CHAPTER II_Battle Honours of the British Army From Tangier, 1662, to the Commencement of the Reign of King Edward VII

BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN NORTHERN EUROPE, 1695-1709

Namur, 1695--Blenheim, 1704--Ramillies, 1706--Oudenarde,

1708--Malplaquet, 1709.

NAMUR, 1695.

In the month of February, 1910, an Army Order was published

announcing that His Majesty King Edward VII. had been graciously

pleased to approve of the following regiments being permitted to

bear the honorary distinction "Namur, 1695" upon their colours, in

recognition of services rendered during the siege and capture of

that city, 215 years previously:

Grenadier Guards.

Coldstream Guards.

Scots Guards.

Royal Scots.

Queen's (Royal West Surrey).

King's Own (Lancasters).

Royal Warwicks.

Royal Fusiliers.

West Yorkshire.

Bedfords.

Leicesters.

Royal Irish.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

King's Own Scottish Borderers.

Previously to this date the only regiment which in any way

commemorated its association with the siege of Namur was the 18th

(Royal Irish), which was entitled to bear on its colours the words

"Virtutis Namurcensis præmium," and which had received the title of

the "Royal Regiment of Ireland" from King William himself for its

conduct at the storming of that fortress. There was no good reason

why the Royal Irish should have been honoured above its fellows.

The details of the operations at Namur were open to all the world,

and the casualties suffered by other corps showed that they too had

borne their fair share of the fighting.

[Illustration: Battlefields in NORTHERN EUROPE]

Namur was one of the many fortified towns in Flanders which had

fallen into the hands of the French during our struggles with

that nation in the closing years of the seventeenth century. King

William's military operations had not been attended with any marked

degree of success. His troops, despite the gallantry of the English

regiments, had been worsted at Steenkirk, Landen, and many other

fights, and in the ranks of our own regiments there was a very

decided feeling that our friends the Dutch were prone to throw the

brunt of the hard work on us, and were not too eager to afford us

that assistance in action which we had a right to expect. A glance

at the casualty lists which follow the various actions--the names

of which are inscribed on our colours--proves the truth of this

statement. Whether at Namur, Dettingen, Emsdorff, in Flanders or in

Spain, the British regiments were invariably expected to pull the

chestnuts out of the fire for their allies.

The Siege of Namur commenced on July 3, 1695, and three days later

King William determined to carry the outworks by assault. The

Guards attacked on the right, the Royal Scots and Royal Fusiliers

on the left. The assault was perfectly successful, but the loss was

enormous, the Brigade of Guards losing thirty-two officers, the

Royal Scots and Royal Fusiliers ten. A few days later, after the

fire of the batteries had opened a practicable breach in the walls

near the St. Nicholas Gateway, the British were again called upon

to carry this work. This they did with a loss of 800 killed and

wounded. Then came the final assault on the citadel, for which the

Leicesters, the Royal Irish, and Mackay's and Buchan's Highlanders

were told off. These two last are no longer with us. These four

battalions lost 63 officers and 925 men killed and wounded. But

the day was ours, and with the fall of the citadel Namur once more

passed into the possession of the House of Orange.

Although the Army Order of February, 1910, only grants the

distinction to infantry regiments, there were a number of British

cavalry regiments employed in covering operations during the

siege. There were the 1st and 2nd Life and the Royal Horse Guards,

all seven regiments of Dragoon Guards, the Royal Dragoons, Scots

Greys, 4th Hussars, 5th Lancers, and 7th Hussars. I regret I have

not been able to ascertain the losses they suffered. Those of the

infantry were as follows:

CASUALTIES AT THE SIEGE AND ASSAULT OF NAMUR, 1695.

+-----------------------------+-----------+-----------+

| |_Officers._| _Men._ |

| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+

| | K. | W. | K. | W. |

+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

|Grenadier Gds. | 6 | 12 | 152 | 298 |

|Coldstream Gds. | 4 | 9 | 101 | 193 |

|Scots Guards | 3 | 4 | 51 | 60 |

|Royal Scots | 6 | 5 | 62 | 109 |

|2nd Queens | 2 | 4 | 54 | 46 |

|3rd Buffs | - | 1 | 8 | 47 |

|4th K.O. (Lancaster Regt.) | 3 | 4 | 46 | 59 |

|6th R. Warwick | 2 | 3 | 66 | 40 |

|7th R. Fusiliers | 1 | 3 | 33 | 58 |

|14th W. Yorks | 5 | 5 | 47 | 82 |

|16th Bedfords | 2 | 2 | 56 | 77 |

|17th Leicesters | 4 | 8 | 101 | 149 |

|18th Roy. Irish | 12 | 13 | 86 | 185 |

|19th Yorkshire | - | - | 8 | 11 |

|23rd Roy. Welsh Fusiliers | 6 | 15 | 92 | 123 |

|25th K.O. Scottish Borderers | 7 | 4 | 79 | 95 |

|27th R. Innis. | - | 3 | 44 | 25 |

|Mackay's Regt. | 2 | 15 | 73 | 126 |

|Buchan's Regt. | 4 | 9 | 65 | 140 |

|Collingwood's Regt. | 1 | 5 | 77 | 36 |

|Saunderson's Regt. | - | 8 | 80 | 128 |

|Seymour's Regt. | - | - | 49 | 71 |

|Lauder's Regt. | 4 | 2 | 70 | 99 |

+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

NOTE.--I am indebted to the courtesy of the Army Council for

the figures relating to the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards, as

well as for the casualties amongst the commissioned ranks of all

regiments. I am bound to observe that the figures given by the

Army Council do not correspond with a return which I have seen at

the Record Office, entitled "Liste des Soldats Morts et blessés

devant Namur depuis le Commencement jusqu'à la fin du Siege,"

which may have been overlooked by the War Office.

THE WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION.

In the month of May, 1701, just two months after the death of

William III., we found ourselves involved in war with France, in

consequence of the quarrel as to the right of succession in Spain.

One hundred and thirty years later a similar cause led to the

Franco-German War. In those far-off days England was a Continental

Power, and whatever affected the Low Countries affected also the

United Kingdom. The Dutch provinces of Flanders lent themselves

to attack, and as in the wars under William, so now once more they

formed the theatre of war. We had no King to assume the command,

and to Marlborough was confided the task of commanding our armies.

The Spaniards were no longer our allies, and Spanish Flanders was

in the hands of our enemies, adding considerably to the military

difficulties. The Dutch, too, showed themselves no more favourably

disposed to us than when William of Orange was on the throne, and

the whole year of 1701 was wasted in fruitless wrangling. There was

infinite jealousy between ourselves and the Prussians and Dutch as

to Marlborough's position, and both nations seemed to forget that

their troops were but mercenaries, maintained in the field to a

very great extent by the subsidies voted by the English Parliament.

In 1702 Marlborough found himself in nominal command of about

60,000 men, of whom 12,000 were British soldiers. His freedom of

action was much hampered by Dutch Deputies and Prussian jealousies.

That year, however, saw him victorious on three occasions: at

Venloo, which, after a short siege, was carried by assault in the

most gallant manner by the English, led by the noted fire-eater

Cutts; at Maestricht, in August, where we lost 4 officers and 132

men killed, 7 officers and 134 men wounded; and at Liège, which

was captured with a loss to us of 11 officers and 143 men killed,

20 officers and 360 men wounded. As was the custom in those days,

the army went into winter-quarters, whilst the Commander-in-Chief

returned to England to face Parliament and secure funds and

reinforcements for the coming year.

In 1704 Marlborough determined to carry the war into his enemies'

country, and by a masterly movement, worthy of Napoleon in his

best days, transferred the scene of operations from the Valley of

the Meuse to that of the Danube, and on June 21, 1704, gained a

brilliant victory at Schellenberg, on the banks of that river--a

name that might well be borne on the colours and appointments of

the sixteen regiments which bore such a distinguished part in the

fight. I append the casualty lists of the losses incurred in this

now almost forgotten battle, which surely deserves recognition.

CASUALTIES AT SCHELLENBERG, JUNE 21, 1704.

+------------------------+-----------+-----------+

| |_Officers._| _Men._ |

| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+

| | K. | W. | K. | W. |

+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

|Scots Greys | 1 | 2 | 7 | 17 |

|5th Lancers | - | 2 | 4 | 19 |

|Grenadier Gds. | 4 | 8 | 82 | 135 |

|Royal Scots | 5 | 25 | 115 | 302 |

|Buffs | 2 | - | 3 | 37 |

|King's Liverpool Regt. | 1 | 2 | 5 | 33 |

|Lincolns | 1 | - | 13 | 39 |

|East Yorkshire | - | 3 | 10 | 22 |

|Bedfords | 2 | 3 | 30 | 34 |

|Royal Irish | - | 4 | 12 | 36 |

|Royal Scots Fusiliers | - | 3 | - | - |

|Royal Welsh Fusiliers | 5 | 11 | 66 | 162 |

|24th S. Wales Borderers | 1 | 4 | 29 | 44 |

|26th Cameronians | - | 2 | 19 | 60 |

|37th Hampshire | 4 | 10 | 17 | 61 |

+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

Marlborough, in conjunction with the Prince Eugène of Savoy, now

pushed up to the vicinity of Munich, and there is little doubt,

had he been in possession of a sufficient artillery force, that

the capital of Bavaria would have fallen into his hands. He had

with him but thirty-five guns of the Royal Artillery, and he felt

compelled to relinquish the attempt. Falling back, he attacked

the Allies at Blenheim, where again the British troops covered

themselves with glory.

BLENHEIM, AUGUST 2, 1704.

This battle honour has been conferred on the

King's Dragoon Guards.

3rd Dragoon Guards.

5th Dragoon Guards.

Carabiniers.

7th Dragoon Guards.

5th Lancers.

Royal Scots Greys.

Royal Scots.

Grenadier Guards.

King's Liverpool Regiment.

Buffs.

East Yorkshire.

Lincolns.

Royal Irish.

Bedfords.

South Wales Borderers.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Hampshire.

Cameronians.

A medal to commemorate this victory was struck by order of Queen

Anne, but, unfortunately, no lists of the losses suffered by

regiments as regards the rank and file have been preserved, or, if

preserved, they have been lost sight of. We know from contemporary

journals that there were eighteen squadrons and fourteen battalions

of British troops engaged, and that the total casualties amounted

to 51 officers and 625 men killed, 147 officers and 1,381 men

wounded, the casualties amongst the officers being--

CASUALTIES AT BLENHEIM.

+------------------------+-----------+-----------+

| |_Officers._| _Men._ |

| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+

| | K. | W. | K. | W. |

+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

|King's Dragoon Guards | - | - |} | |

|3rd Dragoon Guards | 3 | 5 |} | |

|5th Dragoon Guards | 1 | - |} 93 | 156 |

|Carabiniers | 5 | 5 |} | |

|7th Dragoon Guards | 3 | 3 |} | |

| | | | | |

|Royal Dragoons | - | - |} | |

|Scots Greys | - | - |} | |

|5th Lancers | - | - |} 10 | 22 |

|Grenadier Gds. | 1 | 5 |} | |

|Royal Scots | 3 | 8 |} | |

| | | | | |

|Buffs | 3 | 9 | - | - |

|King's Liverpool | 1 | 3 | - | - |

|Lincolns | 8 | 9 | - | - |

|East Yorkshire | 5 | 13 | - | - |

|Bedfords | 4 | 12 | - | - |

|Royal Irish | 4 | 10 | 57 | 96 |

|Royal Scots Fusiliers | 5 | 12 | - | - |

|Royal Welsh Fusiliers | - | 9 | - | - |

|South Wales Borderers | 3 | 9 | 84 | - |

|Cameronians | 5 | 13 | - | - |

|Hampshire | - | 3 | - | - |

+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

Seldom has there been a victory more complete. Twenty-four

battalions surrendered _en bloc_, the total number of prisoners

aggregating upwards of 11,000, amongst them being two General

officers; 124 guns and 109 stand of colours also fell into our

hands. Ireland is now an integral portion of the British Empire,

and Irish soldiers have in all our campaigns fought with stubborn

determination on our side. So, too, the Royal Irish covered itself

with glory on this day, as it has ever done when fighting for us.

At the same time, it is worthy of note that the fiercest of our

opponents at Blenheim were the regiments of the Irish Brigade in

the pay of the King of France.

Marlborough now retraced his steps to the Low Countries, and once

more prepared to oppose the French in the field and the Dutch in

the Council. The whole of the following year was spent in futile

attempts to organize a successful series of military movements in

face of the persistent antagonism of our Dutch colleagues.

RAMILLIES, MAY 12, 1706.

A medal was struck to commemorate this victory, which is inscribed

on the colours and appointments of the following regiments:

1st King's Dragoon Guards.

3rd Dragoon Guards.

5th Dragoon Guards.

6th Carabiniers.

7th Dragoon Guards.

5th R.I. Lancers.

Royal Scots Greys.

Grenadier Guards.

Royal Scots.

Buffs.

Liverpool Regiment.

Lincolns.

East Yorkshire.

Bedfords.

Royal Irish.

Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

South Wales Borderers.

Cameronians.

Gloucesters.

Worcester.

Hampshire.

Though inscribed on our colours, there were but few British troops

actually under fire at the Battle of Ramillies. On the cavalry fell

the task of converting a victory into a rout, and to this end the

six regiments of British dragoons enumerated above were worthily

employed, their trophies being 56 guns, 80 stand of colours, and

2,000 prisoners. No regimental lists of casualties have been

preserved, but it would appear that the Cameronians lost two

officers killed, and that the cavalry in the pursuit lost 384 of

all ranks killed and wounded.

Ramillies was not the only success that attended our arms in

Flanders during the year 1706, and it is difficult to understand

why it alone should have been selected for recognition. The whole

of Flanders in those days was studded with fortresses, under cover

of which the French lay secure. To capture these was a necessity,

and one by one they fell into our hands. In the months of August,

Menin, after a siege of six weeks, was carried by assault, our loss

being 32 officers and 551 men killed, 80 officers and 1,944 men

wounded; the regiments which took part in the siege and assault

being the Scots Greys, the 3rd and 5th Dragoon Guards, the King's,

Liverpool Regiment, the Lincolns, the Royal Irish, and the Royal

Welsh Fusiliers, the latter losing fifteen officers killed and

wounded.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF RAMILLIES.

+------------------------+-----------+-----------+

| |_Officers._| _Men._ |

| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+

| | K. | W. | K. | W. |

+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

|Royal Irish | - | - | 4 | 6 |

|26th Cameronians | 2 | - | - | - |

+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

NOTE.--I have left the tables of casualties blank in the hope

that some more diligent searcher after truth may be fortunate

enough to find the missing details.

OUDENARDE, JUNE 30, 1708.

This, again, was one of those victories to commemorate which a

medal was struck by order of Her Majesty Queen Anne, whilst a

century and three-quarters later the name "Oudenarde" was inscribed

on the colours and appointments of the following regiments, by

order of Her Majesty Queen Victoria:

1st King's Dragoon Guards.

3rd Dragoon Guards.

5th Dragoon Guards.

Carabiniers.

7th Dragoon Guards.

Scots Greys.

5th Lancers.

Grenadier Guards.

Coldstream Guards.

Royal Scots.

King's Liverpool Regiment.

Buffs.

Lincolns.

East Yorkshire.

Bedfords.

Royal Irish.

Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

Cameronians.

South Wales Borderers.

Hampshire Regiment.

The year 1707 was wasted, owing to the opposition of the Dutch and

the treachery of the Austrians. The French were accordingly enabled

by the early spring of 1708 to mass an army of 100,000 men in

Flanders. To face them the Allies could bring but 80,000; but the

weight of Marlborough's name and the few thousand British veteran

troops in his army made up for this deficiency; and when, after a

series of the most brilliant manœuvres, the Duke at last met the

French at Oudenarde, he at any rate had no doubt as to the result.

At Oudenarde, as at Ramillies, the British troops were not heavily

engaged, their losses numbering 4 officers and 41 men killed, 17

officers and 160 men wounded.

Lille, the capital of French Flanders, was Marlborough's next

objective. The difficulties attendant on the siege were enormous,

owing to the swampy nature of the neighbourhood and the strength

of the fortifications. In spite of being some 10,000 men inferior

to the French mobile army, Marlborough determined to essay the

task, and from the month of August to October there were five

British battalions actively employed in the siege, the rest of

the army being engaged in covering the operations and holding in

check 96,000 French who were endeavouring to find an opening to

save the fortress. On October 11 the place was carried by assault,

our losses during the operations having been 17 officers and 447

men killed, 82 officers and 1,093 men wounded. The Bedfords, Royal

Irish, Royal Scots Fusiliers, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and the South

Wales Borderers, were the regiments which would be entitled to

this distinction. To commemorate the capture of Lille, Queen Anne

caused a medal to be struck, but the name is not on our colours.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF OUDENARDE, JUNE 30, 1708.

+--------------------------+-----------+-----------+

| |_Officers._| _Men._ |

| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+

| | K. | W. | K. | W. |

+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

|Grenadier Gds. | 2 | - | - | - |

|18th Roy. Irish | 1 | - | 8 | 12 |

+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

NOTE.--According to the published Diary of Private Deane, the

Grenadier Guards lost 2 officers killed at Oudenarde, but no

detailed list of casualties is forthcoming.

MALPLAQUET, SEPTEMBER 11, 1709.

A medal was struck by Queen Anne to commemorate this victory,

and in the reign of Queen Victoria the regiments which were

present were permitted to add the name "Malplaquet" to the other

distinctions won in more recent battles:

1st King's Dragoon Guards.

3rd Dragoon Guards.

5th Dragoon Guards.

Carabiniers.

7th Dragoon Guards.

Royal Scots Greys.

5th Lancers.

Grenadier Guards.

Coldstream Guards.

Royal Scots.

Buffs.

King's Liverpool Regiment.

Lincolns.

East Yorkshire.

Bedfords.

Royal Irish.

Yorkshire Regiment.

Royal Scots Fusiliers.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers.

South Wales Borderers.

Cameronians.

Hampshire Regiment.

Prior to the Battle of Malplaquet, the Royal Scots, the Buffs, and

the Hampshires had been actively employed at the siege and capture

of the Fortress of Tournay, in which they suffered heavily; but

no distinction was awarded for this siege, save a medal struck by

Queen Anne, the word "Tournay" borne by the West Yorkshire, the

Hampshire, and the Shropshire, being granted for the action, which

took place in the same neighbourhood in 1794, and which I have

dealt with on page 94.

Leaving a force to level the fortifications of Tournay, which was

looked upon as one of the masterpieces of the great master, Vauban,

Marlborough moved towards Mons, where the French, under Marshal

Villars, lay with 95,000 men. Their position was a most formidable

one. From the forest of Laignieres to the wood of Blangier (a

distance of three miles) a series of entrenchments had been thrown

up, following the sinuosities of the ground. In advance of this

position a number of formidable redans had been constructed, in

some of which as many as twenty guns were placed. Fortune, however,

favoured the allies in many ways. In front of the position, but out

of cannon shot, were the woods of Sart, which enabled Marlborough

to conceal his intended movements from the French; whilst the

nature of the ground in rear of the French entrenchment prevented

Marshal Villars from making any use of his cavalry in the early

stages of the fight. On this occasion at any rate we had no reason

to complain of the conduct of our allies. The Dutch, under the

Duke of Orange, fought with unaccustomed gallantry, whilst the

Germans showed that they were not disposed to allow the English to

carry off all the honours of the day. Of the details of the battle

but little is known, except that it was one of the bloodiest ever

fought, scarcely exceeded even by the passage of the Beresina.

Although we were the victors, there is no doubt that our losses

were greater than those of the French. Sixteen guns and twenty

colours remained in our hands. The twenty British battalions

engaged lost 36 officers and 571 men killed, 66 officers and 1,281

men wounded.

There were many more occasions in which we crossed swords with the

French in Flanders before peace was declared. At Douai, Bethune,

and Bouchain, our troops suffered severely, but no honorary

distinctions were granted for any of these fights, so they do not

fall within the scope of this chapter.

Unfortunately, the lists of regimental losses of non-commissioned

officers and men have not been preserved, and all it is possible

to give, with any degree of accuracy, are the number of officers

killed, and, to a certain extent, of men wounded at Malplaquet.

CASUALTIES AT THE BATTLE OF MALPLAQUET, SEPTEMBER 11, 1709.

+--------------------------+-----------+-----------+

| |_Officers._| _Men._ |

| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+

| | K. | W. | K. | W. |

+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

|1st King's Dragoon Guards | 1 | - | - | - |

|3rd Dragoon Guards | - | - | - | - |

|5th Dragoon Guards | - | - | - | - |

|6th Carabiniers | - | - | - | - |

|7th Dragoon Guards | - | - | - | - |

|Scots Greys | - | - | - | - |

|5th Lancers | - | - | - | - |

|Grenadier Gds. | 1 | 2 | - | - |

|Coldstream Guards | 5 | 2 | - | - |

|Royal Scots | 1 | 3 | - | - |

|3rd Buffs | 6 | 9 | - | - |

|King's Liverpool | 1 | 8 | - | - |

|10th Lincoln | - | 2 | - | - |

|15th East Yorks | 3 | - | 2 | 62 |

|16th Bedford | - | 4 | - | 50 |

|18th Roy. Irish | - | - | - | - |

|19th Yorkshire Regiment | - | - | - | - |

|21st Roy. Scots Fusiliers | 5 | 3 | - | - |

|23rd Roy. Welsh Fusiliers | 3 | 7 | - | - |

|24th S. Wales Borderers | - | - | - | - |

|26th Cameronians | 4 | 3 | - | - |

|37th Hampshire | 1 | - | - | - |

+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+

Battle Honours of the British Army From Tangier, 1662, to the Commencement of the Reign of King Edward VII · 第 2 / 28 章