The Royal Mallows
Encyclopedia
The 117th Regiment of Foot ("The Royal Mallows") is a fictional Irish regiment mentioned in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle
.
By its title it appears to have been a Royal regiment, thus it probably had royal blue facings on their uniforms and a royal blue field for their Regimental Colours. From its high seniority number, it could possibly have been one of the Honourable East India Company's European regiments absorbed by the British Army.
By the term "Mallow" it refers either to the town of Mallow, County Cork
(Gaelic
>Magh Ealla, "Plain of the Swans") or to a flowering plant of the Mallow
family. Therefore its regimental badge might either be a Swan or a stylized Mallow Plant (or both).
Taking the town of Mallow as its headquarters, it would be assumed to be raised in County Cork, part of the province of Munster, the recruiting ground of the real-life Royal Munster Fusiliers
.
The North Cork Rifles, a real-life British Army Militia unit on the Irish establishment, were headquartered in Mallow. They were the 9th (Militia) Battalion of the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps
from 1881 to 1908 and thus used the same cap badge as the KRRC.
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
.
By its title it appears to have been a Royal regiment, thus it probably had royal blue facings on their uniforms and a royal blue field for their Regimental Colours. From its high seniority number, it could possibly have been one of the Honourable East India Company's European regiments absorbed by the British Army.
By the term "Mallow" it refers either to the town of Mallow, County Cork
Mallow, County Cork
Mallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....
(Gaelic
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
>Magh Ealla, "Plain of the Swans") or to a flowering plant of the Mallow
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
family. Therefore its regimental badge might either be a Swan or a stylized Mallow Plant (or both).
Taking the town of Mallow as its headquarters, it would be assumed to be raised in County Cork, part of the province of Munster, the recruiting ground of the real-life Royal Munster Fusiliers
Royal Munster Fusiliers
The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army. One of eight Irish regiments raised largely in Ireland, it had its home depot in Tralee. It was originally formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of two regiments of the former East India Company. It served in India and...
.
The North Cork Rifles, a real-life British Army Militia unit on the Irish establishment, were headquartered in Mallow. They were the 9th (Militia) Battalion of the 60th King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
from 1881 to 1908 and thus used the same cap badge as the KRRC.
Background
- In "The Adventure of the Crooked Man" the victim, James Barclay, was Colonel of the Regiment in India.
- In "The Green Flag", the patriotic Irish troops of the Royal Mallows rally to protect a small green Fenian banner.