49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot
Encyclopedia
The 49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army
line infantry
regiment
. During the Childers Reforms
it was united with the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot
to form Princess Charlotte of Wales's Berkshire Regiment
.
. Originally named for its colonel, Edward Trelawney, and numbered 63rd, Trelawney's, Regiment of Foot, the regiment was raised in Jamaica
from eight independent companies that were there as a garrison, and local defence. Trelawney was the governor of the island, and was appointed the first colonel, despite his lack of military experience. In 1751 the regiment was re-numbered, becoming the 49th Regiment of Foot.
In 1768 they (alongside the 29th) were garrisoned in Boston and would later take part in the American War of Independence. In 1777 they fought in the Battle of Brandywine Creek and the Regiment's Light company took part in the night attack at Paoli's Tavern
. These were later commemorated by the red "Brandywine distinction" adopted in 1934 as backing to their cap badge by the Royal Berkshire Regiment, whose 1st Battalion was the lineal descendant of the 49th Regiment.
In 1782, on returning home they became associated with the county of Hertfordshire, becoming the 49th Hertfordshire Regiment.
During the French Revolutionary Wars
they were designated as Marines, serving at the Battle of Copenhagen with Hyde Parker's fleet.
Units of the 49th Regiment served in British North America during the War of 1812
, and participated in several significant engagements.
Following the Napoleonic Wars
in 1816 the regiment received a royal association, becoming the Princess Charlotte of Wales' Hertfordshire Regiment. In the colonial period they served in the First Opium War
(1839–42) and Crimean War
(1853–56).
In 1881 the regiment was amalgamated as part of the Childers Reforms
and united with the 66th Berkshire Regiment
. They took with them the Royal association, to form the Princess Charlotte of Wales's Berkshire Regiment
. In 1885, for the conduct of the 1st Battalion at the battle of Tofrek in Sudan, the regiment was granted the title of Princess Charlotte of Wales's Royal Berkshire Regiment
.
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...
line infantry
Line infantry
Line infantry is a type of infantry which composed the basis of European land armies from the middle of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century....
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...
. During 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....
it was united with the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot
66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot
The 66th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Princess Charlotte of Wales's in 1881....
to form Princess Charlotte of Wales's Berkshire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment
The Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the...
.
Service history
The 49th Regiment was formed in 1744, during the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
. Originally named for its colonel, Edward Trelawney, and numbered 63rd, Trelawney's, Regiment of Foot, the regiment was raised in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
from eight independent companies that were there as a garrison, and local defence. Trelawney was the governor of the island, and was appointed the first colonel, despite his lack of military experience. In 1751 the regiment was re-numbered, becoming the 49th Regiment of Foot.
In 1768 they (alongside the 29th) were garrisoned in Boston and would later take part in the American War of Independence. In 1777 they fought in the Battle of Brandywine Creek and the Regiment's Light company took part in the night attack at Paoli's Tavern
Paoli massacre
The Battle of Paoli was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 21, 1777, in the area surrounding present-day Malvern, Pennsylvania...
. These were later commemorated by the red "Brandywine distinction" adopted in 1934 as backing to their cap badge by the Royal Berkshire Regiment, whose 1st Battalion was the lineal descendant of the 49th Regiment.
In 1782, on returning home they became associated with the county of Hertfordshire, becoming the 49th Hertfordshire Regiment.
During the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
they were designated as Marines, serving at the Battle of Copenhagen with Hyde Parker's fleet.
Units of the 49th Regiment served in British North America during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, and participated in several significant engagements.
Following the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in 1816 the regiment received a royal association, becoming the Princess Charlotte of Wales' Hertfordshire Regiment. In the colonial period they served in the First Opium War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
(1839–42) and 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...
(1853–56).
In 1881 the regiment was amalgamated 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....
and united with the 66th Berkshire Regiment
66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot
The 66th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Princess Charlotte of Wales's in 1881....
. They took with them the Royal association, to form the Princess Charlotte of Wales's Berkshire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment
The Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the...
. In 1885, for the conduct of the 1st Battalion at the battle of Tofrek in Sudan, the regiment was granted the title of Princess Charlotte of Wales's Royal Berkshire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment
The Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the...
.