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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
|
| |
|
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
|
| |
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 |
|
| 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
Infantry 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.
|
The
Cambridgeshire
Regiment Exhibition is a small but very well-presented
display of the County’s volunteer infantry within
the surroundings of the Land Warfare Gallery at IWM
Duxford. It records the regiment’s proud hundred-year
history encompassing both World Wars, beginning with
service in South Africa 1899 to 1902, and ending, due
to Army restructuring, during the Cold War. |
|
Last
updated
31 October, 2022
|
