| 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1755–1881 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Great Britain (1755–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Size | Onebattalion (two battalions 1804–1816) |
| Garrison/HQ | Burnley Barracks,Lancashire |
| Nickname | The Lily Whites[1] |
| Colors | White facings |
| Engagements | American Revolutionary War Napoleonic Wars Second Opium War Second Anglo-Afghan War |
The59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot was aninfantry regiment of theBritish Army, formed in 1755 in response to the threat of renewed war with France.[2] Under theChilders Reforms it amalgamated with the30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot to form theEast Lancashire Regiment in 1881.[1]
The regiment was raised in the counties ofLeicestershire andNorthamptonshire bySir Charles Montagu as the 61st Regiment of Foot in 1755 for service in theSeven Years' War.[2][1] It was re-ranked as the59th Regiment of Foot, following the disbandment of the existing50th and51st regiments, in 1756.[2][1]
Shortly after its formation, the regiment moved from England to Ireland, where it performed garrison duty until 1763. In that year the 59th Foot sailed toNova Scotia where they remained until 1772 when they stationed inBoston, Massachusetts. The 59th were in Boston when theAmerican War of Independence broke out, and fought in theBattle of Bunker Hill. However, they suffered so many casualties in this battle that the remains of the regiment returned to England in 1776 to reform.[3][4]
In 1782, the closing stages of theAnglo Spanish War, the 59th were assigned to theGibraltar garrison, remaining there for ten years. From 1792–1794 the regiment was based in England and theChannel Islands.[3] In 1782 all regiments of the line without a royal title were given a county designation and the regiment became the59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot (the45th Foot being designated the 1st Nottinghamshire).[1]
With the outbreak ofwar with revolutionary France, the 59th formed part of the British force dispatched toFlanders, arriving in 1794. The campaign was a major reverse for the British and their allies, and the regiment was evacuated back to England in 1795.[3]
Later in 1795 the 59th Foot sailed to theWest Indies, where they were to remain for seven years. They were stationed inSaint Vincent, where they suppressed uprisings by theMaroons. They returned to England in 1802.[3]
In August 1804, while stationed in England, a second battalion of the 59th Foot was raised.[3] The 1st Battalion sailed in the following year for theCape of Good Hope, while the 2nd Battalion was to remain on garrison duty in England, Ireland and the Channel Islands until 1808.[5]
The Cape of Good Hope, which had been captured by the British in 1795, had been returned to the Dutch under theTreaty of Amiens. On 7 January 1806 the 1st Battalion of the 59th was part of a brigade that landed at the Cape, and within two days the Dutch forces had surrendered. Although the regiment suffered only light casualties (two dead and six wounded) this was to be the 59th's firstbattle honour.[6]
The 2nd Battalion, meanwhile, sailed for Spain in 1808. On 16 January 1809 it took part in theBattle of Corunna, a British tactical victory which allowed for the evacuation of their forces from the Iberian peninsula.[5] From England, the battalion was dispatched to theNetherlands in July 1809, taking part in the fruitlessWalcheren Campaign. The unit was to remain in England and Ireland until 1812.[5]
From the Cape, the 1st Battalion sailed to India. In November 1810 the battalion took part in theinvasion of Mauritius. In the following year theyinvaded Java in theDutch East Indies.[3][6] They remained in Java until 1815, when they returned to India.[3]
In 1812 the 2nd Battalion returned to Spain. They took part in theBattle of Vittoria (June 1813), theSiege of San Sebastián (July – August 1813), theBattle of the Bidassoa (October 1813), theBattle of Nivelle (November 1813) and theBattle of the Nive (December 1813).[5]
From France the 2/59th had sailed to Ireland. When Napoleon returned to France, triggering the "Hundred Days", the battalion was part of the British force dispatched toBelgium. While they were present in the Waterloo area, they did not take part in the hostilities.[6] Having formed part of the army of occupation in France, the 2nd Battalion returned to England in 1816, where they were disbanded.[5]
On the disbandment of the 2nd Battalion, the 1st was redesignated simply as the59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot. The unit moved from India toCeylon in 1817, returning to India in the following year, where it fought in theThird Anglo-Maratha War. In 1825–1826 they took part in thesiege and capture of theJat fortress ofBharatpur (awarded as the honour "Bhurtpore").[3][6] The regiment returned to England in 1829.[3]
For the next twenty years the 59th was engaged in garrison duties in England, Ireland,Malta and the West Indies.[3] In 1849 they sailed to China to become part of a small force enforcing the terms imposed on China following theFirst Opium War. In 1856 Britain deemed the terms of the treaty to have been broken, and theSecond Opium War commenced. In January 1858 the 59th Foot, along with members of theRoyal Marine Light Infantry and theRoyal Navy occupied the city ofCanton.[3][6]
In 1858 the 59th Foot moved toSouth Africa, subsequently returning to theUnited Kingdom in 1861. From 1867 – 1878 the regiment again served in India and Ceylon. From India the 59th crossed intoAfghanistan in November 1878 as part of an invasion force, seeking to stemRussian influence in the region.[6] In April 1880 they fought in theBattle of Ahmed Khel.[3] Later in 1880 the 59th Foot returned to England.
As part of theCardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 59th was linked with the30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 51 atBurnley Barracks inLancashire.[7] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot to form theEast Lancashire Regiment with the 59th Foot becoming the 2nd Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment.[1] Following a series of amalgamations, the lineage of the 59th is now continued by theDuke of Lancaster's Regiment.[8]
The 59th Foot was awarded the following battle honours to be borne on the regimental colours. The year in brackets is the year of the award of the honour, not of the action it commemorates.[2][6][9]
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A Victoria Cross was awarded on 24 October 1879 to CaptainEuston Henry Sartorius during theSecond Anglo-Afghan War.
Colonels of the Regiment were:[2]