The 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) 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 1756 as the 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment of Foot. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion,

York and Lancaster Regiment The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment ...

in 1881.Swinson, p. 165Wickes, pp. 94–95

History

Seven Years' War

The formation of the regiment was prompted by the expansion of the army as a result of the commencement of 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 ...

. On 25 August 1756 it was ordered that a number of existing regiments should raise a second

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

; among those chosen was the 12th Regiment of Foot. The 2nd Battalion of the 12th Regiment of Foot was formed on 10 December 1756 and renumbered as the 65th Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. It was sent to the fever ridden

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 ...

to aid in the capturing of the French islands of Guadeloupe in January 1759 and

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 ...

in January 1762. It was also involved in the expedition to capture Havana, Cuba in June 1762. In 1764 the regiment returned to England, where it refilled its ranks.

American War of Independence

In 1768 the regiment was shipped to

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 ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

as part of the garrison. The regiment's first action in the American War of Independence was at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775 where their Grenadier and

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...

Companies were involved in the attack. In 1776 the remnants of the regiment were drafted into other regiments and the officers sent home to reform. In 1782 the regiment received a county title and became the 65th (The 2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot. In 1788 the

Anglo-French War The Anglo-French Wars were a series of conflicts between England (and after 1707, Britain) and France, including: Middle Ages High Middle Ages * Anglo-French War (1109–1113) – first conflict between the Capetian Dynasty and the House of Norma ...

broke out and the regiment was sent to the fortress at

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 1782. After this regiment was sent to Canada in 1784 and to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

in 1791. In 1793 the regiment was shipped back to the West Indies and took part in the attack on

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

in September 1794 and an attack on Martinique in February 1794 and an attack on Saint Lucia in April 1794.

Napoleonic Wars

The regiment was shipped to South Africa in 1800 and then on to Ceylon where it was involved in the Kandian War in 1802. It transferred to India in May 1803 and took part in the

Second Anglo-Maratha War } The Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805) was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. Background The British had supported the "fugitive" Peshwa Raghunathrao in the First Anglo-Maratha War ...

later that year. The regiment was dispatched to the island of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

in December 1810 where it took part in the capture of the island. In 1811 it returned to India: it was briefly involved in the campaign against the

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

Coast Pirates in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

in 1819 as well as numerous uprisings and small wars in India. The regiment returned to England in August 1822.

The Victorian era

In 1829, the regiment returned to the West Indies. Subsequently it carried on to Guiana in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. It then went back to Canada to help suppress the rebellions of 1837 and 1838 before returning home in 1841. Most of the regiment embarked from

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

on the vessel "Java" for

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on 18 May 1846. The regiment saw action in the

First Taranaki War The First Taranaki War (also known as the North Taranaki War) was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori and the New Zealand government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand's North Island from M ...

of 1860 to 1861 and in the

Waikato campaign The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

of 1863 to 1864, during which Colour-sergeant Edward McKenna and Lance Corporal John Ryan won their

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

es at Camerontown. The regiment returned home in October 1865 having become known as the "Royal Tigers" at home and as the "Hickety Pips" to the Māori due to their pronunciation of the number 65. The regiment returned to England in 1866 and then went to Ireland in 1867 to help suppress the

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated ...

s. It then embarked at Queenstown on the vessel "Serapis" for India on 11 January 1871. The regiment was initially based in

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...

. Concerns were raised in

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

because of the 919 troops from the regiment serving in India, 579 were under the age of 20: the Secretary of State for War agreed to rectify the issue. The regiment moved to

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

in January 1874, to Danapore in November 1877 and to

Morar Morar (; gd, Mòrar) is a small village on the west coast of Scotland, south of Mallaig. The name Morar is also applied to the northern part of the peninsula containing the village, though North Morar is more usual (the region to the south we ...

in October 1880. 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 65th was linked with the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 7 at

Pontefract Barracks Pontefract Barracks is a former military installation in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. History The barracks were built in the Gothic Revival architecture, Fortress Gothic Revival Style and were completed in 1879. Their creation took place ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot to form the

. The 65th Foot became the 1st Battalion while the 84th Foot became the 2nd Battalion.

Battle honours and distinctions

The regiment was awarded the following

battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

for display on 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 ...

: *The Royal Tiger badge superscribed "India"In consideration of the distinguished conduct of the 65th Regiment during the period of its service in India and Arabia, His Majesty has been pleased to approve of that Regiment hearing on its colours and appointments the figure of the royal tiger, with the word "India" superscribed, and also the word " Arabia" beneath the figure and the number of the Regiment, to commemorate the services of the Corps in those countries. *Arabia (unique to this regiment) *New Zealand 1860–61 In 1909 the successor

were awarded the honours ''Guadeloupe 1759'' and ''Martinique 1794'' for the service of the 65th Foot.

Victoria Crosses

Victoria crosses awarded to men of the regiment were: *Colour Sergeant Edward McKenna

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the ...

(7 September 1863) *Private John Ryan New Zealand Wars (7 September 1863)

Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were:

65th Regiment of Foot

*1758–60: Lt-Gen Robert Armiger *1760–64: Lt-Gen

George Cholmondeley, Viscount Malpas George Cholmondeley, Viscount Malpas (17 October 1724 – 15 March 1764) was a British soldier and Member of Parliament. Cholmondeley was the eldest son of George Cholmondeley, 3rd Earl of Cholmondeley, and Lady Mary Walpole, daughter of Prime M ...

*1764–70: Lt-Gen Hon.

Alexander Mackay Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

Raikes, p. 1 *1770–79: Lt-Gen Edward Urmston *1779–83: Lt-Gen Thomas Calcraft

65th (The 2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot – (1782)

*1783–88: Gen Earl of Harrington *1788–97: Lt-Gen John Gunning *1797–1814: Gen Edmund Stevens *1814–51: F.M. Thomas Grosvenor *1851–55: Gen Samuel Benjamin Auchmuty *1855–57: Lt-Gen Henry Balneavis *1857–69: Gen Robert Bartlett Coles *1869–76: Lt-Gen Sir Robert Walpole *1876–81: Lt-Gen Robert Newton Phillips

References

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

Standing Orders for the 65th Regiment
{{Regiments of Foot Infantry regiments of the British Army Regiments of Yorkshire York and Lancaster Regiment Military units and formations in the North Riding of Yorkshire Military units and formations established in 1756 Regiments of the British Army in the American Revolutionary War Military units and formations disestablished in 1881 1756 establishments in Great Britain