32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot

Last updated

32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot
32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot Badge.jpg
Badge of the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot
Active1702–1881
CountryFlag of England.svg  Kingdom of England (1702–1707)

Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1801)

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom (1801–1881)
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Garrison/HQ Victoria Barracks, Bodmin
MarchOne and All
Engagements War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
Napoleonic Wars
Lower Canada Rebellion
Second Anglo-Sikh War
Indian Rebellion
Battle honours Gibraltar 1705

The 32nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881.

Contents

History

Early wars

The regiment was first raised by Colonel Edward Fox as Edward Fox’s Regiment of Marines in 1702 to fight in the War of the Spanish Succession. [1] [2] Elements of the regiment joined the fleet which sailed from Spithead in July 1702 [3] and saw action as marines at the Battle of Vigo Bay in October 1702. [4] The marines returned to England in November 1702. [5] The regiment also took part in the capture and defence of Gibraltar in July 1704 [6] and suffered very heavy losses at the Battle of Almansa in April 1707. [7] It was disbanded in 1713 but re-raised as Jacob Borr’s Regiment of Foot in 1714. [1] [8] It then served in Ireland from 1716 to 1734. [9]

Soldier of 32nd regiment, 1742 Soldier of 32nd regiment 1742.jpg
Soldier of 32nd regiment, 1742

In summer 1742 the regiment was despatched to Belgium for service in the War of the Austrian Succession: [10] it was held in reserve at the Battle of Dettingen in June 1743. [11] but fought at the Battle of Fontenoy in May 1745. [12] The regiment returned to England in October 1745 and were stationed in Lancashire during the Jacobite rising in 1745. [13] On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant was issued declaring that in future regiments were no longer to be known by their colonel's name, but by the "Number or Rank of the Regiment". Accordingly, General Francis Leighton's Regiment was renamed as the 32nd Regiment of Foot. [1]

In late 1775, Rockingham Castle, which had been hired to transport three companies of the regiment, along with a number of their families, making for Cobh in a heavy gale, mistook Robert's Cove for the entrance to Cork harbour, and was driven onto a lee shore at Reannie's Bay, a few miles distant. The master and crew of the ship were drowned, as were about ninety of the passengers. [14] In 1782 all regiments of the line without a royal title were given a county designation and the regiment became the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot. [1] In 1796 the regiment was deployed to Saint-Domingue as part of the response to a rebellion there but one of the transport ships was captured by the French Navy and some soldiers from the regiment, along with Lieutenant General Frederick Wetherall, became prisoners of war. [15] The regiment were also sent to Dublin as part of the response to the Irish rebellion in 1803. [16]

Napoleonic Wars

The Battle of Salamanca at which the regiment contributed to the storming parties Battle of Salamanca.jpg
The Battle of Salamanca at which the regiment contributed to the storming parties

The regiment was deployed to Denmark in July 1807 and were ordered aboard the captured Danish ships as marines at the Battle of Copenhagen in August 1807 during the Gunboat War. [17]

The regiment landed in Portugal in June 1808, and under General Sir Arthur Wellesley, fought in the Battle of Roliça [18] and the Battle of Vimeiro in August 1808. [19] The regiment fought under General Sir John Moore in the retreat to Corunna, [20] and on returning to England they were part of the Walcheren Campaign in the Netherlands where many were struck down with malaria. [21] After being reinforced the regiment returned to Spain in June 1811, [22] and contributed to the storming parties at the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812. [23] The regiment pursued the French Army into France and saw action again at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813, [24] the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 [25] and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813 [26] as well as the Battle of Orthez in February 1814. [26]

During the Napoleonic Wars the regiment had white facings on its uniform and the officer's lace and buttons were gold. The officer's jackets were unlaced, with 10 twist buttonholes placed in pairs. The jacket of the other ranks had 10 square loops spaced in pairs. [27] The regiment fought at the Battle of Quatre Bras, arriving about 3 pm on 16 June 1815 just in time to help halt the French advance. [28] Two days later at Battle of Waterloo the regiment was stationed opposite the French main attacks, standing their ground before attacking Napoleon's assaulting troops. The 1st Battalion of the regiment was part of the 8th British Brigade commanded by Major-General James Kempt, which was in turn part of the 5th British Infantry Division under Lieutenant-General Thomas Picton. The regiment was commanded on the field by Lieutenant-Colonel John Hicks and numbered at 503 men at the battle of Waterloo having suffered casualties at Quatre Bras. [29] It was two men of the regiment's Grenadier company who bore Pictons's body away after he was fatally shot through the head. [30]

The Victorian era

Sir John Inglis of the 32nd Regiment by William Gush, Province House (Nova Scotia) JohnInglisByWilliamGushNSProvinceHouse.JPG
Sir John Inglis of the 32nd Regiment by William Gush, Province House (Nova Scotia)

The regiment was sent to Canada in June 1830 [31] and fought at the Battle of Saint-Denis in November 1837 [32] and at the Battle of Saint-Eustache in December 1837 during the Lower Canada Rebellion. [33] The regiment also saw action at the Siege of Multan in autumn 1848 [34] and at the Battle of Gujrat in February 1849 during the Second Anglo-Sikh War. [35]

The regiment defended Lucknow from July to November 1857, Victoria Crosses being awarded to William Dowling, [36] Henry Gore-Browne, [37] Samuel Lawrence [36] and William Oxenham. [36] The regiment's commanding officer, Colonel John Inglis, was in overall command of the Lucknow Residency during the siege. [38] The regiment was retitled the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) in recognition of its contribution during the rebellion. [1]

As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 32nd was linked with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 35 at Victoria Barracks, Bodmin. [39] On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. [1] The home church of the 32nd Regiment where regimental colours are retired is St. Petroc's Church located in Bodmin, Cornwall. [40] [41]

Battle honours

Battle honours gained by the regiment were: [1]

Victoria Crosses

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were: [1]

NameDate of AppointmentNotes
Col. Beville Skelton1672Disbanded 1674
Col. Beville Skelton9 October 1688Disbanded 1701
Col. Edward Fox12 February 1702Disbanded 1713
Brig-Gen. Jacob Borr5 December 1714
Brig-Gen. Charles Dubourgay28 June 1723
Brig-Gen. Thomas Paget 28 July 1732
Col. Simon Descury15 December 1738
Gen. John Huske 25 December 1740
Lt-Gen. Henry Skelton27 August 1743
Brig-Gen. William Douglas 29 May 1745
Gen. Francis Leighton 1 December 1747
32nd Regiment of Foot – (1751)
Col. Robert Robinson11 June 1773
Lt-Gen. William Amherst 18 October 1775
Gen. The Earl of Ross 17 May 1781
32nd (the Cornwall) Regiment of Foot – (1782)
Gen. James Ogilvie 4 September 1802
Gen. Alexander Campbell 15 February 1813
Lt-Gen. Sir Samuel Venables Hinde, K.C.B.28 February 1832
Gen. Sir Robert Macfarlane, K.C.B.26 September 1837
Lt-Gen. Sir John Buchan, K.C.B.12 June 1843
Sir Richard Armstrong, K.C.B.25 June 1850
Gen. Sir Willoughby Cotton, G.C.B., K.C.B.17 April 1854
32nd (The Cornwall) Regiment Foot (Light Infantry) – (1858)
Sir John Eardley Inglis, K.C.B.5 May 1860
Gen. Henry Dundas, 3rd Viscount Melville, K.C.B.17 October 1862
Gen. Sir George Brown, G.C.B.1 April 1863
Lt-Gen. William George Gold28 August 1865
Gen. Sir George Bell, K.C.B.2 February 1867
Lord Frederick Paulet, C.B.3 August 1868
Gen. Sir William Jones, K.C.B.2 January 1871

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Hill Lawrence</span> Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross

Major Samuel Hill Lawrence VC, born in Cork, was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Oxenham</span> English Victoria Cross recipient (1823-1875)

William Oxenham VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry</span> Military unit

The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry (SCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in October 1959 by the merger of the Somerset Light Infantry and the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, and was itself merged with three other regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade in 1968 to form The Light Infantry.

The Battle of Chinhat was fought on the morning of 30 June 1857, between British forces and Indian rebels, at Ismailganj, near Chinhat, Oude (Awad/Oudh). The British were led by The Chief Commissioner of Oude, Sir Henry Lawrence. The insurgent force, which consisted of mutineers from the East India Company's army and retainers of local landowners, was led by Barkat Ahmad, a mutineer officer of the Company's army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 85th Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devonshire Regiment</span> Former regiment of the British Army

The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 the regiment was amalgamated with the Dorset Regiment to form the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment which, in 2007, was amalgamated with the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, the Royal Green Jackets and The Light Infantry to form a new large regiment, The Rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">42nd Regiment of Foot</span> Scottish regiment in the British Army

The 42nd Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment in the British Army also known as the Black Watch. Originally titled Crawford's Highlanders or the Highland Regiment and numbered 43rd in the line, in 1748, on the disbanding of Oglethorpe's Regiment of Foot, they were renumbered 42nd, and in 1751 formally titled the 42nd (Highland) Regiment of Foot. The 42nd Regiment was one of the first three Highland Regiments to fight in North America. The unit was honoured with the name Royal Highland Regiment in 1758. Its informal name Black Watch became official in 1861. In 1881, the regiment was amalgamated with 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot under the Childers Reforms into The Royal Highland Regiment , being officially redesignated The Black Watch in 1931. In 2006, the Black Watch became part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

The 38th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1705. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 80th Regiment of Foot to form the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, raised as the 73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot in 1777. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot</span> British Army infantry regiment (1702-1881)

The 34th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot to form the Border Regiment in 1881.

The 37th Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in Ireland in February 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 67th Regiment of Foot to become the Hampshire Regiment in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 46th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881, becoming the 2nd Battalion of the new regiment.

The 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) in 1881.

The 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) was an infantry regiment of the East India Company and British Army that existed from 1652 to 1881. The regiment was raised in India in 1652 by the East India Company as the company's first non-native infantry regiment. Over the following two centuries, the regiment was involved in nearly all of the East India Company's conflicts which consolidated British rule over India. The Royal Bengal Fusiliers was transferred to the command of the British Army in 1862 following the Indian Mutiny of 1857 and the end of Company rule in India. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) to form the Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1881.

The Duke of Buckingham's Light Infantry is a fictional regiment of the British Army depicted in a series of historical novels by John Mackenzie. They are nicknamed "The Sky Blues" from their sky-blue facings. They bear the chained-and-collared Swan badge of the Mandeville family superimposed over the Bugle badge of the Light Infantry as their cap badge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">90th Regiment of Foot (Perthshire Volunteers)</span> Military unit

The 90th Perthshire Light Infantry was a Scottish light infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1794. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot to form the Cameronians in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry</span> Light infantry regiment of the British Army

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959.

In 1775 a vessel variously named Rockingham, Castle Rockingham, or Marquis of Rockingham wrecked on the Irish coast with loss of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Eardley Inglis</span>

Major General Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis was a British Army officer, best known for his role in protecting the British compound for 87 days in the siege of Lucknow.

General Sir William Jones, was a Welsh soldier who was a senior officer in the British Army.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2006. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. Swiney, p. 4
  3. Swiney, p. 8
  4. Swiney, p. 10
  5. Swiney, p. 12
  6. Swiney, p. 20
  7. Swiney, p. 24
  8. Swiney, p. 25
  9. Swiney, p. 27
  10. Swiney, p. 30
  11. Swiney, p. 32
  12. Swiney, p. 34
  13. Swiney, p. 37
  14. Swiney, p. 46
  15. Swiney, p. 52
  16. Swiney, p. 55
  17. Ross-Lewin, p. 62–68
  18. Swiney, p. 61
  19. Swiney, p. 63
  20. Swiney, p. 69
  21. Swiney, p. 74
  22. Swiney, p. 78
  23. Swiney, p. 81
  24. Swiney, p. 99
  25. Swiney, p. 101
  26. 1 2 Swiney, p. 103
  27. Franklin, p. 195–196
  28. Swiney, p. 116
  29. Adkin, p. 44, 369, 378
  30. Swiney, p. 120
  31. Swiney, p. 143
  32. Swiney, p. 144
  33. Swiney, p. 146
  34. Swiney, p. 153
  35. Swiney, p. 156
  36. 1 2 3 "No. 22328". The London Gazette . 22 November 1859. p. 4193.
  37. "No. 22636". The London Gazette . 20 June 1862. p. 3152.
  38. Swiney, p. 175
  39. "Training Depots". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  40. "The Somerset and Cornwall Light Inbfantry: Regimental chapels". British Armed Forces. Retrieved 26 October 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  41. Swiney, p. xii

Sources