Military unit
The
64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot
was an
infantry
regiment
of the
British Army
. The regiment was created as the 2nd Battalion,
11th Regiment of Foot
in 1756, redesignated as the
64th Regiment of Foot
in 1758, and took a county title as the
64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot
in 1782. Following the Cardwell Reforms the regiment amalgamated with the
98th (Prince of Wales's) Regiment of Foot
to become
The Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment)
in 1881. In the new regiment the 64th Foot became the 1st Battalion due to its seniority over the 98th Foot.
Although the 64th Foot fought in many of the major conflicts of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was normally in the more minor theatres of these conflicts. During the
Seven Years' War
it served in the West Indies; in the
Napoleonic Wars
, its role was limited, again, to the West Indies and South America. In the mid-19th century, it fought in the
Anglo-Persian War
and the
Indian Rebellion of 1857
, where one of its soldiers was awarded the
Victoria Cross
.
History
[
edit
]
Formation
[
edit
]
The formation of the 64th Foot was prompted by the expansion of the army as a result of the commencement of the
Seven Years' War
.
[1]
On 25 August 1756 it was ordered that a number of existing regiments should raise a second
battalion
; among those chosen was the
11th Regiment of Foot
.
[1]
The 2nd Battalion of the 11th Foot was raised at
Southampton
on 10 December 1756 before moving to
Newcastle upon Tyne
.
[1]
On 21 April 1758 the
War Office
ordered that the 2nd battalions raised two years previously should become independent regiments in their own right and on that day the 2nd Battalion 11th Foot became the 64th Foot.
[2]
Shortly after
King George II
ordered that the dates of seniority of the 64th Foot and the other regiments
[3]
created on 21 April 1758 should be backdated to the date of their raising as 2nd battalions,
[4]
therefore the date seniority of the 64th Foot became 1756. The first
colonel
of the regiment was the Honourable John Barrington
[4]
and it was he who decided that the
facings
of the 64th Foot should be black.
[5]
Seven Years' War
[
edit
]
Almost immediately after becoming the 64th Foot, the regiment was sent to the
West Indies
.
[6]
Upon arrival, in 1759, it took part in the unsuccessful attempt to take
Martinique
and then in the successful
invasion of Guadeloupe
.
[2]
[7]
Participation in this action earned the regiment its first
battle honour
Guadaloupe 1759
, though this honour was not actually awarded until 1909.
[8]
The regiment returned to England in June 1759 severely reduced in numbers by men drafted to other units and by tropical disease. On arrival at
Portsmouth
only 137
other ranks
out of an establishment strength of 790 were fit for duty,
[9]
though officer strength was almost up to strength.
[2]
Recovery took a long time and after a brief period in Suffolk the regiment spent three years in the Scottish Highlands and five years in Ireland before sailing for North America in 1768.
[2]
[9]
North America and the American War of Independence
[
edit
]
The first posting for the 64th in America was
Boston
, at the time a centre of discontent and an unhappy posting as a result.
[10]
In 1770 the regiment moved to
Halifax, Nova Scotia
but in 1772 returned to Boston being stationed at
Castle William
.
[10]
As unrest grew the 64th took place in an incident which lays a claim to the first blood of the
American War of Independence
being shed in
Salem, Massachusetts
.
[11]
On 26 February 1775 a supply of weapons and ammunition was known to be in Salem.
[12]
The 64th, under their commander
Lieutenant Colonel
Alexander Leslie
, were ordered to seize the weapons. American patriots in Salem were forewarned and tried to prevent the 64th from carrying out their orders. In the scuffle that ensued a local Salem man, Joseph Whicher, was slightly injured by a British
bayonet
. Negotiations prevented any further bloodshed and the 64th withdrew to Boston, their mission a failure.
[12]
On the outbreak of hostilities in April 1775, the 64th was still stationed at Castle William and remained there as the garrison throughout the
Siege of Boston
. Consequently, the regiment did not take part in the
Battle of Bunker Hill
.
[13]
When, in March 1776, the British abandoned Boston, the 64th were the last regiment to depart for Halifax, giving them the distinction of being the last British unit to set foot in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
during the war.
[2]
Following the reorganisation of the army the 64th, like most regiments, found itself without its flank (
grenadier
and
light infantry
)
companies
which had been detached to form part of the 2nd Grenadier and 2nd Light Infantry Battalions respectively.
[14]
All three battalions took part in the 1776
capture of New York
and the 64th was engaged in the later
Battle of Ridgefield
.
[15]
In 1777 all three units participated in the
Philadelphia campaign
, taking part in the
Battle of Brandywine
, the
Battle of Paoli
and the
Battle of Germantown
.
[16]
Remaining in
Philadelphia
over the winter and into 1778, the 64th and 2nd Grenadier Battalion formed part of the rearguard when
Lieutenant-General
Clinton
evacuated the city in June 1778.
[17]
Returning to New York, the 64th took part in several small operations.
[17]
The Light company took part in the skirmish that became known as the
Baylor Massacre
.
[18]
November 1779 saw all the companies of the regiment being transferred to the
Southern theatre of operations
. In April 1780 the 64th was part of the covering force
besieging Charleston
, while the grenadier and light companies formed part of the main siege force.
[19]
After the capture of Charleston, the grenadier and light companies were withdrawn to New York and as
Major-General
Cornwallis
began to advance on Virginia, the 64th remained in Carolina as guard troops.
[19]
In 1781 the 64th were involved in the
Battle of Eutaw Springs
[20]
[21]
and a year later in one of the last actions of the war, the
Battle of the Combahee River
.
[20]
The grenadier company was reunited with the 64th but the light company was among the units that surrendered with Cornwallis at
Yorktown
.
[20]
In December 1782 the regiment left America for Jamaica. Back in England, a change occurred in army policy, to hopefully increase recruiting, infantry regiments were given additional territorial titles. The 64th became the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Foot
[22]
and began its long association with the
city of Lichfield
as the depot companies moved there and soon after began to wear the
Staffordshire Knot
on its uniform.
[23]
Napoleonic Wars
[
edit
]
Following the defeat in America, the 64th remained in
Jamaica
for two years, returning to England in 1783.
[24]
Four years later the regiment was stationed in Ireland, before sailing once more for the West Indies in 1793 at the outbreak of the
Napoleonic Wars
.
[22]
At the end of the Seven Years' War both Martinique and Guadeloupe had been returned to France under the terms of the
Treaty of Paris
.
[25]
From
Barbados
the 64th Foot took part in the invasion of
Martinique
in early 1794.
[22]
As before the flank companies were detached from the rest of the regiment but all three elements were involved in the actions in Martinique. This short but successful campaign earned the regiment its second battle honour,
Martinique 1794
?although as with the earlier Guadeloupe honour, it was not actually awarded until 1909.
[26]
The light and grenadier companies were involved in the capture, shortly afterwards, of
St Lucia
and the recapture of Guadeloupe.
[27]
A short period as garrison duty followed and then the regiment returned to England, severely weakened by both losses in battle and sickness, mostly
yellow fever
.
Sir Charles Grey
, commander of the British forces in the West Indies, estimated that he had lost 5,000 out of 7,000 troops in less than six months.
[27]
The regiment returned to England in 1795, before moving to
Gibraltar
and then Ireland, where it played a minor part in suppressing the
1798 rebellion
. The 64th returned to England in 1800.
[28]
Within months the 64th had returned to the West Indies for a campaign of seizing islands held by, variously, France, The Netherlands and Denmark. The first island to fall was the Franco-Dutch island of
Saint Martin
. This was followed by the Dutch island of
St Eustatius
and the Danish islands of
Saint Thomas
,
Saint John
and
Saint Croix
.
[28]
With the signing of the
Treaty of Amiens
, which restored to France and its allies all territories conquered by the British,
[29]
the 64th were withdrawn to Barbados. Peace did not last long and in 1803 war with France broke out again. The 64th was immediately in action being part of an expeditionary force that took St Lucia,
[30]
earning the battle honour
St Lucia 1803
? the award of this honour was more timely, it being awarded in 1818.
[31]
The expedition continued onto the South American mainland with the capture of Dutch held
Surinam
in 1804.
[32]
A fourth battle honour,
Surinam
, was awarded ? again in 1818.
[31]
Garrison duties kept the 64th in Surinam for the next nine years meaning that the regiment played no further part in the Napoleonic Wars.
[33]
A move to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1813 found the 64th providing the funeral guard for
James Lawrence
,
Captain
of the
USS Chesapeake
after the
capture of the Chesapeake
.
[34]
In 1815 the regiment returned to Europe to be sent to France as part of the Army of Occupation after the
Battle of Waterloo
.
[34]
Years of peace
[
edit
]
It was to be 1856 before the regiment found itself on active service again. In the interim there had been a short spell in England, a long posting in
Gibraltar
, several years in Ireland, another six-year tour in the West Indies ? where once again fever caused much suffering. These were followed by a short three-year tour in Canada which provided one item of note.
[35]
On the voyage home two companies, under the command of
Captain
James Draper, and about 100 women and children were on board the
barque
Alert
when the ship hit a reef about 100 miles out of Halifax. The ship was refloated but in a heavy sea was at risk of sinking and was taking on water. The
master
of the
Alert
decided that the only course of action was to beach the vessel but was worried that the ship was becoming top heavy as the troops and their families made for the upper deck. Captain Draper and the troops were persuaded to remain on the troop deck despite the rising water level. The ship was beached on an uninhabited island and all on board were later rescued. The
Duke of Wellington
Commander-in-chief
of the British army directed that the story of Captain Draper's detachment be read out to every regiment and corps in the army as an example of the rewards of steadiness and discipline.
[36]
The two companies were reunited with the rest of the regiment in England, serving in England and Ireland until being posted to India. Based here until 1856 it saw no active service despite being mobilised as part of a
Reserve Field Force
in
Sindh
in 1852.
[37]
Anglo-Persian War
[
edit
]
War between Britain and Persia broke out in 1856 and the 64th, together with the
20th Bombay Native Infantry
, formed the 1st Brigade in the expeditionary force assembled for the campaign. Landing in Persia in late November, the regiment took place in battles at Reshire and
Bushire
.
[38]
In 1857 the force advanced inland and defeated the Persian field army at
Koosh-Ab
on 8 February 1857 while the flank companies were involved in action at Ahwaz.
[39]
Although hostilities lasted for a little over three months, four battle honours were awarded;
Reshire
,
Bushire
,
Koosh-Ab
and
Persia
. The 64th were the only British regiment to be awarded all four.
[40]
Indian Rebellion
[
edit
]
Following the Persian campaign the 64th returned to India arriving in
Bombay
only two weeks after the first unrest had occurred in
Meerut
.
[41]
[42]
The regiment was immediately ordered to take part in the
Cawnpore
relief force under
Major-General Sir Henry Havelock
. The relief force did not reach Cawnpore before the city fell under rebel control, a forced march was therefore ordered and the first clash with the rebel forces occurred at Fatehpur.
[43]
From there a number of skirmishes took place until the force met with the rebels in a significant engagement at Ahwera on 16 July.
[44]
It was for his actions in this battle that
Lieutenant
Henry Havelock
of the
10th Foot
was awarded the
Victoria Cross
.
[45]
This award created considerable discontent within the 64th as the citation inferred that it was only due to Lt Havelock's actions that the regiment advanced and achieved its objectives. The matter was referred to
Sir Colin Campbell
, Commander in Chief, India who upheld the complaint raised and voiced strong criticism of staff officers ? Havelock was serving as
Aide-de-camp
to his father ? interfering with regimental officers doing their duty.
[46]
The relief force entered Cawnpore on 17 July 1857. Subsequently, elements of the regiment played a small part in the
relief of Lucknow
but the majority of the regiment remained in Cawnpore
[47]
and it was here that, on 28 November 1857, Drummer
Thomas Flinn
won the only Victoria Cross awarded to a member of the regiment for tackling two enemy artillerymen despite having been wounded himself.
[48]
Subsequently, the regiment moved to
Fatehgarh
and remained there for the rest of the campaign until June 1859 when it returned to Bombay.
[49]
A single battle honour
Lucknow
was awarded to the regiment.
[50]
Final years and amalgamation
[
edit
]
On return from India in 1861, the regiment spent six years in England, moving to
Malta
in 1867, then Ireland in 1872. In 1874, as part of the
Cardwell Reforms
, line infantry battalions were linked in pairs,
[51]
and the 64th formed a joint depot with the
98th (Prince of Wales's) Regiment of Foot
at
Limerick
. The two regiments were assigned as district no. 20 with a new depot at
Whittington Barracks
,
Staffordshire
in 1880.
[51]
[52]
Up to 1879 the 64th was stationed in various parts of the United Kingdom, often performing police duties. The regiment returned to Ireland in 1879, based at
Templemore
,
County Tipperary
and it was based here when it was formally amalgamated with the 98th to become the
Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire) Regiment
on 1 July 1881.
[53]
The regiment was renamed The North Staffordshire (The Prince of Wales's) Regiment in 1920. In 1959 the North Staffordshire and
South Staffordshire Regiments
amalgamated to form
The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's)
. In September 2007 The Staffordshire Regiment amalgamated with the
Cheshire Regiment
and the
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
to form
The Mercian Regiment
, in which the Staffords became the 3rd (Staffordshire) Battalion.
[54]
The black facings worn by the 64th Foot are today commemorated by the use of black backing to chevrons and rank insignia by all
Warrant Officers
and
Non-commissioned officers
of the Mercian Regiment.
[55]
Battle honours
[
edit
]
Battle honours awarded to the regiment were:
[56]
- Guadaloupe 1759, Martinique 1794 (both awarded 1909)
- St. Lucia 1803,
Surinam
- Anglo-Persian War: Reshire,
Bushire
, Koosh-Ab, Persia
- Indian Mutiny:
Lucknow
Colonels of the Regiment
[
edit
]
Colonels of the Regiment were:
[56]
References
[
edit
]
Sources
[
edit
]
- Commager, Henry Steele
&
Morris, Richard Brandon
(1958).
The Spirit Of Seventy-six
. Vol. 1.
Indianapolis
, New York: Bobbs-Merrill.
ISBN
978-0-306-80620-9
.
Archived
from the original on 25 June 2009
. Retrieved
28 July
2009
.
- Cook, Hugh (1970).
The North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's)
. Famous Regiments. London: Leo Cooper.
ISBN
0-85052-056-8
.
- Cooper, Dave (2003).
Knotted Together
. The Staffordshire Regiments: 1705?1919. Vol. 1.
Leek, Staffordshire
: Churnet Valley Books.
ISBN
1-904546-03-X
.
- Cooper, Dave (2004).
The Scrapbook
. The Staffordshire Regiments: 1705?1919. Vol. 2.
Leek, Staffordshire
: Churnet Valley Books.
ISBN
1-904546-10-2
.
- Dodd, George
(1859).
The History of the Indian Revolt
. London: W and R Chambers. p. 625
. Retrieved
30 July
2009
.
- Fortescue, John W
(1903).
A History of the British Army
. Vol. 3.
ISBN
978-1-4437-7768-1
.
- Riddick, John F (30 April 2006).
The history of British India
. Praeger.
ISBN
978-0-313-32280-8
.
- Rodger, Alexander (2003).
Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662?1991
. Marlborough, Wiltshire: The Crowood Press.
ISBN
1-86126-637-5
.
- Sandes, Lt-Col Edward W C (1948).
The Indian Sappers and Miners
.
Chatham, Kent
: The Institute of Royal Engineers.
- Swager, Christine R (30 June 2006).
The Valiant Died: The Battle of Eutaw Springs September 8, 1781
. Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books.
ISBN
978-0-7884-4102-8
.
- "Treaty of Amiens, Article III"
. Research Series:Government and Politics. The Napoleon Series (published 2002). 25 March 1802
. Retrieved
29 July
2009
.
- "Treaty of Paris, Article VIII"
. The Avalon Project. Yale Law School (published 2008). 10 February 1763
. Retrieved
29 July
2009
.
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Predecessors
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2nd generation
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3rd generation
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Regimental titles in
italics
indicate they were disbanded or renumbered before 1881.
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