85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers)

Last updated

85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers)
Active1793 - 1881
CountryUnion flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Kingdom of Great Britain (1793–1800)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom (1801–1881)
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Type Infantry
SizeOne battalion (two battalions 1800–1802)
Garrison/HQ Cowley Barracks, Oxford
Nickname(s)The Young Bucks [1]
The Elegant Extracts [1]
Engagements French Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars
Second Anglo-Afghan War

The 85th (Bucks Volunteers) 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.

Contents

History

Formation

Lieutenant-Colonel George Nugent, founder of the regiment Georgenugent.gif
Lieutenant-Colonel George Nugent, founder of the regiment

The regiment was raised in Buckinghamshire by Lieutenant-Colonel George Nugent as the 85th Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by the French Revolution, on 18 November 1793. [2] The regiment was sent to join the Duke of York's army in the Netherlands in 1794 as part of the unsuccessful defence of that country against the Republican French during the Flanders Campaign. [3] It was posted to Gibraltar in 1795 and returned home in 1797. [3] It embarked for the Netherlands again in August 1799 and saw action at the Battle of Alkmaar and the Battle of Castricum in October 1799 during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. [3]

Napoleonic Wars

The Battle of New Orleans, at which the regiment carried out a successful attack, January 1815 Battle of New Orleans, Jean Hyacinthe de Laclotte.jpg
The Battle of New Orleans, at which the regiment carried out a successful attack, January 1815

A second battalion was raised in 1800. [2] The 1st Battalion was deployed to Madeira in 1801 and both battalions went to Jamaica in 1802; the two battalions were amalgamated there later in the year. [3] The regiment absorbed the Bucks volunteers in 1802 and became the 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot in 1802. [2] It returned to England in 1808 and converted to a Light Infantry role, becoming the 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) later in the year. [2] The regiment next took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in autumn 1809. [3]

The regiment embarked for Portugal in 1811 for service under Viscount Wellington in the Peninsular War. [3] It fought at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811, the Second Siege of Badajoz later that month and the Siege of San Sebastián in autumn 1813. [3] It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813 before returning to England in April 1814. [3]

The regiment was dispatched to North America in May 1814 and saw action in the last phase of the War of 1812. [4] It fought at the Battle of Bladensburg, capturing two American colours, in August 1814. [5] Under the command of Colonel William Thornton, the regiment accompanied by detachments from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, [6] [7] [8] carried out a successful attack on the American positions on the west bank of the Mississippi River during the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815. [9] Casualties among the regiment were: 2 dead, 1 captured and 41 wounded. [9] The regiment returned home later that year. [3]

The Victorian era

The regiment was dispatched to Malta and became the 85th (or The Duke of York's Own) Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) in April 1821. [2] After that it transferred to Gibraltar and became the 85th, or The King's Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) in August 1827. [2] The regiment went back to Malta in 1828 and then returned home in 1831. [3] It embarked for Canada in 1838 as part of the response to the rebellions in Lower and Upper Canada and then transferred to the West Indies in 1843 before returning home in 1846. [3] The regiment was posted to Mauritius in 1853 and South Africa in 1856 before returning home again in 1863. [3] It embarked for India in 1868 and was deployed to Afghanistan for service in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878. [3] After returning to India, it took part in operations against the Zaimukhts and was involved in the destruction of their capital, Zawa, in 1879. [5]

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 85th was linked with the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 42 at Cowley Barracks in Oxford. [10] On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot to become the 2nd battalion, the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. [2]

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: [2]

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the Regiment were: [2]

85th Regiment of Foot

85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot - (1802)

85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) - (1808)

85th (or The Duke of York's Own) Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) - (1821)

85th, or The King's Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) - (1827)

Related Research Articles

The 96th Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1798. Under the Childers reforms it amalgamated with the 63rd Regiment of Foot to form the Manchester Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers)</span> Military unit

The 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) was an infantry Regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 94th Regiment of Foot to form the Connaught Rangers 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">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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with 72nd Regiment, Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders to form the Seaforth Highlanders in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot to form the East Surrey 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 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">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 69th 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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 59th Regiment of Foot to form the East Lancashire Regiment in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot</span> Former British Army regiment

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot</span> Military unit

The 86th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 83rd Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Irish Rifles in 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15th The King's Hussars</span> Military unit

The 15th The King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 19th Royal Hussars into the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars in 1922.

The 51st Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 105th Regiment of Foot to form the King's Own Yorkshire 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. 1 2 Burnham, Robert; McGuigan, Ron (2010). The British Army against Napoleon. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Frontline Books. p. 128. ISBN   978-1-84832-562-3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "85th, or The King's Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers)". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 15 July 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers): Locations". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 16 June 2006. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  4. ↑ Vetch, Robert Hamilton (1898). "Thornton, William (1779?-1840)"  . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 56. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 309–310.
  5. 1 2 "The 85th Regiment: History 1759 - 1881". Shropshire Regimental Museum. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  6. ↑ Patterson, Benton Rain, p. 230.
  7. ↑ "Correspondence from Cochrane, ADM 1/508 folio 757, states 'the whole amounting to about six hundred men'".
  8. ↑ Gleig, George (1840). "Recollections of the Expedition to the Chesapeake, and against New Orleans, by an Old Sub". United Service Journal (2). Gleig, on p340, uses the source document a report from Thornton to Pakenham 'we were unable to proceed across the river until eight hours after the time appointed, and even then with only a third part of the force which you had allotted for the service * viz 298 of the 85th, and 200 Seamen and Marines'
  9. 1 2 "No. 16991". The London Gazette . 9 March 1815. pp. 440–446.
  10. ↑ "Training Depots". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.

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.