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3oth
(Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot
Background
to the British Army in the 19th Century
In
1809 the British army was divided into Regiments, as today,
but most Regiments were described by numbers not by names;
thus, for instance, the Bedfordshire Regiment was properly
called the 14th, the Connaught Rangers the 88th and so on.
The soldiers themselves preferred the names but had to wait
until 1881 for their official adoption.
A
Regiment was an administrative unit; the basic fighting unit
was the Battalion. Most Regiments consisted of at least two
Battalions but a few were small single Battalion Regiments.
On paper a Battalion was supposed to have about a thousand
men but disease and casualties, plus the shortage of recruits,
meant that Battalions often went into battle with only five
or six hundeed troops.
All
Battalions were divided into ten companies. Two of these,
the Light Company and the Grenadier Company, were the elite
of the Battalion and the Light Companies, in particular, were
so useful that whole Regiments of Light troops were raised
or expanded.
A
Battalion was usually commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel, with
two Majors, ten Captains, and below them the Lieutenants and
Ensigns. None of these officers would have received any formal
training; that was reserved for officers of the Engineers
and the Artillery. About one officer in twenty was promoted
from the ranks. Normal promotion was by seniority rather than
merit but a rich man, as long as he had served a minimum period
in his rank, could buy his next promotion and thus jump the
queue. This system of purchase could lead to very unfair promotions
but it is worth remembering that without it Britain's most
successful soldier, Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of
Wellington, would never have risen to high rank early enough
in his career to form the most brilliant army Britain has
ever possessed.
Table
of Actions & Some History
30th
Foot (Cambridgeshire) 1701-1881
|
Actions |
|
|
| 1689 |
known
as Viscount Castleton's Regiment of Foot |
| 1694 |
known
as Thomas Saunderson's Regiment of Foot |
| 1699 |
disbanded
after the Treaty of Ryswick |
| 1702-13 |
Peninsula
- known as Thomas Saunderson's Regiment of Marines also
known until 1751 by the names of other colonels
|
| 1704
& 1727 |
Gibraltar
- Gibraltar remained a Spanish possession until the beginning
of the eighteenth century. During the War of the Spanish
Succession (1702-1713), the Rock of Gibraltar became a
pawn in the struggle between the two rival claimants to
the Spanish throne, the Frenchman Philip of Anjou ("Philip
V") and the Austrian Archduke Charles ("Charles III").
|
| Battle
Honours |
| Gibraltar
- first battle honours |
1704/5 |
|
| Held
by forces loyal to the former, Gibraltar fell to a combined
Anglo-Dutch force supporting the latter in 1704. Gibraltar,
then, had been captured on behalf of one of the claimants
to the Spanish throne. However, as the war neared its
end, English policy was beginning to attach greater importance
to Gibraltar, and by the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), which
ended the conflict, the Fortress was yielded to the Crown
of Great Britain "for ever." Spain laid siege to the rock
in 1727 and again in 1779. In the latter case, "The Great
Siege" lasted for close on four years and great destruction
was caused to the town and its fortifications. It was
the last attempt to take the Rock by force of arms. |
| 1705 |
Barcelona
- The war of Spanish Succession marked the end of Catalan
privileges. Relations with the bourbon king Philip V were
bad from the start due to his totalitarian political ideas.
The royal viceroy in Barcelona repeatedly infringed the
Catalan constitutions. Although Barcelona’s merchants
were generally peaceful they could stand no more interference
from Spain and stated that as a sovereign nation they
had a right to secede from a monarchy that no longer respected
their rights. On the 20th of June of 1705 Catalonia signed
a treaty with England and Genoa. The war with Spain lasted
9 years and ended with the surrender of Barcelona on September
11, 1714, today celebrated as Catalonia’s National day.
Philip V abolished the traditional Catalan constitutions
and Barcelona became a mere provincial city, humiliated
by the permanent presence of an occupying army in what
is today the Ciutadella Park. |
| 1709
|
Acadia
- French colony, centered on NOVA SCOTIA, but including
also PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND and much of the mainland coast
from Quebec to Maine. In 1605 the French founded Port
Royal, the first and chief town. During the FRENCH AND
INDIAN WARS, the Peace of Utrecht (1713) gave Britain
possession of the Nova Scotian peninsula, and, by the
Treaty of PARIS (1763), all of Acadia fell to Britain.
Doubting the loyalty of the French inhabitants (called
Acadians), the British expelled many of them in 1755 and
1758. Most were scattered among the British colonies to
the south, many of them later returning to the area. Other
exiles found havens elsewhere, notably the Cajuns of S
Louisiana, who still preserve a separate folk culture.
|
| 1742 |
Officer
of 30th Foot 1742
 |
|
| 1746
|
Louisburg
- Nova Scotia, E Canada, on CAPE BRETON ISLAND. Its ice-free
port, guarded by the great fortress of Louisbourg (built
1720-40), served as headquarters for the French fleet
in ACADIA. The stronghold played a major role in the struggle
for control of North America between France and England
until it was captured and destroyed by the British in
1758. The first attack came in 1745 following a declaration
of war between Britain and France. Charged with the fervour
of a religious crusade, and informed that the fortress
was in disrepair with its poorly supplied troops on the
verge of mutiny, the New Englanders mounted an assault
on Louisbourg. Within 46 days of the invasion the fortress
was captured. To the chagrin of the New Englanders, only
three years later the town was restored to the French
by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. In 1758 Louisbourg was
besieged a second time. Without a strong navy to patrol
the sea beyond its walls, Louisbourg was impossible to
defend. Attacking with 16,000 troops supported by 150
ships, a British army captured the fortress in seven weeks.
Determined that Louisbourg would never again become a
fortified French base, the British demolished the fortress
walls. |
| 1751 |
known
as 30th Regiment of Foot also known as The Three Tens
or Three X's because of regimental number. |
| 1759 |
Cherbourg
- 8th August 1758, Cherbourg was captured by the British,
and its port facilities were destroyed. Battles fought
on 8th August and 11th September 1758. |
| 1775-1782 |
North
America - In 1775, Parliament passed the New England
Restraining Act. This prohibited the New England Colonies
from trading with any country other than Britain. It was
also decided to use force to impose compliance with recent
Acts. On April 18th, the Boston Committee of Safety discovered
a British plan to send troops to Concord to seize ammunition.
Paul Revere and William Dawes were sent to relay the warning
and alert the Minute Men. On the 19th, the British troops
came upon the Minute Men at Lexinton. During the encounter,
a shot – “the shot heard ‘round the world” – was fired
and the American Revolution had begun. |
| |
During
the early part of the American War of Independence the
Thirtieth was in Ireland; but it sailed from Cork with
other reinforcements in 1781, and made one campaign in
Carolina. When the Carolina Loyalists quitted their old
homes, in December, 1782, the 30th accompanied part of
the convoy to Jamaica. |
| 1782 |
known
as 30th (the Cambridgeshire )
Regiment of Foot |
| 1793 |
Toulon
- On 28 August 1793 a mixed force of British, Spanish
and émigré French troops under the command of Admiral
Lord Hood occupied the port of Toulon, where the population
was in revolt against the revolutionary government in
Paris. The port was surrounded by a string of forts, designed
to protect both the town and the anchorage, but Hood had
insufficient troops available to hold them all. Initially,
his British contingent no more than 1,200 men from the
11th, 25th, 30th and 69th Regiments of Foot, all of whom
had been embarked on the fleet as marines when the war
began, and although they were supported by nearly 3,000
Spaniards, the latter soon proved to be unreliable. Despite
the arrival of Sardinian, Neapolitan and some additional
British troops (the later drawn from the 2nd and 18th
Regiments of Foot), the land commander, Lord Mulgrave
could do little to strengthen the defences against a French
force that quickly grew to over 20,000 men, including
the young Napoleon Bonaparte as captain of artillery.
An ill-directed attack on a French redoubt at Aresnes,
to the West of the port, on 29 November led to heavy British
losses, after which the defences began to crack. On 17
December Bonaparte led an assault on Point l'Eguilette,
overlooking the inner harbour, upon which the Spanish
and Neapolitan contingents withdrew from Toulon without
consulting their allies. On the 19th, Hood evacuated the
remains of his force, leaving most of the heavy equipment
behind. It was in common with many of the expeditions
at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, a badly managed
affair. |
| 1794 |
Corsica
- The Corsican native remains proud and independant, but
luckily well disposed to the British visitor. Corsicans
have a deep seated racial distrust of most continental
visitors, probably for well founded historical reasons.
|
| Battle
Honours |
| Martinque
|
1794 |
|
| The
British however are fondly remembered for Theodore de
Neuhoff, an English adventurer who persuaded the Corsicans
to declare him King in 1736. He wisely vanished 7 months
later before the Corsicans lost interest. The British
tried again in 1794, and it was a Corsican who shot Nelson's
eye out in the blockade of Calvi. After a 2 year occupation
the British themselves lost interest and left Corsica
to the French and to the native population. |
| 1800 |
Malta
- June 1798 - Napoleon Bonaparte, on his way to Egypt,
captured Malta and expelled the Order of the Knights of
St. John. Napoleon had noticed how the relationship between
the Order and Russia had been getting too close. The Austrian
Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch had signed a treaty
with Russia in August 1797. Czar Paul 1 had been declared
"the Protector of the Order of Malta". Napoleon was very
much aware of the strategic importance of the Maltese
Islands. His plan to capture Malta soon materialised.
But French rule in the island was short lived. The Maltese
rose in rebellion in September 1798. The French took shelter
within the walls of Valletta where they had to stay for
two whole years. The Maltese asked for help from the king
of the Two Sicilies as well as from the British Admiral
Lord Nelson. The Portuguese fleet in the Mediterranean
soon arrived to blockade the Grand Harbour. The Maltese
suffered a lot during the blockade. There were times when
they were starving, until at last, the French had to leave.
Malta became a British Protectorate and, in 1814, was
declared part ofthe British Empire. |
First
British Soldier to be executed
The
first British soldier to be executed in Malta was Private
James O'Conner. Private O'Conner arrived in Malta on
December 9, 1799, from Messina on board HMS Culloden,
with the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot. Its
force consisted of 478 officers and men, 20 women, and
15 children.
On
landing the following day the regiment was billeted
first at Birkakara, then was moved to Zejtun to cover
the battery at San Roque with advance posts on the outskirts
of Zabbar.
It
was to have been from this area where, just over a year
later, Private O'Conner committed his fatal offence
when he attempted to desert to the French.
Articles
of war showed quite clearly that any soldier attempting
to desert was to suffer the extreme penalty, and that
was death.
Bought
before a general court martial, the first known British
general court martial held in Malta, the verdict was
given and the sentence of death pronounced.
The
verdict of the court martial was sent by Brigadier General
Thomas Graham for confirmation to General Harry Fox,
the C-in-C of British troops at Minorca, who confirmed
the sentence.
In
a letter dated June 1, 1800, Brig-General Graham reported
to the C-in-C that the execution of Private O'Conner's
was carried out on May 29, 1800. The location of Private
O'Conners execution is unknown and his grave was never
identified after the capture of Valetta from the French
on September 5, 1800. |
| 1801 |
Egypt
- 1801-1802 - One of the rare success stories of the war
against Revolutionary France occurred in Egypt in 1801,
when an expeditionary force of 16,000 British soldiers
wrested the country from a French army that had originally
occupied it under Napoleon Bonaparte three years earlier.
Napoleon had abandoned his troops in 1799 to further his
political career in Paris, leaving them isolated but apparently
secure. They posed a threat to British domination in the
eastern Mediterranean and there was a fear in London that
they might be used to forge a link with pro-French native
forces in India. The decision to mount the British operation
was taken in late 1800, by which time Pitt, rather belatedly,
had agreed to a substantial increase in the size of the
army, providing funds that would boost it to the unprecedented
of 300,00 men (220,000regulars and home-based 'Fencibles'.,
plus 80,000 militia). It was a sign that the war, at last,
was being taken seriously. But the shortage of talented
generals was still apparent. Despite his less than glorious
record in the Helder campaign. Abercromby was chosen to
command the Egyptian, chiefly because there was no-one
of comparable stature available. Among his subordinates
was Moore, recovered from his latest wounds, and it was
he who led the British spearhead ashore at Aboukir Bay
on March 1801. His brigade, comprising the 23rd, 28th,
42nd and 58th Foot as well as four companies of the 40th,
landed within range of French guns in Aboukir Castle but
wasted no time it confronting the enemy. A rapid advance
up a steep hill caught defending troops by surprise, forcing
their withdrawal and this enable the rest of Abercromby's
men to land safley. Four days later, the British began
their advance on Alexandria, 12 miles away. They encountered
the main enemy force on 21 March, close to Alexandria.
The French commander, General Menou, opened the battle
with feint on his left and a major attack on Moore's brigade
on the right. The 42nd Highlanders (Black watch) fought
exceptionally well, maintaining coherence even after being
attacked by cavalry, but it was the 28th Foot (1st Battalion,
Gloucestershire Regiment) who achieved lasting fame. Engaged
by infantry to their front, they suddenly came under pressure
from cavalry behind them, upon which the rear rank turned
round and faced the new threat. Their coolness under fire
earned them the right to wear regimental badges on both
front and back of their headdress, an honour maintained
by the Gloucestershire Regiment throughout its subsequent
history. It was the sort of incident that helped to build
the fighting spirit of the army. Despite casualties of
nearly 1,500 men, the British secured victory at Alexandria,
pushing the French back into the city, where they were
besieged. Abercromby, wounded in the battle, died a week
later with his record significantly enhanced, but it was
Moore who showed the importance of inspired leadership,
for without his efforts at both Aboukir and Alexandria
the French defeat would have been much difficult to effect.
As it was, Alexandria fell in April, allowing the British
to reconquer the whole of Egypt by September. By then,
Pitt had been replaced as Prime Minister by Henry Addington,
who actively pursued the possibility of peace with France.
The result was the Treaty of Amiens, signed on 27 March
1802. Britain kept Trinidad (taken from Spain) and Ceylon
(taken from Holland in 1796), but agreed to hand back
all other captured territories, including the French islands
in the West Indies. In a move that was now familiar, Addington
celebrated by ordering a reduction to the size of the
army, taking it down to a strength of only 113,000 men.
It was to be supported at home by 48,000 members of the
militia, but they were a poor substitute for the laboriously
created regular units, many of which faced disbandment.
In the event, war with France was renewed in May 1803,
before the reduction could be fully implemented, but the
speed with which the government had moved to effect financial
savings came perilously close to destroying all the benefits
so painfully accrued since 1793. |
| 1806 |
Cape
of Good Hope - In 1806 the British took over the
Cape Colony to protect their route to India. |
|
| They
held the colony until after the Boer War of 1899 to 1902;
and their presence, while frequently helpful in fighting
the tribes, was a constant irritant to the Dutch. This
dissension led, in the 1830s, to a large movement of Dutch
northward across the Vaal River, in a migration that is
called "the Great Trek." The British also seized this
colony in 1877, but after a brief war, the Dutch regained
their control of the area. |
| 1807-1809 |
Madras,
India
|
| |
A
Brief
History of the 30th Regiment of Foot in India is available.
Several members of the 30th Foot retired and were pensioned
in India. A list of these men
who were pensioned is available. Also available for
Madras are Selected Extracts from Madras
Ecclesiastical Returns of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials
1698-1914. |
1808-1814
|
Peninsular
War - A conflict between France and Great Britain
on the Iberian Peninsula, growing out of the efforts
of NAPOLEON I to control Spain and Portugal. |
|
| When
a palace revolt in Madrid (Mar. 1808) deposed the pro-French
CHARLES IV, Napoleon invaded Spain and made his brother
Joseph Bonaparte (see BONAPARTE, family) king of Spain
(June). Both Spain and Portugal then revolted, and the
British sent a force, under the future duke of WELLINGTON,
to aid the rebels. Portugal was quickly won, but the
fighting in Spain went on for years. By the time Napoleon
abdicated, however, the British had won all of the peninsula
and had penetrated France as far as Toulouse. - Chronology
of the Peninsular War.
|
Officer
1st Battalion
30th (Cambridgeshire) Foot Regiment - Salamanca
1812 |
Corunna
- The retreat to Corunna lasted for about 17 days, in
which time the Army covered 250 miles under the most
difficult conditions. During the retreat the 32nd acted
as escort to the stores and ammunition and suffered
great hardships on the way. It was the middle of winter
and the bare and desolate country was either buried
in snow or deluged in heavy rain. There was no fuel
to be had and the food supply was very uncertain. There
was also the continual anxiety and depression that is
felt always during a retreat. Quantities of baggage
and stores had to be destroyed in order to lighten the
loads and to prevent the French from getting possession
of them. The Army reached Corunna, only to find that
the transports had not yet arrived. The French were
on their heels and there was nothing for it but turn
and fight. The battle of Corunna resulted, in which
the French were once more repulsed. This enabled the
British Force to embark in comparative safety, for the
transports had, in the meantime, arrived. The English
leader, Sir John Moore, was killed during the battle.
According to the official dispatch, the 32nd Regiment
fought "with great resolution and, losing 250 of all
ranks, covered themselves with glory." - Report
on the Losses at Corunna
The
army under Sir Arthur Wellesley, and fought in the campaigns
of 1809-10, including the battles of Talavera and Busaco,
and the defence of Torres Vedras.
Salamanca
- Here Wellington's Army was delayed owing to the strength
of the forts, which surrounded Salamanca. One fort in
particular, San Vincente, held up the whole Division
for ten days. Eventually Ensign Newton of the 32nd led
a storming party on what appeared to be a forlorn hope.
It succeeded. The French surrendered and the English
blew up the forts after securing all the guns and a
considerable supply of clothing. A month later, Wellington's
Army met the French Army under Marshal Marmont, which
had attempted and failed to relieve Salamanca. After
very severe fighting which lasted all day, the French
were eventually driven from their positions in great
disorder and it was, only the darkness which prevented
them from being completely annihilated. Even so, our
cavalry took up the pursuit next day and kept the French
on the run. The 2nd Company of the 30th took part in
the battle, they were in Pringle's Brigad, part of the
5th Division commanded by J. Leith. The casualties were
severe on both sides. There is a book on Salamanca entitled
"Salamanca
1812 Wellington Crushes Marmont".
Badajoz
- The storming of Badajoz was an epic action which involved
Wellington’s infantry in some of the most savage hand-to
hand fighting of the whole Peninsular War. At appalling
cost in a nightmare assault during the night of the
6 April 1812, Wellington’s soldiers hacked their way
over the bodies of their dead and wounded and through
the huge medieval walls of the town. These were held
with great tenacity, skill and courage by a resolute
French and German garrison. Having stormed the town
the battle-crazed army went berserk and the horrors
of the sacking which followed, as much as the sublime
courage of the attackers, have passed into legend. There
is a book on the siege entitled " Badajoz
1812 Wellington's Bloodiest
Siege "
Vittoria
- Despite Wellington's success against Marmont's army
at Salamanca in July, the year of 1812 ended in bitter
disappointment for the British. However, a year later
Wellington's series of brilliant manoeuvres threw the
French onto the defensive on all fronts, culminating
in the final victory at Vittoria, 90,000 men and 90
guns attacking in 4 mutually supporting columns. The
French centre gave way and both flanks were turned,
their army finally breaking in flight towards Pamplona.
Any French hopes of maintaining their position in the
Peninsular were crushed forever. On 7 October the British
set foot on the 'sacred soil' of' Napoleon's France.
There is a book on the victory entitled "Vittoria
1813 Wellington Sweeps the French from Spain".
San
Sebastian - The Storming party, 750 volunteers,
included 200 men of the Guards, one hundred each from
the First and Coldstream Guards. They moved off at two
in the morning on the 31st August 1813, and occupied
a ruined convent where they remained till half past
nine. Aware of the almost impossible task ahead of them,
and subjected to a violent electric thunderstorm, the
troops waited in a state of savage anticipation. ' Wild
senseless laughter' was said to have preceded the attack
on the breach which could not be entered except in single
file under heavy fire. The troops attacked in succession,
but were struck down by hundreds. General Graham then
ordered the artillery to fire over the heads of the
assailants, clearing the ramparts. A shell ignited a
quantity of powder, and under cover of the explosions,
the storming party forced its way into the town. San
Sebastian was savagely sacked and burned, and the good
name of Wellington's Army suffered as it had done at
Badajoz. The civilians were raped, robbed and murdered
in revenge for the heavy losses suffered by the troops.
The Franco-Spanish governor retired the citadel (San
Marcial) and on the 9th September, after a gallant resistance
of over a week, surrendered the charge he had so faithfully
defended. The casualties among the officers of the first
Guards were one Officer, Ensign Burrard, First battalion
(a son of Sir Henry Burrard who was responsible for
the disastrous Treaty of Cintra) severely wounded, since
dead, and one Officer, Ensign Orlando Bridgeman, wounded.
In the Coldstream Guards, one officer ensign Thomas
Chaplin, According to Lord Saltoun there were in round
numbers, 150 casualties amongst 200 Guardsman. Total
losses of volunteers from all regiments were 1500 men.
|
| 1809
|
Poonamallee,
India
|
| 1810-1811
|
Trichinopoly,
India
|
| 1812
|
Cannanore,
India
|
| 1815 |
Waterloo
- Officers
Killed 18th June 1815
Captain Thomas Walker CHAMBERS - Killed
Captain Alexander M'NABB - Killed
Lieutenant Henry BEERE - Killed
Lieutenant Edmund PRENDERGAST - Killed
Ensign John JAMES - Killed
Ensign James BULLEN - Killed |
| 1815
|
Vellore,
India
|
| 1816-1817
|
Fort
St George, Madras -
A
Cemetery Index for St Mary's Fort St George, Madras, India
|
| 1818
|
Masulipatam,
India
|
| 1818
|
Secunderabad,
India
|
| 1819
|
Asseerghur,
India
|
| 1819
|
Boorampoor,
India
|
| 1819
|
Khandish,
India
|
| 1819-1820
|
Jaulna,
India
|
| 1819-1826
|
Secunderabad,
India
|
| 1825
|
Bhutpore,
India
|
| 1825
|
Fort
St George, Madras, India -
A
Cemetery Index for St Mary's Fort St George, Madras, India
|
| 1827
|
Fort
St George, Madras, India - A
Cemetery Index for St Mary's Fort St George, Madras, India
|
| 1827-1828
|
Trichinopoly,
India
|
| 1828
|
Wallajabad,
India
|
| 1828-1829
|
St
Thomas' Mount, India
|
| |
As
a single battalion corps, the 30th served in the Mediterranean,
Bermuda, and
Canada from
1834 to 1845.
|
| 1834
|
Guindy,
India
|
| 1835-1840
|
Bermuda
|
| |
30th
Foot Officer's shoulder belt plate worn by an Officer
of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot circa
1840-1855. Burnished gilt rectangular plate mounted
with a cut silver star, mounted on the star a gilt laurel
wreath surmounted by the Victorian Crown. Within the
wreath are four scrolls bearing the battle honours of
"Salamanca" Peninsular" "Badajos" and "Waterloo", within
the scrolls a garter strap inscribed "Spectamur Agendo"
encircling "XXX" on a raised silver ball, to the base
of the star a Sphinx resting on a tablet inscribed "Egypt".
|
| 1842
|
Canada
|
| |
Crimean
War - a
page on the military
operations is available.
Officers
who died during the Crimean War - Captain A. Connolly
- killed at Inkermann - 5th November 1854 - Ensign Richard
Grenville Deane - killed in the attack on the Redan
- 8th September 1855. Buried on Cathcart's Hill - "Richd
Grenville Deane Ensign 30th Regt fell Septr 8 1855 Aged
18 years."Lieutenant A. Gibson - killed at Inkermann
- 5th November 1854 - Lieutenant William Kerr - died
of wounds - 23rd September 1855 - Lieutenant F. Luxmore
- killed in action - battle of Alma - 20th September
1854 - Lieutenant-Colonel James Brodie Patullo, CB -
killed in the attack on the Redan - 8th September 1855.
Buried on Cathcart's Hill - "Sacred to the memory
of Lieutenant Colonel James Brodie Patullo, CB 30th
Regiment. Who died of wounds received on the 8th September
1855 at the assault on the Great Redan."Lieutenant
J. Ross-Lewin - died of wounds - 7th November 1854 -
Captain J. C. N. Stevenson - killed in the attack on
the Redan - 8th September 1855 - Ensign J. Thompson
- died of wounds - 10th November 1855 - Ensign T. Fitzpatrick
- 30th Foot - died of disease - 26 June 1855. Ensign
W.Y. Johnston - 30th Foot - died of disease - 25 Sept.
1854 "Ensn W.Y. Johnston Died of cholera at the
Belbec on the 25th Sept."
Graves
recorded by Captain John Colborne (60th Rifles) and
Captain Frederic Brine (Royal Engineers) in 1858 noted
for the Crimea
"Sacred
to the memory of Corpl. JAMES BRADY XXX Regt Aged 29
years."
"Sacred
to the memory of Prvt THOS. EAGAN XXXth Regt. Departed
this life February 17th 1856 Aged 27 years Deeply lamented
by his comrades."
"Sacred
to the memory of Pt. W. GRIFFITHS XXX Regt Age 30 years.
Died May 1855." "Sacred to the memory of Pte.
MK. JOHNSON of H.M. 30th Regt. who departed this life
on the 26th Feby. in the year of Our Lord 1855 Aged
24 years."
"Sacred
to the memory of Sergt. Major JOHN McCLELLAN the Non
Commissioned Officers and Men of the XXX Regt. who fell
in action or died of wounds and disease in the Crimea
from Septr 14th 1854 to Feby 29th 1856."
"Sacred
to the memory of F.J. STANLEY, late, Hospital Sergt.
30th Regt who departed this life April 22nd 1855, Aged
25 years."
"Sacred
to the memory of Pte. ALEX STILL H.M. XXX Regt. who
departed this life August 10th 1855 Occasioned by a
wound received in the Trenches aged 30 years. This memorial
was erected by his loving brother."
In
addition there is a Roll
of Honour to the men who died. |
| 1854 |
Alma
- the
order of battle at Alma and the general order of battle
during the Crimean War are listed
here. |
| 1854 |
Inkerman
- London
Gazette 2 June 1858 - Lieutenant
Mark Walker, 30th Regiment, an Irishman, aged 26,
5 November 1854 at Inkerman, Crimea, jumped over a wall
in the face of two battalions of Russian Infantry which
were marching towards it. This act was to encourage the
men, by example, to advance against such odds - which
they did and succeeded in driving back both battalions.
Awarded the Victoria Cross. Later Sir Mark and achieved
rank of General. Born Finca, Co Westmeath, Ireland, 24
November 1827. Died 18 July 1902, Arlington, Devon. VC
displayed in The Buffs Museum, Canterbury. |
| 1855 |
Redan
- Military
operations continued to be restricted to trench warfare
until 7th June 1855 when the outer defences of Sebastopol
were assaulted, with the British capturing the Quarries
and the French the Mamelon. A coup de grace was planned
for the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, 18th June,
as a way of cementing the new friendship between the British
and their French allies. The assaults on the Malakoff
and the Redan failed, partly due to incompetence on the
part of the general officers commanding, and Lord Raglan
sank into a decline, dying on the 28th June 1855. On the
16th August 1855, the Russian army under Prince Gortchakoff
attempted to break through the Allied lines at the Traktir
Bridge over the River Tchernaya, but was driven off by
a combined French/Sardinian force a third its size. The
Sardinians had joined the Allies in January 1855. Medals
bearing the unofficial clasp "Traktir" or "Tchernaia"
are occasionally found; these clasps are believed to have
been added to their medals by those French military and
naval personnel who were awarded the British medal. On
the 8th September 1855 the Allies again stormed Sebastopol,
with the French successful this time at the Malakoff.
The British attack on the Redan failed once more. The
Malakoff, however, was the key to the town's defences,
and at its loss the Russians evacuated Sebastopol, having
made a spirited defence which had kept the best troops
in the world at bay for over eleven months. Originally
it was intended that the Sebastopol clasp should be awarded
to those on active duty on the 8th/9th September, but
reason prevailed, and it was awarded to all those who
had been present before the town at any point prior to
its fall. It naturally follows that a medal bearing a
Balaklava or an Inkermann clasp will also bear that for
Sebastopol.
|
| 1855 |
Sebastopol
- Seige
of Sebastopol in Russia, October 9, 1854 to September
18,1855. "Sebastopol" was named because of the blasting
in the rock at the Frenchmans Lead, it went under the
plateau. |
| 1855 |
In
May 1855 the London Illustrated News reported the presentation
of the Crimean Medal. Those from the 30th
Foot are listed here. |
| 1860-70 |
Canada
and Nova Scotia - From 1860 to 1870 the battalion
served in Canada and Nova Scotia. |
| 1866 |
Canada
- In New York city in 1859 The Fenian Brotherhood decided
to further the Irish cause for independence. In 1865 a
plan was made for the Fenians to invade Canada. The planned
date was 17th March 1866 (St Patrick's Day). As events
haveit this was not the actual day for the invasion as
they were not ready. The planned elaborate attacks were
not the same when put into effect due to the lack of Fenian
support. The initial Fenian raid took place on the night
of May 31st 1866 and the final engagement was 22nd June
1866. In 1870 the fenians tried again with two further
raids, the first on 25th May and the second 27th May.
The 30thFoot were involved in the Fenian raids of 1866.
A list of officers and men from the 30th
Foot who were awarded the Canadian General Service
Medal is available. |
| 1881 |
Under
Cardwell's reforms united with 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire)
Regiment of Foot, to become 1st
Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment |
Lancashire
County and Regimental Museum combines under
one roof the mementos and memories of many of Lancashire's
historic regiments. Displays in the Queen's Lancashire
Regiment gallery tells the story of this infantry
regiment and its famous forerunners: the East, South
and Loyal North Lancashire Regiments, 30th, 40th,
47th, 59th, 81st and 82nd Regiments of Foot. The
Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry have a gallery
which relates the interesting history of a volunteer
unit from the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars,
when troops of volunteer cavalry were raised throughout
Lancashire as invasion threatened. Finally, opened
in May 1988, the gallery of the 14th/20th King's
Hussars, one of Britain's regular cavalry regiments
with a colourful past, who rode not only horses
but Challenger Main Battle Tanks. The story of Lancashire's
soldiers during war and peace over three centuries
is told with the aid of uniforms, weapons, photographs,
medals and historic items. Recreated scenes include
a First World War trench, with sound and smell effects.
The medal balconies display gallantry awards including
three Victoria Crosses. The regimental stories in
this museum are presented in displays to interest
everyone, young and old. Schools are particularly
welcome and will find much material on which to
base project work.
Several
members of the 30th Foot retired and were pensioned
abroad and a list of these men
who were pensioned is available.
|
|
|
Last
updated
15 August, 2008
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