Raised in 1756 and was present at the capture of Guadaloupe. Active
service in the West Indies reduced the ranks to such an extent that on
its return it had to take large drafts of "parish boys." In 1801 the
"boy" regiment was sent to the Cape to get acclimatised for service in
India, where it arrived two years later, and where it stayed for over
twenty years earning a high reputation for bravery and discipline.
Later, another long spell of foreign service was put in, serving for
no fewer than twenty years in Australia and New Zealand, a unique
experience. The 2nd Battalion was raised as the 84th Foot in 1793 at
York, and saw a great deal of foreign and active service, part being
among the small garrison of Lucknow during the Mutiny, the rest of the
84th being massacred at Cawnpore. The brilliant record of service of
the regiment has been added to since those days.