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Royal Veteran Battalions
Royal Veteran Battalions were British Army units of the early nineteenth century that were made up of men no longer fit for front-line service. They had been previously termed " invalid battalions" but this was deemed derogatory and changed. History Between 1802 and 1820, 13 Royal Garrison Battalions, renamed Royal Veteran Battalions in 1804, were raised, taking into service army pensioners and invalids. Generally, these battalions worked in depots and stores doing administration and support work, which enabled the more able-bodied soldiers to do the fighting. These veteran battalions were disbanded and re-formed up until the 1820s. Most of the original battalions were disbanded in 1814, but the 10th (in Canada) and the 13th (in Portugal) were not disbanded until 1815. The 6th bore the additional title Royal North British. The 13th was authorised to bear the battle honour "Peninsula". A second group of eight battalions was formed in June 1815, and disbanded the following year. A th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkhas, and 28,330 volunteer reserve personnel. The modern British Army traces back to 1707, with antecedents in the English Army and Scots Army that were created during the Restoration in 1660. The term ''British Army'' was adopted in 1707 after the Acts of Union between England and Scotland. Members of the British Army swear allegiance to the monarch as their commander-in-chief, but the Bill of Rights of 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689 require parliamentary consent for the Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army. Therefore, Parliament approves the army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years. The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. The Brit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corps Of Invalids (Great Britain)
The Corps of Invalids was a British unit that provided garrison troops for the defence of England and Great Britain between 1688 and 1802. The men and officers were all veterans of the British Army chosen by the commissioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea to serve in lieu of a place at the hospital or receipt of a pension. The corps was rapidly expanded or decreased in size as needs arose and played a key role in regulating the manpower requirements of the British Army. The corps was organised into a number of independent companies that were garrisoned at key points in the country, freeing up units of the regular army for service overseas. The men were generally those who were too old or wounded to serve in the regular forces and most served at least six years with the corps. In the early years they wore a grey uniform but later wore the same red coat with blue facings as worn by the patients of the Chelsea Hospital. The original three companies of the corps were raised by J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King's German Legion
The King's German Legion (KGL; german: Des Königs Deutsche Legion, semantically erroneous obsolete German variations are , , ) was a British Army unit of mostly expatriated German personnel during the period 1803–16. The legion achieved the distinction of being the only German force to fight without interruption against the French during the Napoleonic Wars. The legion was formed within months of the dissolution of the Electorate of Hanover in 1803 and constituted as a mixed corps by the end of 1803. Although the legion never fought autonomously and remained a part of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars (1804–15), it played a vital role in several campaigns, most notably the Walcheren Campaign, the Peninsular War, and the Hundred Days (1815). The legion was disbanded in 1816. Several of the units were incorporated into the army of the Kingdom of Hanover, and became later a part of the Imperial German Army after unification in 1871. The British German Legion, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Landguard Fort
Landguard Fort is a fort at the mouth of the River Orwell outside Felixstowe, Suffolk, designed to guard the mouth of the river. It is now managed by the charity English Heritage and is open to the public. History Originally known as Langer Fort, the first fortifications from 1540 were a few earthworks and blockhouse, but it was king James I who ordered, from 1621, the construction of a square fort with bulwarks at each corner. In 1667 the Dutch, under Michiel de Ruyter, landed a force of 2,000 men on Felixstowe beach in front of (what is now called) Undercliff Road East and advanced on to the fort, but were repulsed by Nathaniel Darrel and his garrison of 400 musketeers of the Duke of York & Albany's Maritime Regiment (the first Royal Marines) and 100 artillerymen with 54 cannon.Rickard, J The fort was considered part of Essex in the 18th and 19th centuries; births and deaths within the garrison were recorded as 'Landguard Fort, Essex'. A new Fort battery was built in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New South Wales Corps
The New South Wales Corps (sometimes called The Rum Corps) was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment of the British Army to relieve the New South Wales Marine Corps, who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia, in fortifying the Colony of New South Wales. It gained notoriety for its trade in rum and disobedient behaviour during its service and was disbanded in 1818. History Formation The regiment was formed in England in June 1789 as a permanent unit to relieve the New South Wales Marine Corps, who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia. The regiment began arriving as guards on the Second Fleet in 1790. The regiment, led by Major Francis Grose, consisted of three companies numbering about 300 men. Although drafts were sent from Britain to reinforce the regiment throughout its time in Australia, full strength was never to exceed 500. A fourth company was raised from those Marines wishing to remain in New South Wales under Captain George Johnston, who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chelsea Pensioner
A Chelsea Pensioner, or In-Pensioner, is a resident at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home and nursing home for former members of the British Army located in Chelsea, London. The Royal Hospital Chelsea is home to 300 retired British soldiers, male and female (the latter since 2009), and is located on Royal Hospital Road. Historically, the term "Chelsea Pensioner" applied more widely, referring to both In-Pensioners and Out-Pensioners who live elsewhere. In- and Out-Pensioners The Royal Hospital was founded by King Charles II in 1682 as a retreat for veterans.Guidebook, p. 3 The provision of a hostel rather than the payment of pensions was inspired by Les Invalides in Paris. During the reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, the Royal Hospital was still under construction so they introduced a system for distribution of army pensions in 1689. The pension was to be made available to all former soldiers who had been injured in service, or who had served for more than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Edmeston
General William Edmeston (died 1804) was a British Army officer who owned an estate in New York State. As a captain in the 48th Regiment of Foot, he was posted to North America in 1755 with his brother, Lieutenant Robert Edmeston, to fight in the French and Indian War. In 1763, by royal proclamation, the brothers were each awarded 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land in the colonies for their military service. They attempted to establish their claims in what was then a disputed part of the New Hampshire Grants, now Vermont. However, in 1770 they decided to locate on the east bank of the Unadilla River in New York State just west of George Croghan's Otsego patent, in what is now the Town of Edmeston in Otsego County. They established their homes on the land, which became known as the Mount Edmeston Tracts. The transactions were facilitated by Percifer Carr, who had been a sergeant in the 48th with Edmeston and when the Edmeston brothers later returned to England, Carr would be e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colonel Archibald Christie
Colonel Sir Archibald Christie, KCH of Riddry, formerly of Stenton, (1774–1847) was an army officer. He was the son of James Christie, an officer in the Royal Dragoons, and Lucy, daughter of John Beardsley of Glascott, Warwickshire. Archibald Christie served in many important military engagements in Flanders and Holland, where he was wounded. In reward for his service, he was appointed a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (german: Königliche Guelphen-Orden), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name ... (also known as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order). He was appointed as a Commandant-General of army hospitals in 1811 and as a Colonel of the 1st Royal Veteran Battalion in 1819. He was commandant at Chatham for twenty years and was subsequently appointed Deputy Governor of Stirling Castle. Christie married Jane ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Watson Tadwell Watson
John Watson Tadwell Watson (1748–1826) was a British army officer. Born in London in 1748, Watson entered the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards as an Ensign in April 1767 and on 28 April 1773 became captain. In that rank, in mid-1778, he sailed to join the Guards detachment that had been drafted for service in North America. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and given command of a corps of British American light infantry, having replaced Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington. Fifteen men from each company of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ... and the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards, formed a composite battalion of Foot Guards to be sent to North America. The composite battalion was subsequently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Needham, 1st Earl Of Kilmorey
Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey (5 April 1748 – 21 November 1832), known as Francis Needham until 1818 and as The Viscount Kilmorey from 1818 to 1822, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Member of Parliament. Kilmorey was the third son of John Needham, 10th Viscount Kilmorey, and Anne (née Hurleston). He entered the British Army in 1762 and served in the American War of Independence, where he was taken prisoner at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. He also fought in the French Revolutionary Wars but is best remembered for his role during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. He was in overall command at the Battle of Arklow and commanded one of the five columns at the Battle of Vinegar Hill. In 1804, he was appointed Colonel of the 5th Royal Veteran Battalion. He was promoted to colonel for life of the 86th Foot in 1810 and to general in 1812. From 1806 to 1818 Kilmorey also represented Newry in the House of Commons. He succeeded his elder brother in the viscountcy in 1818 but as this was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Murray (British Army Officer, Died 1816)
General Thomas Murray (died 24 April 1816) was a British Army officer who became Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth. Military career Born the son of John Murray of Stanhope, Murray served as aide-de-camp to General James Robertson, Governor of New York in the early 1780s during the American Revolutionary War. He became Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth and General Officer Commanding South-West District in February 1799 and then was given command of Northern District in 1801. He was also colonel of the 7th Royal Veteran Battalion. He was promoted to full general in June 1814 and died at Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ... on 24 April 1816. References {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Thomas British Army generals 1816 deaths British Army personnel of the A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Despard
General John Despard (1745–1829) was an Irish-born soldier who had a long and distinguished career in the British Army and as colonial administrator He was the brother of Edward Despard, also a soldier, who was executed in 1803 for his part in the Despard Plot. John Despard was born in Dublin and served in the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence. He was in 24 engagements, had two horses shot under him, was shipwrecked three times, was taken prisoner twice, and had the standard of his regiment shot out of his hand at the age of 15.Obituary, General Despard. ''Gentleman's Magazine'', October 1829, pp.369-370. He joined the army in 1760 as an ensign in 12th Foot. In 1762, he purchased a lieutenancy. After serving in the Seven Years' War, he was reduced to half pay from 1763 until he exchanged into 7th Foot (Royal Fusiliers) in 1768. He went with the regiment to Canada in 1773, and took part in the American War of Independence, being taken prisoner aSt. John'sin 17 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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