The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, raised in 1756. 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 w ...

it amalgamated with the

41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881. History Early ...

to form the

Welch Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the am ...

in 1881.

History

Formation

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 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. 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 up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

; among those chosen was the

24th Regiment of Foot Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * Fourth (album), ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 ...

. The 2nd Battalion of the 24th Regiment of Foot was formed on 10 December 1756 and renumbered as the 69th Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. The regiment took part in the

Raid on St Malo The Raid on St Malo took place in June 1758 when an amphibious British naval expedition landed close to the French port of St Malo in Brittany. While the town itself was not attacked, as had been initially planned, the British destroyed large a ...

in June 1758 and then formed part of a force which successfully captured

Belle Île Belle-Île (), Belle-Île-en-Mer (), or Belle Isle (, ; ) is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the ''département in France, département'' of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is from the Quiberon peninsula. Admini ...

in spring 1761. It embarked for the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

later that year and took part in the Invasion of Martinique in January 1762 before returning home in 1763. The regiment returned to the West Indies in November 1781 and took part in the

Battle of Saint Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet ...

in January 1782 and, while serving as

marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

, in the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

in April 1782. In August 1782 the regiment took a county title as the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment returned home in 1785.

Napoleonic Wars

Detachments from the regiment embarked as marines in early 1793 and were in combat on the

third-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Rating When the rating system was f ...

HMS ''Leviathan'' at the capture of

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

in December 1793,Smyth, p. 5 the attack on the Tour de Mortella in February 1794 and at the

Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was fought on 1 June 1794 between the British and French navies during the War of the First Coalition. It was the first and largest fleet a ...

in June 1794. They transferred to the third-rate HMS ''Agamemnon'' and served under

Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

at the

Battle of Genoa The Battle of Genoa (also known as the Battle of Cape Noli and in French as ''Bataille de Gênes'') was a naval battle fought between French and allied Anglo-Neapolitan forces on 14 March 1795 in the Gulf of Genoa, a large bay in the Ligurian S ...

in March 1795, and then, after Nelson's transfer into the third-rate ''Captain'' in June 1796, with him at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797. At Cape St Vincent, Matthew Stevens, a soldier from the regiment, was the first to board the Spanish ship . The main part of the regiment returned to the West Indies in 1796 to take part in a British invasion of Saint-Domingue,Smyth, p. 6 where almost half of them caught yellow fever.Perry, p. 72 After returning home in 1798, the regiment took part in 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 ...

in August 1799.Smyth, p. 7 It moved to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

in July 1800 and returned home again in June 1802.Smyth, p. 8 A second battalion was raised in 1803. The 1st battalion embarked for

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1805 and helped to suppress the Vellore mutiny in July 1806 and the Travancore Rebellion in spring 1809.Smyth, p. 11 It went on to see action during the

Invasion of Île Bonaparte The invasion of Isle Bonaparte was an amphibious operation in 1810 that formed an important part of the British campaign to blockade and capture the French Indian Ocean colonies of Isle Bonaparte and Isle de France during the Napoleonic Wars. ...

in July 1810, the

Invasion of Isle de France The invasion of Isle de France was a complicated but successful British amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial military force was landed by the Royal ...

in December 1810 and the Invasion of Java in August 1811.Smyth, p. 12 Meanwhile the 2nd battalion embarked for the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in 1813 and took part in the Siege of Bergen op Zoom in March 1814.Smyth, p. 13 It served at the

Battle of Quatre Bras The Battle of Quatre Bras was fought on 16 June 1815, as a preliminary engagement to the decisive Battle of Waterloo that occurred two days later. The battle took place near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras and was contested between el ...

and the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

. At Quatre Bras the King's Colour was captured by the enemy and Lieutenant-Colonel

Charles Morice Charles John Morice (27 May 1850 – 17 June 1932) was an English footballer who played for England as a forward in the first international match against Scotland. Early life and education Morice was born in London, the son of Sophia (née Lev ...

, commanding officer of the battalion, was killed in a French cavalry charge. The two battalions amalgamated again in 1816.

The Victorian era

The regiment embarked for the West Indies in November 1831 and was stationed in Saint Vincent before moving to

Demerara Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...

in 1835. It sailed for Halifax in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in January 1839 before returning home in September 1842.Smyth, p. 16 It arrived in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

in December 1847 and then went on to

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

in 1851 before returning to England in May 1857.Smyth, p. 17 It departed for

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

later that year and then went on to India in 1862 before returning home in May 1864.Smyth, p. 18 It embarked for Canada in August 1867 and while, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Bagot, helped to defeat a Fenian Raid at the Battle of Trout River in May 1870.Smyth, p. 21 It embarked for

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

later that year and moved to Gibraltar in 1873 before returning home in 1878. 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 attentio ...

of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 69th was linked with the

, and assigned to district no. 24 at

Maindy Barracks Maindy Barracks is a military installation in the Cathays district of Cardiff in Wales. History Maindy Barracks opened in 1877. Their creation took place as part of the Cardwell Reforms which encouraged the localisation of British military force ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. On 1 July 1881 the

came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot to form the

Traditions

The regiment's nickname "The Ups and Downs" is said to refer to its being composed of old veterans and raw recruits. Alternatively, it may come from the number, which reads the same upside down.

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were:

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon, a beer produced by Brasseries de Bourbon * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * Bourbon coffee, a type of coffee ma ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

, India

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the Regiment were:

69th Regiment of Foot

*1758–1775: Lt-Gen. Hon. Charles Colville *1775–1790: Lt-Gen. Hon. Philip Sherard

69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot - (1782)

*1790–1792: Lt-Gen. Sir

Ralph Abercromby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Trinidad in 1797. Rising to the rank ...

, KB *1792–1794: Gen.

Henry Watson Powell General Henry Watson Powell (1733 – 14 July 1814) was a British officer during the Seven Years' War and American Revolutionary War. Powell was born in England in 1733. He commissioned as a Lieutenant on 10 March 1753, with the 46th Regiment ...

*1794–1819: Gen. Sir Cornelius Cuyler, 1st Baronet *1819–1823: Gen.

William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford William Carr Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, (; 2 October 1768 – 8 January 1854) was a British army officer and politician. A General (British Army), general in the British Army and a Marshal of Portugal, Marshal in the Portuguese Army, ...

, GCB, GCH *1823–1836: Lt-Gen.

Sir John Hamilton, 1st Baronet, of Woodbrook Lieutenant-General Sir John James Hamilton, 1st Baronet (4 August 1755 – 24 December 1835) was a British officer of the Honourable East India Company, the British Army and during the Napoleonic Wars the Portuguese Army who saw action across th ...

, KCB, KCH *1836–1848: Gen. John Vincent *1848–1858: Gen. Sir

Ralph Darling General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH (1772 – 2 April 1858) was a British Army officer who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831. His period of governorship was unpopular, with Darling being broadly regarded as a tyrant. He introd ...

, GCH *1858–1876: Gen. Ernest Frederick Gascoigne *1876–1877: Gen. Sir William Montagu Scott McMurdo, GCB *1877–1881: Gen. David Elliot Mackirdy

References

Sources

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