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.
JERSEY, 1781.
This distinction is borne on the colours of the
1st Royal Jersey Light Infantry.
2nd Royal Jersey Light Infantry.
3rd Royal Jersey Light Infantry.
It commemorates the gallant conduct of these three regiments in
repelling the French attack on that island in the year 1781. In the
early dawn of January 6 a French force, under the command of the
Baron de Rullecourt, made a sudden descent on the island of Jersey,
landing a short distance to the east of St. Helier, the capital.
Entering the town, they occupied the central square, and surrounded
the house of the Lieutenant-Governor, who was at once made a
prisoner. He was compelled to sign a capitulation of the island,
although he explained to the French commander that such an act
would, of course, be ignored by the next senior officer. However,
under cover of a flag of truce, the French commander, accompanied
by the unfortunate Governor, approached Elizabeth Castle, which
dominates the town of St. Helier, and demanded the surrender of the
garrison.
The troops at that time in the island, detachments of which were
in the castle, consisted of the 78th Highlanders, 83rd Glasgow
Volunteers (now the 71st Highland Light Infantry), and the 95th
Regiment (the forerunners of the Rifle Brigade), together with the
three regiments of Militia named above. The senior officer was
Major Pierson, of the 95th. So far from obeying the orders of the
Lieutenant-Governor, who, of course, being a prisoner, was deprived
of all vestige of authority, Major Pierson replied to the French
commander that unless the Governor was released and the French
troops laid down their arms within ten minutes he would open fire
on them. Rullecourt retorted that unless the castle accepted his
terms he would hang the Governor. It is said that Pierson's reply
was brief and to the point: "Hang, and be damned!" said he. The
French officer was allowed to rejoin his troops, then Pierson,
moving a couple of companies of the 78th to a hill on the opposite
side of St. Helier, which had not been occupied by the French,
descended into the square. The French made a brave resistance,
but at the end of an hour Rullecourt, who had been shot through
the jaw, surrendered. Our losses were by no means small, the most
serious being the death of the gallant Pierson, who fell at the
head of his men, and whose gallant conduct and heroic death are
commemorated by a monument in the square of St. Helier.
CASUALTIES IN JERSEY, JANUARY 6, 1781.
+------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Artillery | - | 1 | - | - |
|78th Highlanders | - | - | 1 | 3 |
|83rd Glasgow Volunteers | - | - | 6 | 8 |
|95th Regiment | 1 | - | 2 | 13 |
|1st R. Jersey L.I. | - | - | - | 4 |
|2nd R. Jersey L.I. | - | 3 | - | 6 |
|3rd R. Jersey L.I. | - | - | 4 | 24 |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
A NAVAL CROWN, SUPERSCRIBED APRIL 12, 1782.
This distinction is borne by the Welsh Regiment in commemoration
of the part played by a detachment of the old 69th Regiment, which
were acting as Marines on the fleet in the action when Rodney
defeated De Grasse off the island of Martinique, taking the French
Admiral a prisoner, with his flagship, the _Ville de Paris_, of 120
guns.
The total losses in this engagement were 10 officers and 237 men
killed, 22 officers and 766 men wounded, the 69th losing 5 officers
and 29 men killed and wounded.
A NAVAL CROWN, SUPERSCRIBED JUNE 1, 1794.
This distinction was conferred on the Queen's (Royal West Surrey)
and the Worcester Regiment for their services when acting as
Marines on the ships composing Lord Howe's fleet in the memorable
action on the Glorious First of June. Our prizes included two
line-of-battle ships of eighty and four of seventy-four guns,
whilst the sinking of the _Vengeur_ afforded our adversaries
material for a pretty piece of fiction. The total losses in this
battle were 15 officers and 235 men killed, 39 officers and 669 men
wounded. To this total the regiments above mentioned contributed as
under:
CASUALTIES ON JUNE 1, 1794.
+--------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+--------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| The Queen's | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Worcesters | 1 | 1 | 11 | 24 |
+--------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
ST. VINCENT, FEBRUARY 14, 1797.
This battle honour has been conferred on the Welsh Regiment in
recognition of the services of a detachment of this regiment,
under Lieutenant Pierson, when acting as Marines in Lord Nelson's
ship, the _Captain_, at the battle which gave Sir John Jervis his
peerage. The gallantry of a sergeant of the 69th, who smashed
in the quarter gallery of the Spanish flag-ship, was specially
mentioned by Nelson, who also begged to be allowed to retain the
services of Lieutenant Pierson on board his ship.[26]
FISHGUARD, FEBRUARY 24, 1797.
This distinction is borne on the appointments of the Pembrokeshire
Yeomanry, and, with the exception of "Jersey, 1781," borne on the
colours of the three regiments of Jersey Militia, is the only
battle honour granted for services in the United Kingdom. It
recognizes the promptitude with which that regiment turned out to
repel an incursion of French troops on the coast of Pembrokeshire
on the date above mentioned. Strangely enough, in the despatches
in which Lord Cawdor, the senior officer on the spot, and Lord
Milford, the Lord-Lieutenant of the county, report the circumstance
to the Duke of Portland, the Prime Minister, no mention whatever
is made of the Yeomanry being present. Lord Cawdor wrote that,
hearing that three French ships of war and a lugger had anchored in
a small roadstead near Fishguard, he at once proceeded to the spot
"with a detachment of the Cardigan Militia and all the provincial
forces" he could collect. He found that 120 men had disembarked,
and in the course of the evening the French commandant surrendered
unconditionally. Lord Milford, the Lord-Lieutenant of the county,
reported that "before the troops arrived many thousands of the
peasantry turned out, armed with pikes and scythes, to attack the
enemy." It does not appear that any shots were exchanged, or that
Monsieur Tate, Chef-de-Brigade, made any effort to regain his ships
or to oppose the armed peasantry who were ready to attack him. The
name Tate has not a very Gallic flavour. One of the French ships,
_La Résistance_, was captured on March 9 by H.M.S.
_Nymphe_, and brought into the navy under her new name _Fishguard_,
thus connecting the navy with her battle honour.
1800.
This distinction is borne on the appointments of the King's Own
Malta Regiment of Militia, and has been awarded to that corps for
its services during the defence of the island against the French.
COPENHAGEN, APRIL 2, 1801.
This distinction has been conferred on the Berkshire Regiment and
the Rifle Brigade for the services they rendered as Marines on
the fleet under Sir Hyde Parker and Sir Horatio Nelson when the
Danish fleet was destroyed at Copenhagen. The casualties suffered
by the troops were slight. It is worthy of remark that the Queen's,
Worcester, and Welsh Regiments have been granted permission to add
a naval crown to the dates of the fleet actions which they bear
on their colours. The Berkshires and Rifle Brigade have not been
accorded this augmentation.
CASUALTIES AT COPENHAGEN, 1801.
+--------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+--------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Berkshire | - | 2 | 13 | 40 |
|Rifle Brigade | - | - | 3 | 4 |
+--------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
COPENHAGEN, 1807.
The regiments that would be entitled to this battle honour are the
Coldstream Guards.
Scots Guards.
K.O. Royal Lancaster.
Royal Fusiliers.
King's Liverpool.
Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Gloucester.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
Oxford Light Infantry.
South Lancashire.
Royal West Kent.
Cameron Highlanders.
Gordon Highlanders.
Rifle Brigade.
It is difficult to understand why the troops which took part in the
expedition to Copenhagen in 1807 should be denied the battle honour
conferred on the Berkshires and Rifle Brigade for their services as
Marines in the expedition of 1801. In neither case were the losses
severe, but the later expedition was in no way less successful
than the former. The attitude of the Danes and the fear that
their fine fleet would fall into the hands of the French led the
Ministry of the day to assemble a powerful fleet and a by no means
inconsiderable army in order to carry out their policy.
The former, which consisted of no less than twenty-six
line-of-battle ships, was under the command of Sir James Gambier;
whilst General the Lord Cathcart was in command of the land forces.
The troops employed were thus brigaded:
Right Division: Lieutenant-General Sir G. Ludlow.
Brigade of Guards--Major-General Finch: Coldstream, Scots Guards.
Second Brigade--Brigadier-General J. Walsh: 1st Battalion 28th
(Gloucester) and 79th (Cameron Highlanders).
Left Division: Sir David Baird.
Third Brigade--Major-General Grosvenor: 1st Battalion 4th (King's
Own Lancaster) and 1st Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Fourth Brigade--Major-General Spencer: 32nd (Cornwall Light
Infantry), 50th (Royal West Kent), and 82nd (South Lancashire).
Fifth Brigade--Brigadier-General Macfarlane: 1st Battalion
7th (Royal Fusiliers) and 1st Battalion 8th (King's Liverpool
Regiment).
Reserve Division--Sir Arthur Wellesley: 1st Battalion 43rd
(Oxford Light Infantry), 2nd Battalion 52nd (Oxford Light
Infantry), 1st Battalion 92nd (Gordon Highlanders), and 1st
Battalion 95th (Rifle Brigade).
There was, in addition, a strong division of the King's German
Legion, under Lieutenant-General the Earl of Rosslyn, comprising
three regiments of cavalry, ten battalions of infantry, two
batteries of horse and four companies of field artillery. For siege
purposes, ten companies of the Royal Artillery, under Major-General
Bloomfield, and three of Royal Engineers, under Colonel D'Arcey,
accompanied the force.
On July 18 the troops, numbering upwards of 27,000 men, embarked on
377 transports, and on the 15th of the following month disembarked
without opposition at Wibeck, a few miles from Copenhagen. On the
28th of the month the Reserve Division, under Sir Arthur Wellesley,
had a sharp brush with the Danes, capturing ten guns and 1,500
prisoners; and on September 1, the siege-works being complete,
the city was summoned to surrender. General Peiman, the Danish
Commander-in-Chief, returned a bombastic reply, intimating that
the Danes were ready to die to a man rather than surrender their
capital or their fleet. On the following day the batteries opened
fire, and on the 5th the General surrendered unconditionally.
Our trophies included eighteen line-of-battle ships and fifteen
frigates, the prize-money accruing to the two Commanders-in-Chief
amounting to upwards of £300,000! On October 15 the troops
re-embarked, and in the course of the following month troops and
prizes arrived in England. It is worthy of note that of the huge
convoy of 377 transports, few of which exceeded 500 tons burden,
only six were wrecked. Five, unfortunately, were picked up by
French frigates.
CASUALTIES DURING THE EXPEDITION TO COPENHAGEN, 1807.
+--------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Artillery | 1 | - | 2 | 4 |
|Scots Guards | - | - | - | 3 |
|4th K.O. Royal Lancasters | - | - | 1 | 3 |
|Royal Fusiliers | - | - | 2 | - |
|8th King's Liverpool | - | - | 1 | 1 |
|23rd R. W. Fus. | 1 | - | 4 | 5 |
|43rd Oxf. L.I. | - | - | - | 3 |
|50th Royal W. Kent | - | 1 | 2 | 15 |
|79th Cameron Highlanders | - | - | 1 | 3 |
|82nd S. Lancs | 1 | 2 | 4 | 17 |
|92nd Gordon H. | - | - | 3 | 5 |
|95th Rifle Bde. | - | - | 1 | 4 |
+--------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
The total casualties amongst the troops amounted to 4 officers and
39 men killed, and 6 officers and 139 men wounded. Amongst the
latter was Sir David Baird, who had been badly wounded, as we have
seen, in India, and who was destined to lose an arm at Corunna in
the following year.
NEW ZEALAND.
This distinction has been conferred for three separate campaigns,
but no attempt has been made by the addition of dates, as in the
case of the wars in South Africa, to differentiate between the
various operations.
NEW ZEALAND, 1846-47.
The first campaign took place in the years 1846-47, and the
regiments which obtained the honour for these operations are the
Northamptons.
Manchesters.
Wiltshires.
NEW ZEALAND, 1860-61.
The regiments which earned this distinction are the
Suffolk.
West Yorkshire.
South Lancashire.
Middlesex.
York and Lancaster.
At the time of the dispute which led to these operations there was
but one British battalion in the islands, and so critical was the
situation that the city of Auckland was practically besieged by the
natives. Urgent messages were sent to Australia and to Tasmania,
where at that time we had garrisons, and the 12th (Suffolks) and
40th (North Lancashires) arrived very shortly from Sydney and
Melbourne respectively. At the same time, on the news reaching
England, the 68th (Durham Light Infantry) was ordered from Burmah,
the 57th (Middlesex) and 70th (East Surrey) from India, and the
2nd Battalion of the 14th, a newly-raised corps, from the Curragh.
General Pratt, who had arrived from Australia, took command of the
operations, but some dissatisfaction was expressed at his strategy,
and in March, 1863, he was superseded by Sir Duncan Cameron, an
officer who had done good service in the Crimea.
The New Zealanders--or rather the Maori--showed themselves most
gallant foes. Their _pahs_, or stockades, were constructed with
much skill, and until these had been thoroughly searched out with
artillery fire we found them almost impossible to carry.
It was generally conceded that the war was one which, with a little
exercise of forbearance on the part of the Colonial Government,
might have been avoided, and there was a good deal of friction
between the civilian and military elements in consequence, many of
the soldiers openly expressing an opinion that their foes had not
been fairly dealt with. In the spring of 1861 a hollow truce was
patched up. Our casualties during the operations, so far as the
regular troops were concerned, had not been heavy, except in the
case of the 40th (North Lancashires) and 65th (York and Lancasters).
+------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Artillery | 1 | - | 2 | 12 |
|Roy. Engineers | - | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|12th Suffolks | - | 1 | 1 | 7 |
|14th West Yorks | - | - | - | 2 |
|40th N. Lancs | 2 | 3 | 38 | 58 |
|57th Middlesex | - | - | - | 6 |
|65th York and Lancaster | 1 | 1 | 5 | 38 |
|Naval Brigade | - | 2 | 5 | 20 |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
NEW ZEALAND, 1863-1866.
The regiments which were present during the operations, which
lasted for nearly three years, are the
Suffolks.
West Yorkshire.
Royal Irish.
North Lancashire.
Oxford Light Infantry.
Royal West Kent.
Middlesex.
York and Lancaster.
Durham Light Infantry.
The same causes which led to the war in 1860 were once more
the origin of armed resistance to the Government. The natives
considered that they were not being dealt fairly with in the matter
of the sale of their lands, and, as I have said before, there was
a very strong party in the Colony who sympathized with them. At the
same time, it was felt that the Government must be supported until
peace had been restored, and that then, but not till then, could
the cause of the disturbance be removed. The troops, which included
all the regiments named above, were under the command of Sir Duncan
Cameron, and he had on his staff a number of exceptionally good
men--men who came to the fore in our later wars--amongst them
being Sir George Greaves and Sir Thomas Baker, both of whom became
Adjutant-General in India. With them were Sir Henry Havelock and
Sir John MacNeill, the latter of whom obtained the Victoria Cross
in the campaign.
CASUALTIES IN NEW ZEALAND, 1864.
+------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Naval Brigade | 3 | 8 | 13 | 34 |
|Royal Artillery | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
|12th Suffolks | 1 | - | 7 | 24 |
|14th W. Yorks | 2 | 8 | 13 | 29 |
|18th Roy. Irish | 1 | 1 | 19 | 44 |
|40th N. Lancs | 2 | 3 | 22 | 42 |
|43rd Oxford L.I. | 7 | 2 | 13 | 19 |
|50th W. Kent | 1 | 3 | 18 | 30 |
|57th Middlesex | 2 | 2 | 23 | 47 |
|65th York and Lancaster | 2 | 8 | 24 | 49 |
|68th Durham L.I. | - | 4 | 9 | 41 |
|70th E. Surrey | 1 | 2 | 8 | 16 |
| | | | |
|Colonial Troops | 6 | 15 | 650 |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
Although the war dragged on for so long, it calls for no special
remark. It resolved itself into the attack of the Maori stockades,
which were constructed with great skill. On more than one occasion
we certainly came off second best. One point, however, is worthy of
note. It was found that the red coats and shakos of the soldiers
were not the most suitable garments for Bush warfare, and, to the
distress of the old soldiers of the leather stock and pipeclay
school, the men fought in blue jumpers and forage-caps.
In the month of June we experienced rather a serious reverse at
what was known as the Gate Pah; but the distinguished regiment
which suffered heavily on that day showed a few weeks later that
it had lost none of the dash for which it had been so famous in
Wellington's days. In the early spring of 1866 peace was declared,
and since then there have been no more loyal servants of the Crown
than our Maori fellow-subjects.
ABYSSINIA, 1867-68.
The following regiments are authorized to bear this battle honour:
3rd Dragoon Guards.
King's Own Lancasters.
Cameronians.
West Riding.
Sherwood Foresters.
10th Hodson's Horse.
12th Cavalry.
33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry.
2nd Q.O. Sappers and Miners.
3rd Sappers and Miners.
21st Punjabis.
23rd Pioneers.
102nd K.E.O. Grenadiers.
103rd Mahratta Light Infantry.
104th Wellesley's Rifles.
121st Pioneers.
125th Napier's Rifles.
127th Baluch Light Infantry.
The above regiments formed the expeditionary force, under Sir
Robert Napier, then Commander-in-Chief in Bombay, which had for
its object the release of a number of English and German prisoners
held in captivity by Theodore, King of Abyssinia. Until the year
1861 our relations with this half-savage, half-Christian potentate
had been of the most cordial nature. He looked on Mr. Plowden,
the British Consul, as his most trusted adviser, and amongst the
members of his personal household was more than one Englishman. On
Mr. Plowden's death a change occurred. The new Consul seems not
to have been on the best terms either with the King or with the
Foreign Office, and the neglect of the latter to take any notice
of an autograph letter addressed to our Queen by King Theodore
led to an open rupture. The King swept all Europeans into prison,
including the Consul, and on remonstrances being made detained
other emissaries. As Theodore had contracted a habit of doing away
with his prisoners, it was considered necessary to back up verbal
remonstrances with force, and the conduct of the negotiations was
removed from the Foreign Office and placed in the hands of the
Commander-in-Chief in Bombay.
Little was known of the country, and the most pessimistic
forebodings were indulged in by the English Press. The result
proved the falsity of the critics. Sir Robert Napier was a master
of the art of organization, and from the date of the landing of
the troops in Zoulla Bay until their final embarkation there
was not a single mishap. There was practically no fighting. The
army traversed close on 300 miles of country destitute of roads,
crossed mountain-ranges 9,000 feet in height, stormed what Theodore
fancied was an impregnable fortress, effected the release of the
European prisoners, and freed the Abyssinians from the tyranny of
a bloodthirsty King, without the loss of a single man killed in
action, and of only thirty-seven who died by disease. The result
was due to one man, and to one man alone, and it proved the wisdom
of not interfering with the General in command when once he has
been entrusted with the conduct of military operations. The House
of Commons grumbled at the cost of the expedition, but Sir Robert
Napier judged the value of a British soldier at a higher price than
mere pounds, shillings, and pence, and preferred that the tax-payer
should pay for the mistakes of the Foreign Office in hard cash
rather than that the army should pay in the lives of its men.
Thirty years later the Italians tried their 'prentice hand in the
same country. The annihilation of their army threw into stronger
relief the wisdom of the tactics employed by Lord Napier, where,
by utilizing native labour for the construction of the necessary
military roads, he saved the health and the lives of his soldiers.
It is impossible to write of the Abyssinian Expedition without
adding a word as to the marvellous manner in which the
disembarkation and final embarkation of the army was conducted,
without hitch or loss, by the Quartermaster-General at Zoulla Bay,
then Major Fred Roberts,[27]
The casualty rolls are instructive, and may be compared with
advantage with those of the Italian army which was cut to pieces in
Abyssinia thirty years later:
CASUALTIES IN ABYSSINIA, 1867-68.
+------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Roy. Engineers | - | 1 | - | 3 |
|4th King's Own | - | 1 | - | 6 |
|33rd West Riding | - | - | - | 5 |
|33rd Q.O. Light Cavalry | - | - | - | 1 |
|23rd Punjab Pioneers | - | - | - | 12 |
+------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
ASHANTEE, 1873.
This distinction has been conferred on the
23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers).
Black Watch.
Rifle Brigade.
West India Regiment.
It commemorates the services of a force, under the command
of Major-General Garnet Wolseley (now Field-Marshal Viscount
Wolseley), which was organized for the purpose of putting a stop
to the intolerable cruelties and depredations of the Ashantee
monarch on the West Coast of Africa. In February, 1873, King Coffee
Kalkali, not content with ravaging the territories of our allies,
actually invaded our own territories in the neighbourhood of Cape
Coast Castle. He was beaten off by Colonel Harley, then in command
of the troops, and a second invasion was also repulsed by Colonel
Festing, of the Royal Marine Artillery. Our relations with the
Ashantees had been clouded by the memory of a severe defeat we
suffered at their hands when Sir Charles Macartney, the Governor
of the Colony, had been killed, and his head carried in triumph
to Coomassie, the capital. It was now deemed imperative to teach
the Ashantees that the English arm was longer than they imagined,
and Sir Garnet Wolseley, who had only recently carried through a
most successful little expedition in the North-West Territory of
Canada, was selected for the command of the Ashantee Expeditionary
Force. With him were associated a number of special-service
officers, whose duty it was to raise regiments from the tribes
which had suffered at the hands of King Coffee Kalkali, and to act
in co-operation with our own advancing troops.
The expedition was perfectly successful. After penetrating to the
capital, the force returned to the coast, and re-embarked for
England. There were several sharp skirmishes during the advance,
in which the 42nd (Royal Highlanders) particularly distinguished
themselves, and in which they suffered severely. The expedition,
however, is more noticeable in that it produced a school of
officers for long known as "the Wolseley Gang," to whom the army
and the nation owe a deep debt of gratitude for the institution of
many of the most valuable military reforms.
At the conclusion of the war a medal was granted to the officers
and men who took part in the expedition, with a special
clasp--"Coomassie"--to those who were fortunate enough to have been
present at the final advance on the capital.
CASUALTIES IN ASHANTEE WAR, 1873.
+----------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Staff | - | 3 | - | - |
|Royal Artillery | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
|Roy. Engineers | 1 | 1 | - | 4 |
|Naval Brigade | - | 7 | - | 32 |
|R. Welsh Fus. | - | 1 | - | 4 |
|42nd R. Highl. | - | 11 | 6 | 120 |
|Rifle Brigade | - | 3 | 3 | 30 |
|Native Levies | 2 | 11 | 5 | 122 |
+----------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
SIERRA LEONE, 1898.
This distinction is borne by the West India Regiment and West
African Regiment, and commemorates their conduct in the campaign
undertaken for the purpose of putting down the rebellion in
the Colony of Sierra Leone in that year. The rising was a most
serious one, and for a time the lives of all the whites on the
West Coast were in danger. Nominally the cause of offence was the
imposition of a hut-tax; in reality the grievance was a stricter
interpretation of the laws regarding slavery. Little heed was
paid to the warnings of disaffection. A number of towns in the
hinterland were burnt and many English were massacred before we
were in a position to cope with the rebels. The command of the
operations was entrusted at first to Major-General Woodgate, who
afterwards met a soldier's death at the head of his brigade at
the Battle of Spionkop, in the Boer War. On his falling ill, the
operations were brought to a successful conclusion by Colonel
Cunningham, of the Cornwall Light Infantry. The losses of the West
India Regiment amounted to 3 officers and 8 men killed, 8 officers
and 39 men wounded.
WEST AFRICA.[28]
WEST AFRICA, 1887.
The above distinction is borne on the colours of the West India
Regiment, and has been conferred on that hard-working corps for a
series of arduous campaigns on the West Coast of Africa.
The campaign of 1887 was under the command of Major-General Sir
Francis de Winton, the troops being accompanied by a naval brigade
furnished by H.M.S. _Icarus_ and _Royalist_. It was undertaken
for the subjugation of a powerful tribe called the Yonnies, who
had carried fire, sword, and rapine through the hinterland of the
Colony.
WEST AFRICA, 1892.
The campaign of 1892 was under the command of Colonel Scott, an
officer who had served in the 42nd Highlanders through the Crimea,
the Mutiny, and the two Ashantee wars of 1874 and 1890. It was
necessitated by the conduct of the Egbas and Jebus, two tribes who
were blocking all the trade-routes from Lagos into the interior.
WEST AFRICA, 1893.
The campaign of 1893 was under the command of Colonel Ellis, of the
West India Regiment, and was undertaken for the punishment of the
Sofas, a tribe which had been giving much trouble on our own and on
the French frontier. The expedition was marred by an unfortunate
contretemps between our forces and the French Senegalese troops, in
which we lost three officers killed, the subaltern in command of
the French detachment falling a victim to the mistake of his men.
WEST AFRICA, 1894.
This year was marked by two expeditions--the one from Bathurst,
under Captain Gamble, of the Royal Navy, accompanied by a
detachment of the West India Regiment. In this the navy were
roughly handled, losing 3 officers and 14 men killed, 6 officers
and 32 men wounded. In the following month Major Fairtlough, of the
Royal Artillery, took up the threads of the affair, and brought it
to a successful conclusion. The recalcitrant chief, Foda Silah,
took refuge in French territory, and was handed over to us for
deportation.
In the month of September, 1894, the attitude of the ruler of Benin
compelled us to destroy the armed towns on his frontier. Admiral
Bedford, commanding the Cape of Good Hope Station, was entrusted
with the chief command. The bulk of the forces were drawn from
the ships on the Cape Station, but a detachment of the West India
Regiment well and worthily upheld the fame of that corps. Our
trophies included 106 guns of all calibres, a large number of small
arms, 14 tons of gunpowder, and 8,300 dozens of gin!
BRITISH EAST AFRICA, 1896-1899, 1901.
This battle honour has been conferred on the
104th Wellesley's Rifles.
116th Mahrattas.
124th D.C.O. Baluchistan Infantry.
127th P.W.O. Baluch Light Infantry.
It commemorates arduous work, of which little is heard in England,
in tropical regions of East Africa and the fever-haunted hinterland
of Zanzibar. Split up into a number of small detachments, these
regiments have showed themselves worthy successors to the old
Bombay army, which more than a century ago broke the power of
the Mahrattas and set the stamp of civilization on the coast of
Malabar. The list of casualties shows that sickness was not the
only foe these distinguished regiments had to face.
CASUALTIES DURING THE OPERATIONS IN EAST AFRICA.
+-------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|104th Wellesley's Rifles | 1 | - | 27 | 4 |
|124th D.C.O. Baluchis | - | - | - | - |
|116th Mahrattas | - | 1 | 2 | 6 |
|127th P.W.O. Baluch L.I. | 2 | 3 | 19 | 20 |
+-------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
ASHANTI, 1900.
This distinction has been conferred on the West African Regiment,
in commemoration of its services in the campaign undertaken for
the relief of the Residency of Coomassie during the rebellion in
Ashantee in the year 1900. The practical annexation of the kingdom
of Ashantee after the campaign of 1890, for which no battle honour
was granted, though a bronze decoration was awarded to the troops,
had not been accepted with any degree of heartfelt loyalty by the
people, and, though peace had been maintained, it was known that
this was due to the personal ascendancy of successive Residents
rather than to the acquiescence of the people in the new state
of affairs. During the absence of the permanent Resident it was
determined to obtain possession of the Golden Stool, the emblem of
royalty. To effect this, a small expedition was despatched from
Kumassi, the capital and seat of the Residency. This expedition was
repulsed, and the repulse was followed by a general upheaval of
the tribes. The Residency was closely besieged, and there were no
troops on the coast to despatch to its relief.
Brigadier-General Willcocks, an officer who to youth added
experience, was selected to command an expeditionary force; but, in
consequence of the war in South Africa, it was found inexpedient
to employ British troops. The General set out on his mission with
a mixed force, made up of detachments from the various corps in
West Africa. The West India Regiment furnished its quota, as did
the West African Frontier Force, the Central African Frontier
Regiment, and the West African Regiment, of which the greater part
was engaged. The country was an exceedingly difficult one, but its
difficulties were known. Although the rising commenced in the month
of April, it was not until July that Sir William James Willcocks
was ready to move forward. His force numbered, all told, 152 whites
and 2,800 natives, the former including a number of invaluable
non-commissioned officers. It was fiercely opposed the whole way
from the coast to Kumassi, and the severity of the fighting may be
gauged from the fact that the total losses amounted to 9 Englishmen
and 113 natives killed, and 53 English and 680 natives wounded.