47th Regiment of Foot
Encyclopedia
The 47th Regiment of Foot was an infantry
regiment
of the British Army
. First raised in 1741 in Scotland, the regiment saw service over a period of 140 years, before it was amalgamated with another regiment to become The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1881. During its existence it served in North America during the Seven Years' War and American War of Independence, fought during the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars and served as garrison troops in Ireland, Canada and Malta.
. Initially, the regiment was ranked as the 58th of the line, but it was later renumbered as the 47th.
The regiment first saw war service, paradoxically, at home during the 1745 Jacobite Rising
against rebels who had risen in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie who claimed the thrones of the Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland
. The regiment under Sir John Cope marched north into the Scottish Highlands
but, as he thought the rebel force to be stronger than it really was, avoided engaging the Jacobites
then sailed from Aberdeen
down to Dunbar
to meet the Jacobite forces to the east of Edinburgh
at the Battle of Prestonpans
which saw the Government forces routed by the Jacobites. The regiment subsequently took part in the defence of Edinburgh Castle
which never capitulated to the Jacobite rebels during Bonnie Prince Charlie's control of the city of Edinburgh. The Jacobite Rebellion was eventually crushed by Government forces in 1746 and Charles was forced to escape to France
.
, Canada
and the following year it was numbered the 47th Regiment of Foot. The regiment took part in the Seven Years' War
while in Canada, seeing action against the French-held Fortress Louisbourg during the 48-day Siege of Louisburg, a siege that culminated in a French surrender. The following year the 47th took part in the legendary Battle of Quebec which saw British forces, under the command of General James Wolfe
, prevail again French forces in a battle that concluded a 3-month siege of Quebec
. Wolfe was well respected by his men, to such an extent that to commemorate the death of Wolfe in the battle the 47th began wearing a black line in their lace and also gained the nickname "Wolfe's Own". In 1760 the 47th took part in the Battle of Sainte-Foy
, a British defeat against the French during the British defence of Quebec though despite the defeat the British held onto it.
In 1763 the regiment returned home from its long deployment in North America with the conclusion of Britain's war with France.
It arrived in North America
in 1773 in New Jersey
, a colony
of the Great Britain
and which would be one of the "Thirteen Colonies
" that would soon revolt against British rule. In late 1774 the regiment was deployed to Boston
and the following year the regiment saw action against rebels at Lexington and Concord and in the Battle of Bunker Hill
which saw a British victory but at heavy cost-Gage's reports that for Lexington/Concord that the 47th had 5 rank & file killed; 2 Officers/1 serjeant/21 rank & file wounded and at Bunker hill the 47th had 2 officers wounded/died+1 serjeant/15 rank and file killed; 5 officers/3 serjeants/47 rank and File wounded.
In 1776 the regiment returned to Quebec to assist in its defence against American rebels. In 1777 the regiment was part of the disastrous expedition to Saratoga
where it took part in a number of major engagements. Much of the 47th became internees after the surrender of British forces on 17 October. These men not return home from their enforced stay until 1783 and the conclusion of the American War of Independence. 2½ companies of the Regiment were not at the Battles of Saratoga as they had been left behind to guard the Army's supply lines. On Sept 24, 1777, 2 companies of the 47th under command of Capt. Thomas Aubrey defeated a much larger colonial force at the Battle of Diamond Island. Following the defeat at Saratoga these 2½ companies withdrew to Canada.
In 1779 the remaining men of the 47th were assigned to assist in construction of a new fort at Carleton Island. Later that year the men of the 47th were transferred to reinforce the British posts on the Great Lakes at Niagara, Detroit, and Mackinac. In the summer of 1780 volunteers from the 47th stationed at Detroit took part in Capt. Henry Bird's expedition to Kentucky where they were involved in the capture and destruction of Martin's and Ruddle's Stations. In 1782 the Officers and NCOs returned home to England to recruit a 'new' 47th, while its remaining men were transferred into the 8th Regt of Foot.
In 1782 the regiment was given a county distinction when it was given the title the 47th (The Lancashire) Regiment of Foot. In 1790 the regiment returned to the Western Hemisphere
once again where it garrisoned a number of islands in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary War. In 1794 the 2nd Battalion was raised in Norfolk but was disbanded soon afterwards.
.
In 1806 the 1st Battalion arrived in the Cape of Good Hope
to undertake garrison duties in the territory captured from the Dutch
. That year an unsuccessful, and unauthorised, expedition to the French allies Spain
against its South America
n possessions, led by Sir Home Riggs Popham
, took place. The following year the 1st Battalion was part of the second-invasion force, led by Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty
, who was unaware of the failure of the first-invasion. The 1st Battalion took part in the siege and subsequent storming of Montevideo
(now capital of Uruguay
), which culminated in the capture of the city on 3 February. It also saw action in July during the mis-managed attempt to capture Buenos Aires
(now capital of Argentina
) from the Spanish. The attempt to capture the city failed and the British force was soon surrendered.
The 1st Battalion eventually arrived in India
in 1808 and the following year its flank companies took part in an expedition to the Persian Gulf
against notorious Arab Pirates in their base of Ras-al-Khaima.
Also that year the 2nd Battalion deployed to Gibraltar
and in 1811 commenced its participation in the Peninsular War
, a war which saw the UK, Portugal
and Spain fighting the French. The regiment's flank companies took part in the Battle of Barrosa
and in December took part in the Battle of Tarifa where they helped repulse an assault by French forces to take the town of Tarifa
.
In 1812 the British were forced to withdraw back into Portugal though the following year British forces moved back into Spain to launch a concerted effort to remove the French from Spain. The 2nd Battalion in the British victory at the Battle of Vittoria as well as, on 31 August, the siege and subsequent storming of San Sebastian during which the 2nd Battalion, one of the battalions that led the assault, and the rest of the British and Allied forces sustained significant casualties in the attempt to storm the breaches in the walls of the town of San Sebastian. The French surrendered on 8 September after the town, which the French had fled too, was subjected to a sustained bombardment by artillery.
The 2nd Battalion crossed the Bidasoa River, finally into France itself. The battalion took part in the Battle of Nive and ended its war while taking part in the siege of Bayonne
, France in 1814 when the war with France finally concluded, with the UK victorious. The 2nd Battalion, having battled so determinedly in that bitter war, returned home and was disbanded at Portsmouth.
In December 1819 the regiment was back in the Persian Gulf in a brief expedition that saw the Pirate base of Ras-al-Khaima captured.
In 1824 the 47th took part in the First Burmese War
. They were involved in a number of heavy fighting with the Burmese forces, and the regiment was awarded the Battle Honour "Ava". The war cane to an end in 1826 and the 47th returned to India. The regiment finally returned home in 1829.
In 1850 the regiment arrived in the Mediterranean where they were based in the Ionian Islands
, then a British territory. In 1853 the regiment arrived in Malta
and the following year was to take part in the Crimean War
against Russia
.
The 47th landed with the rest of the British at the ominous sounding Calamity Bay. The British and their French allies then began the journey to the important Russian naval base of Sevastopol
. On the 30 September the regiment, as part of the 2nd Division
, was involved in the Battle of Alma
, a battle that was bloody, especially at the 'Great Redoubt', a Russian earthwork.
On 5 November the regiment took part in the Inkerman
. The numerically superior Russians had attempted to break the Siege of Sevastopol, besieged since 19 September, and attacked British and French forces on the heights of Mount Inkerman. The battle was brutal, chaotic hand-to-hand fighting prevalent during parts of the battle. The Russians were repelled but at a heavy price. Over 8,000 casualties were sustained by the British and the Russians over 11,000. The regiment was part of the force besieging Sevastopol, a long siege that lasted from September 1854 to September 1855 when it was captured by the British.
The regiment returned to Malta in 1856 upon the war ending with the Treaty of Paris
, and, eventually, came home.
After the inception of the Victoria Cross
(VC) in 1856 Private John McDermond
was awarded the only VC of the regiment for his actions in saving a wounded Colonel during the Battle of Inkerman.
. In 1866 during the so-called Fenian Raids
by Irish-American ex-soldiers who invaded Canadian territory, the 47th assisted in the defence of Canadian territory against the Fenians. In 1868 the 47th arrived in Barbados
in the West Indies and would return soon afterwards. The regiment remained based in the UK for the duration of the 1870s.
In 1881 the regiment amalgamated with the 81st (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers) Regiment of Foot to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment as part of the Childers Reforms
.
The 47th's lineage is maintained by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.
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
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
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...
. First raised in 1741 in Scotland, the regiment saw service over a period of 140 years, before it was amalgamated with another regiment to become The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1881. During its existence it served in North America during the Seven Years' War and American War of Independence, fought during the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars and served as garrison troops in Ireland, Canada and Malta.
Formation and Early Service
The regiment was first raised in 1741 as Sir John Mordaunt's Regiment of Foot in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Initially, the regiment was ranked as the 58th of the line, but it was later renumbered as the 47th.
The regiment first saw war service, paradoxically, at home during the 1745 Jacobite Rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
against rebels who had risen in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie who claimed the thrones of the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The regiment under Sir John Cope marched north into the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
but, as he thought the rebel force to be stronger than it really was, avoided engaging the Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
then sailed from Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
down to Dunbar
Dunbar
Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
to meet the Jacobite forces to the east of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
at the Battle of Prestonpans
Battle of Prestonpans
The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The battle took place at 4 am on 21 September 1745. The Jacobite army loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart and led by his son Charles Edward Stuart defeated the government army loyal to the Hanoverian...
which saw the Government forces routed by the Jacobites. The regiment subsequently took part in the defence of Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
which never capitulated to the Jacobite rebels during Bonnie Prince Charlie's control of the city of Edinburgh. The Jacobite Rebellion was eventually crushed by Government forces in 1746 and Charles was forced to escape to France
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...
.
North America
In 1750 the regiment deployed to Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
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...
and the following year it was numbered the 47th Regiment of Foot. The regiment took part in 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...
while in Canada, seeing action against the French-held Fortress Louisbourg during the 48-day Siege of Louisburg, a siege that culminated in a French surrender. The following year the 47th took part in the legendary Battle of Quebec which saw British forces, under the command of General James Wolfe
James Wolfe
Major General James P. Wolfe was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada...
, prevail again French forces in a battle that concluded a 3-month siege of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Wolfe was well respected by his men, to such an extent that to commemorate the death of Wolfe in the battle the 47th began wearing a black line in their lace and also gained the nickname "Wolfe's Own". In 1760 the 47th took part in the Battle of Sainte-Foy
Battle of Sainte-Foy
The Battle of Sainte-Foy, sometimes called the Battle of Quebec, was fought on April 28, 1760 near the British-held town of Quebec in the French province of Canada during the Seven Years' War . It was a victory for the French under the Chevalier de Lévis over the British army under General Murray...
, a British defeat against the French during the British defence of Quebec though despite the defeat the British held onto it.
In 1763 the regiment returned home from its long deployment in North America with the conclusion of Britain's war with France.
It arrived in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in 1773 in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, a colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of the Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and which would be one of the "Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
" that would soon revolt against British rule. In late 1774 the regiment was deployed to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and the following year the regiment saw action against rebels at Lexington and Concord and in the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
which saw a British victory but at heavy cost-Gage's reports that for Lexington/Concord that the 47th had 5 rank & file killed; 2 Officers/1 serjeant/21 rank & file wounded and at Bunker hill the 47th had 2 officers wounded/died+1 serjeant/15 rank and file killed; 5 officers/3 serjeants/47 rank and File wounded.
In 1776 the regiment returned to Quebec to assist in its defence against American rebels. In 1777 the regiment was part of the disastrous expedition to Saratoga
Saratoga campaign
The Saratoga Campaign was an attempt by Great Britain to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War...
where it took part in a number of major engagements. Much of the 47th became internees after the surrender of British forces on 17 October. These men not return home from their enforced stay until 1783 and the conclusion of the American War of Independence. 2½ companies of the Regiment were not at the Battles of Saratoga as they had been left behind to guard the Army's supply lines. On Sept 24, 1777, 2 companies of the 47th under command of Capt. Thomas Aubrey defeated a much larger colonial force at the Battle of Diamond Island. Following the defeat at Saratoga these 2½ companies withdrew to Canada.
In 1779 the remaining men of the 47th were assigned to assist in construction of a new fort at Carleton Island. Later that year the men of the 47th were transferred to reinforce the British posts on the Great Lakes at Niagara, Detroit, and Mackinac. In the summer of 1780 volunteers from the 47th stationed at Detroit took part in Capt. Henry Bird's expedition to Kentucky where they were involved in the capture and destruction of Martin's and Ruddle's Stations. In 1782 the Officers and NCOs returned home to England to recruit a 'new' 47th, while its remaining men were transferred into the 8th Regt of Foot.
In 1782 the regiment was given a county distinction when it was given the title the 47th (The Lancashire) Regiment of Foot. In 1790 the regiment returned to the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
once again where it garrisoned a number of islands in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary War. In 1794 the 2nd Battalion was raised in Norfolk but was disbanded soon afterwards.
Napoleonic Wars
In 1803 the 2nd Battalion was raised again and the following year deployed to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
In 1806 the 1st Battalion arrived in the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
to undertake garrison duties in the territory captured from the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. That year an unsuccessful, and unauthorised, expedition to the French allies 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...
against its South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n possessions, led by Sir Home Riggs Popham
Home Riggs Popham
Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham KCB was a British Royal Naval Commander who saw service during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
, took place. The following year the 1st Battalion was part of the second-invasion force, led by Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty
Samuel Auchmuty (general)
Lieutenant General Sir Samuel Auchmuty, GCB was a British general.-Origins:Sir Samuel's grandfather, Robert Auchmuty , was descended from a family settled in Fife, Scotland, in the 14th century...
, who was unaware of the failure of the first-invasion. The 1st Battalion took part in the siege and subsequent storming of Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
(now capital of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
), which culminated in the capture of the city on 3 February. It also saw action in July during the mis-managed attempt to capture Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(now capital of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
) from the Spanish. The attempt to capture the city failed and the British force was soon surrendered.
The 1st Battalion eventually arrived in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1808 and the following year its flank companies took part in an expedition to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
against notorious Arab Pirates in their base of Ras-al-Khaima.
Also that year the 2nd Battalion deployed to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and in 1811 commenced its participation 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...
, a war which saw the UK, 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...
and Spain fighting the French. The regiment's flank companies took part in the Battle of Barrosa
Battle of Barrosa
The Battle of Barrosa was an unsuccessful French attack on a larger Anglo-Portuguese-Spanish force attempting to lift the siege of Cádiz, Spain during the Peninsular War...
and in December took part in the Battle of Tarifa where they helped repulse an assault by French forces to take the town of Tarifa
Tarifa
Tarifa is a small town in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the southernmost coast of Spain. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz and across the Straits of Gibraltar facing Morocco. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five...
.
In 1812 the British were forced to withdraw back into Portugal though the following year British forces moved back into Spain to launch a concerted effort to remove the French from Spain. The 2nd Battalion in the British victory at the Battle of Vittoria as well as, on 31 August, the siege and subsequent storming of San Sebastian during which the 2nd Battalion, one of the battalions that led the assault, and the rest of the British and Allied forces sustained significant casualties in the attempt to storm the breaches in the walls of the town of San Sebastian. The French surrendered on 8 September after the town, which the French had fled too, was subjected to a sustained bombardment by artillery.
The 2nd Battalion crossed the Bidasoa River, finally into France itself. The battalion took part in the Battle of Nive and ended its war while taking part in the siege of Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, France in 1814 when the war with France finally concluded, with the UK victorious. The 2nd Battalion, having battled so determinedly in that bitter war, returned home and was disbanded at Portsmouth.
The Wars of Empire
In 1817 the 47th took part in the 3rd Mahratta War, the last war between the British and the Mahratta Empire, and which ensured that Britain was effectively in control of much of present-day India.In December 1819 the regiment was back in the Persian Gulf in a brief expedition that saw the Pirate base of Ras-al-Khaima captured.
In 1824 the 47th took part in the First Burmese War
First Burmese War
The First Anglo-Burmese War was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese Empires in the 19th century. The war, which began primarily over the control of northeastern India, ended in a decisive British victory, giving the British total control of Assam, Manipur, Cachar and...
. They were involved in a number of heavy fighting with the Burmese forces, and the regiment was awarded the Battle Honour "Ava". The war cane to an end in 1826 and the 47th returned to India. The regiment finally returned home in 1829.
In 1850 the regiment arrived in the Mediterranean where they were based in the Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
, then a British territory. In 1853 the regiment arrived in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and the following year was to take part in the Crimean War
Crimean 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...
against Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
The 47th landed with the rest of the British at the ominous sounding Calamity Bay. The British and their French allies then began the journey to the important Russian naval base of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
. On the 30 September the regiment, as part of the 2nd Division
British 2nd Infantry Division
The 2nd Division is a regular division of the British army, with a long history. It dates its existence as a permanently embodied formation from 1809, when it was established by Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley , as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War...
, was involved in the Battle 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...
, a battle that was bloody, especially at the 'Great Redoubt', a Russian earthwork.
On 5 November the regiment took part in the 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...
. The numerically superior Russians had attempted to break the Siege of Sevastopol, besieged since 19 September, and attacked British and French forces on the heights of Mount Inkerman. The battle was brutal, chaotic hand-to-hand fighting prevalent during parts of the battle. The Russians were repelled but at a heavy price. Over 8,000 casualties were sustained by the British and the Russians over 11,000. The regiment was part of the force besieging Sevastopol, a long siege that lasted from September 1854 to September 1855 when it was captured by the British.
The regiment returned to Malta in 1856 upon the war ending with the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1856)
The Treaty of Paris of 1856 settled the Crimean War between Russia and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, Second French Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The treaty, signed on March 30, 1856 at the Congress of Paris, made the Black Sea neutral territory, closing it to all...
, and, eventually, came home.
After the inception of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(VC) in 1856 Private John McDermond
John McDermond
John McDermond VC was a Scottish 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.-Details:...
was awarded the only VC of the regiment for his actions in saving a wounded Colonel during the Battle of Inkerman.
Garrison Duties to Amalgamations
In 1861 the regiment returned to Nova Scotia, Canada once more, this time to reinforce Canada's defences during tense times with the USA as a consequence of the Trent Crisis during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In 1866 during the so-called 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...
by Irish-American ex-soldiers who invaded Canadian territory, the 47th assisted in the defence of Canadian territory against the Fenians. In 1868 the 47th arrived in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
in the West Indies and would return soon afterwards. The regiment remained based in the UK for the duration of the 1870s.
In 1881 the regiment amalgamated with the 81st (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers) Regiment of Foot to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment as part of 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....
.
The 47th's lineage is maintained by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.