30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot
Encyclopedia
The 30th Regiment of Foot was an infantry
regiment of the British Army, formed in 1702 and amalgamated into The East Lancashire Regiment in 1881.
was authorised to raise a regiment of foot in Lincolnshire
. Lord Castleton's Regiment of Foot was duly formed, and in 1691 travelled to Flanders
. In 1694 the colonelcy of the unit changed and it became Colonel Thomas Sanderson's Regiment of Foot.
With the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick
in 1697 the war came to an end. Sanderson's Regiment returned to England, where it was disbanded on 4 March 1698.
. Sanderson was commissioned to reform his regiment as marines. In February 1702 Thomas Sanderson's Regiment of Marines (or the 1st Regiment of Marines) was reraised in Lincolnshire.
The unit took part in the capture and defence of Gibraltar
in 1704–1705. It subsequently took part in the campaign led by the Earl of Peterborough
and was involved in the taking of Barcelona
. The regiment's title changed with the name of its colonel: Thomas Pownall (1704–1705) and Charles Willis (from 1705).
Following a number of years of garrison duty in Ireland and the Mediterranean, the regiment was again in Gibraltar during the siege of 1727
. The next two decades were fairly uneventful for the regiment which spent most of its time in England or Ireland. During the War of Austrian Succession in the 1740s the unit saw some action on the French coast.
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 Colonel the Earl of Loudoun's Regiment was renamed as the 30th Regiment of Foot. The warrant also for the first time regulated the uniform clothing of the army, and provided that the 30th should wear pale yellow facings on their red uniform coats.
During the Seven Years' War
the 30th was mainly employed on garrison duty in southern England, and also took place in some raids on the French coast. Their most notable action was the taking of the French warship Belleisle
in 1761.
to take part in the southern campaign of the American War of Independence. The regiment then spent nine years on Antigua
, St Lucia and Dominica
. In 1782 all regiments of the line without a royal title were given a county designation and the regiment became the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot.
to repel the French invasion. They returned to England in 1802 and formed a second battalion in the following year. The 1st Battalion sailed for India where they remained until 1829. The 2nd Battalion embarked for Portugal
in 1808 taking part in the Peninsular War
and fighting at the battles of Badajoz and Salamanca
.
They subsequently landed in Holland, and fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
before returning to England in 1829.
of 1853–1856, and was present at the battles of Alma
, Sevastopol
and Inkerman
.
as Britain increased their military presence following the Trent Affair
. The regiment remained there until 1869, and was involved in repelling the Fenian raids
.
On 1 July 1881 the Childers reforms
came into effect, and the 30th Foot was paired with the 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot
to form the East Lancashire Regiment
.
Following a number of amalgamations since 1958, the lineage of the 30th Foot is continued today by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
s and honorary distinctions to be borne on their colours. The year shown is the year of the award, not the action.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment of the British Army, formed in 1702 and amalgamated into The East Lancashire Regiment in 1881.
Predecessor regiment
In 1689, during the Nine Years' War, Viscount CastletonGeorge Saunderson, 5th Viscount Castleton
George Saunderson, 5th Viscount Castleton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1698....
was authorised to raise a regiment of foot in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. Lord Castleton's Regiment of Foot was duly formed, and in 1691 travelled to Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. In 1694 the colonelcy of the unit changed and it became Colonel Thomas Sanderson's Regiment of Foot.
With the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
in 1697 the war came to an end. Sanderson's Regiment returned to England, where it was disbanded on 4 March 1698.
Regiment of Marines
By 1702 England was again involved in a European conflict which became known as the War of the Spanish SuccessionWar of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. Sanderson was commissioned to reform his regiment as marines. In February 1702 Thomas Sanderson's Regiment of Marines (or the 1st Regiment of Marines) was reraised in Lincolnshire.
The unit took part in the capture and defence of Gibraltar
Capture of Gibraltar
The Capture of Gibraltar by the Anglo-Dutch forces of the Grand Alliance occurred between 1–3 August 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Since the beginning of the war the Allies had been looking for a harbour in the Iberian Peninsula to control the Strait of Gibraltar and facilitate...
in 1704–1705. It subsequently took part in the campaign led by the Earl of Peterborough
Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough
Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough and 1st Earl of Monmouth, KG, PC was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the son of John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter and sole heiress of Thomas Carey, the second son of Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth...
and was involved in the taking of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. The regiment's title changed with the name of its colonel: Thomas Pownall (1704–1705) and Charles Willis (from 1705).
Conversion to infantry
In 1714 the regiment was converted to conventional infantry as Charles Willis's Regiment of Foot. The regimental title continued to change with the colonel until the introduction of numbering in 1751.Following a number of years of garrison duty in Ireland and the Mediterranean, the regiment was again in Gibraltar during the siege of 1727
Siege of Gibraltar (1727)
The Siege of Gibraltar of 1727 saw Spanish forces besiege the British garrison of Gibraltar as part of the Anglo-Spanish War. Depending on the sources, Spanish troops were between 12,000 and 25,000. British defenders were 1,500 at the beginning of the siege, increasing up to about 5,000...
. The next two decades were fairly uneventful for the regiment which spent most of its time in England or Ireland. During the War of Austrian Succession in the 1740s the unit saw some action on the French coast.
30th Regiment of Foot
On 1 July 1751 a royal warrantRoyal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
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 Colonel the Earl of Loudoun's Regiment was renamed as the 30th Regiment of Foot. The warrant also for the first time regulated the uniform clothing of the army, and provided that the 30th should wear pale yellow facings on their red uniform coats.
During the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
the 30th was mainly employed on garrison duty in southern England, and also took place in some raids on the French coast. Their most notable action was the taking of the French warship Belleisle
HMS Belleisle (1761)
Belleisle was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1760.She was captured by the Royal Navy on 3 April 1761, and commissioned as the Third Rate HMS Belleisle....
in 1761.
North America and the West Indies
In 1781 the regiment embarked for North America where they arrived in CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
to take part in the southern campaign of the American War of Independence. The regiment then spent nine years on Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, St Lucia and Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
. In 1782 all regiments of the line without a royal title were given a county designation and the regiment became the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot.
Napoleonic Wars
In 1791 the 30th returned to England, and spent ten years on garrison duty. In 1801 they moved to EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to repel the French invasion. They returned to England in 1802 and formed a second battalion in the following year. The 1st Battalion sailed for India where they remained until 1829. The 2nd Battalion embarked for 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...
in 1808 taking part in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
and fighting at the battles of Badajoz and 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....
.
They subsequently landed in Holland, and fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
1817 - 1854
In 1817 the 2nd Battalion was disbanded, while the 1st Battalion, already in India, was involved in the Third Anglo-Maratha WarThird Anglo-Maratha War
The Third Anglo-Maratha War was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha territory by 110,400 British East India Company troops, the largest...
before returning to England in 1829.
Crimean War
The 30th Foot took part in the Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
of 1853–1856, and was present at the battles of Alma
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
, Sevastopol
Battle of Sevastopol
The Siege of Sevastopol took place on the Eastern Front of the Second World War. The campaign was fought by the Axis powers of Germany, Romania and Italy against the Soviet Union for control of Sevastopol, a port in Crimea on the Black Sea. On 22 June 1941 the Axis invaded the Soviet Union under...
and 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...
.
Canada
In 1861 the 30th moved to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as Britain increased their military presence following the Trent Affair
Trent affair
The Trent Affair, also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair, was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War...
. The regiment remained there until 1869, and was involved in repelling the Fenian raids
Fenian raids
Between 1866 and 1871, the Fenian raids of the Fenian Brotherhood who were based in the United States; on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada, were fought to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland. They divided many Catholic Irish-Canadians, many of whom were...
.
Amalgamation
The 30th Foot was posted to Ireland in 1869, moving to Jersey in 1871 and England in 1872. In 1880 they sailed for India.On 1 July 1881 the Childers reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
came into effect, and the 30th Foot was paired with the 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot
59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot
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. It was amalgamated with the 30th Regiment of Foot in 1881 to form The East Lancashire Regiment as part of the Childers Reforms.-Formation and numbering:In...
to form the East Lancashire Regiment
East Lancashire Regiment
The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of two 30th and 59th Regiments of Foot with the militia and rifle volunteer units of eastern Lancashire...
.
Following a number of amalgamations since 1958, the lineage of the 30th Foot is continued today by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
Battle honours
The 30th Foot was granted the following battle honourBattle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s and honorary distinctions to be borne on their colours. The year shown is the year of the award, not the action.
- Badajoz (1825)
- Salamanca (1830)
- Peninsula (1815 to 2nd Battalion: to whole regiment in 1827)
- Waterloo (1815 to 2nd Battalion: to whole regiment in 1827)
- Alma (1855)
- The sphinxSphinxA sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
superscribed "EGYPT"(1802)
- Inkerman (1855)
- Sevastopol (1855)