The 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot was a British Army

line infantry Line infantry was the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Turenne and Monte ...

regiment, raised in 1793. Under the

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation was ...

it amalgamated with the

53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot The 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881. History E ...

to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881.

History

Formation

The regiment was raised in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

by Lieutenant-Colonel George Nugent as the 85th Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by the French Revolution, on 18 November 1793. The regiment was sent to join the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

's army in the Netherlands in 1794 as part of the unsuccessful defence of that country against the Republican French during the

Flanders Campaign The Flanders Campaign (or Campaign in the Low Countries) was conducted from 20 April 1792 to 7 June 1795 during the first years of the War of the First Coalition. A coalition of states representing the Ancien Régime in Western Europe – Aus ...

. It was posted to

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in 1795 and returned home in 1797. It embarked for the Netherlands again in August 1799 and saw action at the Battle of Alkmaar and the Battle of Castricum in October 1799 during the

Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland (or Anglo-Russian expedition to Holland, or Helder Expedition) was a military campaign from 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British and ...

Napoleonic Wars

Battle of New Orleans, Jean Hyacinthe de Laclotte

A second battalion was raised in 1800. The 1st Battalion was deployed to

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in 1801 and both battalions went to Jamaica in 1802; the two battalions were amalgamated there later in the year. The regiment absorbed the Bucks volunteers in 1802 and became the 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot in 1802. It returned to England in 1808 and converted to a

Light Infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

role, becoming the 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) later in the year. The regiment next took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in autumn 1809. The regiment embarked for Portugal in 1811 for service under

Viscount Wellington A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

in the Peninsular War. It fought at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811, the Second Siege of Badajoz later that month and the Siege of San Sebastián in autumn 1813. It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813 before returning to England in April 1814. The regiment was dispatched to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

in May 1814 and saw action in the last phase of the War of 1812. It fought at the Battle of Bladensburg, capturing two American colours, in August 1814. Under the command of Colonel William Thornton, the regiment accompanied by detachments from the Royal Navy and

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

,"Correspondence from Cochrane, ADM 1/508 folio 757, states 'the whole amounting to about six hundred men'". carried out a successful attack on the American positions on the west bank of the Mississippi River during the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815. Casualties among the regiment were: 2 dead, 1 captured and 41 wounded. The regiment returned home later that year.

The Victorian era

The regiment was dispatched to Malta and became the 85th (or The Duke of York's Own) Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) in April 1821. After that it transferred to

and became the 85th, or The King's Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) in August 1827. The regiment went back to Malta in 1828 and then returned home in 1831. It embarked for Canada in 1838 as part of the response to the rebellions in Lower and Upper Canada and then transferred to the West Indies in 1843 before returning home in 1846. The regiment was posted to Mauritius in 1853 and South Africa in 1856 before returning home again in 1863. It embarked for India in 1868 and was deployed to Afghanistan for service in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878. After returning to India, it took part in operations against the

Zaimukhts The Zaimukhts is a Pashtun sub-tribe of Orakzai living on the northwest frontier of Pakistan, to the south of the Turi on the Kohat border of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر ...

and was involved in the destruction of their capital, Zawa, in 1879. As part of the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention ...

of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 85th was linked with the

52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot The 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India du ...

, and assigned to district no. 42 at Cowley Barracks in Oxford. On 1 July 1881 the

came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with

to become the 2nd battalion, the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: * ''Peninsular War'': Fuentes d'Onor, Nive, Peninsula * ''War of 1812'': Bladensburg * ''Second Anglo-Afghan War'': Afghanistan 1879-80

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the Regiment were:

85th Regiment of Foot

*1794–1805: F.M. Sir George Nugent, Bt., GCB

85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot - (1802)

*1805–1806: Lt-Gen. Sir Charles Ross, Bt. *1806–1807: Gen. Sir Charles Asgill, Bt., GCH

85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) - (1808)

*1807–1815: Gen. Thomas Slaughter Stanwix *1815–1823: Gen. Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Bt., GCB, GCH

85th (or The Duke of York's Own) Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) - (1821)

*1823–1839: Lt-Gen. Sir Herbert Taylor, GCB, GCH

85th, or The King's Regiment of Light Infantry (Bucks Volunteers) - (1827)

*1839–1840: Lt-Gen. Sir William Thornton, KCB *1840–1843: F.M. Sir

John Forster Fitzgerald Field Marshal Sir John Forster FitzGerald, GCB (c.1785 – 24 March 1877), was a soldier from Ireland who served as an officer in the British Army. He fought in the Peninsular War, seeing action at the Battle of Badajoz, the Battle of Salaman ...

, GCB *1843–1847: Lt-Gen. Sir Thomas Pearson, KCB, KCH *1847–1865: Gen. Sir John Wright Guise, Bt., GCB *1865–1875: Gen. Frederick Maunsell *1875–1876: Lt-Gen. George Campbell, CB *1876–1879: Gen. Arnold Charles Errington *1879–1880: Lt-Gen. Percy Hill, CB *1880–1881: Gen. Sir Henry Percival de Bathe, Bt.