The Duke of Wellington's Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was an infantry
regiment
of the British Army
, forming part of the King's Division
.
In 1702 Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he did in and around the city of Gloucester
. As was the custom in those days the regiment was named Huntingdon's Regiment after its Colonel. As Colonel succeeded Colonel the name changed, but in 1751 regiments were given numbers, and the regiment was from that time officially known as the 33rd Regiment of Foot. In 1782 the regiment's title was changed to the 33rd (or First Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment, thus formalising an association with the West Riding of Yorkshire
which, even then, had been long established. The first Duke of Wellington died in 1852 and in the following year Queen Victoria
, in recognition of the regiment's long ties to him, ordered that the regiment's title be changed to the 33rd (or The Duke of Wellington's) Regiment. In 1881, following the Cardwell Reforms
, the 33rd was linked with the 76th Regiment of Foot
, who shared their depot in Halifax
. The 76th had first been raised in 1745, by Simon Harcourt
and disbanded in 1746, re-raised in 1756 disbanded again in 1763, before being raised again in 1777, disbanded in 1784 and finally re-raised, in 1787, for service in India, by the Honorable East India Company
. The two regiments became, respectively, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Duke of Wellington's Regiment. In 1948 the 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated into a single battalion, the 1st Battalion. On 6 June 2006 The 'Dukes' were amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
and The Green Howards
to form the Yorkshire Regiment
.
Battalion
s from the regiment had served in most land conflicts involving British forces since its formation, from the Wars of the Austrian
and Spanish
succession's, through the American war of Independence
and various campaigns in India and Africa, the Napoleonic Wars
, the Second Boer War
and many of the greatest battles of World War I
(the Battle of Mons
, the Battle of the Somme (1916), the Battle of Passchendaele, the Battle of Cambrai) and the Third Anglo-Afghan War
in 1919. In World War II
the regiment fought as part of the British Expeditionary Force
in France
, forming part of the rearguard at Dunkirk
; in North Africa
; Italy
and in France
, following the D-Day
landings, and as Chindits
in Burma. In Korea
, the 'Dukes' desperate defence of the Hook
position halted the last major Chinese attempt to break the United Nations Line before the truce, in July 1953, brought the war to an end. In Cyprus the battalion was successful in Operation Golden Rain, destroying a major EOKA
terrorist group operating in the Troodos Mountains in 1956. In 1964 the battalion joined the NATO deterrence in Germany on the front line in the Cold War
and from 1971 was regularly engaged in 'the Troubles' in Ulster until 1997. They were amongst the first units to cross the border from Kuwait
in the 2003 Iraq War.
Nine soldiers from the regiment have been awarded the Victoria Cross
, and Corporal Wayne Mills
of the 1st Battalion became the first recipient of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
in 1994, whilst serving with the United Nations
forces in Bosnia.
.jpg)
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment was originally formed in 1702 as Huntingdon's Regiment. As regiments at that time took the name of the Colonel taking it over it became:- Henry Leigh's Regiment; then Robert Duncansons Regiment and George Wade's Regiment. It was disbanded on 25 March 1714, but was officially registered as the 33rd Regiment of Foot in January 1715 and re-raised on 25 March 1715, as George Wade's Regiment; then Henry Hawley's Regiment; Robert Dalzell's Regiment and John Johnson Regiment. The regiment served in Austria, France, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, America, Canada, Germany and India and the Indian Ocean islands as part of a Royal Navy
Raiding Squadron and the Crimean War
.
Owing to its links with the Duke of Wellington
, the title 'The Duke of Wellington's Regiment' was granted to the 33rd Regiment on 18 June 1853, on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo
in the year following Wellington's death. Subsequently, the regiment was presented with a new stand of Regulation Colours
, on 28 February 1854, emblazoned with its new distinctions of the name of the Duke of Wellington, his crest
and motto
, by the then Colonel of the Regiment, Lieutenant General
Sir Henry D'Oyley. The regiment departed for the Crimea
the following day.
.jpg)
The 76th Regiment was originally raised, by Simon Harcourt
as Lord Harcourts Regiment on 17 November 1745 and disbanded in June 1746. Following the loss of Minorca
, to the French, it was reraised in November 1756 as the 61st Regiment, but renumbered to 76th, by General Order in 1758, and again disbanded in 1763. A second battalion raised by that regiment in October 1758, for service in Africa, was renumbered as the 86th Regiment and also disbanded in 1763. On 25 December 1777, the 76th was again re-raised, as the 76th Regiment of Foot (Macdonald's Highlanders), by Colonel John MacDonell of Lochgarry, in the West of Scotland and Western Isles, as a Scottish Light Infantry regiment. It was disbanded at Stirling Castle
in March 1784. The regiment was again raised for service in India by the Honorable East India Company
in 1787.
In 1881 the 76th Regiment, which shared the same Depot in Halifax
as the 33rd, was linked to the 33rd, under the Cardwell Reforms
, to become the 2nd Battalion. Although retitled as the Halifax Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) this title only lasted six months until it was changed on 30 June 1881, in a revised appendix to General order 41, to:- The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), or 'W Rid R' for short. In January 1921 it was again retitled to The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding), or 'DWR' for short. On 6 June 2006 The 'Dukes' were amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
and The Green Howards
, all Yorkshire
-based regiments in the King's Division, to form the Yorkshire Regiment
.
's army in Holland. After five months and only two battles it, along with five other of Malborough's best regiments, was sent to Portugal, where it remained for the next six years. The 33rd fought in many battles including: Valencia de Alcantara (1705), Zaragossa (1710) and less favourably at Almansa
and Brihuega
. It was only one of the two foot regiments not to be disbanded and in 1743 the regiment was sent to Germany, where it distinguised itself in the Battle of Dettingen
, gaining its first battle honour
, then again at the Battle of Fontenoy
in 1745 and again in Rocoux and Lauffeld in 1747.
, that the regiment was given the nickname 'The Pattern'; the regiment then became the standard of soldiering which all other regiments should attain.
The 33rd saw much action during the American War of Independence, with its first engagement at the First Siege of Charleston
in early 1776, when British forces attempted an assault on that city's defences. In August of that year, the 33rd were involved in the Battle of Long Island
. After heavy fighting which lasted several days, the Americans evacuated their remaining forces to Manhattan
. The British were victorious. The British forces suffered about 400 casualties, and the Americans over 2,000. The New York area remained in British control until late 1783.
The regiment's next action came a month later, in September at the Battle of Harlem Heights
. It was a small skirmish: besides some Hessian troops, the only other British regiment was the 42nd Regiment of Foot
, now the famous Black Watch
, an equally fearsome and professional regiment. The British force, initially without the 33rd, encountered Knowlton's Rangers
, a scouting force sent by George Washington
. A small skirmish ensued with the Americans subsequently retreating. Washington then sent another force to lure the British further up the northern plateau, which he held, along with a second force to move around the flank of the British. The British took the bait and advanced further up the plateau. The American flanking force was encountered by the British, which showed them the imminent danger they faced. After some further fighting, the British retreated to a field, where they were joined by the 33rd and a number of Hessian battalions. After further fighting, the Americans retreated.
The regiment was also involved in the Battle of Fort Washington
. After that, the 33rd were not involved in a major battle until September 1777, when they took part in the Battle of Brandywine
, where the British suffered 550 casualties and the Americans about 1,000. The regiment took part in further action that year, at the Battle of Germantown
and at Whitemarsh
, where they fought the Americans who had retreated from the fighting at Germantown.
The following year was just as active, with the 33rd seeing action at the Battle of Monmouth
, an engagement that became the largest one-day battle of the war. The 33rd was also part of the defence of Newport
and Quaker Hill
, as well as the Battle of Old Tappan, which occurred in the closing months of the year.
Two years later, in 1780, the 33rd Regiment was again besieging Charleston
. By 11 May, the American General Benjamin Lincoln
began to negotiate terms of surrender. The following day Lincoln, along with over 7,000 American soldiers, surrendered to the British forces under the command of Lieutenant-General Henry Clinton. In August that year, the 33rd were involved at the Battle of Camden
. It was a victory for the British. Approximately 324 British were killed or wounded and about 1,000 Americans were killed or wounded, with another 1,000 being taken prisoner.
, but the more famous action took place that same month during a battle at Guilford Court House.
On 14 March 1781, Lord Cornwallis
, the British commander, was informed that General Richard Butler
was marching to attack his army. With Butler was a body of North Carolina
Militia
, plus reinforcements from Virginia
, consisting of 3,000 Virginia Militia, a Virginia State regiment, a Corp of Virginian "eighteen-month men" and recruits for the Maryland Line
. They had joined the command of Major General Nathanael Greene
, creating a force of some nine to ten thousand men in total. During the night, further reports confirmed the American force was at Guilford Court House, some 12 miles (20 km) away. Cornwallis decided to give battle, though he had only 1,900 men at his disposal.
At dawn on 15 March 1781, before the men had a chance to have breakfast, Cornwallis started for Guilford, arriving there at mid-day. Banastre Tarleton
's Light Dragoons
had been in the vanguard of the approach up the road and were briefly engaged by Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee's Dragoons (Lee's Legion
) some 4 miles (6 km) short of the Guilford Court House. The British 23rd Regiment of Foot
sent reinforcements forward, and Lee withdrew, having suffered badly at the hands of Tarleton's Light Dragoons in previous actions at Tarrant's House and Weitzell's Mill.
.jpg)
Unknown to Cornwallis, the Americans were actually deployed in three lines across the Salisbury road. The first, mostly manned by North Carolina Militia units, was behind the fence. To the west of this line were Colonel William Washington
's 3rd Continental Light Dragoons
and Virginian light infantry. To the east were Lieutenant Colonel Lee's Dragoons. His second, manned by Virginian Militia was about 300 yards to the rear of the first. To the rear of this final line was the court house and General Greene's command post.
After a twenty-minute cannonade, Cornwallis began his attack around 1:30 pm. His left flank, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel James Webster, was made up of the 33rd and the 23rd Regiments, supported by the Grenadier company
and 2nd Battalion of the Brigade of Guards, (fifteen men from each company of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards
, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards
and the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards
, formed a composite battalion of Foot Guards to be sent to North America. The composite battalion was subsequently split into two battalions). At Guilford Court House, they were then under the command of Brigadier General O'Hara
. The Light infantry
of the Guards and the German Yäegers
(Jagers) remained in the woods to the west. To the right, under the command of Maj-Gen Leslie were the 71st Frasers Highlanders
and the Prussia
n General, Julius von Bose
's, Hessians, with the 1st Battalion of Guards in support. Following on were Tarleton's Light Dragoons, plus 1 troop of the 17th Light Dragoons, ready to go where circumstances required.
The British moved forward in line. However, the wooded terrain, the width of the battlefield, and uneven resistance hindered a coordinated advance, and British forces arrived piecemeal at the third line. At the climax of the battle, British Guards and American Continentals engaged in hand-to-hand combat.
The 71st Regiment then came through the woods. The 2nd Battalion of Guards turned and charged back on the Americans, supported by the Grenadiers who had also advanced, pushing Washington's men back into the woods. Over to the left, elements of the 23rd Regiment started to appear, and part of Tarleton's Light Dragoons charged up the road. The Americans turned and retreated, leaving behind their field guns and ammunition wagons. The 33rd Regiment then appeared, having overcome many difficulties on their advance. They had been heavily engaged by the American right flank, first crossing then re-crossing a ravine to consolidate and regroup. They were soon followed by the Light Infantry of the Guards. Cornwallis ordered the 23rd and 71st Regiments with part of the Cavalry to pursue the Americans, though not for any great distance.
The battle had lasted only ninety minutes, and although the British technically defeated the American force, they lost over a quarter of their own men. The 33rd suffered 11 killed and 63 wounded out of a force of 300 all ranks, having already lost 28 men in preceding actions.
in July of that year. Their last engagement of the war was at the Siege of Yorktown
, when they were part of the outnumbered British forces. The British surrendered on 19 October, having little ammunition, food and supplies left. There was also no sign of Henry Clinton
's relieving force, which arrived in the Chesapeake Bay
on 24 October, far too late to affect the outcome.
& Cornwall
, being at that time the only regiment in the south of England.
In 1793 the 'Honourable Arthur Wesley', 3rd son of the Earl of Mornington
, the future Duke of Wellington
, purchased a 'Majority' in the 33rd.
By 1794 the 33rd was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel (promoted to full Colonel in 1797) Arthur Wellesley. They had taken part in the disastrous Flanders Campaign
and the retreat from Germany, and embarked, from Bremen
, for England on 13 April 1795. Though having suffered only six men killed in combat, over 200 more died from disease and other causes during the 10 months of campaigning. A further 192 remained behind, sick in hospital. The regiment returned to Warley
in Yorkshire to rest, recruit and retrain.
On 16 November 1795 the 33rd was again deployed to the West Indies. However the ships ran into a storm, almost immediately and had to take shelter in ports around the south coast, before resuming sail on 3 December. The ship the 33rd was in had been sent to Lymington
and the 33rd debarked to recuperate. It remained there until April 1796 when it was despatched to Calcutta, arriving on 17 February 1797, under the command of 'Colonel Arthur Wesley'.
in a Division commanded by Colonel Arthur Wellesley, as part of a British East India Company
army, commanded by Major General Harris, with Major General Sir David Baird as second in command. Arthur's eldest brother Richard Wellesley, 2nd Earl of Mornington, later 1st Marquess Wellesley, had just become Governor General of India and so, in addition to the 33rd, Arthur, who had now become Colonel Arthur Wellesley, was given command of the 10,000 men of the Nizam of Hyderabad . They had a decisive part to play in the Battle of Seringapatam
. The regiment, involved in bitter fighting with the Tippu Sultan's warriors, were repulsed with heavy losses when they attacked a wood, which was strongly defended by the Sultan's forces. The 33rd rallied and fought further actions throughout the battle, with the British emerging decisively victorious and the Tippoo Sultan being killed. The regiment won a battle honour for its involvement in the action.
The siege of Seringapatam is featured in the Richard Sharpe
novel Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
. It is also the setting for the first British detective novel
, Wilkie Collins
's 'The Moonstone
' (1868).
In 1857 the 33rd took part in operations against the Indian Mutiny
being involved in a number of actions there, notably at Dwarka, which ultimately led to the restoration of stability.
The 33rd landed at Willemstad on 17 December 1814, and worked in conjunction with the Russian contingent under Benckendorff and the Prussians under Bülow the regiment, under the command of Lt-Col Elphinstone. There was a considerable amount of inconclusive manoeuvring before finally action against the French near Antwerp on 13 January, around the village of Merxem. The French were routed at bayonet point with no casualties suffered by the 33rd.
By early March 1815, the Regiment was again under the command of the Duke of Wellington, this time during the Hundred Days
campaign of Napoleon. Having taken part in the action of the previous day, at the Battle of Quatre Bras
, they took up positions at Waterloo
, the 33rd was part of the 5th Brigade under the command of Major General
Sir Colin Halkett
, which comprised, in addition the 2nd Bn 30th Foot
, and 2nd Bn 69th Foot
. The brigade was part of the 3rd Division under the command of General Count Sir Charles Alten
, which was in turn part of I Corps, under the command of William, Prince of Orange
.
The 33rd was involved in heavy fighting during the Battle of Waterloo
and at the end of the battle the regiment's casualties numbered 11 officers and 128 men killed or wounded. The British and their Allies were victorious, but at a price of suffering about 15,000 casualties. The Prussians suffered 7,000 casualties. The French suffered 32,000 dead or wounded, as well as around 8,000 taken prisoner.
In 1822, the regiment was posted to Jamaica
. The West Indies
were notorious as the death bed of the British Army because of the high mortality rate from Malaria
, Dysentery
, Yellow fever
and other such endemic diseases. Many thousands of soldiers never made it back to Britain. The 33rd was not to escape its harsh environment. Within two months, three officers and 49 other ranks had died. By the end of the tour in 1832, 11 officers and 560 NCOs and men had died from diseases. They arrived in Portsmouth in March 1832 with a command of 12 officers and 240 other ranks. 142 had opted to remain behind, having married and taken up residence with their families, and transferred to the 22nd (Cheshire)
and the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiments
.
, in honour of the 1st Duke of Wellington, who had died on 14 September the previous year.
At the Battle of Alma
, bitter fighting took place, with the 33rd being part of the Light Division under the command of Sir George Brown. The British advanced up the slope towards the Russian positions. The British formations became intermingled, turning into a mass of soldiers, rather than the professional, neat formations used on parade. As they charged, numerous Russian troops came down the slope to meet them. The British halted and fired, causing so many casualties the Russians were forced to retreat. The British line reorganised and moved up the slope towards the Great Redoubt, with the 33rd being the first to attack the defence works. The 33rd suffered heavy casualties in the hand-to-hand combat that ensued.
The British forces prevailed in taking the objective. However, Russian forces advance on the Great Redoubt to counter-attack. An officer shouted to the British soldiers not to fire, claiming them to be French, despite the fact that they were not. Other British officers soon contradicted him, ordering the men to fire at the massed ranks of soldiers advancing on their position. The soldiers were confused, and the British officers soon decided the prudent option would be to get back down the hill to safety. The Russians failed to pursue, mostly because some French artillery pieces were firing a few shells in the direction of the Russian forces. The Guards Division, comprising the most elite infantry regiments of the British Army, advanced and crossed the river. However, the Scots Guards
were shattered when retreating soldiers from the Royal Welch Fusiliers
, who had been attacked by a mass of Russian soldiers, crashed into the Scots Guards and caused chaos amongst the formation. The Russians seized the moment, launching a mass bayonet charge resulting in heavy hand-to-hand fighting. The Scots Guards suffered 200 casualties and were forced to retreat.
An unknown officer ordered the Grenadier Guards
, who were preparing to meet the advancing Russian forces, to withdraw. The officer commanding a company of the Grenadiers ordered them to reform to meet the advancing Russians. They poured a large amount of fire into the Russian troops, causing many casualties. The British then began to advance, and the Russians retreated. The Great Redoubt was once again in British control. On the right flank, the Highland Brigade—just two lines deep—advanced whilst firing, which was an unusual manoeuvre in those days. The Russians soon fled, and victory was assured. The British forces suffered 2,000 casualties, the French 1,000, and the Russians 6,000. The 33rd received a Battle Honour for their actions during that battle.
At the Battle of Inkerman
, the 33rd were again involved in some bitter fighting, in which the British infantry advanced despite heavy losses and a strong defence by the Russians. The fighting was fierce, at times some soldiers resorting to attacking their enemy with the butts of their guns. The British suffered some 2,357 killed or wounded, and the French lost about 939 soldiers. Russian casualties were immense with some 11,800 killed or wounded.
The 33rd was involved in the Siege of Sevastopol, which lasted for 11 months. By 1856, the war was over but at a high price. The British had lost approximately 22,182 dead and 18,280 wounded, out of a total force of over 97,000. The majority were lost not because of fighting with the Russians, but to disease. In total, the Allies lost over 160,000 dead and the Russians lost over 450,000.
The 33rd were part of an expedition sent to the East African nation of Abyssinia, now known as Ethiopia
after several European citizens had been taken hostage by the self appointed 'King' Emperor Tewodros II in 1864. In March 1866 a British envoy
had been despatched to secure the release of a group of missionaries
who had first been seized when a letter Tewdros II had sent to Queen Victoria, delivered by an envoy (Captain Cameron), requesting munitions and military experts from the British, had gone unanswered. They were released; however Tewdros II changed his mind and sent a force after them and they were returned to the fortress and imprisoned again, along with Captain Cameron.
The 33rd was committed to Abyssinia in October 1867 and embarked on 21 November, arriving at Annesley Bay on 4 December; but did not disembark for three days due to the chaos on shore. Thousands of mule
s had been sent from Egypt
and other countries before adequate arrangements had been made to feed and water them. Initially two companies of the 33rd went ashore to capture and contain the mules and condensed sea water was pumped ashore from a warship and then carried by hand to makeshift wooden troughs. A base camp was set up at Zula
where officers celebrated Christmas Day with local chicken and a plum pudding made from pounded ships biscuits.
Having left Karachi during the India
n winter the 33rd were still dressed in 'Waterloo-red' full Dress Tunic and khaki Drill Trousers. The Serge
was quickly changed for the more appropriate Khaki Drill jacket and also a white cloth covered Cork Helmet called a 'Topi
'. The troops had been issued the new breech loading Snider-Enfield
rifles the previous year, which increased the soldiers fire power from one round per minute to ten rounds per minute. Besides the 33rd of Foot, the expeditionary force included 12,000 British and Indian troops, as well as Royal Artillery
and Royal Engineers
.
Lord Napier
arrived in early January 1868 and the expedition started from the advance camp at Senafe
at the beginning of February. It took two months to reach their objective, advancing through rough terrain. From Senafe the force passed through Adigrat
, Antalo
, to the west of Lake Ashangi
, and on to Dildi before finally arriving via the road King Theodore built through the Chetta Ravine to get his heavy artillery to Magdala. Yet before they could actually storm the fortress, they had to cross the plateau at Arogye, which lay across the only route to Magdala and was held by Tewodros' forces. It certainly looked formidable to attack, with the way barred by many thousands of warriors camped around the hillsides, and as many as 30 artillery pieces visible on a nearby hilltop.
.jpg)
The British did not expect that the Abyssinian warriors would leave their defences to attack them and paid little regard to their defensive positions as they formed up to deploy. But the Emperor did order an attack, with many thousands of foot warriors armed with little more than spears. The 4th of Foot quickly redeployed to meet the charging mass of warriors and poured a devastating fire into their ranks. When two Indian infantry regiments also fired on them the onslaught became even more devastating. Despite this the Ethiopian warriors continued their attack, losing over 500 with thousands more wounded during the ninety minutes of fighting, most of them at little over 30 yards from the British lines. During the chaotic battle an advance guard unit of the 33rd Regiment overpowered some of the Ethiopian artillerymen and captured their artillery pieces. The survivors of the assault then retreated back to Magdala.
In his despatch to London Lord Napier reported: "Yesterday morning (we) descended three thousand nine hundred feet to Bashilo River
and approached Magdala
with 'First Brigade' to reconnoiter it. Theodore opened fire with seven guns from outwork, one thousand feet above us, and three thousand five hundred men of the garrison made a gallant sortie which was repulsed with very heavy loss and the enemy driven into Magdala. British loss, twenty wounded"
The following day as the British force moved on to Magdala, Tewodros II sent two of the hostages on parole to offer terms. Napier insisted on the release of all the hostages and an unconditional surrender. Tewodros refused to cede to the unconditional surrender, but did release the European hostages. The British continued the advance and assaulted the fortress. (The native hostages were later found to have had their hands and feet cut off before being sent over the edge of the precipice surrounding the plateau.)
The bombardment began with mortar
s, rocket
s and artillery
. Infantry units then opened fire, covering the Royal Engineers
sent to blow up the gates of the fortress. The path lay up a steep boulder strewn track one one side of which was a sheer drop and the other by a perpendicular cliff face, leading to the main gateway, known as the Koket-Bir, which consisted of a thick timber doors set in a 15 feet (4.6 m) stone archway. Each side of the gate was protected by a thorn and stake hedge. After this gate was a further uphill path to a second fortified gateway, which lead onto the final plateau, or 'amba
'
On reaching the gate there was a pause in the advance, as it was discovered the engineer unit had forgot their powder kegs and scaling ladders and were ordered to return for them. General Staveley
was not happy at any further delay and ordered the 33rd to continue the attack. Several officers and the men of the 33rd Regiment, along with an officer from the Royal Engineers, parted from the main force and, after climbing the cliff face, found their way blocked by a thorny hedge over a wall. Private James Bergin
, a very tall man, used his bayonet to cut a hole in the hedge and Drummer Michael Magner
climbed onto his shoulders through the hedge in the gap and dragged Bergin up behind him as Ensign Conner and Corporal Murphy helped shove from below. Bergin kept up a rapid rate of fire on the Koket-Bir as Magner dragged more men through the gap in the hedge. As more men poured through and opened fire as they advanced with their bayonets the defenders withdrew through the second gate. The party rushed the Koket-bir before it was fully closed and then took the second gate breaking through to the Amba. Ensign Wynter scrambled up onto the top of the second gate and fixed the 33rd Regiments Colours to show the Plateau had been taken. Private Bergin and Drummer Magner were later awarded the Victoria Cross
for their part in the action.
Tewodros II was found dead inside the second gate, having shot himself with a pistol that had been a gift from Queen Victoria. When his death was announced all opposition ceased. The regiment later received the battle honour Abyssinia
.
The 1st Battalion returned to England in 1889 after a number of years stationed in India. In 1895, the battalion deployed to Malta
in the Mediterranean
and returned home again in 1898.
The 1st Battalion began the first year of the 20th century at war when it arrived in South Africa
, in 1900, as reinforcements for British forces fighting Boer
s, in the Second Boer War
. The battalion took part in the Relief of Kimberley
, in February 1901, which had been under siege by the Boers since October 1899. The battalion also took part in the Battle of Paardeberg
, which was eventually captured by the British, after the Boers surrendered on 27 February 1901. The battalion saw action at the British victory at Driefontein
on 10 March 1901.
On 29 November 1901, Lieutenant Colonel George Evan Lloyd, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, was killed in action at Rhenoster Kop. The 1st Battalion saw numerous small-scale actions against the elusive Boer commando
s for the duration of the war, returning home in 1902. The regiment gained the battle honour "Relief of Kimberley" and the theatre honour "South Africa 1900-02".
The 1st Battalion's stay in England was relatively brief, as it departed for India in 1905, where it remained until 1921.
in 1886 for garrison duty, where they remained until 1888 when it arrived in Nova Scotia
, Canada
. In 1891 they moved to the West Indies and in 1893 moved to South Africa
leaving just before the start of the Boer War, for service in Burma. The Battalion was stationed in Ireland
when the First World War began in 1914.
. It then fought a rearguard action at the Battle of Le Cateau
, a vital action during the retreat from Mons
. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the British forces inflicted severe casualties on the Germans. The British soldier's ability to fire the Lee-Enfield rifle
with deadly accuracy and speed was certainly a deciding factor in the engagement. Although it was a victory for the Germans, at least tactically, the brave actions of the British soldiers that fought the rearguard effectively saved the war for the Allies.
The 2nd Battalion also fought at the First Battle of the Marne
, the Battle of the Aisne
, the Battle of La Bassée
and the brutal first Battle of Ypres
. First Ypres began as an offensive battle, with the attacking and exposed British infantry taking heavy casualties from German machine guns. The battle soon bogged down into trench warfare. The British Expeditionary Force suffered some 54,100 casualties, astonishing figures that would be eclipsed within two years.
The 2nd Battalion was also at the Battle of Hill 60
. The British placed six mines under Hill 60. Most of the hill was blown away when the mines were detonated, causing many casualties to the German forces defending it. The British then launched a massive bombardment, followed by an assault that led to vicious hand-to-hand fighting. About 150 Germans were killed in the action and the British lost seven. That night the Germans counter-attacked, inflicting numerous casualties on the British defenders, and retook the hill. The 'Dukes', along with the 2nd Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry assaulted the hill, recapturing it after some fighting. They were subsequently relieved by four regiments, with one in reserve. The Germans counter-attacked two days later, but were repelled by those regiments, in which an officer from
the 1st Surreys won a Victoria Cross
for his actions during the defence of the hill.
The 'Dukes' raised twenty three battalions for service during the First World War, including two labour Battalions. Fourteen of these Battalions (Regular, Territorial Force and Service) took part in several of the greatest battles of World War I: , the 8th Battalion saw service in the Gallipoli Campaign and the 10th Battalion was in action at Piave
in Italy. In all, during the course of World War I, the Regiment suffered many casualties, with over 8,300 killed. Having fought in nearly every theatre of the war the Regiment's service was recognised by the award of 197 Battle Honour
s, many of which were to separate battalions in the same theatre of action, 10 of which are emblazoned on the King's Colour
.
and eventually returned home in 1921 where it arrived in Ireland during tumultuous times there. It was stationed in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine
in 1922. It was posted to Malta in 1935, the last overseas deployment for the battalion in the inter-war period. The Battalion returned to the UK in 1937.
The 2nd Battalion was posted to Ireland in 1919 before it deployed to Egypt
in 1922. It was based in Singapore
in 1926, and returned to India in 1928.
Meanwhile, the Regiment's title had altered slightly in 1921 to its present-name of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding).
In World War II
, the 1st Battalion was immediately sent to France
as part of the British 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division of 1st Corps of the BEF
. During the retreat to Dunkirk
, the 'Dukes' forming part of the rearguard.
The 'Dukes' next fought in North Africa
, fighting with distinction in a number of actions and gaining several Battle Honours. They fought at the Battle of Medjez Plain, as well as the Battle of Djebel bou Aoukaz, taking the town on 27 April 1943. The town however, was re-taken by German forces on 30 April, after heavy fighting. On 5 May, the British forces re-took the town from the Germans.
The 'Dukes' also fought in Italy
, taking part in the Anzio Campaign
in early 1944 in an attempt to outflank the Gustav Line
and force a German retreat from Monte Cassino
. The Regiment was involved at the Battle of Campoleone, when two veteran German divisions (one armoured, the other a parachute division) attacked. The British forces defended stoutly, suffering 1,000 casualties in the first day alone. They only withdrew after further heavy fighting took place. The 'Dukes' fought with distinction at the Battle of Monte Ceco in October 1944 where Private Richard Henry Burton
, of the 1st Battalion, was awarded a Victoria Cross
for his courageous action in the battle. The regiment also won a Battle Honour
for the engagement.
, the 2nd Battalion took part in the rearguard action at the Battle of Sittang Bridge
in February 1942 and in the Battle of Paungde in March that year. The plan was to advance and occupy Paungde. The strike force advanced on 29 March, but had to fight Japanese forces just north-east of their objective in the area of Padigon. The force made some progress in the Paungde area before meeting stiff resistance. Due to their orders not to be cut off, the 2nd 'Dukes' and the 7th Hussars
withdrew. A Japanese regiment had crossed the west bank of the Irawaddy River
, digging in at Shwedaung
, just behind the British strike force. An engagement ensued, with the Indian 17th Infantry Division attacking, the Japanese held the town. The British force suffered heavy casualties in fighting their way through Shwedaung to rejoin the 17th Indian Division.
They were trained as Chindits
, to operate behind Japanese lines, who were at that time attacking India
, they were formed into two columns, the 33rd and 76th, to operate behind the Japanese lines during the fierce battles for Imphal
and Kohima
.
based mostly around Reykjavík
the 1/6th and 1/7th battalions were replaced by American troops and returned to England to train and prepare for the invasion of Normandy
.
On 9 June 1944 the 1/6th and 1/7th Battalions embarked on HMS Cheshire
arriving off the Normandy coast on 11 June. By late evening of that day they were five miles inland. The 1/6th, under the command of Lt Col RK Exham, was the first to engage the enemy. On 16 June the battalion was ordered to attack Parc de Boislonde, a thickly wooded ridge overlooking Fontenay le Pesnil. The attack was supported by a squadron of tanks and artillery from four field regiments. The attack was successful, but resulted in heavy losses to the battalion. The following day the German forces counter attacked, forcing the 6th Battalion back, the bitter fighting saw the battalion lose 16 Officers and 220 other ranks in the first two days.
The battalion was then withdrawn to a nearby Chateau to rest, but was spotted by a reconnaissance aircraft and was heavily shelled by German artillery, resulting in another 20 casualties. That same afternoon, 20 June, the battalion paraded for the Brigade Commander and was promptly shelled again, with even more casualties. At that point Lt Col Exham was switched to command another battalion. On 25 June, under the command of Lt Col AJD Turner MC Suffolk Regiment
, the 1/6th battalion was moved up to support the flank of 147 Brigade
s attack on Fontenay le Pesnil and then the village of Rauray.
Heavy fighting ensued, with a number of German units, from the elite 12th SS Panzer Division
, putting up stiff resistance. The objectives were taken but the 1/6th had come under withering Mortar
fire, suffering further heavy losses. The new Commanding Officer felt the battalion needed a rest and reorganisation and put in a report to General Montgomery
:
1. I arrived at 6DWR on the evening of 26 June. From am 27 June until am 30 June we have been in contact with the enemy and under moderately heavy mortar and shell fire.
2. The following facts make it clear that this report makes no reflection on the state of 6 DWR when they left UK:
3. State of Men
4. Discipline and Leadership
Conclusion
Recommendation.
If it is not possible to withdraw the battalion to the base or UK to re-equip, reorganize and train, then it should be disbanded and split among other units. If it is not possible to do either of the above and it is essential that the battalion should return to the line, I request that I may be relieved of my command and I suggest that a CO with 2 or 3 years experience should relieve me, and that he should bring his adjutant and a signals officer with them.
Being a Regular officer I realise the seriousness of this request and its effect on my career. On the other hand I have the lives of the new officer personnel (which is excellent) to consider. Three days running a Major has been killed or seriously wounded because I have ordered him to, in effect, stop them running during mortar concentrations. Unless withdrawn from the division I do not think I can get the battalion to fight normally and this waste of life would continue. My honest opinion is if you continue to throw new officer and other rank replacements into 6DWR as casualties occur, you are throwing good money after bad.
I know my opinion is shared by two other Command officers who know the full circumstances.
On receipt of the report General Montgomery instantly dismissed the new CO, disbanded the battalion and used it to provide drafts for the 1/7th battalion. It arrived back in Guildford
on 17 August 1944 having lost 19 Officers and 350 other ranks. It was replaced in the Line by the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment
.
saw the battalion lose some 120 men, killed and wounded.
Further fighting saw the battalion advancing daily, bolstered up to a force of 30 officers and 850 men, after the merger of the 1/6th battalion, and on 3 September they had crossed the Seine. On 10 September they were involved in heavy fighting around Le Havre
and by 23 September they were on the southern bank of the Leopold Canal, approximately 18 miles east of Antwerp. On 30 October the 1/7th had advanced as far as Roosendaal in the North Brabant region of the Netherlands
, just north of the Belgian border.
On 1 November 1944 the 1/7th battalion was placed under the command of the Canadian
army, where they defeated an attempt by a German parachute battalion to capture the Nijmegen bridge, capturing over 100 prisoners, with a further 50 killed or wounded. in April 1945 the battalion was involved in the breakout from the Nijmegen salient and by 7 May it was in Utrecht
disarming three German divisions, the day before the war in the European theatre was finished.
in 1952, two years after the Korean War
had broken out. They were part of the 1st Commonwealth Division
.
In 1953, the 1st Battalion relieved the Black Watch
, who had been defending a position known as The Hook, a crescent shaped ridge, which was of tactical importance in the Commonwealth
sector. From 10 to 28 May, the 1st Battalion suffered 58 casualties, from artillery and mortar fire.
The third Battle of the Hook began on 28 May. An initial bombardment of the British positions took place, with the Chinese forces charging the forward British positions once the bombardment ceased. The fighting that ensued was bloody and more akin to the battles that the 'Dukes' had fought in World War I. Shells were now raining down on the Hook from artillery and mortars, from both the Chinese and UN
forces. The Chinese launched a second attack but were cut down by heavy fire from UN the forces. Further attacks occurred on 28 May, but all were defeated in heavy fighting.
Just 30 minutes into 29 May, the Chinese forces launched another attack but, as before, they were beaten back. Alma Company of 'The 'Dukes' then began advancing up the line of the original trenches to dislodge the remaining Chinese forces in the forward trenches. The 'Dukes' secured the Hook at 3:30 a.m. The 'Dukes' losses were 3 officers and 17 other ranks killed and two officers and 84 other ranks wounded, plus 20 other ranks missing. The Chinese had about 250 killed, with over 800 being wounded. For their action, the Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour 'The Hook 1953'. Later, the 1st Battalion's Headquarter Company was renamed 'Hook Company'.
The 'Dukes' embarked for Gibraltar
on (13 November 1953), where they arrived on 10 December. In May 1954, during a visit to Gibraltar by Queen Elizabeth II
and the Duke of Edinburgh
, the Commanding Officer of the 'Dukes' (Lieutenant Colonel FR St P Bunbury) and a further 10 officers and other ranks received decorations for their actions in Korea. The 'Dukes' was the last of the British infantry regiments to leave Korea.
General Franco
of Spain
objected to the Queen visiting Gibraltar and promptly closed the Spanish/Gibraltar border, thus confining the 'Dukes' to Gibraltar until September 1955 when they left to return to the UK. The border did not reopen until 1985, when the 'Dukes' were again stationed in Gibraltar.
, then to Cyprus
in 1956, where they participated in anti-terrorist operations against EOKA
. The following year, the 'Dukes' deployed to Northern Ireland
. They moved back to the mainland in 1959, joining the new UK Strategic Reserve, as part of 19 Infantry Brigade).
In 1960, the 'Dukes' deployed to Kenya
at the request of the Governor. In 1968, the 'Dukes' deployed to Hong Kong
for internal security duties, just a year after the riots there, when young followers of Chairman Mao
besieged Government House. Thousands of bombs were planted during the riots, which killed fifteen people in that terror campaign.
The 'Dukes' returned to the UK
in 1970. Then deployed to Northern Ireland a number of times during 'The Troubles
'. Their first deployment was in 1971, during one of the bloodiest times in the Province in which 43 British soldiers and many civilians and terrorists lost their lives. They had further tours to the Province in 1973, 1976, 1977 and 1979. The 'Dukes' lost one officer and four soldiers during these deployments.
In 1985, the 'Dukes' deployed to Belize
for a six-month tour of duty, taking part in operation 'Holdfast'. During this tour a jungle patrol by members of the regiments 'Alma Company' located a Marijuana
processing camp hidden in the jungle. Although the occupants had all run away a large amount of Marijuana, estimated at over £250,000 in value, was found and subsequently destroyed by fire.
In 1987 the 'Dukes' deployed again to Northern Ireland for a two year tour, based in Palace Barracks, just outside the city of Belfast. Following this tour the 'Dukes' returned to Tern Hill Barracks in Market Drayton
, Shropshire. Shortly after arriving the barracks was attacked by the IRA, in the form of a bomb in one of the accommodation blocks. Although the building was occupied no injuries were sustained.
, with an area of responsibility covering Bugojno
, Vitez
, Travnik
and the besieged enclave
of Goražde
. The latter was under siege for much of the war. It was declared a UN Safe Zone in that year. The 'Dukes' were one of the first units to enter the town. The Regiment pushed the Bosnian-Serb Army from their positions around the town to a distance of over one mile. Their objective in doing this was to create a safe zone for the town. While at Goražde, Private Shaun Taylor of C Company was killed during an engagement with Bosnian-Serb forces while manning an observation post. The engagement lasted fifteen minutes, with over 2,000 rounds of ammunition being expended by the 'Dukes'. Seven of the Bosnian-Serb soldiers were killed in the fire-fight. Goražde remained a safe zone, being held by British troops from 1994-95. It was the only safe zone to survive the war and avoided the tragedies that occurred in other UN safe zones such as Srebrenica
and Žepa
.
Corporal Wayne Mills
of the 1st Battalion became the first recipient of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
, second only to the Victoria Cross
. On (29 April 1994), a patrol led by Corporal Mills came under heavy small-arms fire from a group of Bosnian-Serbs. The patrol returned fire, killing two of the attackers. The patrol then withdrew, but the attackers persisted in firing on the patrol. The patrol soon reached an open clearing, where it was obvious they would be highly vulnerable to fire from the attackers. Corporal Mills then performed an astonishing feat of bravery. He turned back and engaged the group in a fire-fight, delaying the attackers long enough to allow the rest of his patrol to cross the clearing. While doing this brave act, Corporal Mills shot the leader of the group, with the rest scattering into the woods. Due to that action he returned to his patrol safely, who were giving covering fire.
Lieutenant-Colonel David Santa-Olalla received the Distinguished Service Order
for his inspirational leadership and courage during the 'Dukes' deployment to Bosnia. He arranged for the mutual withdrawal of both Serbian and Muslim forces, from the besieged town of Goražde, just as the Geneva
talks were being held on the town.
. In 1998, C Company deployed for a tour of duty in South Armagh
. During the period 1998-2000, the 1st Battalion served as a public duties
unit in London, where one of its roles was the provision of the Queen's Guard
.
In February 2001, a company from the 'Dukes' deployed to Kosovo
, with the objective of preventing arms and munitions being transported from Albania
into Kosovo, then onto the Former Yugolav Republic Of Macedonia, now known as the Republic of Macedonia
. In March the Dukes Battlegroup followed and deployed on Op Agricola V, taking over the role from 45 Commando Royal Marines
at 4 pm on 3 March. The Battlegroup included:- 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
, 3 Royal Horse Artillery
and a battalion each from Sweden, Finland and Norway. The battlegroup was under the command of 19th Mechanised Brigade and covered Pristina City
and the rural area to the north. The deployment ended in July that year.
In 2003, the 'Dukes' were part of Operation Telic
, the invasion of Iraq
, as part of 1 (United Kingdom) Armoured Division. The 'Dukes' returned, as part of 4 (Armoured) Brigade, to the South-East of Iraq, in October 2004, to join the British-led Multi-National Division (South-East)
, as a fully equipped armoured infantry battalion with Warrior Armoured Personnel Carriers.
.gif)
_2005-11-12.jpg)
During 2003, in Osnabrück
, Germany, where the 'Dukes' were then based, the Regiment celebrated its 300th year in existence. Over 2000 past and present members converged on the town to take part in the celebrations. The 'Dukes' were presented with new colours
by HM Queen Elizabeth II
, represented by The Colonel of The Regiment Major-General Sir Evelyn John Webb-Carter KCB
, due to the ill health of the Queen's representative, the regiments Colonel-in-Chief
the Duke of Wellington. The regiment had a beer
called Havercake Ale named in their honour by the Timothy Taylor Brewery
, Leeds
, to mark the regiments tercentenary. Timothy Taylor the founder of the brewery had served in an antecedent unit of the regiment during 1859. Since then other members of the family and employees had also enlisted as a 'Duke' one employee a Drayman
called Arthur Poulter
was awarded a World War I VC
for his action in saving lives during the Battle of the Lys
.
On 12 November 2005, the Regiment was awarded the "Keys to the Town" of Erquinghem-Lys
in France
. It is the only British Regiment to have been awarded the Freedom
of a French town.
of the infantry
, it was announced that the Duke of Wellington's Regiment would be amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
and the Green Howards
', all Yorkshire
-based regiments in the King's Division
, to form the Yorkshire Regiment
. The re-badging parade took place on 6 June 2006.
The 'Dukes' were the last British Regiment to have a Colonel-in-Chief
who was not a member of a Royal family
. Prince Andrew, The Duke of York
was appointed to be the Colonel-in-Chief of the new Yorkshire Regiment.
The 'Dukes' had five companies, named to commemorate five significant campaigns and battles, in which the Dukes took part and were awarded a Battle honour
, which have been retained by the battalion in the Yorkshire Regiment.:
When required an additional rifle company may be formed:- D Company - Dettingen - commemorating the Battle of Dettingen
, during the War of the Austrian Succession
in 1743 and an additional administration company:- W Company - Waterloo - commemorating the Battle of Waterloo
, during the Waterloo campaign in 1815. Both companies having previously existed during the Dukes existence.
on parade. The first pair of colours were the standard set of Regulation Colours, which all Regiments are presented with. The second pair was a set of Honorary Colours, which were originally presented to the 76th Regiment of Foot in 1808 for their actions during the Battle of Ally Ghur
and Delhi
in 1803.
The Honorary Colours were approximately 6-foot 6 inch by 6-foot. Following rebadging, on 6 June 2006 the 'Dukes' retained the Honorary Colours as:- The 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's). The Honorary Colours will only be paraded by the 3rd Battalion (Duke of Wellington's).
.jpg)
.jpg)
On Saturday 31 March 2007 the stand of Regimental Regulation colours taken out of service in 2002, in Osnabrück
, Germany
, at the Regiments Tercentenary parade were laid up in the Halifax
Parish church. The Colour party, with two escorts of 40 troops, marched from the Town hall to the Parish Church, preceded by the Regimental Drums and the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band. There was a short ceremony in the church grounds where the Troops were inspected by the Mayor
of Halifax, Councillor Colin Stout, and the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
Dr Ingrid Roscoe.
tradition. They produced in their history 11 international players, 7 English, 1 Irish and 3 Scottish, with over 50 players capped for the army against the Navy & Air Force since 1914.
For Rugby union
they list:- Capt (Bull) Faithfull, England (3 Caps) 1924. Lieutenant WF (Horsey) Brown
, Army & Ireland (12 Caps), 1925-1928. Captain Mike Campbell-Lamerton
, Army, London Scottish, Scotland (23 Caps), British Lions
in South Africa in 1962, Captain of the British Lions in Australia & New Zealand in 1966. Lieutenant CF Grieve and FJ Reynolds Toured South Africa in 1938 with the British Lions. In the early 1950s DW Shuttleworth and EMP Hardy provided the Half Back pairing for England. Corporals Waqabaca and Ponjiasi played for Fiji
. Brigadier DW Shuttleworth became the President of the English Rugby Football Union during the 1985/86 season. In 1957-1959, whilst stationed in Northern Ireland, the 'Dukes' played rugby throughout Ulster. At the end of the tour the Ulster Team honoured the regiment by playing them at Ravenhill
, with the 'Dukes' winning 19 - 8. In 1961 during an emergency posting to Kenya the Kenyan Champions Nakuru
heard the Dukes were there and challenged them to a match. The Kenyan Regiment loaned them their team strip to wear. The 'Dukes' won the match.
The regiment's Great Britain national rugby league team
internationals include:- Brian Curry, England, 1956; Norman Field
, GB, 1963; R Sabine, GB; Jack Scroby, Army 1959, GB Halifax RLFC
& Bradford Bulls
; Charlie Renilson
, Scotland, GB, 1965 and Arthur 'Ollie' Keegan
, GB.
Several members of the regiment played cricket for the Free Foresters Cricket Club
and Pte Brian Stead played for the Yorkshire County Cricket Club
.
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...
, forming part of the King's Division
King's Division
The King's Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for infantry regiments in the North of England. The King's Division was formed in 1968 with the union of the Lancastrian Brigade, Yorkshire Brigade and North Irish Brigade...
.
In 1702 Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon and Elizabeth Lewis. He succeeded his father in 1701 and died of malignant fever on 22 February 1704/5, aged 27, unmarried....
, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he did in and around the city of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. As was the custom in those days the regiment was named Huntingdon's Regiment after its Colonel. As Colonel succeeded Colonel the name changed, but in 1751 regiments were given numbers, and the regiment was from that time officially known as the 33rd Regiment of Foot. In 1782 the regiment's title was changed to the 33rd (or First Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment, thus formalising an association with the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
which, even then, had been long established. The first Duke of Wellington died in 1852 and in the following year Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, in recognition of the regiment's long ties to him, ordered that the regiment's title be changed to the 33rd (or The Duke of Wellington's) Regiment. In 1881, following the Cardwell Reforms
Cardwell Reforms
The Cardwell Reforms refer to a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874.-Background:...
, the 33rd was linked with the 76th Regiment of Foot
76th Regiment of Foot
The 76th Regiment of Foot was originally raised as Lord Harcourt's Regiment on 17 November 1745 and disbanded in June 1746. Following the loss of Minorca to the French, it was raised again in November 1756 as the 61st Regiment, but renumbered to 76th, by General Order in 1758, and again disbanded...
, who shared their depot in Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
. The 76th had first been raised in 1745, by Simon Harcourt
Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt
Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, PC, FRS, Viceroy of Ireland , known as 2nd Viscount Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general....
and disbanded in 1746, re-raised in 1756 disbanded again in 1763, before being raised again in 1777, disbanded in 1784 and finally re-raised, in 1787, for service in India, by the Honorable East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. The two regiments became, respectively, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Duke of Wellington's Regiment. In 1948 the 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated into a single battalion, the 1st Battalion. On 6 June 2006 The 'Dukes' were amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of The West Yorkshire Regiment and The East Yorkshire Regiment...
and The Green Howards
The Green Howards
The Green Howards was an infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division...
to form the Yorkshire Regiment
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
.
Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s from the regiment had served in most land conflicts involving British forces since its formation, from the Wars of the Austrian
War 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...
and Spanish
War 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...
succession's, through the American war of Independence
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and various campaigns in India and Africa, 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...
, the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and many of the greatest battles of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(the Battle of Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
, the Battle of the Somme (1916), the Battle of Passchendaele, the Battle of Cambrai) and the Third Anglo-Afghan War
Third Anglo-Afghan War
The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
in 1919. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the regiment fought as part of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
in 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...
, forming part of the rearguard at Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
; in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
; Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and in 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...
, following the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings, and as Chindits
Chindits
The Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
in Burma. In Korea
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the 'Dukes' desperate defence of the Hook
Battle of the Hook
The third Battle of the Hook was a battle of the Korean War that took place between a United Nations force, consisting mostly of British troops, supported on their flanks by American and Turkish artillery units against a predominantly Chinese force...
position halted the last major Chinese attempt to break the United Nations Line before the truce, in July 1953, brought the war to an end. In Cyprus the battalion was successful in Operation Golden Rain, destroying a major EOKA
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
terrorist group operating in the Troodos Mountains in 1956. In 1964 the battalion joined the NATO deterrence in Germany on the front line in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and from 1971 was regularly engaged in 'the Troubles' in Ulster until 1997. They were amongst the first units to cross the border from Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
in the 2003 Iraq War.
Nine soldiers from the regiment have been awarded 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....
, and Corporal Wayne Mills
Wayne Mills
Wayne Mills CGC, a Corporal in the British Army, was the first recipient of the new Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. Second only to the Victoria Cross, it is awarded to military personnel, for conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy....
of the 1st Battalion became the first recipient of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is a second level military decoration of the United Kingdom armed forces. Created in 1993 and first awarded in 1995, it was instituted after a review of the British honours system to remove distinctions of rank in the awarding of gallantry decorations...
in 1994, whilst serving with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
forces in Bosnia.
Formation and name
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Raiding Squadron and 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...
.
Owing to its links with the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, the title 'The Duke of Wellington's Regiment' was granted to the 33rd Regiment on 18 June 1853, on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in the year following Wellington's death. Subsequently, the regiment was presented with a new stand of Regulation Colours
Regulation Colours
United Kingdom military units usually carry two Regulation Colours. These are the Regulation Queen's Colour and Regulation Regimental Colour. These are often referred to as the Standard or Ensign....
, on 28 February 1854, emblazoned with its new distinctions of the name of the Duke of Wellington, his crest
Crest (heraldry)
A crest is a component of an heraldic display, so called because it stands on top of a helmet, as the crest of a jay stands on the bird's head....
and motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
, by the then Colonel of the Regiment, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Sir Henry D'Oyley. The regiment departed for the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
the following day.
Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt
Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, PC, FRS, Viceroy of Ireland , known as 2nd Viscount Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, between 1727 and 1749, was a British diplomat and general....
as Lord Harcourts Regiment on 17 November 1745 and disbanded in June 1746. Following the loss of Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
, to the French, it was reraised in November 1756 as the 61st Regiment, but renumbered to 76th, by General Order in 1758, and again disbanded in 1763. A second battalion raised by that regiment in October 1758, for service in Africa, was renumbered as the 86th Regiment and also disbanded in 1763. On 25 December 1777, the 76th was again re-raised, as the 76th Regiment of Foot (Macdonald's Highlanders), by Colonel John MacDonell of Lochgarry, in the West of Scotland and Western Isles, as a Scottish Light Infantry regiment. It was disbanded at Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
in March 1784. The regiment was again raised for service in India by the Honorable East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1787.
In 1881 the 76th Regiment, which shared the same Depot in Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
as the 33rd, was linked to the 33rd, under the Cardwell Reforms
Cardwell Reforms
The Cardwell Reforms refer to a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874.-Background:...
, to become the 2nd Battalion. Although retitled as the Halifax Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) this title only lasted six months until it was changed on 30 June 1881, in a revised appendix to General order 41, to:- The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment), or 'W Rid R' for short. In January 1921 it was again retitled to The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding), or 'DWR' for short. On 6 June 2006 The 'Dukes' were amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of The West Yorkshire Regiment and The East Yorkshire Regiment...
and The Green Howards
The Green Howards
The Green Howards was an infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division...
, all Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
-based regiments in the King's Division, to form the Yorkshire Regiment
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
.
1702–1881
Within months of its original raising the regiment was despatched to join MalboroughJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
's army in Holland. After five months and only two battles it, along with five other of Malborough's best regiments, was sent to Portugal, where it remained for the next six years. The 33rd fought in many battles including: Valencia de Alcantara (1705), Zaragossa (1710) and less favourably at Almansa
Battle of Almansa
The Battle of Almansa, fought on 25 April 1707, was one of the most decisive engagements of the War of the Spanish Succession. At Almansa, the Franco–Spanish army under Berwick soundly defeated the allied forces of Portugal, England, and the United Provinces led by the Earl of Galway,...
and Brihuega
Battle of Brihuega
The Battle of Brihuega took place on 8 December 1710 in the War of the Spanish Succession, during the allied retreat from Madrid to Barcelona...
. It was only one of the two foot regiments not to be disbanded and in 1743 the regiment was sent to Germany, where it distinguised itself in the Battle of Dettingen
Battle of Dettingen
The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle...
, gaining its first battle honour
Battle 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....
, then again at the Battle of Fontenoy
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
in 1745 and again in Rocoux and Lauffeld in 1747.
American Revolution
The 33rd itself had a good reputation for its professionalism and capability, which was seemingly unequalled by any other regiment of the British Army for some time. It was because of their professionalism in the field during the American War of IndependenceAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, that the regiment was given the nickname 'The Pattern'; the regiment then became the standard of soldiering which all other regiments should attain.
The 33rd saw much action during the American War of Independence, with its first engagement at the First Siege of Charleston
Battle of Sullivan's Island
The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from American rebels...
in early 1776, when British forces attempted an assault on that city's defences. In August of that year, the 33rd were involved in the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
. After heavy fighting which lasted several days, the Americans evacuated their remaining forces to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The British were victorious. The British forces suffered about 400 casualties, and the Americans over 2,000. The New York area remained in British control until late 1783.
The regiment's next action came a month later, in September at the Battle of Harlem Heights
Battle of Harlem Heights
The Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The action took place in what is now the Morningside Heights and west Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City on September 16, 1776....
. It was a small skirmish: besides some Hessian troops, the only other British regiment was the 42nd Regiment of Foot
42nd Regiment of Foot
The 42nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally the 43rd Highlanders they were renumbered the 42nd in 1748.- Early history :...
, now the famous Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
, an equally fearsome and professional regiment. The British force, initially without the 33rd, encountered Knowlton's Rangers
Knowlton's Rangers
Knowlton's Rangers were the United States of America's first organized espionage organization, as well as the first American Ranger unit formed after America declared its independence from the United Kingdom. Named after their commander, Thomas Knowlton, they were formed in 1776.-Formation:On...
, a scouting force sent by George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. A small skirmish ensued with the Americans subsequently retreating. Washington then sent another force to lure the British further up the northern plateau, which he held, along with a second force to move around the flank of the British. The British took the bait and advanced further up the plateau. The American flanking force was encountered by the British, which showed them the imminent danger they faced. After some further fighting, the British retreated to a field, where they were joined by the 33rd and a number of Hessian battalions. After further fighting, the Americans retreated.
The regiment was also involved in the Battle of Fort Washington
Battle of Fort Washington
The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain on November 16, 1776. It was a decisive British victory, forcing the entire garrison of Fort Washington to surrender....
. After that, the 33rd were not involved in a major battle until September 1777, when they took part in the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, where the British suffered 550 casualties and the Americans about 1,000. The regiment took part in further action that year, at the Battle of Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
and at Whitemarsh
Battle of White Marsh
The Battle of White Marsh or Battle of Edge Hill was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5–8, 1777, in the area surrounding Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania...
, where they fought the Americans who had retreated from the fighting at Germantown.
The following year was just as active, with the 33rd seeing action at the Battle of Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
, an engagement that became the largest one-day battle of the war. The 33rd was also part of the defence of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
and Quaker Hill
Quaker Hill
Quaker Hill is a village or neighborhood in the town of Waterford, Connecticut, in the southeastern part of the state.It is located in the northeast corner of the town, on the west bank of the Thames River north of New London, and centered around the intersection of the Old Norwich Road and the...
, as well as the Battle of Old Tappan, which occurred in the closing months of the year.
Two years later, in 1780, the 33rd Regiment was again besieging Charleston
Siege of Charleston
The Siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took place towards the end of the American Revolutionary War, after the British began to shift their strategic focus towards the American Southern Colonies. After about six weeks of siege, Continental Army Major General Benjamin Lincoln...
. By 11 May, the American General Benjamin Lincoln
Benjamin Lincoln
Benjamin Lincoln was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
began to negotiate terms of surrender. The following day Lincoln, along with over 7,000 American soldiers, surrendered to the British forces under the command of Lieutenant-General Henry Clinton. In August that year, the 33rd were involved at the Battle of Camden
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War...
. It was a victory for the British. Approximately 324 British were killed or wounded and about 1,000 Americans were killed or wounded, with another 1,000 being taken prisoner.
Guilford Court House
The year 1781 proved to be the deadliest but most successful year for the 33rd. The regiment took part in the Battle of Wetzell's MillBattle of Wetzell's Mill
The Battle of Wetzell's Mill was an American Revolutionary War skirmish fought on March 6, 1781, between detachments of Nathanael Greene's Continental Army and Banastre Tarleton's Loyalist provincial troops.Greene was trying to avoid encounters with the larger British Cornwallis' larger army while...
, but the more famous action took place that same month during a battle at Guilford Court House.
On 14 March 1781, Lord Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
, the British commander, was informed that General Richard Butler
Richard Butler (general)
Richard Butler was an officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, who later died fighting American Indians in Ohio.-Early life:...
was marching to attack his army. With Butler was a body of North Carolina
Province of North Carolina
The Province of North Carolina was originally part of the Province of Carolina in British America, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietor. The province later became the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee....
Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, plus reinforcements from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, consisting of 3,000 Virginia Militia, a Virginia State regiment, a Corp of Virginian "eighteen-month men" and recruits for the Maryland Line
Maryland Line
The Maryland Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Maryland Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Maryland at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the...
. They had joined the command of Major General Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
, creating a force of some nine to ten thousand men in total. During the night, further reports confirmed the American force was at Guilford Court House, some 12 miles (20 km) away. Cornwallis decided to give battle, though he had only 1,900 men at his disposal.
At dawn on 15 March 1781, before the men had a chance to have breakfast, Cornwallis started for Guilford, arriving there at mid-day. Banastre Tarleton
Banastre Tarleton
General Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British soldier and politician.He is today probably best remembered for his military service during the American War of Independence. He became the focal point of a propaganda campaign claiming that he had fired upon surrendering Continental...
's Light Dragoons
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
had been in the vanguard of the approach up the road and were briefly engaged by Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee's Dragoons (Lee's Legion
Lee's Legion
Lee's Legion was a military unit within the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It primarily served in the Southern Theater of Operations, and gained a reputation for efficiency and bravery on the battlefield.The original unit was raised June 8, 1776, at Williamsburg, Virginia, under...
) some 4 miles (6 km) short of the Guilford Court House. The British 23rd Regiment of Foot
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
sent reinforcements forward, and Lee withdrew, having suffered badly at the hands of Tarleton's Light Dragoons in previous actions at Tarrant's House and Weitzell's Mill.
William Washington
William Washington , was an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, who held a final rank of Brigadier General in the newly created United States after the war...
's 3rd Continental Light Dragoons
3rd Continental Light Dragoons
The 3rd Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Baylor's Horse or Lady Washington's Horse, was a mounted regiment of the Continental Army raised on January 1, 1777 at Morristown, New Jersey...
and Virginian light infantry. To the east were Lieutenant Colonel Lee's Dragoons. His second, manned by Virginian Militia was about 300 yards to the rear of the first. To the rear of this final line was the court house and General Greene's command post.
After a twenty-minute cannonade, Cornwallis began his attack around 1:30 pm. His left flank, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel James Webster, was made up of the 33rd and the 23rd Regiments, supported by the Grenadier company
Grenadier (soldier)
A grenadier was originally a specialized soldier, first established as a distinct role in the mid-to-late 17th century, for the throwing of grenades and sometimes assault operations. At this time grenadiers were chosen from the strongest and largest soldiers...
and 2nd Battalion of the Brigade of Guards, (fifteen men from each company of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
and the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
, formed a composite battalion of Foot Guards to be sent to North America. The composite battalion was subsequently split into two battalions). At Guilford Court House, they were then under the command of Brigadier General O'Hara
Charles O'Hara
General Charles O'Hara was a British military officer who served in the Seven Years War, American War of Independence, and French Revolutionary War, and later served as Governor of Gibraltar...
. The Light infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
of the Guards and the German Yäegers
Jäger (military)
Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
(Jagers) remained in the woods to the west. To the right, under the command of Maj-Gen Leslie were the 71st Frasers Highlanders
71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot
The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, which in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry .- First formation :...
and the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n General, Julius von Bose
Julius von Bose
Friedrich Julius Wilhelm Graf von Bose was a Prussian general who commanded the Prussian XI Corps during the Franco-Prussian War....
's, Hessians, with the 1st Battalion of Guards in support. Following on were Tarleton's Light Dragoons, plus 1 troop of the 17th Light Dragoons, ready to go where circumstances required.
The 71st Regiment then came through the woods. The 2nd Battalion of Guards turned and charged back on the Americans, supported by the Grenadiers who had also advanced, pushing Washington's men back into the woods. Over to the left, elements of the 23rd Regiment started to appear, and part of Tarleton's Light Dragoons charged up the road. The Americans turned and retreated, leaving behind their field guns and ammunition wagons. The 33rd Regiment then appeared, having overcome many difficulties on their advance. They had been heavily engaged by the American right flank, first crossing then re-crossing a ravine to consolidate and regroup. They were soon followed by the Light Infantry of the Guards. Cornwallis ordered the 23rd and 71st Regiments with part of the Cavalry to pursue the Americans, though not for any great distance.
The battle had lasted only ninety minutes, and although the British technically defeated the American force, they lost over a quarter of their own men. The 33rd suffered 11 killed and 63 wounded out of a force of 300 all ranks, having already lost 28 men in preceding actions.
Green Spring
The 33rd also fought at the Battle of Green SpringBattle of Green Spring
The Battle of Green Spring took place near Green Spring Plantation in James City County, Virginia during the American Revolutionary War. On July 6, 1781 United States Brigadier General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, leading the advance forces of the Marquis de Lafayette, was ambushed near the plantation by...
in July of that year. Their last engagement of the war was at the Siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
, when they were part of the outnumbered British forces. The British surrendered on 19 October, having little ammunition, food and supplies left. There was also no sign of Henry Clinton
Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)
General Sir Henry Clinton KB was a British army officer and politician, best known for his service as a general during the American War of Independence. First arriving in Boston in May 1775, from 1778 to 1782 he was the British Commander-in-Chief in North America...
's relieving force, which arrived in the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
on 24 October, far too late to affect the outcome.
England, West Indies, Flanders
After 10 years in America the 33rd finally returned to England in 1786. The following year they were posted to Windsor and took up duty as 'The Kings Guard', until 1789. It was then posted to various barracks around DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
& Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, being at that time the only regiment in the south of England.
In 1793 the 'Honourable Arthur Wesley', 3rd son of the Earl of Mornington
Earl of Mornington
Earl of Mornington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, since 1863 a subsidiary title of the dukedom of Wellington. It was created in 1760 for the Anglo-Irish politician and composer Garret Wellesley, 2nd Baron Mornington. He was made Viscount Wellesley, of Dangan Castle in the County of Meath, at...
, the future Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
, purchased a 'Majority' in the 33rd.
By 1794 the 33rd was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel (promoted to full Colonel in 1797) Arthur Wellesley. They had taken part in the disastrous Flanders Campaign
Flanders Campaign
This feature refers to the conflict that took place during the Wars of the French Revolution 1792–1801.For the Low Countries campaigns of the War of the Grand Alliance 1688–97 see Nine Years' War...
and the retreat from Germany, and embarked, from Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, for England on 13 April 1795. Though having suffered only six men killed in combat, over 200 more died from disease and other causes during the 10 months of campaigning. A further 192 remained behind, sick in hospital. The regiment returned to Warley
Warley Town
Warley Town is a town near Halifax in the county of West Yorkshire, England.-History:It was listed in the Domesday book as Werlafeslei.Warley township, one of 23 townships in the ancient parish of Halifax, was also one of the biggest, stretching as far as Luddenden and what was to become Sowerby...
in Yorkshire to rest, recruit and retrain.
On 16 November 1795 the 33rd was again deployed to the West Indies. However the ships ran into a storm, almost immediately and had to take shelter in ports around the south coast, before resuming sail on 3 December. The ship the 33rd was in had been sent to Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
and the 33rd debarked to recuperate. It remained there until April 1796 when it was despatched to Calcutta, arriving on 17 February 1797, under the command of 'Colonel Arthur Wesley'.
India
In 1799 the regiment took part in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore WarFourth Anglo-Mysore War
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was a war in South India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company under the Earl of Mornington....
in a Division commanded by Colonel Arthur Wellesley, as part of a British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
army, commanded by Major General Harris, with Major General Sir David Baird as second in command. Arthur's eldest brother Richard Wellesley, 2nd Earl of Mornington, later 1st Marquess Wellesley, had just become Governor General of India and so, in addition to the 33rd, Arthur, who had now become Colonel Arthur Wellesley, was given command of the 10,000 men of the Nizam of Hyderabad . They had a decisive part to play in the Battle of Seringapatam
Battle of Seringapatam
The Siege of Seringapatam was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's...
. The regiment, involved in bitter fighting with the Tippu Sultan's warriors, were repulsed with heavy losses when they attacked a wood, which was strongly defended by the Sultan's forces. The 33rd rallied and fought further actions throughout the battle, with the British emerging decisively victorious and the Tippoo Sultan being killed. The regiment won a battle honour for its involvement in the action.
The siege of Seringapatam is featured in the Richard Sharpe
Richard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
novel Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
. It is also the setting for the first British detective novel
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, Wilkie Collins
Wilkie Collins
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He was very popular during the Victorian era and wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and over 100 non-fiction pieces...
's 'The Moonstone
The Moonstone
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel, generally considered the first detective novel in the English language. The story was originally serialized in Charles Dickens' magazine All the Year Round. The Moonstone and The Woman in White are considered Wilkie...
' (1868).
In 1857 the 33rd took part in operations against the Indian Mutiny
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
being involved in a number of actions there, notably at Dwarka, which ultimately led to the restoration of stability.
Napoleons Return and Waterloo
By early March 1815, the Regiment was again under the command of the Duke of Wellington, this time during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
campaign of Napoleon. Having taken part in the action of the previous day, at the Battle of Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
, they took up positions at Waterloo
Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...
, the 33rd was part of the 5th Brigade under the command of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Sir Colin Halkett
Colin Halkett
General Sir Colin Halkett GCB GCH GCTE was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey.-Family:Halkett came from a military family...
, which comprised, in addition the 2nd Bn 30th Foot
30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot
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.-Predecessor regiment:...
, and 2nd Bn 69th Foot
69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot
The 69th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Welsh Regiment in 1881....
. The brigade was part of the 3rd Division under the command of General Count Sir Charles Alten
Charles Alten
Sir Charles Alten , Hanoverian and British soldier, son of Baron Alten, a member of an old Hanoverian family, entered the service of the elector as a page at the age of twelve. He led a famous Anglo-Portuguese division during the Peninsular War. At the Battle of Waterloo, he commanded a division...
, which was in turn part of I Corps, under the command of William, Prince of Orange
William II of the Netherlands
William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
.
The 33rd was involved in heavy fighting during the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and at the end of the battle the regiment's casualties numbered 11 officers and 128 men killed or wounded. The British and their Allies were victorious, but at a price of suffering about 15,000 casualties. The Prussians suffered 7,000 casualties. The French suffered 32,000 dead or wounded, as well as around 8,000 taken prisoner.
West Indies
Having departed from Paris on 23 December 1815, the regiment spent the post Waterloo period, from January 1816 to 1821, in uneventful garrison duties in Glasgow, Guernsey and Dublin. The regiment was able to recruit, re-equip and retrain, gaining the approval of many visiting Generals.In 1822, the regiment was posted to 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...
. The West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
were notorious as the death bed of the British Army because of the high mortality rate from Malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, Dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
, Yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
and other such endemic diseases. Many thousands of soldiers never made it back to Britain. The 33rd was not to escape its harsh environment. Within two months, three officers and 49 other ranks had died. By the end of the tour in 1832, 11 officers and 560 NCOs and men had died from diseases. They arrived in Portsmouth in March 1832 with a command of 12 officers and 240 other ranks. 142 had opted to remain behind, having married and taken up residence with their families, and transferred to the 22nd (Cheshire)
Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division.The regiment was created in 1881 as part of the Childers reforms by the linking of the 22nd Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire...
and the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiments
84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot
The 84th Regiment of Foot was a regiment in the British Army. In 1881 it was amalgamated with the 65th Regiment of Foot to create the York and Lancaster Regiment, with the 84th becoming the 2nd Battalion....
.
Crimea
Owing to its links with Wellington, the title '33rd (The Duke of Wellington's) Regiment' was granted to the 33rd, on 18 June 1853 (the 38th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo) by Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, in honour of the 1st Duke of Wellington, who had died on 14 September the previous year.
At 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...
, bitter fighting took place, with the 33rd being part of the Light Division under the command of Sir George Brown. The British advanced up the slope towards the Russian positions. The British formations became intermingled, turning into a mass of soldiers, rather than the professional, neat formations used on parade. As they charged, numerous Russian troops came down the slope to meet them. The British halted and fired, causing so many casualties the Russians were forced to retreat. The British line reorganised and moved up the slope towards the Great Redoubt, with the 33rd being the first to attack the defence works. The 33rd suffered heavy casualties in the hand-to-hand combat that ensued.
The British forces prevailed in taking the objective. However, Russian forces advance on the Great Redoubt to counter-attack. An officer shouted to the British soldiers not to fire, claiming them to be French, despite the fact that they were not. Other British officers soon contradicted him, ordering the men to fire at the massed ranks of soldiers advancing on their position. The soldiers were confused, and the British officers soon decided the prudent option would be to get back down the hill to safety. The Russians failed to pursue, mostly because some French artillery pieces were firing a few shells in the direction of the Russian forces. The Guards Division, comprising the most elite infantry regiments of the British Army, advanced and crossed the river. However, the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
were shattered when retreating soldiers from the Royal Welch Fusiliers
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
, who had been attacked by a mass of Russian soldiers, crashed into the Scots Guards and caused chaos amongst the formation. The Russians seized the moment, launching a mass bayonet charge resulting in heavy hand-to-hand fighting. The Scots Guards suffered 200 casualties and were forced to retreat.
An unknown officer ordered the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, who were preparing to meet the advancing Russian forces, to withdraw. The officer commanding a company of the Grenadiers ordered them to reform to meet the advancing Russians. They poured a large amount of fire into the Russian troops, causing many casualties. The British then began to advance, and the Russians retreated. The Great Redoubt was once again in British control. On the right flank, the Highland Brigade—just two lines deep—advanced whilst firing, which was an unusual manoeuvre in those days. The Russians soon fled, and victory was assured. The British forces suffered 2,000 casualties, the French 1,000, and the Russians 6,000. The 33rd received a Battle Honour for their actions during that battle.
At the Battle of 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 33rd were again involved in some bitter fighting, in which the British infantry advanced despite heavy losses and a strong defence by the Russians. The fighting was fierce, at times some soldiers resorting to attacking their enemy with the butts of their guns. The British suffered some 2,357 killed or wounded, and the French lost about 939 soldiers. Russian casualties were immense with some 11,800 killed or wounded.
The 33rd was involved in the Siege of Sevastopol, which lasted for 11 months. By 1856, the war was over but at a high price. The British had lost approximately 22,182 dead and 18,280 wounded, out of a total force of over 97,000. The majority were lost not because of fighting with the Russians, but to disease. In total, the Allies lost over 160,000 dead and the Russians lost over 450,000.
Abyssinia
The 33rd were part of an expedition sent to the East African nation of Abyssinia, now known as Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
after several European citizens had been taken hostage by the self appointed 'King' Emperor Tewodros II in 1864. In March 1866 a British envoy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
had been despatched to secure the release of a group of missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who had first been seized when a letter Tewdros II had sent to Queen Victoria, delivered by an envoy (Captain Cameron), requesting munitions and military experts from the British, had gone unanswered. They were released; however Tewdros II changed his mind and sent a force after them and they were returned to the fortress and imprisoned again, along with Captain Cameron.
The 33rd was committed to Abyssinia in October 1867 and embarked on 21 November, arriving at Annesley Bay on 4 December; but did not disembark for three days due to the chaos on shore. Thousands of mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s had been sent from Egypt
Egypt
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...
and other countries before adequate arrangements had been made to feed and water them. Initially two companies of the 33rd went ashore to capture and contain the mules and condensed sea water was pumped ashore from a warship and then carried by hand to makeshift wooden troughs. A base camp was set up at Zula
Zula
Zula is a small town in central Eritrea. It is situated near the head of Annesley Bay , on the Red Sea coast...
where officers celebrated Christmas Day with local chicken and a plum pudding made from pounded ships biscuits.
Having left Karachi during the 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...
n winter the 33rd were still dressed in 'Waterloo-red' full Dress Tunic and khaki Drill Trousers. The Serge
Serge
Serge is a type of twill fabric that has diagonal lines or ridges on both sides, made with a two-up, two-down weave. The worsted variety is used in making military uniforms, suits, great coats and trench coats. Its counterpart, silk serge, is used for linings. French serge is a softer, finer variety...
was quickly changed for the more appropriate Khaki Drill jacket and also a white cloth covered Cork Helmet called a 'Topi
Pith helmet
The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
'. The troops had been issued the new breech loading Snider-Enfield
Snider-Enfield
The British .577 Snider-Enfield was a type of breech loading rifle. The firearm action was invented by the American Jacob Snider, and the Snider-Enfield was one of the most widely used of the Snider varieties. It was adopted by British Army as a conversion system for its ubiquitous Pattern 1853...
rifles the previous year, which increased the soldiers fire power from one round per minute to ten rounds per minute. Besides the 33rd of Foot, the expeditionary force included 12,000 British and Indian troops, as well as Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
and Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
.
Lord Napier
Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala
Field Marshal Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, GCB, GCSI, CIE, FRS was a British soldier.-Early life:...
arrived in early January 1868 and the expedition started from the advance camp at Senafe
Senafe
Senafe is a market town in southern Eritrea, on the edge of the Ethiopian highlands. The surrounding area is inhabited by the Saho people and the Tigrinya people....
at the beginning of February. It took two months to reach their objective, advancing through rough terrain. From Senafe the force passed through Adigrat
Adigrat
Adigrat is a city in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude with an elevation of 2457 meters above sea level, below a high ridge to the west, Adigrat is the last important Ethiopian city south of the border with Eritrea, and is considered to be a...
, Antalo
Hintalo
Hintalo is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debubawi Zone of the Tigray Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation variously reported as 2050 or 2102 meters above sea level...
, to the west of Lake Ashangi
Lake Ashenge
Lake Ashenge is a lake in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Ethiopian highlands at an elevation of 2409 meters, it has no outlet...
, and on to Dildi before finally arriving via the road King Theodore built through the Chetta Ravine to get his heavy artillery to Magdala. Yet before they could actually storm the fortress, they had to cross the plateau at Arogye, which lay across the only route to Magdala and was held by Tewodros' forces. It certainly looked formidable to attack, with the way barred by many thousands of warriors camped around the hillsides, and as many as 30 artillery pieces visible on a nearby hilltop.
In his despatch to London Lord Napier reported: "Yesterday morning (we) descended three thousand nine hundred feet to Bashilo River
Bashilo River
The Bashilo River is located in Ethiopia. Known for its canyon, which one source describes as almost as extensive as the canyon of its parent the Abay, also known as the Blue Nile, the river originates just west of Kutaber in the Amhara Region, flowing first to the northwest to where the Tergiya...
and approached Magdala
Battle of Magdala
The Battle of Magdala was fought in April 1868 between British and Abyssinian forces at Magdala, from the Red Sea coast, which at that time was the capital city of Abyssinia...
with 'First Brigade' to reconnoiter it. Theodore opened fire with seven guns from outwork, one thousand feet above us, and three thousand five hundred men of the garrison made a gallant sortie which was repulsed with very heavy loss and the enemy driven into Magdala. British loss, twenty wounded"
The following day as the British force moved on to Magdala, Tewodros II sent two of the hostages on parole to offer terms. Napier insisted on the release of all the hostages and an unconditional surrender. Tewodros refused to cede to the unconditional surrender, but did release the European hostages. The British continued the advance and assaulted the fortress. (The native hostages were later found to have had their hands and feet cut off before being sent over the edge of the precipice surrounding the plateau.)
The bombardment began with mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s, rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
s and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. Infantry units then opened fire, covering the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
sent to blow up the gates of the fortress. The path lay up a steep boulder strewn track one one side of which was a sheer drop and the other by a perpendicular cliff face, leading to the main gateway, known as the Koket-Bir, which consisted of a thick timber doors set in a 15 feet (4.6 m) stone archway. Each side of the gate was protected by a thorn and stake hedge. After this gate was a further uphill path to a second fortified gateway, which lead onto the final plateau, or 'amba
Amba (geology)
An amba is a characteristic geologic form in Ethiopia. It is a steep sided, flat topped mountain, often the site of villages, wells and their surrounding farmland. These settlements were located there because they were very defensible and often virtually inaccessible plateaus.The original term in...
'
On reaching the gate there was a pause in the advance, as it was discovered the engineer unit had forgot their powder kegs and scaling ladders and were ordered to return for them. General Staveley
Charles William Dunbar Staveley
General Sir Charles William Dunbar Staveley GCB was a British Army officer.-Early life:He was born at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, the son of Lt-General William Staveley and Sarah Mather, and educated at the Scottish military and naval academy, Edinburgh.-Career:He was commissioned as second...
was not happy at any further delay and ordered the 33rd to continue the attack. Several officers and the men of the 33rd Regiment, along with an officer from the Royal Engineers, parted from the main force and, after climbing the cliff face, found their way blocked by a thorny hedge over a wall. Private James Bergin
James Bergin
James Bergin VC , born in Killbriken, Queens County, Ireland, was an Irish 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:Bergin was 22 years old, and a private in the...
, a very tall man, used his bayonet to cut a hole in the hedge and Drummer Michael Magner
Michael Magner
Michael Magner VC was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland and was an Irish 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:He was 27 years old, and a Drummer in the 33rd...
climbed onto his shoulders through the hedge in the gap and dragged Bergin up behind him as Ensign Conner and Corporal Murphy helped shove from below. Bergin kept up a rapid rate of fire on the Koket-Bir as Magner dragged more men through the gap in the hedge. As more men poured through and opened fire as they advanced with their bayonets the defenders withdrew through the second gate. The party rushed the Koket-bir before it was fully closed and then took the second gate breaking through to the Amba. Ensign Wynter scrambled up onto the top of the second gate and fixed the 33rd Regiments Colours to show the Plateau had been taken. Private Bergin and Drummer Magner were later awarded 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....
for their part in the action.
Tewodros II was found dead inside the second gate, having shot himself with a pistol that had been a gift from Queen Victoria. When his death was announced all opposition ceased. The regiment later received the battle honour Abyssinia
Abyssinia (battle honour)
Abyssinia is a battle honour awarded to units of the British Indian Army and the British Army which participated in the 1868 campaign to free Europeans held hostage in Abyssinia by Emperor Tewodros II...
.
1st Battalion
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...
in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...
and returned home again in 1898.
The 1st Battalion began the first year of the 20th century at war when it arrived in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, in 1900, as reinforcements for British forces fighting Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s, in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. The battalion took part in the Relief of Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
, in February 1901, which had been under siege by the Boers since October 1899. The battalion also took part in the Battle of Paardeberg
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, which was eventually captured by the British, after the Boers surrendered on 27 February 1901. The battalion saw action at the British victory at Driefontein
Driefontein, Gauteng
Driefontein is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region 3 and Region 5....
on 10 March 1901.
On 29 November 1901, Lieutenant Colonel George Evan Lloyd, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, was killed in action at Rhenoster Kop. The 1st Battalion saw numerous small-scale actions against the elusive Boer commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s for the duration of the war, returning home in 1902. The regiment gained the battle honour "Relief of Kimberley" and the theatre honour "South Africa 1900-02".
The 1st Battalion's stay in England was relatively brief, as it departed for India in 1905, where it remained until 1921.
2nd Battalion
Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion (formerly the 76th Regiment) had deployed to BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
in 1886 for garrison duty, where they remained until 1888 when it arrived in Nova Scotia
Nova 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...
. In 1891 they moved to the West Indies and in 1893 moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
leaving just before the start of the Boer War, for service in Burma. The Battalion was stationed in 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...
when the First World War began in 1914.
World War I (1914–1918)
The 1st Battalion (Regular) remained in India throughout the war, but the 2nd Battalion (Regular) first saw action at the Battle of MonsBattle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
. It then fought a rearguard action at the Battle of Le Cateau
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
, a vital action during the retreat from Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the British forces inflicted severe casualties on the Germans. The British soldier's ability to fire the Lee-Enfield rifle
Lee-Enfield
The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century...
with deadly accuracy and speed was certainly a deciding factor in the engagement. Although it was a victory for the Germans, at least tactically, the brave actions of the British soldiers that fought the rearguard effectively saved the war for the Allies.
The 2nd Battalion also fought at the First Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
, the Battle of the Aisne
First Battle of the Aisne
The First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
, the Battle of La Bassée
Battle of La Bassée
The Battle of La Bassée was a battle between British and German forces in northern France in October 1914, and was part of the Race to the Sea....
and the brutal first Battle of Ypres
First Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
. First Ypres began as an offensive battle, with the attacking and exposed British infantry taking heavy casualties from German machine guns. The battle soon bogged down into trench warfare. The British Expeditionary Force suffered some 54,100 casualties, astonishing figures that would be eclipsed within two years.
The 2nd Battalion was also at the Battle of Hill 60
Battle of Hill 60 (Western Front)
The Battle of Hill 60 was an Australian assault that was subsidiary to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.-1914-15:Hill 60 was a low rise on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient and was named for the 60 metre contour which marked its bounds. Hill 60 was not a natural highpoint, but was created as a...
. The British placed six mines under Hill 60. Most of the hill was blown away when the mines were detonated, causing many casualties to the German forces defending it. The British then launched a massive bombardment, followed by an assault that led to vicious hand-to-hand fighting. About 150 Germans were killed in the action and the British lost seven. That night the Germans counter-attacked, inflicting numerous casualties on the British defenders, and retook the hill. The 'Dukes', along with the 2nd Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry assaulted the hill, recapturing it after some fighting. They were subsequently relieved by four regiments, with one in reserve. The Germans counter-attacked two days later, but were repelled by those regiments, in which an officer from
George Rowland Patrick Roupell
George Rowland Patrick Roupell VC CB was born in Tipperary and was an Irish 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.-Early life and career:George Roupell was born into a...
the 1st Surreys won a 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....
for his actions during the defence of the hill.
The 'Dukes' raised twenty three battalions for service during the First World War, including two labour Battalions. Fourteen of these Battalions (Regular, Territorial Force and Service) took part in several of the greatest battles of World War I: , the 8th Battalion saw service in the Gallipoli Campaign and the 10th Battalion was in action at Piave
Battle of the Piave River
The Battle of the Piave River , known in Italy as Battaglia del Solstizio , Battaglia di Mezzo Giugno , or Seconda Battaglia del Piave , was a decisive victory for the Italian Army during World War...
in Italy. In all, during the course of World War I, the Regiment suffered many casualties, with over 8,300 killed. Having fought in nearly every theatre of the war the Regiment's service was recognised by the award of 197 Battle Honour
Battle 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, many of which were to separate battalions in the same theatre of action, 10 of which are emblazoned on the King's Colour
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
.
Inter-war (1919–1938)
In 1919, the 1st Battalion took part in the Third Anglo-Afghan WarThird Anglo-Afghan War
The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
and eventually returned home in 1921 where it arrived in Ireland during tumultuous times there. It was stationed in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
in 1922. It was posted to Malta in 1935, the last overseas deployment for the battalion in the inter-war period. The Battalion returned to the UK in 1937.
The 2nd Battalion was posted to Ireland in 1919 before it deployed to Egypt
Egypt
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...
in 1922. It was based in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1926, and returned to India in 1928.
Meanwhile, the Regiment's title had altered slightly in 1921 to its present-name of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding).
1st Battalion
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the 1st Battalion was immediately sent 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...
as part of the British 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division of 1st Corps of the BEF
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
. During the retreat to Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
, the 'Dukes' forming part of the rearguard.
The 'Dukes' next fought in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, fighting with distinction in a number of actions and gaining several Battle Honours. They fought at the Battle of Medjez Plain, as well as the Battle of Djebel bou Aoukaz, taking the town on 27 April 1943. The town however, was re-taken by German forces on 30 April, after heavy fighting. On 5 May, the British forces re-took the town from the Germans.
The 'Dukes' also fought in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, taking part in the Anzio Campaign
Operation Shingle
Operation Shingle , during the Italian Campaign of World War II, was an Allied amphibious landing against Axis forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. The operation was commanded by Major General John P. Lucas and was intended to outflank German forces of the Winter Line and enable an...
in early 1944 in an attempt to outflank the Gustav Line
Winter Line
The Winter Line was a series of German military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt. The primary Gustav Line ran across Italy from just north of where the Garigliano River flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, through the Apennine Mountains to the...
and force a German retreat from Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
. The Regiment was involved at the Battle of Campoleone, when two veteran German divisions (one armoured, the other a parachute division) attacked. The British forces defended stoutly, suffering 1,000 casualties in the first day alone. They only withdrew after further heavy fighting took place. The 'Dukes' fought with distinction at the Battle of Monte Ceco in October 1944 where Private Richard Henry Burton
Richard Henry Burton
Richard Henry Burton VC was an English 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:...
, of the 1st Battalion, was awarded a 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....
for his courageous action in the battle. The regiment also won a Battle Honour
Battle 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....
for the engagement.
2nd Battalion
In the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, the 2nd Battalion took part in the rearguard action at the Battle of Sittang Bridge
Battle of Sittang Bridge
The Battle of Sittang Bridge was part of the Burma campaign in World War II. Fought between 19 February and 23 February 1942, the battle was a decisive victory for Japan, with heavy losses for the British Indian Army, which was forced to retreat in disarray...
in February 1942 and in the Battle of Paungde in March that year. The plan was to advance and occupy Paungde. The strike force advanced on 29 March, but had to fight Japanese forces just north-east of their objective in the area of Padigon. The force made some progress in the Paungde area before meeting stiff resistance. Due to their orders not to be cut off, the 2nd 'Dukes' and the 7th Hussars
7th Queen's Own Hussars
The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1690. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958....
withdrew. A Japanese regiment had crossed the west bank of the Irawaddy River
Ayeyarwady River
The Irrawaddy River or Ayeyarwady River is a river that flows from north to south through Burma . It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Originating from the confluence of the N'mai and Mali rivers, it flows relatively straight North-South before emptying through...
, digging in at Shwedaung
Shwedaung
Shwedaung is a village in Kalewa Township, Kale District, in the Sagaing Region of western Burma.-External links:*...
, just behind the British strike force. An engagement ensued, with the Indian 17th Infantry Division attacking, the Japanese held the town. The British force suffered heavy casualties in fighting their way through Shwedaung to rejoin the 17th Indian Division.
They were trained as Chindits
Chindits
The Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
, to operate behind Japanese lines, who were at that time attacking 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...
, they were formed into two columns, the 33rd and 76th, to operate behind the Japanese lines during the fierce battles for Imphal
Battle of Imphal
The Battle of Imphal took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in North-East India from March until July 1944. Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and invade India, but were driven back into Burma with heavy losses...
and Kohima
Battle of Kohima
The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in the Second World War. The battle was fought from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India. It is often referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".The battle took place in...
.
6th and 7th Battalions
Having spent 1942 providing a defensive force in IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
based mostly around Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
the 1/6th and 1/7th battalions were replaced by American troops and returned to England to train and prepare for the invasion of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
.
On 9 June 1944 the 1/6th and 1/7th Battalions embarked on HMS Cheshire
HMS Cheshire
HMS Cheshire, a ship of the Royal Navy, is named after the English county of Cheshire.*HMS Cheshire an Armed Merchant Cruiser acting as convoy escort and troopship in World War II...
arriving off the Normandy coast on 11 June. By late evening of that day they were five miles inland. The 1/6th, under the command of Lt Col RK Exham, was the first to engage the enemy. On 16 June the battalion was ordered to attack Parc de Boislonde, a thickly wooded ridge overlooking Fontenay le Pesnil. The attack was supported by a squadron of tanks and artillery from four field regiments. The attack was successful, but resulted in heavy losses to the battalion. The following day the German forces counter attacked, forcing the 6th Battalion back, the bitter fighting saw the battalion lose 16 Officers and 220 other ranks in the first two days.
The battalion was then withdrawn to a nearby Chateau to rest, but was spotted by a reconnaissance aircraft and was heavily shelled by German artillery, resulting in another 20 casualties. That same afternoon, 20 June, the battalion paraded for the Brigade Commander and was promptly shelled again, with even more casualties. At that point Lt Col Exham was switched to command another battalion. On 25 June, under the command of Lt Col AJD Turner MC Suffolk Regiment
Suffolk Regiment
The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated with the Royal Norfolk Regiment as the 1st East Anglian Regiment in 1959...
, the 1/6th battalion was moved up to support the flank of 147 Brigade
147th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
- History Second World War :During the Second World War, the Brigade part of the 49th Infantry Division, was stationed in Iceland, and adopted as its insignia the polar bear on an ice floe. In 1942 it was transferred back to the United Kingdom until June 1944, when it moved to Normandy...
s attack on Fontenay le Pesnil and then the village of Rauray.
Heavy fighting ensued, with a number of German units, from the elite 12th SS Panzer Division
12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend
The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend was a German Waffen SS armoured division during World War II. The Hitlerjugend was unique because the majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, while the senior NCOs and officers were generally veterans of the Eastern...
, putting up stiff resistance. The objectives were taken but the 1/6th had come under withering Mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
fire, suffering further heavy losses. The new Commanding Officer felt the battalion needed a rest and reorganisation and put in a report to General Montgomery
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
:
1. I arrived at 6DWR on the evening of 26 June. From am 27 June until am 30 June we have been in contact with the enemy and under moderately heavy mortar and shell fire.
2. The following facts make it clear that this report makes no reflection on the state of 6 DWR when they left UK:
- a) In 14 days there have been some 23 officers and 350 OR casualties
- b) Only 12 of the original officers remain and they are all junior. The CO and every rank above Cpl (except for 2 Lt's) in Battalion HQ have gone, all company commanders have gone. One company has lost every officer, another has only one left.
- c) Since I took over I have lost two second-in-commands in successive days and a company commander on the third day.
- d) Majority of transports, all documents, records and a large amount of equipment was lost
3. State of Men
- a) 75% react adversely to enemy shelling and are "jumpy"
- b) 5 cases in 3 days of self inflicted wounds
- c) Each time men are killed or wounded a number of men become casualties through shell shock or hysteria.
- d) In addition to genuine hysteria a large number of men have left their positions after shelling on one pretext or another and gone to the rear until sent back by the M.O. or myself
- e) The new drafts have been affected, and 3 young soldiers became casualties with hysteria after hearing our own guns
- f) the situation has got worse each day as more key personnel have become casualties
4. Discipline and Leadership
- a) State of Discipline is bad, although the men are a cheerful pleasant type normally
- b) NCOs do not wear stripes and some officers have no badges of rank. This makes the situation impossible when 50% of the Battalion do not know each other.
- c) NCO leadership is weak in most cases and the newly drafted officers are in consequence having to expose themselves unduly to try to get anything done. It is difficult for the new officers (60%) to lead the men under fire as they do not know them.
Conclusion
- a) 6DWR is not fit to take its place in the line.
- b) Even excluding the question of nerves and morale 6DWR will not be fit to go back into the line until it is remobilised, reorganized, and to an extent retrained. It is no longer a battalion but a collection of individuals. There is naturally no espirit-de-corps for those who are frightened (as we all are to one degree or another) to fall back on. I have twice had to stand at the end of a track and draw my revolver on retreating men.
Recommendation.
If it is not possible to withdraw the battalion to the base or UK to re-equip, reorganize and train, then it should be disbanded and split among other units. If it is not possible to do either of the above and it is essential that the battalion should return to the line, I request that I may be relieved of my command and I suggest that a CO with 2 or 3 years experience should relieve me, and that he should bring his adjutant and a signals officer with them.
Being a Regular officer I realise the seriousness of this request and its effect on my career. On the other hand I have the lives of the new officer personnel (which is excellent) to consider. Three days running a Major has been killed or seriously wounded because I have ordered him to, in effect, stop them running during mortar concentrations. Unless withdrawn from the division I do not think I can get the battalion to fight normally and this waste of life would continue. My honest opinion is if you continue to throw new officer and other rank replacements into 6DWR as casualties occur, you are throwing good money after bad.
I know my opinion is shared by two other Command officers who know the full circumstances.
On receipt of the report General Montgomery instantly dismissed the new CO, disbanded the battalion and used it to provide drafts for the 1/7th battalion. It arrived back in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
on 17 August 1944 having lost 19 Officers and 350 other ranks. It was replaced in the Line by the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment
Royal Leicestershire Regiment
The Royal Leicestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964.-1688 - 1881:...
.
7th battalion
The 1/7th had been issued with 350 folding bicycles to aid them in moving forward into France, However the Commanding Officer felt the 8 feet (2.4 m) banks and deep ditches unsuitable country in which to use them, so they were stored in a wood; and almost instantly crushed by a passing squadron of tanks. The fighting around Fontenay-le-PesnelFontenay-le-Pesnel
-References:*...
saw the battalion lose some 120 men, killed and wounded.
Further fighting saw the battalion advancing daily, bolstered up to a force of 30 officers and 850 men, after the merger of the 1/6th battalion, and on 3 September they had crossed the Seine. On 10 September they were involved in heavy fighting around Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and by 23 September they were on the southern bank of the Leopold Canal, approximately 18 miles east of Antwerp. On 30 October the 1/7th had advanced as far as Roosendaal in the North Brabant region of the Netherlands
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...
, just north of the Belgian border.
On 1 November 1944 the 1/7th battalion was placed under the command of the Canadian
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...
army, where they defeated an attempt by a German parachute battalion to capture the Nijmegen bridge, capturing over 100 prisoners, with a further 50 killed or wounded. in April 1945 the battalion was involved in the breakout from the Nijmegen salient and by 7 May it was in Utrecht
Utrecht (province)
Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
disarming three German divisions, the day before the war in the European theatre was finished.
Korean War (1952–1956)
The 1st Battalion was deployed to KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in 1952, two years after the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
had broken out. They were part of the 1st Commonwealth Division
1st Commonwealth Division
The 1st Commonwealth Division was the name given, after July 1951, to Commonwealth land forces in the Korean War. The division was a multinational unit that was part of British Commonwealth Forces Korea, and whilst British and Canadian Army units formed the bulk of the division, Australian...
.
Battle of The Hook
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
, who had been defending a position known as The Hook, a crescent shaped ridge, which was of tactical importance in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
sector. From 10 to 28 May, the 1st Battalion suffered 58 casualties, from artillery and mortar fire.
The third Battle of the Hook began on 28 May. An initial bombardment of the British positions took place, with the Chinese forces charging the forward British positions once the bombardment ceased. The fighting that ensued was bloody and more akin to the battles that the 'Dukes' had fought in World War I. Shells were now raining down on the Hook from artillery and mortars, from both the Chinese and UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
forces. The Chinese launched a second attack but were cut down by heavy fire from UN the forces. Further attacks occurred on 28 May, but all were defeated in heavy fighting.
Just 30 minutes into 29 May, the Chinese forces launched another attack but, as before, they were beaten back. Alma Company of 'The 'Dukes' then began advancing up the line of the original trenches to dislodge the remaining Chinese forces in the forward trenches. The 'Dukes' secured the Hook at 3:30 a.m. The 'Dukes' losses were 3 officers and 17 other ranks killed and two officers and 84 other ranks wounded, plus 20 other ranks missing. The Chinese had about 250 killed, with over 800 being wounded. For their action, the Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour 'The Hook 1953'. Later, the 1st Battalion's Headquarter Company was renamed 'Hook Company'.
The 'Dukes' embarked for 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...
on (13 November 1953), where they arrived on 10 December. In May 1954, during a visit to Gibraltar by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
, the Commanding Officer of the 'Dukes' (Lieutenant Colonel FR St P Bunbury) and a further 10 officers and other ranks received decorations for their actions in Korea. The 'Dukes' was the last of the British infantry regiments to leave Korea.
General Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
of 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...
objected to the Queen visiting Gibraltar and promptly closed the Spanish/Gibraltar border, thus confining the 'Dukes' to Gibraltar until September 1955 when they left to return to the UK. The border did not reopen until 1985, when the 'Dukes' were again stationed in Gibraltar.
Garrison duties
After the bloody encounters in the Korean War, the 'Dukes' were occupied by a series of garrison duties. The 'Dukes' were first deployed to GibraltarGibraltar
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...
, then to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
in 1956, where they participated in anti-terrorist operations against EOKA
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
. The following year, the 'Dukes' deployed to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. They moved back to the mainland in 1959, joining the new UK Strategic Reserve, as part of 19 Infantry Brigade).
In 1960, the 'Dukes' deployed to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
at the request of the Governor. In 1968, the 'Dukes' deployed to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
for internal security duties, just a year after the riots there, when young followers of Chairman Mao
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
besieged Government House. Thousands of bombs were planted during the riots, which killed fifteen people in that terror campaign.
The 'Dukes' returned to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1970. Then deployed to Northern Ireland a number of times during 'The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
'. Their first deployment was in 1971, during one of the bloodiest times in the Province in which 43 British soldiers and many civilians and terrorists lost their lives. They had further tours to the Province in 1973, 1976, 1977 and 1979. The 'Dukes' lost one officer and four soldiers during these deployments.
In 1985, the 'Dukes' deployed to Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
for a six-month tour of duty, taking part in operation 'Holdfast'. During this tour a jungle patrol by members of the regiments 'Alma Company' located a Marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
processing camp hidden in the jungle. Although the occupants had all run away a large amount of Marijuana, estimated at over £250,000 in value, was found and subsequently destroyed by fire.
In 1987 the 'Dukes' deployed again to Northern Ireland for a two year tour, based in Palace Barracks, just outside the city of Belfast. Following this tour the 'Dukes' returned to Tern Hill Barracks in Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
, Shropshire. Shortly after arriving the barracks was attacked by the IRA, in the form of a bomb in one of the accommodation blocks. Although the building was occupied no injuries were sustained.
Bosnia (1994–1995)
In March 1994, the 'Dukes' deployed to BosniaBosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, with an area of responsibility covering Bugojno
Bugojno
Bugojno is a town and municipality of the same name in central Bosnia and Herzegovina on the river Vrbas. It is located in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity. The town is to the northwest from Sarajevo, with an estimated population of 50,000 .To the west...
, Vitez
Vitez
Vitez is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Name:...
, Travnik
Travnik
Travnik is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, 90 km west of Sarajevo. It is the capital of the Central Bosnia Canton, and is located in the Travnik Municipality. Travnik today has some 27,000 residents, with a metro population that is probably close to 70,000 people...
and the besieged enclave
Enclave and exclave
In political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
of Goražde
Goražde
Goražde , is a city and municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river. It is located between Foča, Sokolac and Višegrad, and is administratively part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the center of the Bosnian Podrinje Canton.-Location:Goražde is situated on the...
. The latter was under siege for much of the war. It was declared a UN Safe Zone in that year. The 'Dukes' were one of the first units to enter the town. The Regiment pushed the Bosnian-Serb Army from their positions around the town to a distance of over one mile. Their objective in doing this was to create a safe zone for the town. While at Goražde, Private Shaun Taylor of C Company was killed during an engagement with Bosnian-Serb forces while manning an observation post. The engagement lasted fifteen minutes, with over 2,000 rounds of ammunition being expended by the 'Dukes'. Seven of the Bosnian-Serb soldiers were killed in the fire-fight. Goražde remained a safe zone, being held by British troops from 1994-95. It was the only safe zone to survive the war and avoided the tragedies that occurred in other UN safe zones such as Srebrenica
Srebrenica
Srebrenica is a town and municipality in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska. Srebrenica is a small mountain town, its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa. During the Bosnian War, the town was the site of the July 1995 massacre,...
and Žepa
Žepa
Žepa is a town in the east of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the municipality of Rogatica. Žepa is located northeast of Rogatica itself, southwest of Srebrenica and northwest of Višegrad...
.
Wayne Mills
Wayne Mills CGC, a Corporal in the British Army, was the first recipient of the new Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. Second only to the Victoria Cross, it is awarded to military personnel, for conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy....
of the 1st Battalion became the first recipient of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is a second level military decoration of the United Kingdom armed forces. Created in 1993 and first awarded in 1995, it was instituted after a review of the British honours system to remove distinctions of rank in the awarding of gallantry decorations...
, second only to 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....
. On (29 April 1994), a patrol led by Corporal Mills came under heavy small-arms fire from a group of Bosnian-Serbs. The patrol returned fire, killing two of the attackers. The patrol then withdrew, but the attackers persisted in firing on the patrol. The patrol soon reached an open clearing, where it was obvious they would be highly vulnerable to fire from the attackers. Corporal Mills then performed an astonishing feat of bravery. He turned back and engaged the group in a fire-fight, delaying the attackers long enough to allow the rest of his patrol to cross the clearing. While doing this brave act, Corporal Mills shot the leader of the group, with the rest scattering into the woods. Due to that action he returned to his patrol safely, who were giving covering fire.
Lieutenant-Colonel David Santa-Olalla received the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for his inspirational leadership and courage during the 'Dukes' deployment to Bosnia. He arranged for the mutual withdrawal of both Serbian and Muslim forces, from the besieged town of Goražde, just as the Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
talks were being held on the town.
1995–2005
In March 1995, the 'Dukes' were again posted to Northern Ireland for a two year tour of duty. In March 1997, a composite company from the 1st Battalion was deployed to the Falkland IslandsFalkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
. In 1998, C Company deployed for a tour of duty in South Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. During the period 1998-2000, the 1st Battalion served as a public duties
Public duties
Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role.-Germany:...
unit in London, where one of its roles was the provision of the Queen's Guard
Queen's Guard
The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard are the names given to contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in London...
.
In February 2001, a company from the 'Dukes' deployed to Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, with the objective of preventing arms and munitions being transported from Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
into Kosovo, then onto the Former Yugolav Republic Of Macedonia, now known as the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. In March the Dukes Battlegroup followed and deployed on Op Agricola V, taking over the role from 45 Commando Royal Marines
45 Commando
45 Commando Royal Marines is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet....
at 4 pm on 3 March. The Battlegroup included:- 2nd Royal Tank Regiment
2nd Royal Tank Regiment
The 2nd Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps...
, 3 Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
and a battalion each from Sweden, Finland and Norway. The battlegroup was under the command of 19th Mechanised Brigade and covered Pristina City
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
and the rural area to the north. The deployment ended in July that year.
In 2003, the 'Dukes' were part of Operation Telic
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
, the invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, as part of 1 (United Kingdom) Armoured Division. The 'Dukes' returned, as part of 4 (Armoured) Brigade, to the South-East of Iraq, in October 2004, to join the British-led Multi-National Division (South-East)
Multi-National Division (South-East) (Iraq)
Multi-National Division was a British commanded division responsible for security in the south east of Iraq from 2003 to 2009. It was responsible for the large city of Basra and its headquarters were located at Basra Airport. The division was initially responsible for the governorates of Al...
, as a fully equipped armoured infantry battalion with Warrior Armoured Personnel Carriers.
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, Germany, where the 'Dukes' were then based, the Regiment celebrated its 300th year in existence. Over 2000 past and present members converged on the town to take part in the celebrations. The 'Dukes' were presented with new colours
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
by HM Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, represented by The Colonel of The Regiment Major-General Sir Evelyn John Webb-Carter KCB
Evelyn John Webb-Carter
Major General Sir Evelyn John Webb-Carter KCVO, OBE, DL was the last 'Colonel of The Regiment' of The Duke of Wellington's Regiment , before their amalgamation into the Yorkshire Regiment, 3rd Battalion .-Early life:Webb-Carter is the son of Brigadier Brian Wolsey Webb-Carter DSO & Bar, OBE .He...
, due to the ill health of the Queen's representative, the regiments Colonel-in-Chief
Colonel-in-Chief
In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...
the Duke of Wellington. The regiment had a beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
called Havercake Ale named in their honour by the Timothy Taylor Brewery
Timothy Taylor Brewery
Timothy Taylor is a regional brewery founded in 1858 by Timothy Taylor. Originally based in Cook Lane, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England they moved to larger premises in 1863 at Knowle Spring, where they remain to this day.-Landlord:...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, to mark the regiments tercentenary. Timothy Taylor the founder of the brewery had served in an antecedent unit of the regiment during 1859. Since then other members of the family and employees had also enlisted as a 'Duke' one employee a Drayman
Drayman
A drayman was historically the driver of a dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that were used for transport of all kinds of goods. Now the term is really only used for brewery delivery men, even though routine horse-drawn deliveries are almost entirely...
called Arthur Poulter
Arthur Poulter
Arthur Poulter VC was an English 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 a World War I VC
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....
for his action in saving lives during the Battle of the Lys
Battle of the Lys
The Battle of the Lys was part of the 1918 German offensive in Flanders during World War I...
.
On 12 November 2005, the Regiment was awarded the "Keys to the Town" of Erquinghem-Lys
Erquinghem-Lys
-See also:*Communes of the Nord departmentErquinghem is one of a series of villages on the river Lys established by the Viking Rikiwulf in 880 AD at the time of the invasion led by Godfrid, Duke of Frisia: Racquinghem, Reclinghem, Rekkem and Rijkegem .-References:*...
in 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...
. It is the only British Regiment to have been awarded the Freedom
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of a French town.
Amalgamation
In December 2004, as part of the re-organisationDelivering Security in a Changing World
The 2003 Defence White Paper, titled Delivering Security in a Changing World, set out the future structure of the British military, and was preceded by the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the 2002 SDR New Chapter, which responded to the immediate challenges to security in the aftermath of the...
of the infantry
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...
, it was announced that the Duke of Wellington's Regiment would be amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of The West Yorkshire Regiment and The East Yorkshire Regiment...
and the Green Howards
The Green Howards
The Green Howards was an infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division...
', all Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
-based regiments in the King's Division
King's Division
The King's Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for infantry regiments in the North of England. The King's Division was formed in 1968 with the union of the Lancastrian Brigade, Yorkshire Brigade and North Irish Brigade...
, to form the Yorkshire Regiment
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
. The re-badging parade took place on 6 June 2006.
The 'Dukes' were the last British Regiment to have a Colonel-in-Chief
Colonel-in-Chief
In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...
who was not a member of a Royal family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
. Prince Andrew, The Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
was appointed to be the Colonel-in-Chief of the new Yorkshire Regiment.
The 'Dukes' had five companies, named to commemorate five significant campaigns and battles, in which the Dukes took part and were awarded a Battle honour
Battle 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....
, which have been retained by the battalion in the Yorkshire Regiment.:
- A Company - Alma - commemorating the Battle of AlmaBattle of AlmaThe 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...
, during the Crimean War 1853–1856 - B Company - Burma - commemorating the Burma CampaignBurma CampaignThe Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
, during the Second World War 1941-1944 - C Company - Corunna - commemorating the Battle of CorunnaBattle of CorunnaThe Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
, during the Peninsular War of 1809-1813 - Support Company - Somme - commemorating the Battle of the Somme, during the First World War 1914-1918
- Headquarter Company - Hook - commemorating the Battle of the HookBattle of the HookThe third Battle of the Hook was a battle of the Korean War that took place between a United Nations force, consisting mostly of British troops, supported on their flanks by American and Turkish artillery units against a predominantly Chinese force...
, during the Korean war 1952-1953
When required an additional rifle company may be formed:- D Company - Dettingen - commemorating the Battle of Dettingen
Battle of Dettingen
The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle...
, during the War of the Austrian Succession
War 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...
in 1743 and an additional administration company:- W Company - Waterloo - commemorating the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, during the Waterloo campaign in 1815. Both companies having previously existed during the Dukes existence.
Regimental colours
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment had four coloursColours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
on parade. The first pair of colours were the standard set of Regulation Colours, which all Regiments are presented with. The second pair was a set of Honorary Colours, which were originally presented to the 76th Regiment of Foot in 1808 for their actions during the Battle of Ally Ghur
Battle of Ally Ghur
The Battle of Aligarh pronounced by British Colonialists as Battle of Ally Ghur was fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company during the Second Anglo-Maratha War at Aligarh, India....
and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in 1803.
The Honorary Colours were approximately 6-foot 6 inch by 6-foot. Following rebadging, on 6 June 2006 the 'Dukes' retained the Honorary Colours as:- The 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's). The Honorary Colours will only be paraded by the 3rd Battalion (Duke of Wellington's).
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, at the Regiments Tercentenary parade were laid up in the Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
Parish church. The Colour party, with two escorts of 40 troops, marched from the Town hall to the Parish Church, preceded by the Regimental Drums and the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band. There was a short ceremony in the church grounds where the Troops were inspected by the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Halifax, Councillor Colin Stout, and the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire
The office of Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974.*Kenneth Hargreaves 1 April 1974 – 1978 *William Bulmer 1978–1985*John Taylor, Baron Ingrow 1985–1992...
Dr Ingrid Roscoe.
Battle honours
- War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian SuccessionThe 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...
- DettingenBattle of DettingenThe Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle...
- Dettingen
- IndiaIndiaIndia , 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...
- HindoostanHindustanHindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
, MysoreSecond Anglo-Maratha WarThe Second Anglo-Maratha War was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.-Background:...
, SeringapatamBattle of SeringapatamThe Siege of Seringapatam was the final confrontation of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore. The British achieved a decisive victory after breaching the walls of the fortress at Seringapatam and storming the citadel. Tippu Sultan, Mysore's...
, Ally Ghur, Delhi 1803Battle of DelhiThe Battle of Delhi took place on 11 September 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, between British troops under General Lake, and Marathas of Scindia's army under French General Louis Bourquin...
, Leswaree, Deig
- Hindoostan
- SpainSpainSpain , 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...
:- CorunnaBattle of CorunnaThe Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
- Corunna
- FranceFranceThe 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...
:- NiveBattle of the NiveThe Battles of the Nive were fought towards the end of the Peninsular War. Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army defeated Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army in a series of battles near the city of Bayonne.Unusually, for most of the battle, Wellington...
, PeninsularPeninsular WarThe 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...
, WaterlooBattle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
- Nive
- Crimean WarCrimean WarThe 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...
:- AlmaBattle of AlmaThe 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...
, InkermanBattle of InkermanThe 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...
,
- Alma
- AbyssiniaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
:- Sevastopol, AbyssiniaSecond Italo-Abyssinian WarThe Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
- Sevastopol, Abyssinia
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
:- Relief of KimberleySiege of KimberleyThe Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
, PaardebergBattle of PaardebergThe Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, South Africa 1900-02Second Boer WarThe Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
- Relief of Kimberley
- World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
:- MonsBattle of MonsThe Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
, Le CateauBattle of Le CateauThe Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
, Retreat from MonsGreat RetreatThe Great Retreat, also known as the Retreat from Mons, is the name given to the long, fighting retreat by Allied forces to the River Marne, on the Western Front early in World War I, after their holding action against the Imperial German Armies at the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914...
, Marne 1914First Battle of the MarneThe Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
and 1918Second Battle of the MarneThe Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
, Aisne 1914First Battle of the AisneThe First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
, La Bassée 1914Battle of La BasséeThe Battle of La Bassée was a battle between British and German forces in northern France in October 1914, and was part of the Race to the Sea....
, Ypres 1914First Battle of YpresThe First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
, 1915Second Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
and 1917, Nonne Bosschen, Hill 60Battle of Hill 60 (Western Front)The Battle of Hill 60 was an Australian assault that was subsidiary to the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.-1914-15:Hill 60 was a low rise on the southern flank of the Ypres Salient and was named for the 60 metre contour which marked its bounds. Hill 60 was not a natural highpoint, but was created as a...
, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, AubersSecond Battle of ArtoisThe Second Battle of Artois, of which the British contribution was the Battle of Aubers Ridge, was a battle on the Western Front of the First World War, it was fought at the same time as the Second Battle of Ypres. Even though the French under General Philippe Pétain gained some initial victories,...
, Somme 1916 and 1918Second Battle of the Somme (1918)During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
, Albert 1916Battle of Albert (1916)The Battle of Albert, 1 July – 13 July 1916, was the opening phase of the British and French offensive that became the Battle of the Somme.-Haig's desire to break through versus Rawlinson's "bite and hold":...
and 1918Battle of Albert (1918)Battle of Albert was the third battle by that name fought during World War I, following the First Battle of Albert, and the Second Battle of Albert, with each of the series of three being fought roughly two years apart...
, BazentinBattle of Bazentin RidgeThe Battle of Bazentin Ridge, launched by the British Fourth Army at dawn on 14 July 1916, marked the start of the second phase of the Battle of the Somme. Dismissed beforehand by one French commander as "an attack organized for amateurs by amateurs", it turned out to be "hugely successful" for...
, Delville WoodDelville WoodThe Battle of Delville Wood was one of the early engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War. It took place between 14 July and 3 September, between the armies of the German Empire and allied British and South African forces...
, PozièresBattle of PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
, Flers-CourceletteBattle of Flers-CourceletteThe Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
, MorvalBattle of MorvalThe Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. These villages were originally objectives of the major British offensive of 15 September, the Battle of...
, ThiepvalBattle of Thiepval RidgeThe Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive mounted by the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough during the Battle of the Somme and was designed to benefit from British Fourth Army's Battle of Morval by starting 24 hours afterwards...
, Le TransloyBattle of Le TransloyThe Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army during the 1916 Battle of the Somme.-Prelude:With the successful conclusion of the preceding Battle of Morval at the end of September, the Fourth Army of Lieutenant General Henry Rawlinson had finally captured the...
, Ancre HeightsBattle of the Ancre HeightsThe Battle of the Ancre Heights was a prolonged battle of attrition in October 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. Lieutenant General Hubert Gough's Reserve Army had finally managed to break out of the positions it had occupied since the start of the Somme fighting and Gough intended to maintain...
, Arras 1917Battle of Arras (1917)The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
and 1918Second Battle of the Somme (1918)During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
, Scarpe 1917 and 1918, Arleux, BullecourtBullecourtBullecourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in France.-Geography:Bullecourt lies on the Upper Cretaceous plain of Artois between Arras and Bapaume and east of the A1 motorway. This shows Bullecourt just north of centre. Quéant is the larger of the two...
, Messines 1917Battle of MessinesThe Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
and 1918Battle of MessinesThe Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon WoodBattle of Polygon WoodThe Battle of Polygon Wood took place during the second phase of the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I. The battle was fought near Ypres, Belgium, in an area named the Polygon Wood after the layout of the area...
, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 and 1918Battle of Cambrai (1918)The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
, St QuentinOperation MichaelOperation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
, Ancre 1918Battle of the AncreThe Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Bethune, Scherpenberg, Tardenois, Amiens, Bapaume 1918Second Battle of the Somme (1918)During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
, Drocourt-QuéantDrocourt-QuéantThe Drocourt-Quéant Line was a set of mutually supporting defensive lines constructed by Germany between the French cities of Drocourt and Quéant during World War I...
, Hindenburg Line, HavrincourtBattle of Havrincourt- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
, ÉpehyBattle of EpéhyThe Battle of Épehy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.- Prelude :...
, Canal du NordBattle of the Canal du NordThe Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
, Selle, Valenciennes, SambreBattle of the Sambre (1918)The Second Battle of the Sambre was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I.-Background:...
, France and Flanders 1914-18Western Front (World War I)Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, Piave, Vittorio VenetoBattle of Vittorio VenetoThe Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...
, Italy 1917-18Italian Campaign (World War I)The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
, SuvlaSuvlaSuvla is a bay on the Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey, south of the Gulf of Saros.On 6 August 1915 it was the site for the Landing at Suvla Bay by the British IX Corps as part of the August Offensive during the Battle of Gallipoli...
, Landing at SuvlaLanding at Suvla BayThe landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious landing made at Suvla on the Aegean coast of Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire as part of the August Offensive, the final British attempt to break the deadlock of the Battle of Gallipoli...
, Scimitar HillBattle of Scimitar HillThe Battle of Scimitar Hill was the last offensive mounted by the British at Suvla during the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I. It was also the largest single-day attack ever mounted by the Allies at Gallipoli, involving three divisions...
, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1916
- Mons
- Third Anglo-Afghan WarThird Anglo-Afghan WarThe Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
- Afghanistan 1919Third Anglo-Afghan WarThe Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
- Afghanistan 1919
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
:- Dunkirk 1940Battle of DunkirkThe Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
, St. Valery-en-CauxSaint-Valery-en-CauxSaint-Valery-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some west of Dieppe at the junction of the D53, D20, D79 and the D925 roads...
, Tilly sur Seulles, OdonOperation MartletOperation Martlet was the name given to the diversionary operation undertaken on 25 June 1944 by the 49th Infantry Division, of XXX Corps, to support Operation Epsom; the assault by the VIII Corps into the Odon Valley...
, Fontenay Le Pesnil, North-West Europe 1940Battle of FranceIn the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
and 1944-45, Banana Ridge, Medjez Plain, Gueriat el Atach Ridge, TunisTunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, Djebel Bou Aoukaz 1943, North Africa 1943North African campaignDuring the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, AnzioOperation ShingleOperation Shingle , during the Italian Campaign of World War II, was an Allied amphibious landing against Axis forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. The operation was commanded by Major General John P. Lucas and was intended to outflank German forces of the Winter Line and enable an...
, Campoleone, Rome, Monte Ceco, Italy 1943-45Italian Campaign (World War II)The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
, Sittang 1942, Paungde, KohimaBattle of KohimaThe Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in the Second World War. The battle was fought from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India. It is often referred to as the "Stalingrad of the East".The battle took place in...
, Chindits 1944ChinditsThe Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
, Burma CampaignBurma CampaignThe Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
(1942Burma Campaign 1942-1943The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II took place over four years from 1942 to 1945. During the first year of the campaign, the Imperial Japanese Army had driven British forces and Chinese forces out of Burma, and occupied the country...
-44Burma Campaign 1944The fighting in the Burma Campaign in 1944 was among the severest in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II. It took place along the borders between Burma and India, and Burma and China, and involved the British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces, against the forces of the Empire...
)
- Dunkirk 1940
- KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
:- The Hook 1953Battle of the HookThe third Battle of the Hook was a battle of the Korean War that took place between a United Nations force, consisting mostly of British troops, supported on their flanks by American and Turkish artillery units against a predominantly Chinese force...
, Korea 1952-53Korean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
- The Hook 1953
- IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
:- Iraq 2003 (Theatre Honour)
Uniforms
On formation in 1702 as the Earl of Huntingdon's Regiment a red coat lined with yellow was worn, together with yellow breeches. Later in the 18th Century the coats had red facings but white linings which showed in the turn-backed skirts. For the remainder of its history the Regiment was unusual in that the collars, cuffs and shoulder straps of its red coats were also red (most British regiments had facings of contrasting colours). This continued to be the case with the scarlet tunic worn by all ranks in full dress until 1914 and by bandsmen until amalgamation (see illustrations above). Officers were distinguished by silver buttons and braid until 1830 and thereafter by gold, After 1893 the badge of the Duke of Wellington was worn.Alliances
- les Voltigeurs de QuébecLes Voltigeurs de QuébecLes Voltigeurs de Québec is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The name of the regiment commemorates another older French-Canadian militia light infantry unit, the Canadian Voltigeurs...
, CanadaCanadaCanada 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... - 10th Battalion, The Baloch RegimentBaloch RegimentThe Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to more than fifty battalions...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... - HMS Iron DukeHMS Iron Duke (F234)HMS Iron Duke is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, and the third ship to bear the name. Iron Duke was launched on 2 March 1991 by Lady Jane King in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Wellington. Her affiliated town is Kingston upon Hull, and she is named after Arthur Wellesley, the first...
, Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Victoria Cross recipients
- DrummerDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Michael MagnerMichael MagnerMichael Magner VC was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland and was an Irish 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:He was 27 years old, and a Drummer in the 33rd... - PrivatePrivate (rank)A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
James BerginJames BerginJames Bergin VC , born in Killbriken, Queens County, Ireland, was an Irish 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:Bergin was 22 years old, and a private in the... - SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
James FirthJames FirthJames Firth VC was an English 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:... - Second LieutenantSecond LieutenantSecond lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
James Palmer HuffamJames Palmer HuffamMajor James Palmer Huffam 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.... - Second Lieutenant Henry KellyHenry Kelly (VC)Major Henry Kelly VC, MC & Bar was an English 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....
- Private Arnold LoosemoreArnold LoosemoreArnold Loosemore VC DCM was an English 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....
- Private Arthur PoulterArthur PoulterArthur Poulter VC was an English 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:...
- Private Richard Henry BurtonRichard Henry BurtonRichard Henry Burton VC was an English 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:...
- Private Henry TandeyHenry TandeyHenry Tandey VC, DCM, MM was an English 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...
- Private Henry TandeyHenry TandeyHenry Tandey VC, DCM, MM was an English 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...
was awarded his VC during his service with the 'Dukes' and donated his medals to the Regimental Museum in Halifax, West Yorkshire. On special occasions and parades he would sign them out to wear. The last time he signed them out he died. Unknowingly, the medals were sold and a private collector subsequently presented the medals to the Regimental Museum of The Green HowardsThe Green HowardsThe Green Howards was an infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division...
, a regiment in which he had earlier served.
- Private Henry Tandey
- Acting-Sergeant Hanson Victor TurnerHanson Victor TurnerHanson Victor Turner VC was an English 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:...
- Although Hanson Victor Turner was 'originally' a 'Duke', he was serving with The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own) when he was awarded his VC. When his medal was put up for sale it was purchased by the Halifax Town Council, as he was a Halifax resident. It is displayed in the Regimental Museum, in Halifax, for ease of access.
Colonels of the Regiment
- 1909-1934 Lt-General Sir Herbert Eversley BelfieldHerbert BelfieldLieutenant-General Sir Herbert Eversley Belfield KCB KCMG KBE DSO was a British Army officer who commanded 4th Division.-Military career:Educated at Wellington College, Belfield was commissioned into the Royal Munster Fusiliers in 1876...
KCB KCMG KBE DSO - 1934-1938 Brigadier-General Percy Alexander Turner CMG
- 1938-1947 Colonel Charles James Pickering CMG DSO
- 1947-1957 General Sir Alexander Frank Philip ChristisonPhilip ChristisonGeneral Sir Philip Christison, 4th Baronet GBE CB DSO MC was a British military commander of the Second World War.-Early life and career:...
, Bart, GBE CB DSO MC - 1957-1965 Major-General Kenneth Godfrey Exham KG CB DSO
- 1965-1975 General Sir Robert Napier Hubert Campbell BrayRobert Bray (British Army officer)General Sir Robert Napier Hubert Campbell Bray, GBE, KCB, DSO and bar was a British soldier, deputy Supreme Commander Europe of NATO's Allied Command Europe from 1967 to 1970.-Education:...
GBE KCB DSO - 1975-1982 Major-General Donald Edward Isles CB OBE
- 1982-1990 General Sir Charles Richard HuxtableCharles Huxtable (British Army officer)General Sir Charles Huxtable KCB CBE DL is a former Commander in Chief, UK Land Forces.-Army career:Educated at Wellington College, Charles Huxtable was commissioned into the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in February 1952 and served as a platoon commander in the latter stages of the Korean War...
KCB CBE - 1990-1999 Brigadier William Richard Mundell OBE
- 1999-2006 Major-General Sir Evelyn John Webb-CarterEvelyn John Webb-CarterMajor General Sir Evelyn John Webb-Carter KCVO, OBE, DL was the last 'Colonel of The Regiment' of The Duke of Wellington's Regiment , before their amalgamation into the Yorkshire Regiment, 3rd Battalion .-Early life:Webb-Carter is the son of Brigadier Brian Wolsey Webb-Carter DSO & Bar, OBE .He...
KCVO OBE
Sport
The 'Dukes' had a long and proud RugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
tradition. They produced in their history 11 international players, 7 English, 1 Irish and 3 Scottish, with over 50 players capped for the army against the Navy & Air Force since 1914.
For Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
they list:- Capt (Bull) Faithfull, England (3 Caps) 1924. Lieutenant WF (Horsey) Brown
Horsey Browne
William Fraser "Horsey" Browne was a British army and Irish rugby international. He won 12 caps between 1925 and 1928. He started playing whilst serving as a Lieutenant in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment.-References:* at Scrum.com*...
, Army & Ireland (12 Caps), 1925-1928. Captain Mike Campbell-Lamerton
Mike Campbell-Lamerton
Colonel Michael John "Mike" Campbell-Lamerton was a British army officer and rugby union figure. Despite being a career soldier on active service, he would captain the Scotland rugby team a number of times....
, Army, London Scottish, Scotland (23 Caps), British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in South Africa in 1962, Captain of the British Lions in Australia & New Zealand in 1966. Lieutenant CF Grieve and FJ Reynolds Toured South Africa in 1938 with the British Lions. In the early 1950s DW Shuttleworth and EMP Hardy provided the Half Back pairing for England. Corporals Waqabaca and Ponjiasi played for Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. Brigadier DW Shuttleworth became the President of the English Rugby Football Union during the 1985/86 season. In 1957-1959, whilst stationed in Northern Ireland, the 'Dukes' played rugby throughout Ulster. At the end of the tour the Ulster Team honoured the regiment by playing them at Ravenhill
Ravenhill Stadium
Ravenhill Stadium is located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is used by Ulster Rugby. It has a normal capacity of 12,300 and is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.-History:The grounds were opened in the 1923/24 season...
, with the 'Dukes' winning 19 - 8. In 1961 during an emergency posting to Kenya the Kenyan Champions Nakuru
Nakuru
Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...
heard the Dukes were there and challenged them to a match. The Kenyan Regiment loaned them their team strip to wear. The 'Dukes' won the match.
The regiment's Great Britain national rugby league team
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
internationals include:- Brian Curry, England, 1956; Norman Field
Norman Field
Norman Field is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and at club level for Batley, playing at , i.e. number 2 or 5...
, GB, 1963; R Sabine, GB; Jack Scroby, Army 1959, GB Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
& Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
; Charlie Renilson
Charles Renilson
Charles "Charlie" W. Renilson is a Scottish former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1950s, '60s and '70s who, whilst serving in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, at club level has played rugby union for Jed-Forest RFC, and at representative level has played rugby league...
, Scotland, GB, 1965 and Arthur 'Ollie' Keegan
Arthur Keegan
Arthur 'Ollie' Keegan was an English professional rugby league footballer of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and coach of the 1970s who, whilst serving in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, at representative level played for Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire, and at club level for Hull, Bramley, and...
, GB.
Several members of the regiment played cricket for the Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' club, having no home ground....
and Pte Brian Stead played for the Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
.
Other information
- Regimental Headquarters: Wellesley Park, Halifax, West YorkshireHalifax, West YorkshireHalifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, UK, HX2 0BA - E-Mail: rhq@dukesrhq.demon.co.uk
See also
- 76th Regiment of Foot76th Regiment of FootThe 76th Regiment of Foot was originally raised as Lord Harcourt's Regiment on 17 November 1745 and disbanded in June 1746. Following the loss of Minorca to the French, it was raised again in November 1756 as the 61st Regiment, but renumbered to 76th, by General Order in 1758, and again disbanded...
- East and West Riding RegimentEast and West Riding RegimentThe East and West Riding Regiment was a regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1999 to 2006.-History:The regiment was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of the 3rd Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire , the 3rd Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment and the...
- Yorkshire RegimentYorkshire RegimentThe Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
- :Category:Duke of Wellington's Regiment officers