TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
More detail can be found at the end of the book.
BATTLE HONOURS OF THE BRITISH ARMY
[Illustration: THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. Frontispiece.]
BATTLE HONOURS OF
THE BRITISH ARMY
FROM TANGIER, 1662, TO THE COMMENCEMENT
OF THE REIGN OF KING EDWARD VII
BY C. B. NORMAN
(LATE 90TH LIGHT INFANTRY AND INDIAN STAFF CORPS)
AUTHOR OF "ARMENIA AND THE CAMPAIGN OF 1877," "TONQUIN; OR, FRANCE IN
THE FAR EAST," "COLONIAL FRANCE," "THE CORSAIRS OF FRANCE," ETC.
WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.
1911
TO
THE HONOURED MEMORY
OF
THE OFFICERS AND MEN
WHO HAVE FALLEN IN DEFENCE OF
THEIR COUNTRY
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF BATTLE HONOURS
PAGE
Abu Klea 135
Abyssinia 370
Aden 235
Afghanistan 252
Afghanistan, 1879-80 378
Ahmad Khel 389
Albuera 172
Ali Masjid 381
Aliwal 281
Ally Ghur 147
Alma 297
Almaraz 173
Amboor 458
Amboyna 221
Arabia 224
Arcot 50
Arracan 245
Arrah, Defence of 332
Arroyos dos Molinos 174
Ashantee 372
Ashanti, 1900 376
Assaye 144
Atbara 141
Ava 240
Badajos 177
Badara 57
Balaclava 300
Banda 224
Barrosa 170
Beaumont 92
Behar 332
Beni Boo Alli 233
Bhurtpore 211
Bladensburg 46
Blenheim 16
Bourbon 226
British East Africa 376
Burmah, 1885-1887 249
Busaco 168
Bushire 237
Buxar 63
Cabool, 1842 263
Candahar, 1842 261
Canton 339
Cape of Good Hope, 1806 248
Carnatic 67
Central India 329
Charasiah 386
Chillianwallah 289
China (with the Dragon) 336
China, 1858-1862 340
China, 1900 344
Chitral, Defence of 393
Chitral 394
Ciudad Rodrigo 176
Cochin 154
Condore 55
Copenhagen 364
Corunna 162
Corygaum 208
Cutchee 265
Deig 151
Delhi, 1803 148
Delhi 312
Detroit 44
Dettingen 24
Dominica 116
Douro 266
Egmont-op-Zee 95
Egypt (with the Sphinx) 122
Egypt, 1882 129
Egypt, 1884 454
Emsdorff 28
Ferozeshah 277
Fishguard 363
Fuentes d'Onor 171
Ghuznee, 1839 254
Ghuznee, 1842 262
Gibraltar, 1704 3
Gibraltar, 1778-1783 8
Goojerat 292
Guadeloupe, 1759 99
Guadeloupe, 1810 120
Guzerat 69
Hafir 139
Havana 104
Hindoostan 214
Hyderabad 268
India 218
Inkerman 302
Java 228
Jelalabad 260
Jersey, 1781 360
Kabul, 1879 387
Kahun 257
Kandahar, 1880 392
Kemmendine 242
Khartoum 141
Khelat 255
Khelat-i-Ghilzai, 1842 261
Kimberley, Defence of 456
Kimberley, Relief of 422
Kirbekan 135
Kirkee 203
Koosh-ab 239
Ladysmith, Defence of 426
Ladysmith, Relief of 425
Laswarree 150
Lincelles 90
Louisburg 36
Lucknow 316
Maharajpore 270
Maheidpore 207
Maida 10
Malakand 398
Malplaquet 21
Mandora 125
Mangalore 73
Marabout 127
Martinique, 1762 102
Martinique, 1794 111
Martinique, 1809 118
Masulipatam 56
Mediterranean 11
Mediterranean, 1900-01 11
Meeanee 266
Miami 45
Minden 26
Modder River 417
Monte Video 40
Moodkee 276
Mooltan 291
Moro 108
Mysore 77
Nagpore 206
Namur 12
Naval Crown, April 12, 1782 362
Naval Crown, June 1, 1794 362
New Zealand 368
Niagara 45
Nieuport 91
Nile, 1884-85 133
Nive 186
Nivelle 184
Nowah 209
Nundy Droog 79
Orthes 187
Oudenarde 19
Paardeburg 423
Pegu 247
Peiwar Kotal 382
Pekin 343
Pekin, 1900 346
Peninsula 190
Persia 236
Persian Gulf 230
Plassey 52
Pondicherry 60
Punjab Frontier 396
Punjaub 286
Punniar 272
Pyrenees 182
Quebec 38
Queenstown 44
Ramillies 18
Reshire 238
Rohilcund, 1774 66
Rohilcund, 1794 81
Roleia 157
Sahagun 161
St. Helena 410
St. Lucia, 1778 109
St. Lucia, 1796 114
St. Lucia, 1803 115
St. Sebastian 184
St. Vincent 362
Salamanca 178
Samana 403
Scinde 266
Seedaseer 82
Seetabuldee 205
Seringapatam 84
Sevastopol 306
Sholinghur 71
Sierra Leone, 1898 373
Sobraon 283
South Africa, 1835 351
South Africa, 1846-47 352
South Africa, 1852-53 353
South Africa, 1879-80 355
South Africa, 1899-1902 408
Suakin, 1885 136
Surinam 115
Taku Forts 342
Talavera 167
Tangier 1
Tarifa 176
Tel-el-Kebir 130
Ternate 223
Tirah 404
Tofrek 138
Toulouse 188
Tournay 93
Villers-en-Couche 91
Vimiera 159
Vittoria 180
Wandewash 59
Warburg 29
Waterloo 192
West Africa, 1887, 1892-93-94 374
Wilhelmstahl 32
Willems 93
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF BATTLE HONOURS
1662-80. Tangier.
1695. Namur.
1704. Gibraltar.
" Blenheim.
1706. Ramillies.
1708. Oudenarde.
1709. Malplaquet.
1743. Dettingen.
1751. Arcot.
1757. Plassey.
1758. Louisburg.
" Condore.
1759. Masulipatam.
" Guadeloupe.
" Minden.
" Quebec.
" Badara.
1760. Carnatic.
" Wandewash.
" Emsdorff.
" Warburg.
1762. Martinique.
" Wilhelmstahl.
" Havana.
" Moro.
1764. Buxar.
1774. Rohilcund.
1778. St. Lucia.
1779-83. Gibraltar.
1778-82. Guzerat.
1781. Sholinghur.
" Jersey.
1782. Naval Victory.
1783. Mangalore.
1791. Nundy Droog.
1792-99. Mysore.
1793. Lincelles.
" Nieuport.
1794. Martinique.
" Lord Howe's Naval Victory.
" Villers-en-Couche.
" Beaumont.
" Willems.
" Tournay.
" Rohilcund.
1796. St. Lucia.
1797. St. Vincent.
" Fishguard.
1798. Seedaseer.
" Seringapatam.
" Mysore.
" Egmont-op-Zee.
1800. "1800" Defence of Malta.
1801. Egypt.
" Mandora.
" Copenhagen.
1803. St. Lucia.
" Ally Ghur.
" Delhi.
" Assaye.
" Laswarree.
" Deig.
1804. Surinam.
1806. Monte Video.
1806. Cape of Good Hope.
" Maida.
1808. Roleia.
" Vimiera.
" Sahagun.
1808-14. Peninsula.
1809. Arabia.
" Corunna.
" Cochin.
" Douro.
" Talavera.
" Bourbon.
" Martinique.
1810. Amboyna.
" Guadeloupe.
" Ternate.
" Banda.
1811. Java.
" Barrosa
" Fuentes d'Onor.
" Albuera.
" Almaraz.
" Busaco.
" Arroyos dos Molinos.
" Tarifa.
1812. Ciudad Rodrigo.
" Badajos.
" Detroit.
" Salamanca.
1813. Vittoria.
" Miami.
" Pyrenees.
" St. Sebastian.
" Nivelle.
" Nive.
" Niagara.
1814. Orthes.
" Toulouse.
" Bladensburg.
1815. Waterloo.
1817. Kirkee.
1817. Seetabuldee.
" Nagpore.
" Maheidpore.
1818. Corygaum.
1819. Nowah.
" Persian Gulf.
1821. Arabia.
1823. Beni Boo Alli.
1824. Ava.
" Kemmendine.
1825. Arracan.
1826. Bhurtpore.
1835. South Africa.
1839-42. Afghanistan.
1839. Ghuznee.
" Kelat.
" Aden.
1840. Kahun.
1842. Jelalabad.
" Khelat-i-Ghilzai.
" Candahar.
" Cabool.
" Cutchee.
" China.
1843. Scinde.
" Meeanee.
" Hyderabad.
" Maharajpore.
" Punniar.
1845. Moodkee.
" Ferozeshah.
1846. Aliwal.
" Sobraon.
1846-47. South Africa.
1846. New Zealand.
1849. Chillianwallah.
" Mooltan.
" Goojerat.
" Punjaub.
1851-53. South Africa.
1852. Pegu.
1854. Alma.
" Balaclava.
" Inkerman.
" Sevastopol.
1856. Reshire.
" Bushire.
1856-57. Persia.
1857. Koosh-ab.
1857. Delhi.
" Lucknow.
" Central India.
" Defence of Arrah.
" Behar.
" Canton.
1858-60. China.
1860. Taku Forts.
" Pekin.
1861-65. New Zealand.
1867. Abyssinia.
1873-74. Ashantee.
1877-79. South Africa.
1878-80. Afghanistan.
1878. Ali Masjid.
" Peiwar Kotal.
" Charasia.
1879. Kabul.
" Ahmed Khel.
1880. Kandahar.
1882. Egypt.
" Tel-el-Kebir.
1884. Egypt.
1884-85. Nile.
1885. Abu Klea.
" Kirbekan.
1885. Suakin.
" Tofrek.
1885-87. Burmah.
1887. West Africa.
1892-1894. West Africa.
1895. Defence of Chitral.
" Chitral.
1897-98. Punjab Frontier.
1897. Malakand.
" Samana.
" Tirah.
" Hafir.
1898. Atbara.
" Khartoum.
" Sierra Leone.
1899-1902. South Africa.
1899. Modder River.
1900. China.
" Pekin.
" Ashanti.
" Defence of Kimberley.
" Relief of Kimberley.
" Paardeburg.
" Defence of Ladysmith.
" Relief of Ladysmith.
CONTENTS
PAGES
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF BATTLE HONOURS vii
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF BATTLE HONOURS xi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xxi
INTRODUCTION xxiii
CHAPTER I
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, 1662-1900
Tangier, 1662-1680--Gibraltar, 1704--Gibraltar, 1779-1783
--Maida, 1806--Mediterranean--Mediterranean, 1901-02 1-11
CHAPTER II
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN NORTHERN EUROPE, 1695-1709
Namur, 1695--Blenheim, 1704--Ramillies, 1706--Oudenarde,
1708--Malplaquet, 1709 12-23
CHAPTER III
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN NORTHERN EUROPE, 1743-1762
Dettingen--Minden--Emsdorff--Warburg--Wilhelmstahl 24-35
CHAPTER IV
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
Louisburg, 1758--Quebec, 1759--Monte Video, 1807--Detroit,
August 12, 1812--Miami, April 23, 1813--Niagara,
July 25, 1814--Bladensburg, October 24, 1814 36-48
CHAPTER V
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN INDIA, 1751-1764
Arcot--Plassey--Condore--Masulipatam--Badara--Wandewash
--Pondicherry--Buxar 49-65
CHAPTER VI
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN INDIA, 1774-1799
Rohilcund, 1774--Carnatic--Guzerat, 1778-1782--Sholinghur,
1781--Mangalore, 1783--Mysore--Nundy Droog, 1791--Rohilcund,
1794--Seedaseer, 1799--Seringapatam, 1799 66-87
CHAPTER VII
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN FLANDERS, 1793-1799
Lincelles--Nieuport--Villers-en-Couche--Beaumont--Willems
--Tournay--Egmont-op-Zee 88-96
CHAPTER VIII
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN THE WEST INDIES, 1759-1810
West Indies, 1759-1810--Guadeloupe, 1759--Martinique,
1762--Havana--St. Lucia, 1778--Martinique, 1794--St.
Lucia, 1796--St. Lucia, 1803--Surinam--Dominica--Martinique,
1809--Guadeloupe, 1810 97-121
CHAPTER IX
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN
Egypt (with the Sphinx)--Mandora, 1802--Marabout, 1802--Egypt,
1882--Tel-el-Kebir, 1882--The Nile, 1884-85--Abu Klea,
1885--Kirbekan, 1885--Suakin, 1885--Tofrek, 1885--Hafir,
1896--Atbara, 1898--Khartoum, 1898 122-143
CHAPTER X
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN INDIA, 1803-1809
Ally Ghur, 1803--Delhi, 1803-04--Assaye, 1803--Laswarree,
1803--Deig, 1803-04--Cochin, 1809 144-155
CHAPTER XI
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN THE PENINSULAR WAR, 1808-1814
Roleia--Vimiera--Sahagun--Corunna--The Douro--Talavera--Busaco
--Barrosa--Fuentes d'Onor--Albuera--Almaraz--Arroyos dos Molinos
--Tarifa--Ciudad Rodrigo--Badajos--Salamanca--Vittoria--Pyrenees
--San Sebastian--Nivelle--Nive--Orthes--Toulouse 156-191
CHAPTER XII
WATERLOO AND THE ORDER OF THE BATH FOR THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
Waterloo, June 18, 1815 192-199
CHAPTER XIII
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN INDIA, 1818-1826
Kirkee--Seetabuldee--Nagpore--Maheidpore--Corygaum--Nowah
--Bhurtpore--Hindoostan--India 200-220
CHAPTER XIV
BATTLE HONOURS FOR MINOR CAMPAIGNS IN THE EAST, 1796-1857
Amboyna--Ternate--Banda--Arabia--Bourbon--Java,
1811--Persian Gulf--Beni Boo Alli--Aden--Persia--Bushire--Reshire
--Koosh-ab 221-239
CHAPTER XV
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN BURMAH, 1885-1887
Ava--Kemmendine--Arracan--Pegu--Burmah, 1885-1887 240-251
CHAPTER XVI
BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE FIRST AFGHAN WAR, 1839-1842
Afghanistan, 1839-1842--Ghuznee, 1839--Khelat--Kahun,
1840--Jelalabad--Khelat-i-Ghilzai--Candahar, 1842--Ghuznee,
1842--Cabool, 1842--Cutchee 252-265
CHAPTER XVII
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN INDIA, 1843
Scinde--Meeanee--Hyderabad--Maharajpore--Punniar 266-272
CHAPTER XVIII
BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE CONQUEST OF THE PUNJAB
Moodkee--Ferozeshah--Aliwal--Sobraon--Chillianwallah--Mooltan
--Goojerat--Punjab 273-294
CHAPTER XIX
BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE CRIMEAN WAR, 1854-55
Alma--Balaclava--Inkerman--Sevastopol 295-310
CHAPTER XX
BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE INDIAN MUTINY, 1857-1859
India--Delhi--Lucknow--Central India--Defence of
Arrah--Behar 311-335
CHAPTER XXI
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN CHINA, 1842-1900
Chinese War of 1840-1842--Canton--China, 1858-1860--Taku
Forts, Pekin--China, 1900--Pekin, 1900 336-347
CHAPTER XXII
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1806-1879
Cape of Good Hope, 1806--South Africa, 1835--South Africa,
1846-47--South Africa, 1851-1853--South Africa,
1877-1880 348-359
CHAPTER XXIII
BATTLE HONOURS FOR MISCELLANEOUS ACTIONS
Jersey, 1781--Rodney's Victory of April 12, 1782--The
Glorious First of June, 1794--St. Vincent--Fishguard
--Copenhagen--New Zealand--Abyssinia--Ashantee 360-377
CHAPTER XXIV
BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE SECOND AFGHAN WAR
Afghanistan, 1878-1880--Ali Masjid--Peiwar Kotal--Charasiah
--Kabul, 1879--Ahmad Khel--Kandahar, 1880 378-392
CHAPTER XXV
BATTLE HONOURS FOR OPERATIONS ON THE NORTH-WEST INDIAN FRONTIER,
1895-1897
Defence of Chitral--Chitral--Malakand--Samana--Punjab
Frontier--Tirah 393-407
CHAPTER XXVI
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SOUTH AFRICA, 1899-1902
Modder River--Defence of Ladysmith--Defence of Kimberley--Relief
of Kimberley--Paardeburg--Relief of Ladysmith--Medals granted
for the campaign--Decorations won regimentally--Casualties by
regiments 408-432
CHAPTER XXVII
MISSING BATTLE HONOURS
Sir A. Alison's Committee--General Ewart's Committee--Marlborough's
forgotten victories--Wellington's minor successes--Losses at Douai
--Peninsula, 1705--Gibraltar, 1727--Peninsula, 1762--Belleisle
--Dominica--Manilla--Cape of Good Hope, 1795--Indian Honours
--Pondicherry--Tanjore--Madras troops--An unrewarded Bombay
column--The Indian Mutiny--Punjab Frontier Force--Umbeyla
--Naval honours 433-453
APPENDICES:
I. EGYPT, 1884 454-455
II. DEFENCE OF KIMBERLEY 456-457
III. AMBOOR 458
IV. WAR MEDALS 459-462
INDEX 463-500
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH _Frontispiece_
THE COLOURS OF THE TANGIER REGIMENT,
1684 (NOW THE QUEEN'S ROYAL WEST
SURREY REGIMENT) _To face page_ 2
ROBERT, LORD CLIVE " 50
GENERAL SIR RALPH ABERCROMBY " 124
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON " 192
THE COLOURS OF THE ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS
(FORMERLY THE BOMBAY EUROPEANS) " 292
FIELD-MARSHAL COLIN CAMPBELL: LORD CLYDE " 324
THE COLOURS OF THE QUEEN'S ROYAL WEST
SURREY REGIMENT, 1902 (FORMERLY THE
TANGIER REGIMENT) " 424
MAPS
BATTLEFIELDS IN NORTHERN EUROPE " 13
BATTLEFIELDS IN SOUTHERN INDIA " 49
BATTLEFIELDS IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL " 182
BATTLEFIELDS IN NORTHERN INDIA " 406
INTRODUCTION
In the following pages I have endeavoured to give a brief
description of the various actions the names of which are
emblazoned on the colours and appointments of the regiments in
the British army. So far as I have been able, I have shown the
part that each individual corps has played in every engagement,
by appending to the account a return of the losses suffered.
Unfortunately, in some cases casualty rolls are not obtainable; in
others, owing to the returns having been hurriedly prepared, and
later corrections neglected, the true losses of regiments do not
appear.
The whole question of the award of battle honours abounds in
anomalies. Paltry skirmishes have been immortalized, and many
gallant fights have been left unrecorded. In some cases certain
corps have been singled out for honour; others which bore an equal
share in the same day's doings have been denied the privilege of
assuming the battle honour. In some campaigns every skirmish has
been handed down to posterity; in others one word has covered long
years of fighting. Mysore, with its one honour, and Persia, with
four, are cases in point. In some instances honours have been
refused on the plea that the headquarters of the regiment was not
present in the action; in others the honour has been granted when
but a single troop or company has shared in the fight. There are
regiments whose colours bear the names of battles in which they
did not lose a single man; others have suffered heavy losses in
historic battles which are as yet unrecorded. At Schellenberg,
for example, Marlborough's earliest victory, and one unaccountably
absent from our colours, the losses of the fifteen regiments
engaged exceeded the total casualties of the whole army in the
campaign in Afghanistan from 1879 to 1881, for which no less than
seven battle honours were granted.
_Esprit de corps_ is the keystone of the discipline of the British
army, and the regimental colours are the living symbol of that
_esprit de corps_. It is to their colours that men look as the
emblems of their regimental history, and on those colours are--or
should be--emblazoned the names of all historic battles in which
the regiment has been engaged. A soldier knows--or ought to
know--the history of his own regiment, but the moment arrives when
his curiosity is piqued, and he wishes to learn something about
a corps which has fought side by side with his own. Perchance
curiosity may be excited as to the reason why Copenhagen appears on
the appointments of the Rifle Brigade, and Arabia on the colours
of the York and Lancaster; or how it comes about that Dominica
is alone borne by the Cornwalls and Pondicherry by the Dublin
Fusiliers. I have made no attempt to deal exhaustively with the
subject; that would be beyond my powers and would open up too wide
a field. I have therefore touched but lightly on those campaigns,
such as the Peninsular and Waterloo, which are familiar to everyone
in the least conversant with the history of his country, and have
dwelt in more detail with those wars which are less well known.
Memories are short. Already the South African War has been effaced
by that titanic struggle between Russia and Japan. How, then, can
the ordinary man be expected to carry in his mind even the rough
outline of the Defence of Chitral, an episode which rivals Arcot
in the heroism of its few defenders, or of Mangalore and Corygaum,
which were in no way inferior in point of steadfast gallantry.
When I read of the efforts made to insure the regular supply of
jam during the South African War, my mind turns to Chitral, where
the daily ration for six long weeks was one pound of flour a day,
rice and meat being issued only on the doctors' orders, the one
antiseptic available being carbolic tooth-powder! Or I think of
Mangalore, which capitulated after Campbell had cut up his last
horse and served out his last ration of flour. Yet I know that the
men who defended Mangalore were in no way the superior of those who
"muddled through" in South Africa, and that these were in no way
inferior to the men who drove the French out of Spain. There were
complaints of the stamp of recruits two centuries ago, as there are
to-day. "The men you send me," wrote Grey from Martinique, "are not
fit to bear arms." "I know not which are worse, officers or men,"
wrote Moore. "Send me men, not boys," wrote Sir Colin Campbell from
India. Yet the boys who were not fit to bear arms captured the West
Indies from the French; the worthless officers and men traversed
Spain and held Napoleon's veterans in check at Corunna while their
leader lay dying; and the boys in Sir Colin's regiments helped to
restore peace in India.
Does the nation realize the calls it has made upon the army, or
what oceans of blood have been shed owing to the vacillation and
parsimony of successive Ministries? Three times have we captured
the West India Islands; twice have our troops taken the Cape
of Good Hope; three times have our armies marched from sea to
sea in Spain; and there are few towns of importance in the Low
Countries which have not been captured more than once by British
troops. Conquests have been restored at the conclusion of a war
in the full knowledge that on the outbreak of fresh hostilities
those same conquests would have to be freshly undertaken and more
lives sacrificed. Armies hastily reduced on the conclusion of a
spurious peace had to be as hastily improvised on the renewal of
war. Officers have been censured, broke, and shot if they have not
performed prodigies with raw, untrained recruits. Uncomplainingly,
all ranks went forth to die, eager only to uphold the honour of
their Sovereign, of their regiments, and of their country.
I have not confined myself to the honours which appear only on the
colours of British regiments, but have included all which have
been granted to any corps which bears allegiance to our King. Some
of the noblest feats of arms have been achieved by a few British
officers at the head of a handful of Indian troops. At Mangalore
and at Lucknow the sepoy regiments fought no less gallantly than
the British corps which bear the same battle honour. The despatches
of Colonel Campbell and of Sir John Inglis bear testimony to this
fact; but at Seedaseer, Saugor, and Seetabuldee, at Corygaum,
Arrah, and Kahun, and last, but by no means least, at Chitral, the
sepoys had no British soldier to stiffen the defence. Yet there
was no wavering. So long as the fighting races of India show the
devotion to their officers and their loyalty to the Crown they
have ever shown, we may smile at the frothy vapourings of the
over-educated Bengalis, who have never furnished a single man for
the defence of the country which they wish to emancipate from our
rule. We read in the story of Chitral how the water-carrier, with
his jaw smashed by a bullet, insisted as soon as his wound was
dressed in taking more water to his Sikhs in the fighting-line.
Is there not a story rife of a British regiment in the Mutiny
which wished to recommend the regimental bheesti for a similar
act of valour? There are few names amongst these battle honours
around which stories of equal gallantry have not been woven. The
memory of those deeds which men have dared, and in daring which
they have gone forth to certain death, is the heritage not merely
of those who serve under the colours, but of every man and woman
of our race: Hardinge, rallying the men round the colours of the
57th at Albuera, with the now historic words, "Die hard, my men,
die hard!"--a title that has clung to the regiment to this day.
Luke O'Connor, then a colour-sergeant, holding high the colours
of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at the Alma, under which ten young
subalterns had fallen, and he with bullet through the breast,
refusing to leave his sacred charge. Souter, of the 44th, tearing
the colours from their staff and wrapping them under his sheepskin
coat, and so saving them, when 667 officers and men fell under the
fierce onslaughts of the Afghans in the dim defiles of the Khurd
Kabul Pass, one solitary survivor reaching the shelter of the mud
walls, held by the 13th, at Jelalabad. Or those two boy heroes,
Melville and Coghill, whose dead bodies were found in the bed
of the Tugela River, hard by the colours they had died to save.
Or Quentin Battye, the first of three brothers to fall in the
"Guides," dying with the old tag on his lips: "Dulce et decorum est
pro patria mori."
These are the stories our colours have to tell, these the lessons
the names upon them teach. Not merely gallantry in action--that
is a small thing, and one inherent in our race. They teach of
privations uncomplainingly borne, of difficulties nobly surmounted,
of steadfast loyalty to the Crown, and of cheerful obedience to
orders even when that obedience meant certain death. Such are the
honours which have found an abiding-place on the colours of the
British army.
I am aware that I possess few qualifications for the task I have
undertaken, and I am also painfully aware that I have entirely
failed to do justice to my theme. That failure would have been
immeasurably greater had I not received the most valuable
assistance from those far better qualified than I am to bring into
relief the history of our army.
To these I would now venture to offer my most cordial thanks--to
the Army Council, for some invaluable casualty returns, which I
believe are now published for the first time; to the ever-courteous
officials at the Record Office and in the libraries of the
British Museum, the India Office, and the Royal United Service
Institution, for the patience with which they have suffered my many
importunities; last, but by no means least, to the many officers
of regiments, British and Indian, who have so kindly given me
unrecorded details of their regimental histories.
For the reproduction of the colours of "The Queen's" and the
Royal Dublin Fusiliers I am indebted to the courtesy of the
commanding officers of those two distinguished regiments. A close
relationship exists between them. When Tangier and Bombay passed
into our possession as the dowry of Queen Catharine of Braganza two
regiments were raised as garrisons for our new possessions. The
one proceeded to Tangier, and after some years of hard fighting,
returned to England, to be known as "The 2nd Queen's." The other
went to Bombay, and for two long centuries nobly upheld the
honour of our name under the title of "The Bombay Europeans." On
the transfer of the East India Company to the Crown the regiment
appeared in the Army List as the 103rd Royal Bombay Fusiliers.
Twenty years later, when regimental numbers were thrown into the
melting-pot and the nomenclature of historic regiments changed,
the Bombay Regiment became the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and as such
worthily maintained its old reputation in South Africa. The Royal
Scots and the Munster Fusiliers may claim seniority to the Queen's
and the Dublins, but the battle honours on the colours I have
selected cover the whole period with which I deal--from Tangier to
Ladysmith, from Arcot to Lucknow.
I would, in conclusion, beg those--and they are many--whose
knowledge of regimental history is far deeper than my own to deal
gently with the many imperfections in this book--an unworthy
tribute of homage to the incomparable heroism of the British
soldier.
C. B. NORMAN.
_January, 1911._
BATTLE HONOURS OF THE BRITISH ARMY
CHAPTER I
BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, 1662-1902
Tangier, 1662-1680--Gibraltar, 1704--Gibraltar, 1779-1783--Maida,
1806--Mediterranean--Mediterranean, 1901-02.
TANGIER, 1662-1680.
In the year 1910, just two centuries and a half after the event,
the regiments which upheld British honour on the coast of Morocco
were authorized to bear the above battle honour on their colours
and appointments:
Royal Dragoons, 1662-1680.
Grenadier Guards, 1680.
Coldstream Guards, 1680.
Royal Scots, 1680.
The Queen's, 1662-1680.
The King's Own Lancaster Regiment has been unaccountably omitted
from this list; but there is no doubt that the 4th (King's Own),
under Colonel Kirke took part in the final series of actions with
the Moors prior to our evacuating the fortress.
Tangier passed into our hands, together with Bombay, as a portion
of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza on her marriage with Charles
II. At that time there were many who considered it the more
valuable of the two acquisitions, commanding as it did the entrance
to the Mediterranean. Immense sums were spent in strengthening
the fortifications and in improving the harbour. The inveterate
hostilities of the Moors, however, only increased with time.
The one regiment first raised for the garrison, then styled the
"Regiment of Tangier" (now The Queen's Royal West Surrey) was from
the outset of its career engaged in a long series of engagements
waged against desperate odds. Soon it was found necessary to raise
a regiment of horse to supplement the task of the infantry in
dealing with the Moorish horsemen. The Royal Dragoons then came
into existence, and laid the foundations of that reputation for
dash and discipline which has never left them. Later on, owing
to the persistent hostility of the Moors, the Grenadier Guards,
the Coldstreams, and the 2nd Tangier Regiment (now the 4th King's
Own) were sent as reinforcements; and a reference to the Tangier
Papers shows that men from the fleet were continually employed
against the enemy. On one occasion Sir Cloudesley Shovel, with 600
seamen, took a leading part in the defence. Casualty returns were
not so carefully prepared in the seventeenth as in the twentieth
century, and I have found it impossible to discover the total
losses incurred during our occupation. Between the years 1660
and 1664 there was scarcely a month in which our troops were not
fighting for their lives, and on one occasion at any rate they were
so hard pressed that the Governor applied, and successfully, to the
Spaniards at Gibraltar for assistance. Thus it comes about that
in the casualty list which has come down to us of the action on
October 27, 1680, the Spanish Horse figures side by side with the
Grenadier Guards.
CASUALTIES IN ACTION AT TANGIER, OCTOBER 27, 1680.
+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Dragoons | - | 2 | 11 | 35 |
|Grenadier Gds. | - | 1 | 7 | 51 |
|Royal Scots | 4 | 15 | 36 | 100 |
|The Queen's R. W. Surrey | 2 | 10 | 34 | 120 |
|Spanish Horse | 5 | 4 | 12 | 22 |
+-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
A few weeks after this action the King's Own (Lancaster Regiment),
then commanded by Colonel Kirke, arrived as a reinforcement,
and later in the year the Coldstream Guards. In 1684 the place was
evacuated, having cost us many millions in money and many thousand
valuable lives.
[Illustration: THE COLOURS OF THE TANGIER REGIMENT, 1684.
(Now The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment.)
To face page 2.]
GIBRALTAR, 1704-05.
This battle honour, which commemorates the capture of Gibraltar
by the fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke, and the subsequent
defence of the fortress under Prince George of Hesse, is borne by
the following regiments:
Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
King's Own (Lancaster).
Somerset Light Infantry.
East Lancashire.
East Surrey.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
Royal Sussex.
Queen Anne caused a medal to be struck in recognition of the
services of the senior officers at the capture of this historic
fortress, but it was left to King Edward VII. to sanction the grant
of the battle honour to the regiments which added the Rock to the
possession of Great Britain.
Owing to our having espoused the cause of Charles III. in the War
of the Spanish Succession, a fleet of fifty sail was sent into the
Mediterranean, under the command of Sir John Rooke, but it was
practically placed at the disposal of King Charles. Embarked on
the fleet under the command of Prince George of Hesse were the 4th
(King's Own), 30th (East Lancashire), 31st (East Surrey), the 32nd
(Cornwall Light Infantry), with Holt's and Shannon's Regiments,
all acting as Marines. On July 22, 1704, the fleet anchored in
Gibraltar Bay, and landed on what is now known as neutral ground.
To a summons to surrender, the Governor sent a defiant answer.
He, at all hazard, refused to recognize King Charles as his
Sovereign, or our right to dictate to Spaniards in the choice of
their monarch. On the following day Admiral Byng, with twenty-seven
vessels, stood close in and silenced the batteries, when the
bellicose Governor, in order to avoid the effusion of blood,
accepted the terms offered. Rooke then landed the troops under
Prince George, and sailed away to attack the allied fleets which
were in the offing. In the course of the month of August he fought
the Battle of Malaga, the effects of which were overshadowed by the
glorious victory of Blenheim. The French and Spaniards were not
prepared to sit down and see England established at the entrance
of the Mediterranean, and at once took steps to recover possession
of Gibraltar. We, on the other hand, took equally decisive
measures to hold it. At that moment we had a considerable force in
Portugal, acting in support of Charles III., and from this force
reinforcements were immediately despatched to Gibraltar.
CASUALTIES AT THE CAPTURE OF AND SUBSEQUENT OPERATIONS AT
GIBRALTAR, 1704-05.
+------------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Artillery | | | | |
|Grenadier Gds. | | | | |
|Coldstream Gds. | | | | |
|4th K.O. (R. Lancaster Regt.) | | | | |
|13th Somerset L.I. | | | | |
|Roy. Engineers | | | | |
|30th East Lancashire | | | | |
|31st E. Surrey | | | | |
|32nd Cornwall L.I. | 1 | - | - | - |
|35th R. Sussex | | | | |
+------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
NOTE.--I have been unable to ascertain the casualties of
individual corps at Gibraltar. I leave this table in the hope
that at some future day the omission may be repaired; the total
losses amounted to 3 officers and 57 men killed, 8 officers and
258 men wounded.
A combined battalion of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards, the
13th (Somerset Light Infantry), and the 35th (Royal Sussex), some
1,800 of all ranks, embarked on transports. Narrowly escaping
capture,[1] they succeeded in eluding the French fleet, and landed
in Gibraltar Harbour on December 18. On the 23rd Prince George made
a successful sortie at the head of his new troops, and destroyed a
considerable portion of the siege-works; but the allies, having the
land side open to them, were able to bring up supplies and fresh
troops without difficulty, whereas we were dependent entirely on
our fleet--in fact, on our command of the sea. In the early dawn
of February 7, 1705, the allies made a determined attempt to carry
the place by assault, but they were repulsed with terrible loss
by the Coldstream Guards and the 13th (Somersets); then, finding
their efforts useless, they abandoned the siege. Seventy-five years
later a fresh attempt to dispossess us of the fortress led to a new
battle honour appearing on the colours, but the siege of 1727 has
been unaccountably lost sight of.
GIBRALTAR, 1727.
It is somewhat difficult to understand why the defence of Gibraltar
in the year 1727 has not been considered worthy of being inscribed
on the colours of the regiments which fought so well under the
veteran Lord Portmore. From February 22 to June 23 the garrison,
barely 6,000 strong, withstood a close siege, repelling many
assaults and suffering many casualties. Famine as well as disease
stared them in the face. I have been unable to ascertain the
complete details of the losses of individual regiments engaged,
but from the accounts of contemporary writers who went through the
siege it would appear that the Grenadier Guards alone lost upwards
of 100, of whom nineteen were killed in one day. Surely "Gibraltar,
1727," might be added to the colours of the twelve regiments which
held the fortress for England under Lord Portmore.
The story of the siege is not pleasant reading. It is an early
exemplification of the manner in which the warnings of the "man
on the spot" are almost invariably disregarded by the authorities
at home, and how our soldiers are expected to make bricks without
straw, and to undergo perils which with a little exercise of
forethought might be avoided. In the month of August, 1726, the
Acting Governor, Colonel Kane, reported the threatening attitude
of the Spaniards, and that Malaga was being converted into a
military base, where large quantities of war material were being
collected. He further asked for the paltry sum of £3,000, in
order to place the fortress in a better state of defence. One of
the most pressing questions was the levelling of the earthworks
constructed by the Spaniards during the last siege, which were
still left standing, and which would afford shelter to the enemy in
the event of the outbreak of hostilities. The troops were lodged
in houses in the town; there were no barracks, and no casemates
to the various outworks. His garrison consisted of but four weak
battalions. On these representations one battalion was sent from
Minorca. In December Kane reported the mobilization at Malaga of
5,000 Walloon Guards, of fourteen Spanish battalions, and eight
regiments of cavalry. No doubt as to the intention of the Spaniards
now remained. Orders had been published for the Governors of the
four Andalusian provinces to raise 8,000 men, and in reporting this
circumstance Kane drew attention to the fact that the artillery
under his command consisted of _three non-commissioned officers and
fifteen gunners_, whilst the infantry amounted to but 1,400 men.
His lines of defences were three miles in extent, and the two works
mounted no less than 150 guns, the large majority of which had
long since been condemned. In the month of January the Spaniards
openly commenced their siege-works, throwing up batteries within
gunshot of the fortress; but it was not until the month of April
that General Clayton arrived with the first reinforcements, but
with no siege material. By the end of April the garrison had been
increased to a total of 6,000 men, two only of the regiments being
over 600 strong, whilst the reinforcements of artillery brought
up the strength of the Royal Regiment to 127 of all ranks; and of
these Lord Portmore wrote that the gunners "are the worst that ever
were employed."[2] The want of fresh provisions told heavily on the
men, and all ranks and all arms were busily employed in throwing up
fresh defensive works. Complaints were rife as to the guns--large
numbers burst--and the Governor reiterated his complaints that the
Spanish guns were far superior in range and accuracy to our own.
By the end of May the garrison was reduced to 4,427 effectives,
the men rarely getting one night in three in bed. Still the stout
old veteran answered shot for shot, warning the Government that
the Spaniards were evidently determined on wresting the position
from us, and that unless reinforcements were speedily sent the
place was liable to be carried by assault, as his men were not
sufficiently numerous to man the whole of the works. Fortunately
for the garrison, diplomacy was at work, and by the end of July
preliminaries of peace had been signed, and the safety of the
fortress was assured.
When actual hostilities broke out, the garrison of Gibraltar,
including the two regiments that had been sent from Ireland and
Minorca, consisted of the 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers), 13th
(Somerset Light Infantry), 18th (Royal Irish), 20th (Lancashire
Fusiliers), and the 29th (Worcesters). Considerable delays occurred
in despatching the reinforcements, and, as I have remarked, it was
not until the month of April that these left England. The Governor,
the veteran Lord Portmore, who was at home on leave, returned
to his post, and at the same time a battalion of the Grenadier
Guards, under Colonel Guise--a name which has ever been synonymous
in the service with daring gallantry--the 14th (West Yorks), 25th
(Scottish Borderers), 26th (Cameronians), 34th (Border Regiment),
and 39th (Dorsets), were despatched under convoy of the fleet to
Gibraltar.
There would appear to have been the same eagerness amongst the
younger members of the House of Lords to see active service in
those days as there was in the Crimea and in the Boer War. The Duke
of Richmond, who was a Knight of the Garter and a member of the
King's Household, applied for leave to join the army, and so did a
son of the Duke of Devonshire. On the other hand, the Duke Wharton
joined the Spanish forces, and was happily wounded very early in
the siege, and so spared the shame of taking a prolonged share in
the operations against his own fellow-countrymen.
I have experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining any records
of the casualties, but the following list appears in a contemporary
publication written by an officer who took part in the siege, and
may, I think, be relied on as showing to a certain extent the
losses incurred during a portion of the siege:
+-----------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Artillery | 1 | - | 11 | 16 |
|Grenadier Gds. | - | - | 2 | 19 |
|5th Fusiliers | - | - | 4 | 18 |
|13th Somerset L.I. | - | - | 7 | 26 |
|14th W. Yorks | - | - | 6 | 22 |
|18th Roy. Irish | - | - | 8 | 17 |
|20th Lanc. Fus. | 1 | - | 8 | 12 |
|25th K.O. Scottish Borderers | 1 | - | 3 | 13 |
|26th Cameronians | - | - | 6 | 28 |
|29th Worcesters | - | - | 2 | 11 |
|30th E. Lancs | - | - | 8 | 14 |
|34th Border Reg. | - | - | 2 | 16 |
|39th Dorsets | 1 | - | 6 | 13 |
+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
GIBRALTAR, 1779-1783.
(With Castle and Key and motto, "Montis Insignia Calpe.")
The regiments permitted to bear these distinctions are the
Suffolk.
Dorset.
Northampton.
Essex.
Highland Light Infantry.
In the month of June, 1779, Spain declared war against England,
France having done so in the preceding year. There was no doubt
as to the object of the Spaniards--the recapture of Minorca,
Gibraltar, and the American Colonies lost to us in the preceding
wars. Fortunately, we had in Gibraltar a soldier who knew his
work. Though the name of Eliott will ever be associated with the
Rock, soldiers may also like to know that the gallant defender of
Gibraltar raised and trained that distinguished regiment the 15th
Hussars. From the moment that he took over the command in 1777
Eliott set to work to strengthen the defences. On the declaration
of war he had but 5,382 of all ranks in his garrison, including
458 gunners. His chief danger was starvation, for on the land
side he was completely hemmed in, whilst on the sea the Spaniards
instituted a close blockade, and brought pressure to bear on His
Shereefian Majesty to forbid the exportation of fresh meat and
vegetables to the garrison from Morocco. In November of that
year Rodney defeated the blockading fleet, and threw in the 71st
(Highland Light Infantry), a welcome reinforcement, and also stores
sufficient to maintain the garrison for a year. The Spaniards now
drew closer the blockade, and commenced to throw up elaborate
siege-works; but it was not until April, 1781, that the blockade
was converted into a siege in earnest, and it is said that between
then and November upwards of 100,000 shot and shell were poured
into the place. Our casualties were by no means heavy, nor did the
fortifications suffer much, though the town itself was utterly
destroyed. On the 27th of that month (November) Eliott attacked the
Spaniards, destroyed and burnt their batteries, spiking a large
number of guns, but though his losses in this sortie were slight,
his men suffered much from scurvy and the incessant duty which was
imposed on an all too scanty garrison. From time to time a vessel
would elude the blockading fleet; and on one occasion Admiral Darby
forced his way through with the 97th Regiment, and later still the
King's Own Scottish Borderers and the 59th (East Lancashires) were
also thrown in. In May, 1782, the Spaniards were reinforced by a
strong French division, and the siege was continued with renewed
vigour. Floating batteries, with massive timber roofs to protect
the gunners, were built by the allies, and then on September 14,
1782, convoyed by forty-seven sail of the line, this formidable
armada entered the bay, and opened a fresh bombardment from the
sea. To this Eliott responded with red-hot shot, and once more the
garrison was saved. In the following month Howe was enabled to
convoy a fleet of transports under the Rock, and so relieved Eliott
of his one dread--starvation. In February, 1783, peace was signed
between Spain and England, and on the 6th of the month the gates
of the fortress were thrown open, after a bombardment of thirteen
months.
CASUALTIES AT THE DEFENCE OF GIBRALTAR, 1779-1783.
+-----------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Artillery | 2 | 8 | 29 | 121 |
|Roy. Engineers | - | - | - | - |
|12th Suffolks | 1 | 3 | 27 | 110 |
|25th K.O. Scottish Borderers | - | - | 2 | 8 |
|39th Dorsets | 2 | 3 | 27 | 60 |
|56th Essex | - | 3 | 27 | 67 |
|58th N'amptons | 1 | 2 | 18 | 74 |
|59th E. Lancs. | - | - | 8 | 9 |
|71st Highland L.I. | - | 6 | 42 | 115 |
|72nd Seaforth Highlanders | - | 3 | 55 | 148 |
|73rd Regt. | - | 6 | 44 | 115 |
|97th Regt. | - | - | 13 | 41 |
+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
MAIDA, JULY 4, 1806.
This distinction is borne on the colours of the
Lancashire Fusiliers.
Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Royal Sussex.
North Lancashire.
Northamptons.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Gloucestershire Regiment.
It recognizes the gallant services of these regiments in the
engagement fought in defence of our ally, the King of Naples, by
the little force under the command of General Stuart against a
superior body of French under General Regnier. In 1847, when the
so-called Peninsular medal was issued, a special clasp, "Maida,"
was awarded to the survivors of the brilliant little action on
the shores of the Straits of Messina. The Grenadier and Light
Infantry battalions, which bulk so largely in the accompanying list
of casualties, were composed of the flank companies of the five
battalions engaged, supplemented by 250 men of the 35th (Royal
Sussex) and a company of the 61st (Gloucesters), and so it comes
about that, although the headquarters were not present, the old
35th and 61st were accorded the battle honour. The losses in this
engagement were:
+--------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Grenadier batt. | 0 | 1 | 4 | 26 |
|Lancs Fusiliers | - | - | 1 | 6 |
|27th Inniskillings | - | - | 6 | 47 |
|58th Northamptons | - | - | - | 2 |
|Light Infantry battalion | 1 | 3 | 7 | 42 |
|78th Seaforth Highlanders | - | 7 | 4 | 74 |
|81st North Lancashire | - | 2 | 19 | 63 |
+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
MEDITERRANEAN.
This distinction was awarded to the following regiments of Militia
for their services during the Crimean War of 1854-55, when they
volunteered to perform garrison duty in order to set free line
regiments for service at the front:
3rd Batt. the Buffs.
3rd Batt. the King's Own (Royal Lancaster).
5th Batt. Royal Fusiliers.
3rd Batt. South Stafford.
3rd Batt. West Yorkshire.
3rd Batt. Loyal North Lancashire.
3rd Batt. Oxford Light Infantry.
3rd Batt. Northamptons.
3rd Batt. Royal Berkshire.
3rd Batt. Wiltshire.
MEDITERRANEAN, 1901-02.
The above honour is borne on the colours of the following
regiments, in recognition of their services in performing garrison
duty in the Mediterranean during the South African War of
1899-1902. For these services they were also granted a medal.
3rd Batt. Northumberland Fusiliers.
5th Batt. Royal Fusiliers
3rd Loyal North Lancashire.
3rd Batt. West Yorkshire.
3rd Batt. King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
3rd Royal West Kent.
3rd Batt. Seaforth Highlanders.
5th Batt. Royal Munster Fusiliers.