A n t e c e d e n t R e g i m e n ta l H i s t o r i e s
A n t e c e d e n t R e g i m e n ta l H i s t o r i e s
The Regiment was formally linked to the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1782, in recognition of its then, well established practice of recruiting its soldiers from the West Riding The Regiment’s title was changed to 33rd (or 1st Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment. The practice of recruiting parties carrying Havercakes (oat cakes – a staple of the West Riding at that time) on a spear to entice hungry young recruits to enlist led to the Regiment gaining the nickname ‘The Havercake Lads’. Arthur Wellesley, later the 1st Duke of Wellington, joined the 33rd in 1793 and subsequently commanded it in the Netherlands and India. He was Colonel of the Regiment from 1806 to 1813 and in 1815 the Regiment served under his command at the Battle of Waterloo. On 18thJune 1853, the first anniversary of the battle following the Duke’s death, in recognition of the Duke’s particularly close personal connection with Regiment, the title of ‘The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment’ was awarded to the Regiment by command of Queen Victoria,. The Regiment subsequently served in the Crimea (1854–1856), Abyssinia (1867–1869) during which time Drummer Michael Magner and Private James Bergin were awarded the Victoria Cross for their part in storming of the fortress of Magdala
stand of Colours and the badge of an elephant and howdah circumscribed by the word “Hindoostan’. The Regiment returned from India in 1806 It was subsequently deployed twice to fight in the Peninsular war. In the first deployment it earning the battle honour Corunna and in the second Peninsular and Nive. Between these two deployments it took part in the ill-fated Walcheren campaign in the Netherlands. The Regiment was then ordered to Canada in support of the war against the United States. Though peace was signed in 1814 it remained in Canada for the next twelve years. Following this, though not on active service, the Regiment was constantly on the move being stationed successively in the West Indies (where it suffered many deaths from yellow fever), Nova Scotia, Ireland, England, Scotland, Corfu, Malta, Nova Scotia, India, Burma, India, England and Ireland where it was when the Cardwell reforms were introduced in the 1870s.
The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (West Riding) (33rd and 76th Foot)
The 76th Regiment was raised in 1787 for service in India, partly financed by the Honourable East India Company. The Regiment arrived there in 1788 and from 1790–1792 took part in the campaigns in Southern India which were to lead to the granting of the Battle Honour ‘Mysore’. The Regiment then moved north. In 1803 when war broke out against the Mahratta chiefs in Hindoostan an army under General Lord Lake was sent to confront them was commanded. The only British infantry battalion in his force consisting largely of sepoy troops, was the 76th. They came to be relied upon as a key component in a series of outstanding victories, notably at Ally Guhr, Delhi, Leswaree and Deig. The members of the Regiment became so battle scarred that they became known as the ‘Immortals’. One of the Mahratta chiefs is quoted as saying of Lake’s army: “They came here in the morning, looked over the wall, walked over it, killed all the garrison and retired for breakfast.” For its services in India the Regiment was awarded an ‘Honorary’
As a result of the far reaching changes to the Army brought about in the 1870s by the Cardwell Reforms, a decision was made to link regular Regiments in pairs and to create a home depot. The 33rd and 76th were first linked and then in 1881 formally amalgamated. They became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Regiment. The Regimental title was changed to The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (West Riding). Their home depot was built in Halifax. In 1900 the 1st Battalion and, subsequently, a company of the 2nd Battalion and the 3rd (Militia) Battalion were sent to South Africa as reinforcements for the Boer War. During the First World War the Regiment raised twenty-four battalions, fourteen of which were engaged on active service. At the outbreak of the war the 1st Battalion was stationed in India and remained there throughout. The 2nd Battalion was in Ireland and was mobilised to join the British Expeditionary Force. It fought on the Western Front throughout the war. The Army was also expanded by doubling the Territorial Army, each battalion was divided to form two, and Service Battalions were recruited. All these DWR battalions fought on the Western Front and the
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The 76th Regiment of Foot
