plunket had run forward to make this shot, and before returning to his own lines he reloaded, and shot a trumpet-major who had rushed to the aid of the fallen general. This second feat showed that the first shot had not been a fluke, and the deaths were sufficient to throw the pending French attack into disarray. The shots were at a sufficiently long distance to impress others in the 95th Rifles, whose marksmanship (with the Baker rifle) was far better than the ordinary British soldier who, armed with a Brown Bess
musket, was trained to shoot into a body of men at 50 metres with volley fire.
was ordered to take his brigade, now composed of the 1st Battalion of the 43rd, 1st Battalion of the 52nd
and 1st Battalion of the 95th, back to the Peninsula. The brigade landed at Lisbon on 2 July 1809 and embarked on a series of grueling marches in the July heat to join Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
's army. Although at times averaging 30 miles per day, Wellesley fought and won the battle while the Light Brigade was still pouring sweat on the road. The Riflemen of the 60th performed sterling service in their absence, being one of the few regiments mentioned by name in Wellesley's dispatch to the British government.. During the reorganizations that followed, Craudford was given command of the 3rd Division, whose previous commander, Major-General Mackenzie, had been killed at Talavera. With the subsequent addition of Hew Ross's troop of Royal Horse Artillery, the 1st Hussars of the K.G.L. and British-trained third battalion of Portuguese Chasseurs, this became the Light Division.
and Águeda in 1810 were daring to the point of rashness; the drawing on of the French forces into what became the Battle of the River Côa
(July 24, 1810), in particular was a rare lapse in judgement that almost saw his removal from command. Although Wellington
censured him for his conduct, he at the same time increased his force to a full division by the addition of two picked regiments of Portuguese Caçadores, Chestnut troop
, Royal Horse Artillery
(RHA) & part of the 14th & 16th, Light Dragoons
. He reached these by October 10. Finding the lines too strong to attack, the French withdrew into winter quarters. Deprived of food and harried by British hit-and-run tactics, the French lost 25,000 men captured or dead from starvation or sickness before they retreated into Spain early in 1811, freeing Portugal from French occupation except for Almeida
, near the frontier. During the retreat, the Battle of Sabugal
was also fought.
(April 3, 1811), Crauford had taken ill and was home in England so the Division was under the command of Major-General William Erskine
, the plan was for the Light Division and two brigades of cavalry to circle behind the French open left flank while the other four divisions attacked the front. On the day of the battle there was a heavy fog, the other commanders decided to wait until visibility improved. Undeterred, Erskine ordered Lieut-Colonel Thomas Sydney Beckwith
's 1st Brigade forward. Instead of crossing the Côa
beyond the French, the brigade drifted to the left in the fog, crossed at the wrong location and struck the French left flank.
Erskine, who was very nearsighted and mentally unbalanced, then became cautious and issued explicit instructions to Colonel George Drummond not to support his fellow brigade commander. At this point, Erskine rode off to join the cavalry, leaving the Light Division leaderless for the rest of the battle. The French switched most of their 10,000-man corps against Beckwith's 1,500 and pressed the light infantry back. When Drummond heard the sounds of battle approaching, he deduced that Beckwith's men were retreating. Disobeying orders, Drummond led his 2nd Brigade across the Côa and joined Beckwith. Together they drove the French back.
(May 3, 1811) the 51st Foot
and 85th Light Infantry, along with the Light Division demonstrated how the French Cavalry could be beaten by a combination of rapid movements, accurate rifle fire and disciplined formations. During the battle the Light Division was sent to reinforce the 51st and 85th Light Infantry, who had been caught in open ground and surrounded by French Cavalry. When reinforced, the whole force was able to retire rapidly – chased by the French cavalry. Whenever the French came close, the Light Infantrymen, Riflemen and Caçadores, rapidly formed squares at the last safe moment, beating off the Cavalry. This series of rapid moves, combined with the disciplined forming of squares – off the line of march, was a spectacle that few could have believed to have been possible.
(January 8, 1812), where they stormed and took the Grand Teson redoubt. Then on January 19 together with Major-General Thomas Picton
's 3rd Division they were ordered to storm the city. Picton's Division assaulting the greater breach in the northwest of the citys walls while the Light Division was sent against the lesser breach in the north.
Launched at 7 pm, the assault was completely successful, although amongst the dead were Major-Generals Henry Mackinnon
and Craufurd. The victory was somewhat marred when the British rank and file thoroughly sacked the city, despite the efforts of their officers.
, was held as the reserve division for the Battle of Salamanca
(July 22, 1812) and did not take a major part in the fighting.
(June 21, 1813), the division was part of the Right Center Column under Wellington's personal direction, Wellington launched his attack, in four columns and after hard fighting the enemy's centre was broken and soon the French defence crumbled. About 5,000 French soldiers were killed or wounded and 3,000 were taken prisoner, while Wellington's forces suffered about 5,000 killed or wounded. 152 cannons were captured, but King Joseph Bonaparte
narrowly escaped. The battle led to the collapse of Napoleonic rule in Spain.
(July 25, 1813) and the Battle of the Bidassoa (1813)
(October 7, 1813),during which the toughest fighting of the day occurred in Major General Bertrand Clausel's center sector. John Colborne
's brigade of Charles Alten
's Light Division attacked La Bayonette. Not waiting for the attack, the French charged downhill and drove back the 95th Rifles. Suddenly the 52nd,appeared and quickly turned the tables. Following closely behind the retreating French, they overran the redoubt with surprising ease.
Meanwhile, James Kempt
's second Light Division brigade and Francisco de Longa
's Spanish division attacked up two spurs of Mont Larroun to secure some positions. The next day the French abandoned the position to avoid encirclement.
(November 10, 1813), started just before dawn as the Light Division headed towards the plateau on the summit of the Greater Rhune (the summit had been garrisoned by French troops but they had fled after the skirmish on the River Bidassoa, fearing to be cut off from their own army). The objective of the division was to sweep the three defensive forts constructed by the French out of the battle. They moved down into the ravine in front of the Lesser Rhune and were ordered to lie down and await the order to attack. After the signal from a battery of cannon, the offensive began. It started with the 43rd, 52nd and 95th – with the Portuguese Caçadores in support, storming the redoubts on the crest of the Rhune. Despite this being a risky move and the men being almost exhausted, the surprise and boldness of the British sent the French fleeing towards other forts on other hills.
While the 43rd and 95th were dealing with the French on the Rhune, there still remained one very strong star-shaped fort below on the Mouiz plateau which reached out towards the coast. This was attacked by Colborne's 52nd, supported by riflemen from the 95th. Once again, the French were surprised and the British succeeded. They had, in the French eyes, appeared from the ground at which point, in danger of being cut off, the French soldiers quickly fled leaving Colborne in possession of the fort and other trenches without loss of a single fatal casualty.
, (April 10, 1814), In the evening of April 10, 1814, Marshall Soult, received an official communiqué from Paris
informing him that Napoleon had surrendered to the Coalition forces in northern France. Unsure of what to do, Soult's generals advised him to surrender the city, as reinforcements were unlikely to arrive and further news reached Toulouse
informing Soult of the surrender of French armies across France.
This ended the Peninsula War.
Claimed to be one of the strongest divisions in the British army in the Peninsula War, the Light Division proved its tough nature in the numerous actions it had been involved in from the infamous retreat to Corunna right up until the invasion of France in 1814 and the conclusion of the war at the Battle of Toulouse.
, the Peninsula army was dismantled and divided. Following Napoleon's escape and return to power in France, there was one more battle to fight.
A Light Division by name was not formed for Waterloo but the Light Infantry battalions, excepting the 1st battalion of the 95th which was assigned to the 5th Division, were massed into the 3rd British Brigade assigned to the 2nd Division. The 3rd Brigade was commanded by then Major-General Frederick Adam
. The other brigades were foreign troops with the 1st Brigade consisting of 4 line battalions of the Kings German Legion and 3rd Brigade consisiting of 4 battalions of Hanoverian Landwehr
(militia). Since the British army had so few light troops, 16 of 21 light infantry battalions in the Allied Army at Waterloo came from allied forces. The 3rd British Division, for example, had over 2,300 light infantry in King's German Legion and Hanoverian battalions.
The final action of the day saw Sir John Colborne bring the 52nd Light Infantry round to outflank the Old Guard
, of the French Imperial Guard as it advanced towards the British centre in a last ditch attempt to defeat Wellington.
As the column passed his brigade, the 52nd charged, fired a destructive volley into the left flank of the Chasseurs and attacked with the bayonet. The whole of the Guard was driven back down the hill and began a general retreat to the cry of "La Garde recule"
After their unsuccessful attack on the British centre, The French Imperial Guard made a last stand in squares on either side of the La Belle Alliance
.The 3rd (Light) Brigade charged the square which was formed on rising ground to the (British) right of La Belle Alliance and again threw them into a state of confusion. The other square was attacked by the Prussians. The French retreated away from the battle field towards France.
, the United Kingdom
, the Kingdom of Sardinia
, and the Ottoman Empire
on the other. Most of the conflict took place on the Crimean Peninsula
, with additional actions occurring in western Turkey
, and the Baltic Sea
region and is sometimes considered to be the first "modern" conflict and "introduced technical changes which affected the future course of warfare."
A Light Division was again formed for service, but this was in name only as no light infantry battalions were assigned to it. The division was involved in the Battle of the Alma (September 20, 1854), which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place in the vicinity of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St. Arnaud and Lord Raglan defeated General Menshikov's Russian army, which lost around 6,000 troops.
They were also engaged in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) , and the battle of Battle of Inkerman
(November 5, 1854) prior to the end of hostilities.
By the late 19th century the concept of fighting in formation was on the wane and the distinctions between light and heavy infantry began to disappear. Essentially, all infantry became light infantry in practice. Some regiments retained the name and customs, but there was in effect no difference between them and other infantry regiments.
(they were the first division to be attacked by Germans using flamethrowers), and the 20th (Light) Division. Both served on the Western Front
and were involved in the major battles, including
the Battle of the Somme, Battle of Arras
and the Battle of Ypres
.
The British Army did not form a Light Division for service during World War II, but the ethos of the Light Division was carried on in new infantry formations such as the Commandos, Parachute Regiment and the Chindits
all lightly armed fast and agile units.
, was the headquarters for the six English light infantry regiments and Infantry Depot O at Winchester
was the headquarters for the two rifle regiments and the Middlesex Regiment
. In 1948, the depots adopted names and this became the Light Infantry Brigade
and Green Jackets Brigade
.
Then in 1968 the Light Division was reformed as an Administration Division with the regimentation of the Light Infantry Brigade and the Green Jackets Brigade.
As formed, the Light Division comprised seven regular infantry battalions:
The Light Infantry lost its 4th Battalion in 1969, while both regiments lost a battalion in 1992.
In 2005, two further regiments were attached to the Light Division:
This was in preparation for all four regiments being amalgamated into a single large regiment named The Rifles
,
which was formed in February 2007. Regimental names of the regiments that formed The Rifles were not maintained. As a consequence, upon the formation of The Rifles, the name Light Division was no longer to be used.
Prior to that in 2005 a new manouvre brigade appeared in the British Army
, 19th Light Brigade, as a fast, agile, lightly armed Brigade to balance the mix of Heavy and Light Brigades in the British Army order of battle.
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...
Division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
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...
formed in the early 19th Century. It can trace its origins to the Light Companies which had been formed to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect the main forces by skirmishing tactics. The Light Division was primarily aimed at disrupting and harassing the enemy in light skirmish engagements before the two opposing armies clashed. Over the course of the following two centuries, the regimental makeup of the Division differed, but the philosophy remained constant.
Origins of the Light Division
On July 17, 1803, the Corps of Light Infantry was formed from brigading together the43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry) Regiment
43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot
The 43rd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It was raised as Thomas Fowke's Regiment of Foot in 1741 with its headquarters at Winchester. The regiment was numbered 54th Foot until 1748 when it became the 43rd Foot...
, the
52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
and the
95th Rifles. Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
Caçadores being later added. Not all of the Light Infantry was grouped into the Light Division. The 60th (Royal Americans) had already raised a Rifle battalion (the 5th) in 1797, followed by two more Rifle battalions (the 6th and 7th) in 1799. The command of this first Rifle battalion was given to Francis de Rottenburg
Francis de Rottenburg
Major-General Francis de Rottenburg, baron de Rottenburg was raised in what is now Gdańsk in Poland to a Swiss family and became a British military officer and colonial administrator. He spent almost a decade in the French army which came to an end with the French Revolution...
, who had extensive experience with Light Infantry. Although Moore finished training the 43rd, 52nd, and 95th in September 1805, four further battalions were trained in a similar manner as a 'light brigade' in the Curragh of Kildare in Ireland in May 1808 by Rottenberg himself. Later, Rottenberg returned to England and, at Brabdourn Lees barracks in Ashford, trained the 68th, 85th and 71st as light infantry to help meet the demand for such troops in the Peninsula.
Since the three Rifle battalions of the 60th Royal Americans were already wearing the green clothing and black leather equipment typical of continental light infantry , the 95th Rifles adopted the same uniform as the 60th. But despite the best efforts of General Sir John Moore, the Light Infantry regiments were ordered to conform to the regulations for light companies of Line regiments by retaining their red jackets..
The 95th came armed with the Baker rifle
Baker rifle
The Baker rifle was a flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British armed forces....
and wearing dark green uniforms, the Green Jackets were hard to spot and spent their time picking off officers, sergeants and any other figure of authority in an enemy formation. Though nowhere near as devastating as a musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
volley from the line infantry, a well-aimed shot could bring down an enemy commander with ease, lowering morale in the enemy. The Baker Rifle enjoyed far greater accuracy and range than the standard muskets of the time and the men using them were considered marksmen, trading devastating firepower for superior accuracy and range.
In 1807, the Light Division were involved in the Second Battle of Copenhagen and in 1808 the Corps of Light Infantry sailed for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, with General Moore for what would become known as the Peninsular War which proved to be the making of the concept of Light Infantrymen and Riflemen on operations.
Napoleonic Wars
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
In 1807, DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
having allied itself with France, the corps of light infantry (43rd, 52nd and 95th), led by Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, were part of a force which bombarded and captured Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and with it the entire Danish fleet.
Battle of Corunna
The Battle of CorunnaBattle of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
, (January 16, 1809), was an attack by 16,000 French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
under Marshal Soult
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult
Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia , the Hand of Iron, was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804. He was one of only six officers in French history to receive the distinction of Marshal General of France...
during the amphibious evacuation of 16,000 British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
under General Sir John Moore
John Moore (British soldier)
Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, KB was a British soldier and General. He is best known for his military training reforms and for his death at the Battle of Corunna, in which his force was defeated but gained a tactical advantage over a French army under Marshal Soult during the Peninsular...
. Moore had hoped to draw the French Army away from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, to allow the small British force in that country to be reinforced, and to allow the Spanish armies to reform. The Light Division, under the command of Charles Alten
Charles Alten
Sir Charles Alten , Hanoverian and British soldier, son of Baron Alten, a member of an old Hanoverian family, entered the service of the elector as a page at the age of twelve. He led a famous Anglo-Portuguese division during the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division...
and Robert Crauford, was sent to the port of Vigo
Vigo
Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...
. But the retreat, made in a harsh winter, was a shambles. The exhausting marches, cold weather and frequent skirmishes with the pursuing French units saw many turn to alcohol and become so drunk that they were left behind. The Battle is remembered for what became known as Plunkets Shot
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Auguste-Marie-François Colbert at a range of between 200 and 600 metres using a Baker rifle
Baker rifle
The Baker rifle was a flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British armed forces....
. Plunket had run forward to make this shot, and before returning to his own lines he reloaded, and shot a trumpet-major who had rushed to the aid of the fallen general. This second feat showed that the first shot had not been a fluke, and the deaths were sufficient to throw the pending French attack into disarray. The shots were at a sufficiently long distance to impress others in the 95th Rifles, whose marksmanship (with the Baker rifle) was far better than the ordinary British soldier who, armed with a Brown Bess
Brown Bess
Brown Bess is a nickname of uncertain origin for the British Army's Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. This musket was used in the era of the expansion of the British Empire and acquired symbolic importance at least as significant as its physical importance. It was in use for over a hundred...
musket, was trained to shoot into a body of men at 50 metres with volley fire.
Battle of Talavera
While reforming in England after their evacuation from Corunna, Brigadier-General Robert CraufurdRobert Craufurd
Major-General Robert Craufurd was a Scottish soldier and Member of Parliament . After a military career which took him from India to the Netherlands, he was given command of the Light Division in the Napoleonic Peninsular War under the Duke of Wellington...
was ordered to take his brigade, now composed of the 1st Battalion of the 43rd, 1st Battalion of the 52nd
52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
and 1st Battalion of the 95th, back to the Peninsula. The brigade landed at Lisbon on 2 July 1809 and embarked on a series of grueling marches in the July heat to join Arthur Wellesley, 1st 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. Although at times averaging 30 miles per day, Wellesley fought and won the battle while the Light Brigade was still pouring sweat on the road. The Riflemen of the 60th performed sterling service in their absence, being one of the few regiments mentioned by name in Wellesley's dispatch to the British government.. During the reorganizations that followed, Craudford was given command of the 3rd Division, whose previous commander, Major-General Mackenzie, had been killed at Talavera. With the subsequent addition of Hew Ross's troop of Royal Horse Artillery, the 1st Hussars of the K.G.L. and British-trained third battalion of Portuguese Chasseurs, this became the Light Division.
Battle of the River Côa
Craufurd's operations on the CôaCOA
COA can refer to:*Codename Amscray*Cash on Arrival*Cause of action*CedarOpenAccounts*Center of Attention*Certificate of Appealability*Certificate of Approval for marriage or civil partnership in the United Kingdom*Certificate of Authenticity...
and Águeda in 1810 were daring to the point of rashness; the drawing on of the French forces into what became the Battle of the River Côa
Battle of Coa
The Battle of the River Côa was a relatively minor battle that occurred during the Peninsular War period of the Napoleonic Wars...
(July 24, 1810), in particular was a rare lapse in judgement that almost saw his removal from command. Although 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...
censured him for his conduct, he at the same time increased his force to a full division by the addition of two picked regiments of Portuguese Caçadores, Chestnut troop
A Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse Artillery
A Battery Royal Horse Artillery is the senior Battery in the Royal Regiment of Artillery and is part of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery...
, Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
(RHA) & part of the 14th & 16th, Light Dragoons
Battle of Bussaco
The Battle of Bussaco, (September 27, 1810) was a defensive battle won by the Allies which allowed Wellington to resume the retreat of his army into the previously fortified Lines of Torres VedrasLines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, constructed by Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet and his Portuguese workers between...
. He reached these by October 10. Finding the lines too strong to attack, the French withdrew into winter quarters. Deprived of food and harried by British hit-and-run tactics, the French lost 25,000 men captured or dead from starvation or sickness before they retreated into Spain early in 1811, freeing Portugal from French occupation except for Almeida
Almeida
Almeida is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 518 km2 and a total population of 7,784 inhabitants. Located in Riba-Côa river valley, Almeida is an historic town in Beira Interior....
, near the frontier. During the retreat, the Battle of Sabugal
Battle of Sabugal
The Battle of Sabugal was an engagement of the Peninsular War which took place on 3 April 1811 between Anglo-Portuguese forces under Arthur Wellesley and French troops under the command of Marshal André Masséna...
was also fought.
Battle of Sabugal
The Battle of SabugalBattle of Sabugal
The Battle of Sabugal was an engagement of the Peninsular War which took place on 3 April 1811 between Anglo-Portuguese forces under Arthur Wellesley and French troops under the command of Marshal André Masséna...
(April 3, 1811), Crauford had taken ill and was home in England so the Division was under the command of Major-General William Erskine
Sir William Erskine, 2nd Baronet
Major-General Sir William Erskine, 2nd Baronet was an officer in the British Army, served as a member of Parliament, and achieved important commands in the Napoleonic Wars under the Duke of Wellington, but ended his service in insanity and suicide.He was the eldest son of Lieutenant-General Sir...
, the plan was for the Light Division and two brigades of cavalry to circle behind the French open left flank while the other four divisions attacked the front. On the day of the battle there was a heavy fog, the other commanders decided to wait until visibility improved. Undeterred, Erskine ordered Lieut-Colonel Thomas Sydney Beckwith
Thomas Sydney Beckwith
Sir Thomas Sydney Beckwith, KCB was an officer of the British army who served as quartermaster general of the British forces in Canada during the War of 1812, and a commander-in-chief at Mumbai during the British Raj...
's 1st Brigade forward. Instead of crossing the Côa
COA
COA can refer to:*Codename Amscray*Cash on Arrival*Cause of action*CedarOpenAccounts*Center of Attention*Certificate of Appealability*Certificate of Approval for marriage or civil partnership in the United Kingdom*Certificate of Authenticity...
beyond the French, the brigade drifted to the left in the fog, crossed at the wrong location and struck the French left flank.
Erskine, who was very nearsighted and mentally unbalanced, then became cautious and issued explicit instructions to Colonel George Drummond not to support his fellow brigade commander. At this point, Erskine rode off to join the cavalry, leaving the Light Division leaderless for the rest of the battle. The French switched most of their 10,000-man corps against Beckwith's 1,500 and pressed the light infantry back. When Drummond heard the sounds of battle approaching, he deduced that Beckwith's men were retreating. Disobeying orders, Drummond led his 2nd Brigade across the Côa and joined Beckwith. Together they drove the French back.
Battle of Fuentes De Onoro
At the Battle of Fuentes de OnoroBattle of Fuentes de Onoro
In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro , the British-Portuguese Army under Viscount Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.-Background:...
(May 3, 1811) the 51st Foot
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. The regiment's traditions and history are now maintained by The Rifles.-The 51st Foot:...
and 85th Light Infantry, along with the Light Division demonstrated how the French Cavalry could be beaten by a combination of rapid movements, accurate rifle fire and disciplined formations. During the battle the Light Division was sent to reinforce the 51st and 85th Light Infantry, who had been caught in open ground and surrounded by French Cavalry. When reinforced, the whole force was able to retire rapidly – chased by the French cavalry. Whenever the French came close, the Light Infantrymen, Riflemen and Caçadores, rapidly formed squares at the last safe moment, beating off the Cavalry. This series of rapid moves, combined with the disciplined forming of squares – off the line of march, was a spectacle that few could have believed to have been possible.
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo
The Division now once again under the command of Robert Crauford was involved in the Siege of Ciudad RodrigoSiege of Ciudad Rodrigo
In the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, the Duke of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army seized the city from its French garrison under Brigadier General Baron Barrié on January 20, 1812 after a siege that started on January 7...
(January 8, 1812), where they stormed and took the Grand Teson redoubt. Then on January 19 together with Major-General Thomas Picton
Thomas Picton
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
's 3rd Division they were ordered to storm the city. Picton's Division assaulting the greater breach in the northwest of the citys walls while the Light Division was sent against the lesser breach in the north.
Launched at 7 pm, the assault was completely successful, although amongst the dead were Major-Generals Henry Mackinnon
Henry MacKinnon
Major-General Henry MacKinnon , was a British soldier. He commanded the 45th, 74th, and 88th regiments in the Napoleonic Peninsular War under the Duke of Wellington...
and Craufurd. The victory was somewhat marred when the British rank and file thoroughly sacked the city, despite the efforts of their officers.
Battle of Salamanca
Following on from the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo and the death of Crauford the Division now under the command of Charles AltenCharles Alten
Sir Charles Alten , Hanoverian and British soldier, son of Baron Alten, a member of an old Hanoverian family, entered the service of the elector as a page at the age of twelve. He led a famous Anglo-Portuguese division during the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division...
, was held as the reserve division for the Battle of Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
(July 22, 1812) and did not take a major part in the fighting.
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of VitoriaBattle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
(June 21, 1813), the division was part of the Right Center Column under Wellington's personal direction, Wellington launched his attack, in four columns and after hard fighting the enemy's centre was broken and soon the French defence crumbled. About 5,000 French soldiers were killed or wounded and 3,000 were taken prisoner, while Wellington's forces suffered about 5,000 killed or wounded. 152 cannons were captured, but King Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
narrowly escaped. The battle led to the collapse of Napoleonic rule in Spain.
Battle of the Pyrenees
During the French withdrawal across the Pyrenees and into France the Light Division was involved in the Battle of the PyreneesBattle of the Pyrenees
The Battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive launched on 25 July 1813 by Marshal Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult from the Pyrénées region on Emperor Napoleon’s order, in the hope of relieving French garrisons under siege at Pamplona and San Sebastián...
(July 25, 1813) and the Battle of the Bidassoa (1813)
Battle of the Bidassoa (1813)
In the Battle of the Bidassoa on 7 October 1813 the Allied army of Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington wrested a foothold on French soil from Nicolas Soult's French army. The Allied troops overran the French lines behind the Bidassoa River on the coast and along the Pyrenees crest between the...
(October 7, 1813),during which the toughest fighting of the day occurred in Major General Bertrand Clausel's center sector. John Colborne
John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton
Field Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC was a British field marshal and colonial governor.-Early service:...
's brigade of Charles Alten
Charles Alten
Sir Charles Alten , Hanoverian and British soldier, son of Baron Alten, a member of an old Hanoverian family, entered the service of the elector as a page at the age of twelve. He led a famous Anglo-Portuguese division during the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division...
's Light Division attacked La Bayonette. Not waiting for the attack, the French charged downhill and drove back the 95th Rifles. Suddenly the 52nd,appeared and quickly turned the tables. Following closely behind the retreating French, they overran the redoubt with surprising ease.
Meanwhile, James Kempt
James Kempt
General Sir James Kempt, GCB was a British Army officer, who served in Holland, Egypt, Italy, the Peninsula, and British North America during the Napoleonic Wars...
's second Light Division brigade and Francisco de Longa
Francisco de Longa
Francisco Tomás de Anchia Longa was a Spanish guerrilla He was born April 10, 1783 in the village of Longa Mallabia . A blacksmith by trade, he and 100 men enganged the French in guerilla warfare, attacking the lines of communication around Pancorbo, Orduña and Valdeajos. From these humble...
's Spanish division attacked up two spurs of Mont Larroun to secure some positions. The next day the French abandoned the position to avoid encirclement.
Battle of Nivelle
The Battle of NivelleBattle of Nivelle
The Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
(November 10, 1813), started just before dawn as the Light Division headed towards the plateau on the summit of the Greater Rhune (the summit had been garrisoned by French troops but they had fled after the skirmish on the River Bidassoa, fearing to be cut off from their own army). The objective of the division was to sweep the three defensive forts constructed by the French out of the battle. They moved down into the ravine in front of the Lesser Rhune and were ordered to lie down and await the order to attack. After the signal from a battery of cannon, the offensive began. It started with the 43rd, 52nd and 95th – with the Portuguese Caçadores in support, storming the redoubts on the crest of the Rhune. Despite this being a risky move and the men being almost exhausted, the surprise and boldness of the British sent the French fleeing towards other forts on other hills.
While the 43rd and 95th were dealing with the French on the Rhune, there still remained one very strong star-shaped fort below on the Mouiz plateau which reached out towards the coast. This was attacked by Colborne's 52nd, supported by riflemen from the 95th. Once again, the French were surprised and the British succeeded. They had, in the French eyes, appeared from the ground at which point, in danger of being cut off, the French soldiers quickly fled leaving Colborne in possession of the fort and other trenches without loss of a single fatal casualty.
Battle of Toulouse
The final action of the Peninsula War was the Battle of ToulouseBattle of Toulouse (1814)
The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
, (April 10, 1814), In the evening of April 10, 1814, Marshall Soult, received an official communiqué from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
informing him that Napoleon had surrendered to the Coalition forces in northern France. Unsure of what to do, Soult's generals advised him to surrender the city, as reinforcements were unlikely to arrive and further news reached Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
informing Soult of the surrender of French armies across France.
This ended the Peninsula War.
Claimed to be one of the strongest divisions in the British army in the Peninsula War, the Light Division proved its tough nature in the numerous actions it had been involved in from the infamous retreat to Corunna right up until the invasion of France in 1814 and the conclusion of the war at the Battle of Toulouse.
Structure during the Peninsular War
- Commanding Generals: Robert CraufurdRobert CraufurdMajor-General Robert Craufurd was a Scottish soldier and Member of Parliament . After a military career which took him from India to the Netherlands, he was given command of the Light Division in the Napoleonic Peninsular War under the Duke of Wellington...
, William ErskineSir William Erskine, 1st BaronetLieutenant-General Sir William Erskine, 1st Baronet was a British Army commander and the 1st baronet of the Erskine of Torrie creation.-Background:...
, Charles AltenCharles AltenSir Charles Alten , Hanoverian and British soldier, son of Baron Alten, a member of an old Hanoverian family, entered the service of the elector as a page at the age of twelve. He led a famous Anglo-Portuguese division during the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division... - 1st Brigade
- 1/43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry) Regiment43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of FootThe 43rd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It was raised as Thomas Fowke's Regiment of Foot in 1741 with its headquarters at Winchester. The regiment was numbered 54th Foot until 1748 when it became the 43rd Foot...
- 1/95th Rifles
- 3/95th Rifles (HQ & 5 companies)
- 3rd Portuguese CaçadoresCaçadoresThe Caçadores were the elite light infantry of the Portuguese Army during the Peninsular War...
.
- 1/43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry) Regiment
- 2nd Brigade
- 1/52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of FootThe 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
- 2/95th Rifles
- 1/17th Portuguese Line
- 2/17th Portuguese Line
- 1st Portuguese Caçadores.
- 1/52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
- Divisional Troops
- 1 troop, Royal Horse ArtilleryA Battery (The Chestnut Troop) Royal Horse ArtilleryA Battery Royal Horse Artillery is the senior Battery in the Royal Regiment of Artillery and is part of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery...
- Part of the 14th Light Dragoons
- Part of the 16th Light Dragoons
- 1 troop, Royal Horse Artillery
Waterloo
After the abdication of Napoleon in 1814 and his exile to the island of ElbaElba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
, the Peninsula army was dismantled and divided. Following Napoleon's escape and return to power in France, there was one more battle to fight.
A Light Division by name was not formed for Waterloo but the Light Infantry battalions, excepting the 1st battalion of the 95th which was assigned to the 5th Division, were massed into the 3rd British Brigade assigned to the 2nd Division. The 3rd Brigade was commanded by then Major-General Frederick Adam
Frederick Adam
General Sir Frederick Adam GCB GCMG was a Scottish major-general at the Battle of Waterloo, in command of the 3rd Brigade. He was the fourth son of William Adam of Blair Adam and his wife Eleanora, the daughter of Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinstone.-Military career:At the age of fourteen...
. The other brigades were foreign troops with the 1st Brigade consisting of 4 line battalions of the Kings German Legion and 3rd Brigade consisiting of 4 battalions of Hanoverian Landwehr
Landwehr
Landwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large scale, low strength fortifications...
(militia). Since the British army had so few light troops, 16 of 21 light infantry battalions in the Allied Army at Waterloo came from allied forces. The 3rd British Division, for example, had over 2,300 light infantry in King's German Legion and Hanoverian battalions.
The final action of the day saw Sir John Colborne bring the 52nd Light Infantry round to outflank the Old Guard
Old Guard
The Old Guard were the elite veteran elements of theEmperor Napoleon's Imperial Guard. As such it was the most prestigious formation in Napoleon's Grande Armée....
, of the French Imperial Guard as it advanced towards the British centre in a last ditch attempt to defeat Wellington.
As the column passed his brigade, the 52nd charged, fired a destructive volley into the left flank of the Chasseurs and attacked with the bayonet. The whole of the Guard was driven back down the hill and began a general retreat to the cry of "La Garde recule"
After their unsuccessful attack on the British centre, The French Imperial Guard made a last stand in squares on either side of the La Belle Alliance
La Belle Alliance
La Belle Alliance is an inn situated a few miles south of Brussels in Belgium.On the morning of June 18, 1815 the inn became Napoleon Bonaparte's headquarters for the Battle of Waterloo....
.The 3rd (Light) Brigade charged the square which was formed on rising ground to the (British) right of La Belle Alliance and again threw them into a state of confusion. The other square was attacked by the Prussians. The French retreated away from the battle field towards France.
Structure at Waterloo
- 2nd (Light) Brigade
- 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of FootThe 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
, (the biggest battalion at Waterloo) - 71st (Glasgow Highland) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)71st (Highland) Regiment of FootThe 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, which in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry .- First formation :...
- 2nd Battalion, 95th Rifles
- Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 95th Rifles
- 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
- 1st Brigade, King's German LegionKing's German LegionThe King's German Legion was a British Army unit of expatriate German personnel, 1803–16. The Legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars....
- 1st Line Battalion, KGL
- 2nd Line Battalion, KGL
- 3rd Line Battalion, KGL
- 4th Line Battalion, KGL
- 3rd Hanoverian Brigade
- Landwehr Battalion BremervördeBremervördeBremervörde is a town in the north of the district Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the Oste river near the mid of the triangle, which is formed of the rivers Weser and Elbe respectively the cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Cuxhaven....
- Landwehr Battalion 2nd Duke of York's (OsnabrückOsnabrückOsnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
) - Landwehr Battalion 3rd Duke of York's (QuakenbrückQuakenbrückQuakenbrück is a town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hase. It is part of the Samtgemeinde of Artland....
) - Landwehr Battalion SalzgitterSalzgitterSalzgitter is an independent city in southeast Lower Saxony, Germany, located between Hildesheim and Braunschweig. Together with Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, Salzgitter is one of the seven Oberzentren of Lower Saxony...
- Landwehr Battalion Bremervörde
Crimean War
The Crimean War (1853–1856) was fought between Imperial Russia on one side and an alliance of FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
, and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
on the other. Most of the conflict took place on the Crimean Peninsula
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, with additional actions occurring in western Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
region and is sometimes considered to be the first "modern" conflict and "introduced technical changes which affected the future course of warfare."
A Light Division was again formed for service, but this was in name only as no light infantry battalions were assigned to it. The division was involved in the Battle of the Alma (September 20, 1854), which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place in the vicinity of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St. Arnaud and Lord Raglan defeated General Menshikov's Russian army, which lost around 6,000 troops.
They were also engaged in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) , and the battle of Battle of Inkerman
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
(November 5, 1854) prior to the end of hostilities.
Structure during the Crimean War
- Commanding General:Lieutenant General Sir George Brown
- First Brigade:Major General William John CodringtonWilliam John CodringtonGeneral Sir William John Codrington GCB was a British general and politician who served in the Crimean War.-Military career:...
- 33rd Regiment of Foot
- 23rd The Royal Welch Regiment of FusiliersRoyal Welch FusiliersThe Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
- 7th Regiment of Foot
- Second Brigade:Major General Sir George BullerGeorge BullerGeorge Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1646.Buller was the son of Sir Richard Buller, of Shillingham, Cornwall and his wife Alice Hayward, daughter of Sir Rowland Hayward...
- 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of FootThe 77th Regiment of Foot was a line regiment of the British Army . In 1881 it was united with the 57th Regiment of Foot to form The Middlesex Regiment ....
- 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers)88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers)The 88th Regiment of Foot was an Irish Regiment of the British Army, one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned in Ireland. As part of the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British army, the regiment amalgamated with the 94th Foot, to form the Connaught Rangers on 1 July 1881...
- 19th (1st North Riding of Yorkshire) Regiment of Foot
- 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
- One troop of Royal Horse ArtilleryRoyal Horse ArtilleryThe regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
- one field BatteryArtillery batteryIn military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
By the late 19th century the concept of fighting in formation was on the wane and the distinctions between light and heavy infantry began to disappear. Essentially, all infantry became light infantry in practice. Some regiments retained the name and customs, but there was in effect no difference between them and other infantry regiments.
World Wars
During World War I two Light Divisions were formed the 14th (Light) DivisionBritish 14th (Light) Division
The 14th Division was one of the Kitchener's Army divisions raised from volunteers by Lord Kitchener. It fought on the Western Front for the duration of the First World War.- Formation :...
(they were the first division to be attacked by Germans using flamethrowers), and the 20th (Light) Division. Both served on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and were involved in the major battles, including
the Battle of the Somme, Battle of Arras
Battle of Arras
The name Battle of Arras refers to a number of battles which took place near the town of Arras in Artois, France:*Battle of Arras , a clash between the French and the Spanish...
and the Battle of Ypres
Battle of Ypres
There were five Battles of Ypres during World War I:*First Battle of Ypres *Second Battle of Ypres...
.
The British Army did not form a Light Division for service during World War II, but the ethos of the Light Division was carried on in new infantry formations such as the Commandos, Parachute Regiment and the Chindits
Chindits
The Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
all lightly armed fast and agile units.
The Light Division reformed
After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry depots, each bearing a letter. Infantry Depot J at FarnboroughFarnborough Airfield
Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England...
, was the headquarters for the six English light infantry regiments and Infantry Depot O at Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
was the headquarters for the two rifle regiments and the Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
. In 1948, the depots adopted names and this became the Light Infantry Brigade
Light Infantry Brigade
The Light Infantry Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular English light infantry regiments....
and Green Jackets Brigade
Green Jackets Brigade
The Green Jackets Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the English rifle regiments. The designation "Green Jackets" was derived from their rifle green tunics indicating their status as rifles....
.
Then in 1968 the Light Division was reformed as an Administration Division with the regimentation of the Light Infantry Brigade and the Green Jackets Brigade.
As formed, the Light Division comprised seven regular infantry battalions:
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions, The Light InfantryThe Light InfantryThe Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions, The Royal Green JacketsRoyal Green JacketsThe Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
The Light Infantry lost its 4th Battalion in 1969, while both regiments lost a battalion in 1992.
In 2005, two further regiments were attached to the Light Division:
- 1st Battalion, The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry
- 1st Battalion, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry
This was in preparation for all four regiments being amalgamated into a single large regiment named The Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
,
which was formed in February 2007. Regimental names of the regiments that formed The Rifles were not maintained. As a consequence, upon the formation of The Rifles, the name Light Division was no longer to be used.
Prior to that in 2005 a new manouvre brigade appeared in 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...
, 19th Light Brigade, as a fast, agile, lightly armed Brigade to balance the mix of Heavy and Light Brigades in the British Army order of battle.
External links
- http://www.britishbattles.com/
- http://www.95thrifles.com 95th (Rifle) Regiment of Foot - Battle Re-enactment and Living History
- http://www.1st95thrifles.com/ 1st Battalion, 95th (Rifle) Regiment of Foot (1/95) - 95th Rifles Living History Society
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/the_rifles/&date=2009-10-25+22:52:33 2nd Battalion, 95th (Rifle) Regiment of Foot (2/95) - Living History and Battle Re-enactment
- http://www.royalgreenjackets.co.uk Royal Green Jackets and Rifle Brigade Museum
- http://robertcraufurd.iespana.es
- http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regts/the_rifles/index.htm