2^nd Battalion, Ciudad Rodrigo, January 1812

The cathedral at Ciudad Rodrigo. The marks on the stonework were made by roundshot.

The month started with the officers continuing their Christmas and New Year celebrations, so that for some of them early morning drill was a painful experience.  On the 3^rd January, however, the division received orders to march nearer to the Águeda, preparatory to the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.  Officers were invited to volunteer for engineering duties to make up for the shortage of trained engineers with the army and eleven officers from the battalion did so, accompanied by a large number of men who volunteered to serve as artificers.

After the successful assault on the 19^th the 5^th division was sent into the town to bring out the men of the 3^rd and light divisions who, having fought their way into the town, had found the wine vats and quickly got drunk.  The 5^th division was then given the task of clearing the breaches and the streets of the dead and wounded.  They are now engaged in making good the damage to the town and repairing the breaches against the risk of a French attack.

General “Black Bob” Crauford, in command of the light division, was seriously wounded during the siege.  He died yesterday, and today the 5^th division, with their arms reversed, were on duty along the route of his funeral procession.  At his own wish, he was buried in the lesser breach, where he received his wound.

Crauford’s memorial tablet (in English and Spanish) by the lesser breach where he was buried

The battalion took no casualties during the siege, despite the number of volunteers involved, but there have been eleven natural deaths during the past month.  A large number of invalids have returned to England, although most of these had been in the general hospitals.  Sergeant Jaye and three men serving with the battalion were among the invalids, however.

Sergeant Dan Ready has joined the battalion from recruiting duties in England.  He is a long-serving NCO whose experience will be welcome, particularly as there is a severe shortage of officers: only fifteen are actually with the battalion, and twelve of these are subalterns, most of them young and inexperienced.  A further fifteen have been returned absent without leave (although some of these are in England and others are known to be sick), seven are detached on staff duties in Portugal, and six are with the first battalion in India.  Should the battalion go into action in the near future, this shortage could cause problems.

1^st Battalion: Cannanore

The fort at Cannanore

The battalion continues to enjoy the more pleasant conditions of their new posting, although there is still a sizeable detachment at Poonamallee.  Unlike the junior battalion they are well-staffed with officers: twenty-five are with the battalion, three are at Poonamallee, and six are on detached staff duties.

There have been only two deaths this month.  Four corporals, Mulry, Malking, Burke and Duncan have resigned their rank, and have been replaced by Andrew Walker, Samuel Heaven, William Abbott, John McLean and Bartholomew Nevell.

Depot: Hull

Thirteen men and two boys have joined from the recruiting parties, as well as two volunteers from the Tipperary Militia.  There are a further fifteen recruits with the recruiting parties, seven of them at Tullamore.

Shipping off the needles, Isle of Wight

A large detachment consisting of two sergeants and sixty-four rank and file marched for the Isle of Wight on the 6^th January, accompanied by Lieutenant Skirrow and Ensigns Ross, Parry, Wedge and Atkinson.  They are to join the 1^st battalion in India.

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“Scotland For Ever”, by Lady Butler

One of the most iconic images of the Battle of Waterloo is the charge of the Scots Greys, as immortalised by Lady Butler.  Whatever the deficiencies of the painting in terms of reality, it has created an impression which is difficult to forget, not least because the charge of the Scots Greys was in fact part of the charge of the Union Brigade, comprised of the 1^st (Royal) Dragoons and 6^th (Inniskillings) as well as the Scots Greys. The Union Brigade routed d’Erlon’s corp, which had been threatening the allied left only moments before, then rode on to the Grand Battery, taking two eagles in the process.

This magnificent moment makes it little wonder that the deeds of the Household Brigade during their parallel advance are so easy to overlook.  Even the fate of the Union Brigade, overrun by French lancers, brings a tragic dimension to the achievements of the three regiments, English, Irish and Scottish.

Nevertheless, the Household Brigade (1^st and 2^nd Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards and 1^st Dragoon Guards) added a significant feature to the iconography of Waterloo, the only full-scale combat between British and French heavy cavalry throughout the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, a combat which distantly echoes the knight-led battles of the Middle Ages, particularly as the French cuirassiers were armoured with breast and black plates.

At the start of the battle both the Household and the Union brigades were in position on either side of the Brussels-Charleroi road, the former on the right of the road, the latter on the left.  Even when hostilities commenced, at about 11 o’clock according to most accounts, they would have had little idea of what was happening, being at the foot of the reverse slope, in support of the infantry.

D’Erlon’s advance was supported by cavalry.  Dubois’ cuirassiers wheeled to the left, threatening La Haie Sainte and then riding down the Hanoverian battalion sent to support the King’s German Legion light battalion defending La Haie Sainte.  At this point Lord Uxbridge (later the Marquis of Anglesey), commander of the allied cavalry, sent both the Union and Household Brigades into action.  The Household Brigade advanced with the 1^st and 2^nd Life Guards and the 1^st Dragoon Guards in line, and the Horse Guards (Blues) in support as a reserve.  It is worth remembering, at this point, that the 1^st Dragoon Guards had not been on active service since 1793, and although the Life Guards and Blues had arrived in the Peninsula late in 1812 they had seen no real action as the momentum of the war moved towards the Pyrenees, terrain unsuitable for cavalry.

The Marquis of Anglesey on the general advance directing the brigades of Cavalry (Jones)

The commander of the Union Brigade was Lord Edward Somerset (later Lord Raglan of Crimean fame).  His later report succinctly summed up what happened when the brigade moved forward to encounter French cavalry charging uphill and threatening the allied centre:

General Lord Edward Somerset

‘On the first advance of a large body of French cuirassiers to the ridge of the position occupied by the British infantry on the right of the high road, the Household Brigade immediately advanced to charge them; and drove them down the hill in utmost confusion.  The brigade pursuing its advantage, attacked and routed a large body of infantry that was posted further to the rear, but at length having suffered considerable loss, and having come upon the enemy’s support it retired to rally and form.’

Not surprisingly, what happened was rather more complicated than this simple account suggests.  The fiercest opposition was encountered by the 1^st Life Guards, on the right of the brigade, and the Blues, who rode forward in support of them.  As a result they preserved better order than the 2^nd Life Guards and the Dragoon Guards who, having overcome their opponents and fired by the heat of battle, crossed the road and mixed with the Royals and the Inniskillings, joining their charge towards the Grand Battery.  Uxbridge ordered the sounding of halt and rally, but the troops were deaf to its command.  The situation was critical.  Uxbridge had no reserves because the Scots Greys had already outrun the rest of their brigade, while the 1^st Life Guards and the Blues were fully engaged in holding their own against the cuirassiers.  Nonetheless, these two units were able to retire in reasonable order when the French brought up two guns and more infantry, thus giving their surviving comrades a body to form upon, although it was a close call.  Somerset, who was in the rear of his retiring troops, lost his horse to cannon shot and was then urged to ‘Scramble through the hedge, you have not a moment to lose.’  He did so, on his hands and knees!

Early published accounts of the battle commended the conduct of the Household Brigade.

‘Lord Edward Somerset, with the invincible brigade of household troops, consisting of the life guards, royal horse guards, and 1^st dragoon guards, rushed forward against the mailed cavalry of the enemy, and swept the intruders from the ground they had so rashly ascended, driving them up the opposite heights back into their own line.’¹

‘Notwithstanding the weight and armour of the cuirassiers and the power of their horses, they proved altogether unable to withstand the shock of the heavy brigade, being literally rode down, both horse and man, while the strength of the British soldiers was no less pre-eminent when they mingled and fought hand-to-hand.’²

Indeed, one Life Guardsman reported in a letter home:

‘Until we came up with our heavy horses, and our superior weight of metal, nothing was done with the cuirassiers; unless one got now and then a cut at their faces, not one of them gave way; we therefore galloped at them, and fairly rode them down; when they were unhorsed, we cracked them like lobsters in their shells’.³

An officer in the 2^nd Life Guards summed up his impression of the battle:

‘About 11 A. M. the action commenced, and the Household Brigade of cavalry was soon ordered forward to charge the Cuirassiers of the Imperial Guard, which they did with great success.  A second charge left but few of them; but we in our turn have suffered much, for the heaviest fire, which was truly tremendous, was directed against the Household Brigade during the whole of the day, and it is astonishing how any of us escaped.’⁴

There were also some individual exploits which attracted attention.  Lieutenant Tathwell of the Blues actually managed to get his hands on an eagle, but his horse was shot before he could ride off with it and he was taken prisoner.  (He escaped and rejoined the following day.)   Captain Kelly of the Life Guards killed the colonel of the 1^st regiment of cuirassiers and kept his epaulettes as a trophy.  Most famous of all was Corporal Shaw, a famous pugilist and also an excellent horseman, who kept up the fight for most of the day, and was finally attacked by six horsemen.  He killed four of them but the remaining two overwhelmed him, and he died of his wounds of the battlefield.

Corporal Shaw of the Life Guards dealing destruction to all around him. (Jones)

‘Sir John Elley, who led the charge of the heavy brigade, was himself distinguished for personal prowess.  He was at one time surrounded by several of the cuirassiers; but being a tall and uncommonly powerful man, completely master of his sword and horse, he cut his way out, leaving several of his assailants on the ground, marked with wounds, indicating the unusual strength of the arm which inflicted them.’⁵

Colonel Elley was a particularly interesting example of the (somewhat limited) meritocracy that existed in the army of the time.  His origins were humble.  His father had owned an eating house, and young John was apprenticed to a tannery owner.  He enlisted as a trooper in the Blues in 1789 after the death of his master’s daughter, to whom he was engaged.  Seven years later he was a lieutenant in the same regiment, and by 1813 he had risen to the rank of colonel.  He ended his life as a lieutenant-general.

The losses the Household Brigade took in their combat with the cuirassiers meant they could play little further offensive part in the battle, although they provided valuable support to the infantry squares during the waves of French cavalry charges, and took part in the final advance against the retreating French.  They bivouacked on the battlefield at nine in the evening.

The final word on their conduct comes from an officer in the Blues.

‘Often, in the conflict of “La Belle Alliance”, did the Earl of Uxbridge turn his eye towards [the brigade], exclaiming, “Now for the honour of the Household Troops;” and as often was his Lordship solaced by the brightest effects of glory under his eye.’⁶

1. Captain Batty, An Historical Sketch of the Campaign of 1815 p.98
2. Lieutenant G.W. Picton, The Battle of Waterloo p.79
3. Picton p.226
4. Booth, The Battle of Waterloo p.72
5. Picton pp.80-1
6. Booth, p.29

]]> http://www.caroledivall.co.uk/the-household-brigade-at-waterloo/feed 0 http://www.caroledivall.co.uk/christmas-day-25th-december-1811 http://www.caroledivall.co.uk/christmas-day-25th-december-1811#comments Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:01:26 +0000 Carole Divall http://www.caroledivall.co.uk/?p=1875 2^nd battalion: Medais, Portugal

(nr. the Spanish border)

Typical of the rough country near the Portugese/Spanish border

There have been seven deaths this month, but the number of sick present has reduced from thirty-four to seven.  The number of sick absent remains high, however, and it is expected that many of these men will have to be invalided home.

Thomas Chambers was promoted to corporal on the 25^th November, while Sergeant Thomas Kelly was reduced on the 13^th December.

Lieutenant Freer is now in command, Belem, while Surgeon Hennen has been promoted out of the regiment.  This is felt to be a sad loss.

After a short period in the Mondego valley, the 5^th division have been brought closer to the Spanish border and, although December is not a campaigning time of year, there are persistent rumours that Lord Wellington is preparing for action.  The general opinion is that Ciudad Rodrigo is the likely target.

The skyline of Ciudad Rodrigo at dawn

During this relatively quiet period there has been an opportunity to continue training the ensigns, for example by sending them to hear courts martial so that they will be familiar with court procedure.

Despite its being Christmas Day the battalion was paraded at 3am. This should have been followed at 10am by divine service for the brigade (4th, 30th, and 44th Foot) but the Padre was ill and the Brigadier, General Walker, decided on a general parade instead. He was less than pleased with what he saw and has decided that the brigade will in future drill at 8am every morning until further orders. This has spoilt everybody’s enjoyment of Christmas Day.

1^st battalion: Cannanore, India

A view of Cannanore, early 19th Century

Good news has arrived for the four officers found guilty of duelling, Lieutenants French, Jones, Harper and Carden, who have been under sentence of a court martial since June 1810.  They have been pardoned by the King, which in reality means they have been pardoned by the Prince Regent, who is less opposed to duelling than his father.  Ensign Herring, however, has had his sentence confirmed and has been cashiered for being drunk on duty.

The end of a career, Herring’s sentence that he be cashiered is confirmed.

There have been four deaths this month, and it is hoped that Cannanore will prove a healthier station than Madras.

On the 25^th November, Corporal John Jayes was promoted to sergeant, and Joseph Sheller and Alexander Wiley, to corporal.

Depot, Hull

Cruickshank’s cartoons of Militia Volunteers were never flattering!

One recruit, a boy, and five volunteers from the militia (Tipperary and Wexford) have joined since the last muster, and a further twenty are with the recruiting parties, fourteen of them at Sleaford.  Six men, returned invalids from the Peninsula, have been sent to York Hospital.  There has been one desertion from the depot.

Some satisfying news has just been received.  The exchange between Major Hamilton, which would have taken him to the West India Rangers, and Lieutenant Colonel Turner has been cancelled because the latter is not considered fit for active service.  Alexander Hamilton will now return to the 2^nd battalion as lieutenant colonel.

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This is the third of four articles about the Household Brigade.  The first three articles deal with the three regiments which made up the brigade, and next month the fourth will examine the part they played at Waterloo.

1st King’s Gragoon Guards, 1820

Like the Life Guards and the Horse Guards, the 1^st Dragoon Guards had their origins in the 17^th Century.  When James II came to the throne in 1685, the accession of a Catholic king was deeply unpopular in protestant Britain. The Duke of Monmouth, Charles II’s illegitimate son, played on this sentiment to launch a bid for the throne.  In response James raised a number of regiments, one of which was Lanier’s Regiment of Horse, named after its first colonel, but then renamed the Queen’s Regiment of Horse in honour of James’ wife, Mary of Modena.  The regiment’s first task was to escort Monmouth to London (and eventual execution) after his defeat at the Battle of Sedgemoor.

By a strange irony of history, the regiment’s first experience of active service was as part of William III’s expedition to Ireland in 1690 against a rebellion raised by the now dethroned James during which they saw action at the Battles of the Boyne and Aughrim.

In 1714 they became the King’s Own Regiment of Foot, in honour of the accession of George I.

They were part of Marlborough’s army during the War of Spanish Succession, earning their first battle honours at Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706) and Oudenarde (1708).  They were also present at the Battle of Malplaquet in 1709.

At Dettingen (the last battle commanded by a British king in person) in 1743 they stood their ground under prolonged French cannon fire and then engaged in a fierce hand to hand fight against a regiment of Gendarmes.

British governments have always regarded the army as a prime source for cuts when they need to save money, which was the situation in 1746.  Regiments of horse were more expensive than dragoons, so money could be saved by downgrading the King’s Own to dragoon status, a decision which was bitterly resented.  A compromise was eventually reached.  In 1751, along with several other regiments of horse, they became dragoon guards, and were given precedence over the existing dragoon regiments.

Their next continental expedition was during the Seven Years’ War when they twice saw action in 1760.  At Corbach their successful charge was said to have saved the British army, while at Warburg they took part  in another crucial charge, most famous for being the occasion when the Marquis of Granby lost his wig.  (There are  many pubs named the Marquis of Granby and the signs still denote the wigless marquis.)

John Manners, Marquis of Granby

Legend has it that the Marquis was given to setting up old soldiers with a pub of their own, hence the very large number of pubs named after him.

The 1^st Dragoon Guards took part in the first British expedition against the French revolutionary forces in 1793 and won a battle honour at Beaumont.  Thereafter they were on home service until 1815.  Brigaded with the Life-Guards and the Blues at Waterloo, they may well have felt that they had something to prove.

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The Coa Valley

The battalion was in Guarda until the 23^rd.  , now they are marching through the Coa valley. Men and officers alike found Guarda cold and damp.  This has had a noticeable effect upon the men’s health, cases of rheumatism and dysentery being rife.  Surgeon John Hennen is still on sick leave in Lisbon but fortunately the new assistant surgeon, John Evans, arrived on the 6^th November and immediately took charge of the sick.  The men have been pleased with the treatment they have received, although it has been noticed that Surgeon Evans is fond of a drink.

There was general pleasure at the return of Quartermaster Kingsley from suspension.  The feeling in the battalion was that he was provoked by the aggressive behaviour of Captain Rae of the Royals and reacted as any hot-tempered Irish man would.

Captain McNabb has been appointed commandant at Oyres, Lieutenant Adamson has been sent sick to the rear, and Sergeant Major Woods is on command with the Portuguese Artillery.  Major Grey remains in command of the battalion.  Lieutenant Colonel Turner has been returned absent without leave, but there is a suspicion that the injury he received at Badajoz is preventing him from talking command.

Six men have died during the last month, and seventeen men have been invalided to England.  Among them was Corporal Masterman, who left for England on the 1^st November.  The following day Thomas Hamilton was appointed corporal.  William Glover was appointed corporal on the 11^th November.

On the 23^rd November, at 5 a.m. an order arrived for the division to move forward to Marmeleiro.  There was no explanation.  The following day the division marched to Alfayates.  Today the division has divided.  The first brigade have been sent to watch the Coa, while the second brigade and the Portuguese brigade are here in Vila de Toro, a small place which can hardly accommodate so many men.  There is considerable speculation about this unexpected advance, the most popular idea being that Marshal Marmont must have brought the Army of Portugal up from Estremadura, where he has been for the past few weeks.

1^st Battalion: Cannanore

Fort San Angelo, Cannanore

The battalion has completed its march across India and is now established in the new cantonment of Cannanore on the Malabar coast, the wettest region of southern India.  Fortunately, they have arrived outside the monsoon season, which gives them time to become acclimatised.

They have left several of their officers behind.  Five officers are at Trichinopoly, under sentence of a court martial and are waiting to hear if their sentences will be confirmed.  A further five officers remain on staff duties.  Three officers are in Poonamallee.  Lieutenant Nicholson, who does not seem to have recovered his health since his court martial, is on sick leave.  Sergeant Francis Garland, who has recently been on command as acting quartermaster with the 19^th Native Infantry Regiment , has transferred to East India Company service.  There have been six deaths since the last monthly return.

William Wanlass, who spend over a year in the Lunatic Asylum in Madras and the last three months on command in Poonamallee, has rejoined the battalion.  He seems to be in a good state of health.

Depot: Hull

A recruit as depicted by the satirist Cruickshank

Although the depot moved to Hull during September, Lieutenant John Roe (1) has remained in Wakefield with a sergeant, two corporals, a drummer and five privates and continues to recruit in that area.  In total there are 16 sergeants, eight drummers, 130 rank and file and 23 boys either with the recruiting companies or at headquarters.

Seven recruits have joined since the last return, and a further seven are with the recruiting companies, five of them in Sleaford, which continues to be the most rewarding recruiting ground.

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This is the second of four articles about the Household Brigade.  The first three articles deal with the three regiments which made up the brigade, and the fourth will examine the part they played at the Battle of Waterloo.

A trooper of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards

Whereas the Life Guards owe their origins to a cavalier regiment raised in 1658 in France, the antecedents of the Royal Horse Guards were a force raised at Newcastle in 1650 on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as part of the New Model Army.  When Charles II arrived in England in May 1660 he claimed the regiment as his “Own” and styled it The Royal Regiment.  However, he was forced to disband the regiment in December of the same year.

In January 1661 a group of religious dissenters, the Fifth Monarchy Men, rose against the new king.  The rising was easily suppressed, but it served as an excuse for the formation of a small standing army, including the Horse Guards.  They were to be commanded by the Earl of Oxford and, on account of their blue coats, were known as the Oxford Blues, although from 1689 their official title was The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards.  In 1750 they became The Royal Horse Guards Blue.

Unlike the Life Guards, the Horse Guards were a fighting unit.  They first saw action during the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion against James II in 1685.  Four years later they were in Flanders to fight the French, but never engaged the enemy.  The following year they were part of the army William III took to Ireland and were present at the battles of the Boyne and Aghrim.

The first battle honour came in 1743 during the War of Austrian Succession for Dettingen and they also fought at Fontenoy during the same war.  They were at Minden during the Seven Years War, but were not engaged because of a misunderstanding between the British commander, Sackville, and the allied commander, Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick.  However, two years later they achieved their second battle honour at Warburg, where they distinguished themselves after a hard march.  They also fought at Gröbenstein and Homburg, being mentioned in dispatches for their service at the latter.

Upon their return to England after this continental success they found themselves ousted from the court.  This seems to have been as the result of a conspiracy among their more influential rivals for royal favour.

In 1793, at the start of the Revolutionary Wars, they were part of the Duke of York’s army in the Netherlands.  This Anglo-Austrian campaign ultimately ended in failure but not before the regiment achieved another battle honour for Beaumont-en-Cambresis (also known as Coteau).

A return to England in 1795 meant a return to garrison life and recruiting, with none of the privileges of a royal regiment.  This changed in 1804, though, when the regiment was once more stationed at Windsor and regained its former honours and privileges, including gold laced clothing and appointments and ornamented bridles.

By 1812 the activities of machine breakers like the Luddites were so serious that the Horse Guards were sent to Lancashire to deal with them.  By the autumn, however, they had been warned for foreign service, along with the Life Guards.  They marched to Portsmouth in October, but then had to wait for the Life Guards to join them, which meant an unpleasant period crowded into the transports which would take them to the Peninsula.  To make matters worse, the weather was stormy throughout this period.

They finally set sail on the 10^th November, reaching Lisbon thirteen days later.  Unlike their fellow household regiment, when the Horse Guards were inspected, by Sir William Beresford and Sir Stapleton Cotton, they were highly praised.  Their reward came when they learnt that the Marquis of Wellington, as he then was, had accepted the colonelcy of the regiment.

Like the Life Guards, their operations during the rest of the Peninsular War were limited by the terrain in which they found themselves.  At Vitoria on the 21^st June 1813 they could only advance in support of the infantry because of the nature of the ground.  Nevertheless, they lost two horses to cannon shot.  The following day they marched with the 5^th and 6^th divisions in pursuit of General Clausel, who had arrived too late for the battle.

The Battle of Vitoria, 21st June, 1813

They operated for a while as a reserve with the other cavalry brigades but in August they were sent to Logroño, where they remained for the next seven months.  Even after they had crossed the Pyrenees, in March 1813, they still operated as a reserve.  Not surprisingly, although they were on the scene at Toulouse, they did not become involved in the action.  Nevertheless, those who survived until 1847 were able to claim GSM bars for both Vitoria and Toulouse.  Seven officers and seventy men claimed for both actions, while nine officers and seventy-four men claimed for either Vitoria or Toulouse.  The regiment also gained “Peninsula” as a further battle honour.

Although the dismounted men were back in England by the end of May 1814, as a result of Napoleon’s first abdication, the mounted men did not reach Boulogne until the 23^rd July.  For all of them there was now the expectation of a period of peace and a return to royal duties at Windsor.

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A view of Guarda drawn by Lt. Col. Leith Hay

The beginning of the month brought to an end the stalemate, which had seen the battalion in the Sierra de Gata since mid-summer, when Marmont manoeuvred to get supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo.  On the 25^th October there was an action between the French and the Anglo-Portuguese 3^rd division at El Boden.  General Dunlop, in command of the 5^th division during General Leith’s absence, had the men under arms at 4 a.m. the following morning.  They could hear distant firing and were anxious to be involved in any fighting but the sound died away and they were left wondering what had happened.  The following day, the division received orders to withdraw to Aldea de Ponte, across the Portuguese border.  They also learnt that although the 3^rd division had successfully held the French advance against them, Wellington considered his present position too exposed to further French attack.

The 5^th division reached Aldea de Ponte without seeing any sign of the French but just as they were about to cook their meal the alarm was given and food and cooking pots had to be thrown aside.  The French actually attacked on the far side of the village, but General Dunlop thought it prudent to withdraw to higher ground.  Everyone was now ready for battle but it was the division to the left which took the brunt of the attack.  Once again, though, the French were held.  The men of the 2^nd battalion, who have had little opportunity to prove their mettle since their arrival in Portugal, were anxious to drive them off, but the order was given to retire.

They now marched to Sabugal, a wet, cold march initially over difficult ground littered with rocks.  Even when they reached Sabugal there was no comfort for the officers, their baggage having been sent ahead – very different from their last visit to the place six months ago when they enjoyed the food abandoned by the French staff.

A view of Sabugal drawn by Lt. Col. Leith Hay

On the 29^th they were at Vila do Touro and on the 30^th they reached Guarda, where the officers were finally reunited with their baggage.  By this point the battalion, and indeed the whole division, looked like desperados.

They have now spent nearly four weeks enjoying a rest, despite the twice weekly divisional field days – and an inspection by General Graham, an old friend of the 30^th, having first met them at Toulon, and then renewed the acquaintance in Malta and at Cadiz.  This period of recuperation seems to have benefited the battalion.  Although there have been four deaths this month, there are fewer sick, either in quarters or in hospital.  This is just as well because Surgeon Hennen is sick, the recently appointed assistant surgeon, Evans, has yet to arrive and there is still no news of the other assistant surgeon, Brett.

Although thirty-four men have been invalided back to England, forty-five rank and file with a sergeant and a drummer have arrived and joined the battalion.  They were accompanied by Lieutenant White and Ensigns Campbell, Lockwood and Carter.  This has done something to redress the shortage of officers with the battalion.  However, the newly-appointed Lieutenant Colonel Turner and Major Bailey have yet to arrive; Major Hamilton, now Lieutenant Colonel with the West Indian Rangers, has returned to England; and Major Grey is in command of the battalion.

Corporal David McBride has been appointed sergeant, and James McBride and Patrick McIlhatton have been promoted to corporal.  Sergeant John Watson, one of the longest serving sergeants in the regiment, was among those invalided home.

1^st battalion, Camp at Wallear River

The battalion is on the march from Trichinopoly to Cannanore, on the western side of India in the state of Kerala.  They have news that eighty men, with a sergeant and corporal, have arrived at Poonamallee and will join the battalion.  These men will be brought up by some of the officers who have remained in either Poonamallee or Trichinopoly.

Health remains good, perhaps helped by the change of scene.  There have been only three deaths and sickness rates are still low.

The main point of interest for the officers of the battalion has been the fate of Ensign John Herring, who was arraigned on a charge of ‘scandalous and infamous conduct unbecoming the character of an officer and a gentleman in appearing on public parade of the regiment in a state of intoxication.’  This was the second time that Herring had faced such a charge.

His court martial, under the presidency of Lieutenant Colonel William McLeod of the 15^th Native Infantry, opened on the 24^th September, but when Herring was brought into court he was adjudged to be intoxicated and incapable of understanding the proceedings.

Court martial extract in which Herring is asked if he objects to any members of the court martial

On the following day four witnesses, Major Christopher Maxwell, Captain Samuel Bircham, Adjutant William Stephenson and Sergeant Charles Illston all testified that he had been drunk on parade.  They referred variously to his unsteadiness, a tendency to stagger when he walked and his incoherent speech.  Major Maxwell also made the point in answer to a question from the court that he had seen Herring in the same condition many times.

Herring now asked for time to prepare his defence, which consisted of the claim that he suffered from ‘strong constitutional, nervous affections which not infrequently deprive me of all recollection during their continuance.’  He admitted that he had drunk a few glasses of wine but not enough to cause intoxication and if he appeared drunk it was because of this nervous affectation.  He also claimed that while serving with the 2^nd battalion, before coming to India, his conduct had been exemplary.  Finally, he sought the ‘liberality’ of the court.

He had offered his defence on the 28^th September.  Two days later the court reached its conclusion, that ‘having duly considered all that has been adduced before it in support of the prosecution, and the prisoner’s defence, are of the opinion that the prisoner, Ensign John Herring of the 30^th Regiment is guilty of the whole of the charge instituted against him, and do therefore adjudge him to be cashiered.’

The guilty verdict

Herring now joins the four other officers of the battalion who are waiting for their sentences of cashiering to be confirmed.

Depot – Hull

The change of scene has come as something of a diversion for the men with the depot, although Hull in October is considered rather a bleak place after Wakefield.

A further seven recruits have joined since the last monthly return, while another seven have not yet joined.  Five of them are with the recruiting party at Sleaford.

His Majesty king Charles II

The Life-Guards are the senior regiment in the British Army, cavalry taking precedence over the other arms of the service.  Officially established in 1660 by the restored king, Charles II, they owe their existence to his period of exile, part of which was spent at the French court.  The Bourbon monarchs had already established a royal bodyguard, specially chosen troops designated to protect the monarch, for which they enjoyed higher reward.  Towards the end of his years of exile, in 1658, Charles was served by a similar unit, the King’s Own Troop of Horse Guards, a corps of 80 men formed by Lord Gerard of Brandon.  By 1660, the number had risen to 200.  These men were given the honour of escorting Charles through London in May 1660 when he returned to claim his throne.

In 1661 they became the first troop of His Majesty’s Horse Guards.  A second troop was formed from the guard of George Monck, 1^st Duke of Albemarle, who had played a crucial role in Charles’ restoration, and a third, from the Duke of York’s troop of Horse Guards.

George Monck, 1^st Duke of Albemarle,

A fourth troop was added the same year. In 1678 horse grenadiers were attached to each troop.  At this stage, membership was restricted to gentlemen, the original 200 being cavaliers and/or noblemen.  There were no non-commissioned officers; even corporals were commissioned and enjoyed rank notionally equal to a lieutenant.  By 1756, however, this was considered too expensive to maintain.

Their primary purpose was to protect the metropolis and the monarch, so it is not surprising that until the Peninsular War their only battle honour was Dettingen, the last occasion when a British monarch (George II) led his army into battle.

King George II leads his troops at the battle of Dettingen

In 1788 there was considerable reorganisation of the army after the catastrophe of the War of American Independence.  Two troops of Horse Guards and two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards became the 1^st Life-Guards; the remaining two troops, one the descendant of Albemarle’s Horse, with the remaining Horse Grenadier Guards became the 2nd Life-Guards.   They still took precedence, however, and continued to enjoy higher pay, while the troopers were exempt from the normal army stoppages.  Furthermore, a major in the Life-Guards equated to a lieutenant-colonel in other cavalry units, and a lieutenant-colonel to a full colonel.

The two new regiments required men at least 5’10” tall, with 6’ as the preferred height.  In 1810 the average height of men in the 2^nd Life-Guards was 5’11¾”. And they rode horses between 16 and 18 hands.  Big men on big horses!

An officer of the Life Guards

The most obvious evidence for the privileges the Life-Guards enjoyed is their rate of pay.  To give a few examples, in 1810 a cornet received 8/6d per day against 8/- for a cornet in the dragoons, and 5/3d for an ensign in a line regiment, while a captain was paid 16/- a day, against 14/7d and 10/6d respectively.

Not surprisingly, commissions in the Life-Guards were considerably more expensive.  A cornetcy cost £1600, against £1102.10.0 in the dragoons and £406 (ensigncy) in the infantry of the line.  The full value of a lieutenant-colonelcy was £5200, against £3500 in the infantry.

Because the men enlisted for general service, as in any other regiment, the Life-Guards were in constant readiness to march.  During the Napoleonic Wars the call finally came in 1812.  However, they did not immediately impress.  They were late arriving for their rendezvous with the Royal Horse Guards at Portsmouth, and when they reached Lisbon concerns were expressed about their state of readiness.

Colonel Willoughby Gordon, the Quartermaster General, who passed through Lisbon on his way to England for recovery of health, wrote to Wellington on the 25^th December that, having heard about the regiment’s unserviceable state, he thought it his duty to carry out an inspection.

‘The men and the horses appeared to me in very good condition generally, and perfectly equipped for the field, and that in the military appearance of the regiments no fault could be found.  The officers of the 1^st regiment under Major Camac offered no difficulty, and expressed themselves fully prepared to do whatever was required of them as to the interior economy of their respective troops, and to inform themselves of the customs and regulations of the service, and to practise them.

‘Lieutenant-Colonel Barton of the 2^nd regiment was full of difficulties, none of which are in any manner necessary to be brought before your Lordship, as relating wholly and solely to the interior economy of the respective troops; and this officer appeared to me not only to be wholly uninformed of the most common duties of regimental service, but to be wanting in those exertions which your Lordship has a right to demand from every officer serving under you.  This opinion of mine was confirmed in the fullest extent by Major-General Rebow, who also told me that the example of Lieutenant-Colonel Barton had its natural influence on the inferior officers and men, nor can I flatter myself that what I said to this officer will have very much effect, although I was by no means sparing of my sentiments.

‘I hear he has resigned, as well as some of his officers; and I hope it may be so: indeed I have no doubt but that the firm and spirited manner in which the Major-General acts about his duty will ere long put these regiments upon that efficiency of which they are so capable.’ ¹

In 1813, the war moved to the north of Spain, to terrain which gave the Life-Guards little opportunity to display that efficiency of which they are so capable. Nevertheless, when the General Service Medal was awarded in 1848, 6 officers and 91 NCOs and men, from both regiments, claimed for Vittoria and Toulouse, while 11 officers and 96 NCOs and men claimed for one or other of those actions.  ‘Peninsula’ became the Life-Guards’ second battle honour.

The 1848 Military General Service Medal

1. Supplementary Despatches and Memorandum of Field Marshal Arthur Duke of Wellington K.G.  Volume VII p.504

Next month: the Royal Horse Guards (the Blues or Oxford Blues)

Sierra de Gata in winter

Despite the cold, particularly at night, and the shortage of food (the men have taken to digging up potatoes), the health of the battalion at headquarters is improving.  There are only an officer, a drummer and four rank and file sick present.  Fortunately, the number of sick absent, at Lisbon and Coimbra, is also decreasing, although there have been seven deaths amongst these men.

The battalion has now received news of the two additions to staff officers, Lieutenant Colonel Turner to replace Lieutenant Colonel Minet, and Major Bailey to replace Major Hamilton.  This last is a surprise, but the same dispatch from the agent in London, Mr Croasdaile, contained the information that Major Hamilton has been promoted into Lt Col Turner’s regiment, the Royal West Indian Rangers.  This promotion has been greeted with mixed feelings.  Major Hamilton has only ever served with the 30^th, and is popular with the men, who regard him as something of a talisman, so, although there is pleasure that he has obtained a well-deserved lieutenant colonelcy, there is regret that such a long association is about to be severed.