The 85th Regiment of Foot (Royal Volunteers) was a short-lived

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 ...

regiment during 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 ...

. It was recruited at Shrewsbury in 1759 as the first full regiment of light infantry in the British Army and originally intended for service in the North American campaign. It instead formed part of the force that captured and occupied the island of

Belle Ile Belle may refer to: * Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'') * Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Belle (surname), a list of people Brands and enterprises * Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania ...

off the French coast, before being sent to Portugal in 1762. The regiment returned home to be disbanded the following year after the

Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the S ...

as part of a general demobilisation. The Colonel of the Regiment throughout its life was Colonel John Craufurd, who was afterwards made Colonel of the

Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:85th Regiment of Foot (Royal Volunteers Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1759 Military units and formations disestablished in 1763 1759 establishments in England