the neighbouring islands of Ithaca, Cerigo, Calamos, and Santa Maura;
the detachment in the last-named island suffered severely from a
malignant fever which raged during the months of June, July, and
August, and carried off thirty-six men out of seventy-five, of which
it originally consisted. On the 19th of September, the head-quarters
were removed to Cephalonia, on which occasion Major-General Woodford
took leave of it in the following very flattering terms:—
“GARRISON ORDERS.
“_Brigade-Major’s Office, Corfu,
“Sept. 18th, 1828._
“Major-General Woodford will not allow the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment
to embark without his expressing the satisfaction he feels at
the invariably good conduct the regiment has maintained in the
garrison. Its interior order and general soldier-like appearance
sufficiently evince the assiduous attention which has been bestowed
on the regulation and discipline of the corps. The Major-General
feels this tribute to be due to Lieutenant-Colonel O’Malley, and he
requests he will communicate his sentiments to the regiment.”
[Sidenote: 1830]
In April, 1830, the EIGHTY-EIGHTH again returned to Corfu, where it
remained until September, 1831, when it was removed to Vido, and
continued there until December, 1831, when it again proceeded to
Corfu. The reserve companies remained in Ireland from 1825, to April,
1830, when they embarked for England.
* * * * *
From the time of its original formation, the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment
had, as stated at the commencement of the Record, borne on its
colours and appointments a device, consisting of a Harp and Crown,
with the motto “_Quis separabit?_” No direct authority appears to
have authorised this appropriation of a badge and motto, but use
had sanctioned it, and the recollection of the fields of glory in
which it had waved before the enemy, endeared it to the sympathies
of the officers and men. In an official design for a new stand of
colours preparing for the regiment towards the end of 1830, this
device and motto were omitted. Colonel O’Malley immediately wrote
to the Adjutant-General representing the case, and the strong
wishes of the regiment for its retention, for the consideration
of the Commander-in-Chief. His application was successful, and
obtained distinct authority for the corps to continue the use of the
badge to which it was so strongly and so reasonably attached. The
Adjutant-General, in a letter dated from the Horse-Guards, 30th of
December, 1830, says—
“Sir,
“I have had the honour to submit to the General Commanding-in-Chief
your letter of the 22nd instant with its enclosures, and am
directed to acquaint you, that under the circumstances therein
stated, his Lordship has been pleased to obtain his Majesty’s
permission, that the EIGHTY-EIGHTH Regiment, or ‘CONNAUGHT
RANGERS,’ may retain on its colours and appointments the HARP and
CROWN, with the motto ‘_Quis separabit?_’ in addition to the badges
and devices which it has been authorized to bear in commemoration
of its distinguished services on various occasions.
“I have, &c.,
“JOHN MACDONALD, A.G.
“_Colonel O’Malley, Eighty-Eighth Regiment._”
The EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment having been omitted among the regiments
authorised to bear, as an honorary distinction, the word “_Pyrenees_”
on its Colours, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel
O’Malley, in the year 1830, made the most strenuous exertions to
obtain this additional honour for the regiment, in commemoration
of its services in the actions in the Pyrenees, as narrated at
pages 52, &c.; and testimonials of its gallant conduct on the
occasions in question, were furnished by Major-General Sir Thomas
Brisbane, who commanded the brigade of which the EIGHTY-EIGHTH
formed a part,—by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Frederick Stovin, who
acted as Assistant-Adjutant-General to the third division,—and by
Lieutenant-Colonel James Campbell, who was Major of Brigade.
This omission occurred in consequence of the officer who commanded
the regiment on the occasion alluded to, not having received a medal
for that service, perhaps owing to an accident, or clerical error
at the time; but, as Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton, who
commanded the third division, fell in the battle of Waterloo, the
requisite form of recommendation for honours of this description
could not be procured, and the General Commanding-in-Chief did not
feel himself justified in departing from the general rule which had
been established, as the ground on which these distinctions should
be submitted for the King’s approval. This honorary inscription is,
consequently, not borne on the colours of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment,
for its services in the Pyrenees.
[Sidenote: 1831]
On the 20th October, 1831, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Frederick
Campbell, K.C.B., was removed to the Twenty-Fifth regiment, and
Major-General Sir John Alexander Wallace, Bart. and K.C.B., who had
commanded the regiment in many of the arduous campaigns during the
Peninsular war, was appointed to the Colonelcy of the CONNAUGHT
RANGERS.
The EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment continued in Corfu from the year 1830 to
1836, furnishing occasionally working parties for the island of Vido,
and detachments to Santa Maura, and the other islands: the detachment
to Santa Maura in April, 1832, continued there ten months, and
consisted of two Captains, three Subalterns, one Assistant-Surgeon,
six Serjeants, two Drummers, and one hundred and fifty Rank and File.
To those persons interested in the well-being of the corps, and
who recollect the extent of sickness and mortality experienced by
a former detachment at this station, and of not more than half the
strength, in the year 1828, it will be gratifying to know, that
not more than two deaths took place, neither of which was caused
by climate, one of them was accidental drowning, and the other the
consequence of _delirium tremens_; indeed, such was the health of
this detachment, that the hospital was, for the greater part of the
time, unoccupied during its stay at Santa Maura.
From the period of the return of the regiment from the Island of
Cephalonia to Corfu, Major-General Sir Alexander Woodford, in
making his half-yearly inspections, expressed in every instance
his approbation of the corps, more especially in June, 1831, when
he addressed a letter, of which the following is a copy, to Major
O’Hara, then Commanding Officer, upon whom, and the regiment
altogether, the sentiments expressed by the Major-General reflect
much credit:—
“_Corfu, 6th June, 1831._
“Sir,
“Having now inspected the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment, twice within six
months, and having on both occasions found it in high order, I have
a satisfactory duty to perform, in desiring you will communicate
to the regiment my approbation of its soldier-like appearance, its
interior order, and its general steadiness under arms.
“I beg you will intimate to the Officers, that their attention
to their duties, and to the good order and management of their
companies, is very apparent; and that, from the direction
thus given to the men, in the care and keeping of their arms,
accoutrements, and appointments, and in everything relating to
their equipment and personal appearance, arise, in my opinion,
the good humour and contentment, and consequent regularity and
discipline, which characterise the regiment.
“To the Non-Commissioned Officers and Men, I desire you will state,
that I am perfectly satisfied with them, individually, as clean,
smart, and well-behaved soldiers, and collectively as a corps,
highly creditable to the King’s service.
“In conveying these observations to the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment
assembled on parade, you will, Sir, receive yourself the best
testimony I can give, to the care and attention with which you have
discharged your own superior duties.
“I have, &c.
(Signed) “A. WOODFORD,
“Major-General.
“_To Major O’Hara, Commanding
Eighty-Eighth Regiment._”
Nothing of importance connected with the history of the regiment,
occurred from the date of its return to Corfu, with the exception
of the melancholy circumstance of Captain the Honourable Charles
Gustavus Monckton having been assassinated by a villain, private
James Clarke, on the 9th August, 1831, under the impression, as it is
believed, that his being accidentally met out of barracks at a late
hour of the night, by Captain Monckton, when in the act of committing
felony, might tend to his conviction thereof.
The constitution of a regiment is such that the acts of individuals,
more or less, reflect honour or disgrace on the whole corps, and
much of the fame and high character to which the EIGHTY-EIGHTH
regiment has claim, would perhaps be tarnished, if grounds existed
for imagining that any other individual belonging to it was concerned
in this diabolical act; the feelings evinced by the soldiers of the
regiment, particularly those of the company to which the assassin
belonged, when forgetful of the forbearance due to religion and to
the laws, they were with difficulty restrained from taking vengeance,
as well as their subsequent conduct in requesting to be permitted
to subscribe one dollar (4_s._ 4_d._) per man, to erect a monument
to the memory of their much-lamented officer, and thereby make
known to posterity, their horror and indignation at the disgraceful
occurrence, are convincing proofs that no other soldier was
implicated in this disgraceful transaction.
The request of the regiment was acquiesced in; at the same time it
was deemed prudent to limit the subscription of the Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates, to one day’s pay each, with which a monument
has been erected in the military burial-ground of Corfu.
The following notification was made to the regiment on this
occasion:—
“_Corfu, 15th March, 1833._
“The Colonel commanding has much pleasure in announcing to the
regiment, that the Monument to the memory of the late Honourable
Captain Monckton has been completed, and now stands over the grave
of that much-lamented officer, in the military burial-ground of
this garrison. This mark of esteem and regard for the deceased
reflects much credit and honour upon the regiment, more especially,
as the expense attending it has been paid by the voluntary
subscriptions of the Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers who
generously offered one dollar per man towards it, which Colonel
O’Malley feels quite assured they would as cheerfully have paid,
if necessary, and if permitted to do so, as they have readily
contributed one day’s pay, to which it was deemed prudent to limit
their contribution.”
The monument bears the following inscription in English, and in
Greek, viz.:—
SACRED
To the Memory of
THE HONOURABLE CHARLES GUSTAVUS MONCKTON,
Late Captain in
His Majesty’s Eighty-Eighth Regiment (or Connaught Rangers),
Who died by the hand of an Assassin, on the 9th August, 1831,
Aged Twenty-Six years.
This Monument is erected by the Non-Commissioned Officers and Private
Soldiers of the Regiment, in testimony of their respect and regard
for this most lamented young Officer, and to record their
abhorrence of the atrocious act by which he was
deprived of life.
The feeling of grief and indignation, strongly and universally expressed
by the Regiment, was only moderated on witnessing the prompt
punishment of the murderer, Private James Clarke, who
was executed on the 11th August, 1831.
[Sidenote: 1833]
It may be here told, in further justice to the feelings of the men
of the company to which this assassin Clarke belonged, that such
was the horror of the wretch’s memory amongst them, that not one of
those soldiers could be prevailed with, unless positively ordered,
to receive, and do duty with the arms and accoutrements which had
been in his charge, and this having come to the knowledge of the
Commanding Officer, in March, 1833, when a draft of men was received
from the reserve companies, which made it necessary to bring in
use some spare arms and accoutrements, Colonel O’Malley (in proof
of his acquiescence in the feeling) caused the accoutrements and
appointments in question to be cut in pieces on the parade of the
regiment, and the objectionable firelock was delivered into the
Ordnance stores in exchange for another.
[Sidenote: 1834]
The ceremony of presenting new colours to the regiment, took place at
Corfu on the 27th of February, 1834, _the anniversary of the battle
of Orthes_, in which the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment bore a distinguished
part, and suffered a severe loss in officers and men.
The presentation of colours, which is under any circumstances
interesting, caused on the present occasion an unusual excitement, it
being known that they were to be given by Lady Woodford, the wife of
Major-General Sir Alexander Woodford, commanding the troops in the
Ionian Islands. A vast concourse of people, with all the beauty and
fashion of the place, assembled at an early hour on the esplanade
of the citadel, which is finely situated, commanding a view of the
rugged and snow-topped mountains of Albania, of the sea, and of the
fertile hills of the island covered with olives, and green with the
opening vegetation of an early spring. The fineness of the day was
in unison with the beauty of the scenery, and nature herself seemed
to smile on the expected ceremony. The Lord High Commissioner, Lord
Nugent, the President of the Senate, and the Senators with their
families, and the nobility and gentry of the island, honoured the
corps with their presence.
The regiment being assembled and drawn up in line, at about eleven
o’clock Lady Woodford arrived in her carriage, attended by the
Major-General and his Staff on horseback; and on her Ladyship’s
descending in front of the line, the regiment presented arms, the
band playing “God save the King.” The grenadier company then moved
from the right, and drew up facing the centre of the battalion:
having opened its ranks, it presented arms to the old colours, of
which it took charge, and escorted them to the citadel, the regiment
presenting arms to them. Shortly afterwards the grenadiers returned
with the new colours, which had been consecrated on the previous
Sunday, and had remained in the garrison chapel. These were delivered
by the Rev. Charles Küper to the Major and senior Captain, by whom
they were borne to the parade, where those officers placed themselves
on either side of Lady Woodford, continuing to hold the colours
unfurled. The grenadiers having resumed their place on the right of
the line, the regiment formed three sides of a square, leaving the
fourth open to the public. During this formation, in order that a
suitable impression might be made on their young minds, the school
children of the regiment (boys and girls), neatly and uniformly
dressed in green, moved into the square.
Ensigns Herbert and Honeywood, upon whom the honour of receiving the
colours devolved, were then ordered to advance towards Lady Woodford,
when her Ladyship delivered the colours to those officers, with the
following exhortation:—
“Gentlemen,
“Receive and guard with fidelity, in every danger, these Colours
which I have the honour of presenting to you! May the Almighty
protect and prosper you in this sacred duty, and may you live to be
distinguished in your country’s service!”
At this moment a light breeze expanded the Colours, emblazoned
with the names of the many battles in which the corps had borne
a distinguished part, and a simultaneous burst of admiration and
applause issued forth from the numerous spectators.
The Ensigns then moved to their places in the line of Officers; as
they advanced, the regiment presented arms, the band playing “God
save the King.”
The Major-General then stepped forward and addressed the regiment in
the following terms:—
“Colonel O’Malley, Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and
Privates of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment, I have witnessed
the presentation of your Colours with peculiar interest and
satisfaction.
“To a regiment whose bravery in the field has ever been
conspicuous, few words can be necessary on this occasion; but as
your Colours are a sacred pledge which binds you to your duty and
your country, I cannot pass over in silence a ceremony which calls
forth every warm and honourable feeling that ought to animate a
soldier’s breast.
“This day, the anniversary of the battle of Orthes, reminds us of a
period when the valour and discipline of the British arms rendered
it everywhere triumphant, under that great commander who led it
from victory to victory.
“In those active and arduous campaigns, the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment,
from first to last, bore a most distinguished part, under the
command of that gallant officer who is now your Colonel[8].
“The records of its meritorious services in those hard fought
battles, emblazoned on these colours which are now confided to your
trust, will be to you a proud memorial of the past, and a stimulus
for days to come.
“There are other corps, too, in this command, who equally shared
in those glorious successes, and in reverting to their own gallant
conduct, they will attest, and they can well appreciate the ardour
and gallantry of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH.
“Nor can I pass over a fact not less honourable to the corps than
even brilliant achievements in the field, I allude to the campaign
in Canada, where the inducement to desertion was great, but where
your men, without one single exception, spurned every attempt to
seduce them from their colours and their duty; a memorable instance
of their love of country, and of their fidelity to the service,
which rendered them worthy of their native land, and an honour to
the British army.
“Colonel, Officers, and Soldiers,
“The good spirit and discipline which pervade your ranks are the
best presages of your future conduct, wherever you may be called.
“In your hands, Sir, warmly supported as you are by the officers
around you, with your vigilance, your perseverance, and your
zeal for the welfare of the regiment, I feel persuaded that its
reputation and high name will ever be nobly maintained.
“With respect to you, Soldiers, there never was a period when
the country had stronger claims on your attachment; when the
regulations of the service so carefully provide for your
maintenance, your comfort, and your protection, while serving; your
support and honourable retirement, when age and infirmity render
you incapable of active duty; and I may say, with confidence, there
never was a time when the British soldiers were more sensible of
the advantages they enjoy—more firm in their allegiance—more
faithfully devoted to their King and country.
“And whenever your services shall again be required to encounter
the enemies of our country in the field, need I say to the
CONNAUGHT RANGERS, by these Colours you must stand or fall—with
these Colours you must conquer or perish?”
The Commanding Officer, Colonel O’Malley, replied to the
Major-General as follows:—
“It becomes my duty for the Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers,
and Soldiers of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH, to return thanks to you, Lady
Woodford, and to you, Sir Alexander, for the honour done to us this
day; in performing which duty, I feel, with much regret, how very
incapable I am to do justice to the occasion, or to the grateful
feelings towards you, which animate me and every individual of the
regiment.
“RANGERS! the Colours you have just received have been in my
possession above two years, in which I have watched over them
with a constant and anxious desire to witness their delivery to
you. Unavoidable circumstances have hitherto prevented this, more
especially, which we all have viewed with deep sympathy and regret,
the long and severe indisposition of Lady Woodford. We have now,
however, thanks to the Almighty, the great satisfaction to see her
Ladyship on this parade in renewed health and strength; under any
circumstances you would receive with pleasure and honour throughout
your lives, those Colours, borne as they are on the old and wounded
poles which accompanied the regiment through many successful and
triumphant battles, and with the only remaining fragments of the
old Colours attached to them; but tenfold will be your satisfaction
in having received them through the hands of Lady Woodford, a
circumstance in itself which could not fail to insure them your
respect and devotion; of this I was fully aware, when in your name
I solicited her Ladyship to present those Colours.
“In reference to them, identified as they are with the history and
gallant achievements of the regiment, I might, and would say much,
and that without a fear of the charge being made against me, of
sounding my own praises, (for, unhappily, I had no share in the
deeds of glory to which I allude); but my feelings, excited by the
very impressive address that the Major-General has had the goodness
to make to us, and by the interesting presentation of the Colours
by Lady Woodford, altogether unfit me for the task.
“To gain the good opinion and the confidence of those General
Officers under whose orders we may serve, should at all times be
our study; to succeed must in any case be gratifying; but in the
instance of so very distinguished an officer as Sir Alexander
Woodford, who so thoroughly knows what a British soldier is and
ought to be; and after a period of seven years, in which we have
served under his orders, in the course of which he has acquired
an intimate knowledge of us as a regiment, it is flattering and
grateful in the extreme to me, as it is to you, Officers and
Soldiers, to have heard the Major-General speak as he has done of
the good spirit and discipline which pervade our ranks.
“We owe it to ourselves never to be unmindful of this address,
and I pray you to recollect what I have frequently impressed
on you, that not only by bravery in war can the honour of your
Colours be upheld, but also by a steady perseverance in good and
regular conduct, and let us ever bear in mind, that valour without
discipline is of no avail.”
The square was then reduced, and the regiment being in line, fired a
_feu de joie_, the drums beating a point of war between each fire,
and at the close the band played “God save the King;” after which
the regiment gave three hearty cheers in honour of the occasion.
The regiment then broke into column and marched past, the Officers
saluting, and the line being re-formed, opened its ranks, advanced,
and again presented arms.
At two o’clock, the whole of the Non-Commissioned Officers and
Soldiers, with their families, were provided with an excellent dinner
on the parade in the citadel.
The Service Companies embarked from Corfu on board the Barosa troop
ship, under command of Major Eden, on 29th July, 1836, and landed
at Portsmouth the 23rd of September, where they joined the Depôt
Companies after a separation of nearly eleven years, those companies
having arrived only _two_ days previously from Ireland.
The Depôt Companies after being moved from Ireland to Languard Fort
and Harwich in 1830, continued to occupy those quarters until July,
1832, when they moved to Chatham, leaving a detachment of one company
at Harwich, under command of Captain Orr; on the 1st January, 1833,
Major O’Hara joined and assumed the command of the depôt, Major Eden
having proceeded to join the Service Companies, and in this year
the depôt moved to Sheerness, where Captain Orr’s detachment joined
in June from Harwich, on quitting which place Captain Orr received
a letter expressive of the admiration of the Mayor, Justices, and
Inhabitants, of the good conduct of the detachment, of which letter
and of Captain Orr’s reply, the following are copies, viz.:—
_“Harwich, 12th June, 1833._
“Sir,—By the desire of the Mayor and Justices of this Borough, and
on behalf of the inhabitants at large, I have to communicate to you
the expression of their admiration of the conduct of the detachment
of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH Regiment under your command, during their long
services on this station, as having been of the most exemplary and
praiseworthy description. I beg to assure you how much gratified I
am by the honour of this instrumentality.
“Believe me, Sir, very respectfully, yours,
(Signed) “B. CHAPMAN, T. C.”
“A correct copy of the testimonial of good conduct of a detachment
of EIGHTY-EIGHTH Regiment, under the command of Captain Orr.
(Signed) “GEORGE GRAHAM, Mayor.
“_To Captain Orr, Commanding 88th Foot._”