69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot
| 69th Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1756-1881 (amalgamated 1881) |
| Country | Great Britain, United Kingdom |
| Type | Infantry |
| Nickname(s) | The Ups and Downs |
The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Welsh Regiment in 1881.
The regiment was raised by the redesignation of the 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot in April 1758, ranked as the 69th Regiment of Foot. Most of the soldiers were recruited from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Lancashire. In 1782 they took a county title as the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment fought with distinction in the Capture of St. Lucia (1778), the Vellore Mutiny (1806), and the Invasion of Java (1811), and served throughout the Waterloo Campaign of 1815 (during which the King's Colour was captured by the enemy at the Battle of Waterloo).[1] At Waterloo, Lieutenant-general Charles Morice, commander of the 2nd Battalion was killed in a French cavalry charge.[2]
As marines on HMS Agamemnon under Lord Nelson, part of the regiment also participated in the Battle of Genoa (1795), evacuation of Leghorn, action in Laona Bay, and capture of Porto Ferrajo, then, after Nelson's transfer into the Captain, with him at the Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797). Matthew Stevens, a soldier from the regiment, was the first to board the Spanish ship San Nicolas.
In 1870, while stationed in Canada, under the command of Lt. Col. George Bagot they helped defeat a Fenian Raid at the Battle of Trout River.[3]
The regiment's nickname "The Ups and Downs" is said to refer to its being composed of old veterans and raw recruits.[4] Alternatively, it may come from the number, which reads the same upside down.
References
- ↑ 2nd Battalion 69th (South Lincolnshire) Foot during the Waterloo Campaign
- ↑ Nofi, Albert A. (2007). The Waterloo Campaign, June 1815. Da Capo Press. p. 113. ISBN 0-306-81694-6.
- ↑ Major Smyth, Records of the Sixty-Ninth, or, South Lincolnshire regiment (1870). p. 21
- ↑ http://mainlynorfolk.info/steeleye.span/songs/theupsanddowns.html
Sources
- Almack, Edward (1900). Regimental badges worn in the British army one hundred years ago. East & Blades.
- Wickes, H.L. (1974). Regiments of Foot: A Historical Record of All the Foot Regiments of the British Army (PDF). Osprey Publishing.