56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot

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The 56th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army from 1755 to 1881. The lineage of the 56th Foot was transferred to the Essex Regiment in 1881. The regiment was nicknamed "The Pompadours", as the purple facing of their uniform was allegedly Madame de Pompadour's favourite colour.^[1] Some soldiers of the regiment preferred to claim that it was the colour of her underwear.^[1]

1 1st Battalion (1755-1881)
2 2nd Battalion (1804-1817)
3 3rd Battalion (1813-1814)
4 Reserve Battalion (1846-1848)
5 Essex Regiment (1881)
6 References

[edit] 1st Battalion (1755-1881)

The 1st Battalion was raised on 28 December 1755 at Newcastle and Gateshead. The regiment originally ranked as the 58th regiment of the line. It was renumbered as the 56th Regiment of Foot on 25 December 1756 when the old 50th and 51st regiments were disbanded. In 1782 the regiment was awarded its county appellation and became 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot. [1]

[edit] Seven Years War (1756-1763)

The battalion served in the West Indies during the Seven Years' War and fought at the Battle of The Moro in Cuba (1762) for which the 56th earned its first battle honour for its Regimental Colour, and participated in the capture of Havana.

[edit] Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815)

The battalion returned to the West Indies during the French and Napoleonic War and fought at Martinique (1794) for which the 56th eanred its second battle honour. The 56th also saw active service on St Lucia (April 1794) andGuadeloupe (September 1794) during the West Indies Campaigns. [2] The battalion fought in the Helder Campaign as part of the Anglo-Russian Army fighting against the French "puppet" Batavian Republic. The battalion fought at the Battle of Egmont op Zee (1799) for which it earned another battle honour.

[edit] India & Mauritius (1805-1826)

Under construction.

[edit] Crimean War (1853-1856)

Under construction.

[edit] Indian Mutiny (1857-1858)

Under construction.

[edit] 2nd Battalion (1804-1817)

The 2nd Battalion was raised in Surrey on 25 December 1804. The battalion was raised as part of the expansion of British forces during the Napoleonic Wars. The battalion garrisoned the Channel Islands in 1806, and the Cape of Good Hope in 1807. The battalion was then posted to India where it fought at the Battle of Travancore (1809), the Second Maratha War (1803-1811), and the Third Maratha War (1817-1819). In 1817 400 men were transferred to the 65th Regiment of Foot and the remainder of the battalion returned to England. The battalion disbanded its line companies at Rochester in June 1817 and drafted their personnel to the 1st Battalion in Mauritius. The flank companies (grenadier company & light company) and battalion headquarters were disbanded at Chatham on 29 December 1817.

[edit] 3rd Battalion (1813-1814)

The 3rd Battalion was raised at Horsham in 1813. The battalion was raised as part of the expansion of British forces during the Napoleonic Wars. The battalion saw active service in the Netherlands during between 1813 and 1814. The battalion skirmished at Merxem outside Antwerp on 30 January 1814. No battle honours were awarded for the 56th's participation in the campaign. The battalion returned to England and was disbanded on 24 October 1814. Personnel from the 3rd Battalion were drafted as replacements to the 1st Battalion and the 2nd Battalion in India.

[edit] Reserve Battalion (1846-1848)

The Reserve Battalion was formed in 1846 by the separation of 4 companies from 1st Battalion. The Reserve Battalion carried the lineage of the old 2nd Battalion. The battalion was sent to Gibraltar in 1847 where it formed part of the garrison. The battalion was disbanded at Gibraltar in 1848 and its personnel transferred into the 1st Battalion.

[edit] Essex Regiment (1881)

The 1st Battalion 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot was merged into the new Essex Regiment on 1 July 1881. The 56th became the new 2nd Battalion of the new Essex Regiment. [3]