Raised in 1749 and during its long and eventful career has added
lustre to the glory of the British Army. The 44th was the only British
infantry regiment in Cabul, in the ill-fated 1841 campaign, and with
all the native troops perished while attempting to reach Jellalabad.
The story of the heroism of all ranks in that great disaster is a proud
tradition in the regiment. The 1st Battalion (44th Foot) was known as
the "Two Fours" from its number, also "The Little Fighting Fours." The
2nd Battalion (56th Foot) was nicknamed "The Pompadours," from the
circumstance that, in 1755, when the regiment was raised, its facings
were a crimson or puce colour, called in those days, Pompadour, after
the notorious French lady who patronised it. It formed part of the
gallant garrison of Gibraltar who successfully withstood the ten years'
siege by the French and Spanish forces.
[Illustration: The Drums and Fifes.]
[Illustration: A Review.--The March Past.]
[Illustration]
(_Depot_, Derby.)
(_Record Office_, Lichfield.)
"Louisburg," "Roliça," "Vimiera," "Talavera," "Busaco," "Fuentes
d'Onor," "Ciudad Rodrigo," "Badajoz," "Salamanca," "Vittoria,"
"Pyrenees," "Nivelle," "Orthes," "Toulouse," "Peninsula," "Ava,"
"South Africa, 1846-7," "Alma," "Inkerman," "Sevastopol," "Central
India," "Abyssinia," "Egypt, 1882," "Tirah," "South Africa,
1899-1902."
_Uniform_, Scarlet.
_Facings_, Lincoln green.
_Head-dress_, Helmet.
_Cap_, Blue.
_Regimental March_, "Young May Moon."
The tradition concerning the regimental march is that the regiment,
in order to be present at the storming of Badajoz, set out on a
long and arduous night march across some very rough country, the
band playing "The Young May Moon," which the Colonel thereafter
adopted as the regimented march.