The 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of the

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 Gurk ...

, raised in 1701. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the

107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot The 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised by the East India Company in 1765. Under the Childers Reforms, it amalgamated with the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Susse ...

to form the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot a ...

in 1881.

History

Formation

The regiment was raised in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

as the Earl of Donegall's Regiment of Foot or the Belfast Regiment on 28 June 1701 to fight in the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. This was the second raising of the Earl of Donegall's Regiment: the previous regiment was raised in 1693 and disbanded on 8 February 1697: despite the names there was no lineal connection between them.Swinson, p. 132Trimen, p. 1 The regiment was a strongly

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

unit tasked with resisting the spread of Roman Catholicism in Britain.

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...

, gave special permission for the regiment to bear orange

facings A facing colour is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Chartrand, William Younghusb ...

to show their religious allegiance and as a mark of royal favour.Beatson, p. 232

Early service

Queen Anne issued a Royal Warrant on 1 June 1702 under which Donegall's Regiment was one of six regiments designated for "sea service" and put under the command of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. The troops embarked on several ships in June 1702, and took part in the Battle of Cádiz in August 1702 and the defence of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in spring 1705 as well as the siege of Barcelona, where the Earl of Donegall was killed on 16 April 1706. On his death Brigadier Richard Gorges was appointed colonel, with the unit becoming Gorges's Regiment of Foot. At the disastrous

Battle of Almansa The Battle of Almansa took place on 25 April 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession. It was fought between an army loyal to Philip V of Spain, Bourbon claimant to the Spanish throne, and one supporting his Habsburg rival, Archduke Charl ...

in April 1707 the regiment was practically wiped out and the

regimental colours In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some ...

were lost. The survivors returned to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

where the regiment was reconstituted. In 1717 Gorges resigned as colonel and was replaced by General Charles Otway. In 1751 a royal warrant declared that regiments should no longer be known by the name of their colonel, but their number in the order of precedence, and Otway's duly became the 35th Regiment of Foot.

Seven Years' War

In April 1756 the regiment embarked from Ireland to America for service in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

. The commanding officer of the regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel George Monro, led the defence of the

Fort William Henry Fort William Henry was a British fort at the southern end of Lake George, in the province of New York. The fort's construction was ordered by Sir William Johnson in September 1755, during the French and Indian War, as a staging ground for ...

in August 1757 but was forced to surrender to the superior forces of General the

Marquis de Montcalm Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Grozon, Marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran (28 February 1712 – 14 September 1759) was a French soldier best known as the commander of the forces in North America during the Seven Years' War (whose North American th ...

. The British troops were allowed to leave the fort with their weapons but when the Native American allies of the French attacked the retreating column Montcalm did not intervene. The regiment subsequently took part in the siege of Louisbourg in July 1758 when several of the regiment's officers were wounded. In September 1759 the regiment had its revenge on Montcalm when it fought under General

James Wolfe James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. ...

at the

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...

. Regimental tradition later related that the 35th routed the French Regiment Royal Roussillon, which had been present at Fort William Henry, and took white feathers from the Royal Roussillon hats as trophies. The emblem of the 'Roussillon Plume' was later incorporated into the Royal Sussex Regiment badge. It saw action again at the

Battle of Sainte-Foy The Battle of Sainte-Foy (french: Bataille de Sainte-Foy) sometimes called the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille du Quebec), was fought on April 28, 1760 near the British-held town of Quebec in the French province of Canada during the Seven Y ...

where 12 of its men were killed and the subsequent siege of Quebec in April to May 1760. It then took part in the final and decisive campaign between July and September 1760 when

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

fell. The regiment proceeded to take part in the Invasion of Martinique in January 1762, and departed with the

British expedition against Cuba The siege of Havana was a successful British siege against Spanish-ruled Havana that lasted from March to August 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War. After Spain abandoned its former policy of neutrality by signing the family compact with F ...

and was part of the besieging force which took Fort Morro in July 1762 and

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

in August 1762. The following year it proceeded to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, which had been ceded by Spain to the United Kingdom, before returning to England in 1765.

American Revolutionary War

The regiment returned to America arriving at

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in April 1775 for service in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It suffered tremendous casualties at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775: of the Light Infantry, all officers and non-commissioned officers were killed or wounded and of the Grenadier Company only five soldiers were alive and unscathed. The regiment suffered the hardships of the siege of Boston in spring 1776 before sailing to New York and taking part in the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...

in July 1776 and the

Battle of Harlem Heights The Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The action took place on September 16, 1776, in what is now the Morningside Heights area and east into the future Harlem neigh ...

in September 1776. The commanding officer of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Carr, was killed at the

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward f ...

in October 1776 and, under fresh command, the regiment fought again at the

Battle of Fort Washington The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in New York on November 16, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. It was a British victory that gained the surrender of the remnant of the garrison of ...

in November 1776. It saw action in the

Philadelphia campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British effort in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress. British General William Howe, after failing to dra ...

during much of 1777 and then sailed for the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

in July 1778. It took part in the Capture of St. Lucia in December 1778 and then returned to England in September 1785.

Change of titles

In 1782

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

added county titles to infantry regiments in order to help recruiting and the regiment became the 35th (Dorsetshire) Regiment. The first real connection with Sussex came in 1787 when Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, joined the Regiment - Lennox not only recruited Sussex men for the Regiment from his family estates in the County but, in 1805, obtained Royal permission for the title "Sussex" to be transferred from the 25th Regiment of Foot to the 35th Regiment of Foot.

Napoleonic Wars

In March 1794 the regiment were part of a British force under Admiral Sir John Jervis and Lieutenant General Sir Charles Grey which captured Fort-de-France, Fort Saint Louis and Fort Bourbon on

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

. The force went on to capture Saint Lucia in April 1794 and tried unsuccessfully to take Guadeloupe in June 1794 before returning to England in July 1795. The regiment took part in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland under the Duke of York and saw action at the Battle of Bergen in September 1799, the Battle of Alkmaar in October 1799 and the

Battle of Castricum The Battle of Castricum (October 6, 1799) saw a Franco-Dutch force defeat an Anglo-Russian force near Castricum, Netherlands. The battle was fought during the War of the Second Coalition against Revolutionary France between French and Dutch forc ...

later that month. It went on to recover

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 ...

from the French in September 1800. A 2nd battalion was formed in 1804. The 1st battalion was part of an expeditionary force which landed in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in February 1806 and saw action at the

Battle of Maida The Battle of Maida, fought on 4 July 1806 was a battle between the British expeditionary force and a French force outside the town of Maida in Calabria, Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led 5,236 Anglo-Sicilian troops to victory ...

in July 1806 during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. The regiment were prominent in the battle and, when General Louis Compère rode into the British line, they captured him in the brief

melee A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...

that followed. However, it then suffered significant losses defending

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

in summer 1807 during the Alexandria expedition in 1807 and had to be withdrawn to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

in September 1807. The 2nd battalion took part in the disastrous

Walcheren Campaign The Walcheren Campaign ( ) was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Sir John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chath ...

in 1809; Lieutenant Colonel Peter Petit, commanding officer of the 2nd battalion, died of the wounds he suffered during the siege of

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushin ...

. Meanwhile, the 1st battalion captured

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Z ...

and Cephalonia in October 1809 and

Lefkada Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas ( Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of G ...

in March 1810. From October 1813 onwards, the 1st Battalion were landed near Trieste, and in concert with the Austrian forces of Field Marshall Nugent pursued the French, the campaign culminating in the capture of Genoa in April 1814. In December 1813 the 2nd battalion was deployed to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and it saw action at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

in June 1815.

The Victorian era

On 15 June 1832 it was announced in the '' London Gazette'' that the regiment would be permitted to bear the appellation of Royal, and be in future styled the 35th or Royal Sussex Regiment and that the facings be accordingly changed from orange to blue. In August 1854 the regiment embarked for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and was engaged in skirmishes with rebels near

Arrah Arrah (also transliterated as Ara) is a city and a municipal corporation in Bhojpur district (formerly known as Shahabad district) in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the headquarters of Bhojpur district, located near the confluence of the G ...

in February 1858 during the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

. It returned to England in January 1868. As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 35th was linked with the

, and assigned to district no. 43 at

Roussillon Barracks Roussillon Barracks was a military installation in Chichester. History The barracks were originally established as part of the British response to the threat of the French Revolution in tented accommodation in 1795 and were enhanced by the use o ...

Chichester Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...

. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: * ''Napoleonic Wars'': Maida * Gibraltar 1704–05, Louisburg, Quebec 1759 (''all three awarded to successor regiment, 1882'') * Martinique 1762, Havannah, St. Lucia 1778 (''all three awarded to successor regiment, 1909'')

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were: ;Earl of Donegal's Regiment of Foot *1701–1706: Col.

*1706–1717: Lt-Gen. Richard Gorges *1717–1764: Gen. Charles Otway ;35th Regiment of Foot (The Prince of Orange's Own Regiment) - (1751) *1764–1803: Gen. Henry Fletcher *1803–1819: Gen. Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, KG ;35th (the Sussex) Regiment - (1805) *1819–1840: Gen. Sir John Oswald, GCB, GCMG ;35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot - (1832) *1840–1845: Lt-Gen. Sir

Richard Downes Jackson Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Downes Jackson KCB (1777 – 9 June 1845), born at Petersfield in the English county of Hampshire, was an officer in the British Army and subsequently colonial Administrator. Following service during the Napole ...

, KCB *1845–1857: Gen. Sir

George Henry Frederick Berkeley General Sir George Henry Frederick Berkeley KCB (9 July 1785 – 25 September 1857) was a British Army officer and Conservative politician. Military career Berkeley was the eldest son of Admiral Sir George Cranfield Berkeley, third son of Augu ...

, KCB *1857–1861: Lt-Gen. John Leslie, KH *1861–1863: Gen. Sir George Leigh Goldie, KCB *1863–1875: Gen. Arthur Simcoe Baynes *1875–1879: Gen.

Henry Renny General Henry Renny (1815–1900) was a British Army officer who was the 24th General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. He was appointed General Officer Commanding, Ceylon in 1869 and succeeded by John Alfred Street in 1874. Career Born 9 Septemb ...

, CSI *1879–1881: Gen. Sir

Richard Thomas Farren General Sir Richard Thomas Farren (1817–1909) was a British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding Eastern District. Military career Farren was commissioned as an ensign in 1834. He commanded the 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Fo ...

, GCB

Uniform

At its formation in 1701 the regiment was given orange

on its red coats. This unusual military colour was decided on because of the Duke of Donegal's earlier connections with King William's

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...

. The orange distinctions were retained until 1832 when facings of royal blue were adopted. Silver

epaulettes Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''shoulder scales'' ...

and braiding were worn by the officers until gold was adopted in 1830. The basic design of the uniform followed the standard pattern of that worn by British line infantry throughout this period.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Journal of the 35th RegimentRoyal Sussex Society (35th Reg't) - US Living HistoryEastbourne Redoubt - Home of the Regimental Museum

Royal Sussex Regiment Living History Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment Of Foot Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations in Sussex Regiments of the British Army in the American Revolutionary War 1701 establishments in England