69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot

Last updated
69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot
Active10 December 1756–1 July 1881
CountryUnion flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Kingdom of Great Britain (1756–1800)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom (1801–1881)
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Type Infantry
SizeOne battalion (two battalions 1795–1796 and 1803–1816)
Garrison/HQ Maindy Barracks, Cardiff
Nickname(s)The Ups and Downs
The Old Agamemnons [1]
Engagements Seven Years' War
Napoleonic Wars
Fenian raids

The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881.

Contents

History

Formation

The Battle of the Saintes in April 1782, by Thomas Whitcombe The battle of the Saints 12 avril 1782.jpg
The Battle of the Saintes in April 1782, by Thomas Whitcombe

The formation of the regiment was prompted by the expansion of the army as a result of the commencement of the Seven Years' War. On 25 August 1756 it was ordered that a number of existing regiments should raise a second battalion; among those chosen was the 24th Regiment of Foot. The 2nd Battalion of the 24th Regiment of Foot was formed on 10 December 1756 and renumbered as the 69th Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. [2] The regiment took part in the Raid on St Malo in June 1758 and then formed part of a force which successfully captured Belle Île in spring 1761. [3] It embarked for the West Indies later that year and took part in the Invasion of Martinique in January 1762 before returning home in 1763. [3] The regiment returned to the West Indies in November 1781 and took part in the Battle of Saint Kitts in January 1782 and, while serving as marines, in the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782. [4] In August 1782 the regiment took a county title as the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot. [2] The regiment returned home in 1785. [3]

Napoleonic Wars

Sir Cornelius Cuyler, colonel of the regiment throughout the Napoleonic Wars General Sir Cornelius Cuyler.jpg
Sir Cornelius Cuyler, colonel of the regiment throughout the Napoleonic Wars
The Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797, by Robert Cleveley Cleveley, Cape St Vincent.jpg
The Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797, by Robert Cleveley
The Siege of Bergen op Zoom in March 1814 The attack on Bergen-Op-Zoom.jpg
The Siege of Bergen op Zoom in March 1814

Detachments from the regiment embarked as marines in early 1793 and were in combat on the third-rate HMS Leviathan at the capture of Toulon in December 1793, [5] the attack on the Tour de Mortella in February 1794 [5] and at the Glorious First of June in June 1794. [6] They transferred to the third-rate HMS Agamemnon and served under Lord Nelson at the Battle of Genoa in March 1795, [3] and then, after Nelson's transfer into the third-rate Captain in June 1796, with him at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797. [6] At Cape St Vincent, Matthew Stevens, a soldier from the regiment, was the first to board the Spanish ship San Nicolas. [6]

The main part of the regiment returned to the West Indies in 1796 to take part in a British invasion of Saint-Domingue, [7] where almost half of them caught yellow fever. [8] After returning home in 1798, the regiment took part in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in August 1799. [9] It moved to Jamaica in July 1800 and returned home again in June 1802. [10]

A second battalion was raised in 1803. [2] The 1st battalion embarked for India in 1805 and helped to suppress the Vellore mutiny in July 1806 [10] and the Travancore Rebellion in spring 1809. [11] It went on to see action during the Invasion of Île Bonaparte in July 1810, the Invasion of Isle de France in December 1810 and the Invasion of Java in August 1811. [12]

Meanwhile the 2nd battalion embarked for the Netherlands in 1813 and took part in the Siege of Bergen op Zoom in March 1814. [13] It served at the Battle of Quatre Bras and the Battle of Waterloo. [13] At Quatre Bras the King's Colour was captured by the enemy [14] and Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Morice, commanding officer of the battalion, was killed in a French cavalry charge. [15] The two battalions amalgamated again in 1816. [2]

The Victorian era

Private, 69th Regiment, c1880. From the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes MET DPB874232 Private, 69th Infantry, Great Britain, from the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes MET DPB874232.jpg
Private, 69th Regiment, c1880. From the Military Series (N224) issued by Kinney Tobacco Company to promote Sweet Caporal Cigarettes MET DPB874232

The regiment embarked for the West Indies in November 1831 and was stationed in Saint Vincent before moving to Demerara in 1835. [16] It sailed for Halifax in Nova Scotia in January 1839 before returning home in September 1842. [17] It arrived in Malta in December 1847 and then went on to Barbados in 1851 before returning to England in May 1857. [18] It departed for Burma later that year and then went on to India in 1862 before returning home in May 1864. [19] It embarked for Canada in August 1867 and while, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Bagot, helped to defeat a Fenian Raid at the Battle of Trout River in May 1870. [20] It embarked for Bermuda later that year and moved to Gibraltar in 1873 before returning home in 1878. [3]

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 69th was linked with the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 24 at Maindy Barracks in Cardiff. [21] On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment. [2]

Traditions

The regiment's nickname "The Ups and Downs" is said to refer to its being composed of old veterans and raw recruits. [22] Alternatively, it may come from the number, which reads the same upside down. [22]

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: [2]

Bourbon, Java, Waterloo, India

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the Regiment were: [2]

69th Regiment of Foot

69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot - (1782)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welch Regiment</span> British Army formation

The Welch Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th Regiment of Foot to form the Welsh Regiment, by which it was known until 1920 when it was renamed the Welch Regiment. In 1969 the regiment was amalgamated with the South Wales Borderers to form the Royal Regiment of Wales.

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

The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1958 it amalgamated with the East Yorkshire Regiment (15th Foot) to form the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire which was, on 6 June 2006, amalgamated with the Green Howards and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) to form the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot).

The 89th Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, raised on 3 December 1793. Under the Childers Reforms the regiment amalgamated with the 87th Regiment of Foot to form the Princess Victoria's in 1881.

<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">55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot</span> British Army infantry regiment (1755-1881)

The 55th Regiment of Foot was a British Army infantry regiment, raised in 1755. After 1782 it had a county designation added, becoming known as the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot to form the Border Regiment in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 92nd Regiment of Foot was a British Army infantry regiment, raised in 1794. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gordon Highlanders in 1881.

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">72nd Regiment, Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders</span> Military unit

The 72nd Highlanders was a British Army Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line. Raised in 1778, it was originally numbered 78th, before being redesignated the 72nd in 1786. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment to form the 1st Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders in 1881.

The 65th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756 as the 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment of Foot. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 84th Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the East Surrey Regiment in 1881.

The 91st Regiment of Foot was a Line Regiment of the British Army, raised in 1794. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 93rd Regiment of Foot to form the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1689. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 108th Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 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">67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 67th Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 37th Regiment of Foot to form the Hampshire Regiment in 1881.

The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th Regiment of Foot to form the Welch 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 59th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1755 in response to the threat of renewed war with France. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot to form the East Lancashire Regiment in 1881.

The 85th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881.

<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">94th Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 94th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised as the Scotch Brigade in October 1794. It was renumbered as the 94th Regiment of Foot in December 1802 and disbanded in December 1818. The regiment was reformed in December 1823 and served until 1881 when it amalgamated with the 88th Regiment of Foot to form the Connaught Rangers.

References

  1. ↑ Burnham, Robert; McGuigan, Ron (2010). The British Army against Napoleon. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Frontline Books. p. 127. ISBN   978-1-84832-562-3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 16 January 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot: locations". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 19 January 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Smyth, p. 4
  5. 1 2 Smyth, p. 5
  6. 1 2 3 Haythornthwaite, Philip (1993). Nelson's Navy. Osprey. ISBN   978-1855323346.
  7. ↑ Smyth, p. 6
  8. ↑ Perry, p. 72
  9. ↑ Smyth, p. 7
  10. 1 2 Smyth, p. 8
  11. ↑ Smyth, p. 11
  12. ↑ Smyth, p. 12
  13. 1 2 Smyth, p. 13
  14. ↑ "2nd Battalion 69th (South Lincolnshire) Foot during the Waterloo Campaign". Napoleon Series. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  15. ↑ Nofi, p. 113
  16. ↑ Smyth, p. 15
  17. ↑ Smyth, p. 16
  18. ↑ Smyth, p. 17
  19. ↑ Smyth, p. 18
  20. ↑ Smyth, p. 21
  21. ↑ "Training Depots". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  22. 1 2 "The Aylesbury Girl / As I Strolled Out to Aylesbury / The Ups and Downs". Mainly Norfolk. Retrieved 29 January 2017.

Sources

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.