| 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1694 – 1 July 1881 |
| Allegiance | England (1694–1707) Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch | English Army (1694–1707) British Army (1707–1881) |
| Type | Line infantry |
| Size | One battalion |
| Garrison/HQ | Horfield Barracks,Bristol |
| Nicknames | The Old Braggs The Slashers The Silver Tailed Dandies[1] |
| Engagements | War of the Spanish Succession War of the Quadruple Alliance War of the Austrian Succession French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars Crimean War |
The28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was a lineinfantryregiment of theBritish Army, raised in 1694. Under theChilders Reforms it amalgamated with the61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form theGloucestershire Regiment in 1881.
The regiment was first raised by ColonelSir John Gibson, who had served as theLieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth, asSir John Gibson's Regiment of Foot on 16 February 1694.[2] It was posted to Newfoundland to protect the colony there, losing many of its men to the extreme cold.[3] The regiment was disbanded in 1697,[2] but reformed under the same colonel in 1702.[2] Posted to the continent during theWar of the Spanish Succession the regiment fought at theBattle of Elixheim in July 1705 and atBattle of Ramillies in May 1706.[3] It was then sent to theSpain, losing over half its men at theBattle of Almansa in April 1707, and then took part in thecapture of Vigo in October 1719 during theWar of the Quadruple Alliance.[3]
The regiment saw action inFlanders during theWar of the Austrian Succession and, having been designated the28th Regiment of Foot in 1751,[2] it took part in theBattle of Louisburg in June 1758 and theBattle of the Plains of Abraham atQuebec in September 1759 during theSeven Years' War.[3] The regiment was sent back in North America in May 1776 and took part in theBattle of White Plains in October 1776 during theAmerican War of Independence.[3] It also fought in theWest Indies and helped takeSaint Lucia in 1778, but was captured by the French onSaint Kitts in 1782 and interned until the end of the war.[3] In 1782, renamed the28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot as part of the reforms to create a territorial association for each regiment,[2] it returned to Flanders following the outbreak of war with revolutionary France in 1793 and moved to the West Indies in 1795.[3] A detachment remained in Gibraltar before being moved toMenorca in 1798.[3]
In March 1801 the regiment formed part of the British expeditionary force that landed at Aboukir Bay in Egypt to oppose Napoleon's Army of the East. On 21 March, during theBattle of Alexandria, French cavalry broke through the British lines, formed up behind the regiment, and began to charge. Still heavily engaged to their front, the order was given "Rear Rank, 28th! Right About Face", and standing thus in two ranks, back to back, the regiment successfully defended itself. After the battle, the regiment began wearing a badge on the back as well as the front of the headdress to commemorate their action, a unique distinction in the British Army which was officially sanctioned in 1830.[4][5][a]
The regiment was dispatched toDenmark and took part in theBattle of Copenhagen in August 1807 during theGunboat War.[6] The regiment next landed inPortugal in July 1808 for service in thePeninsular War.[7] It took part in theBattle of Corunna on 16 January 1809[8] before being evacuated from the Peninsula the following day.[9] A detachment remained behind and fought at theBattle of Talavera in July 1809.[10] The remainder of the regiment went on to take part in the disastrousWalcheren Campaign in summer 1809.[11]
The regiment returned to the Peninsula in January 1810.[12] It saw action at theBattle of Barrosa in March 1811,[13] theBattle of Albuera in May 1811[14] and theBattle of Arroyo dos Molinos in October 1811,[15] as well as theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813[16] and theBattle of the Pyrenees in July 1813.[17] It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at theBattle of Nivelle in November 1813,[18] theBattle of the Nive in December 1813,[19] theBattle of Orthez in February 1814[20] and theBattle of Toulouse in April 1814.[21] It was one of the many Peninsula veteran regiments which was available for theHundred Days campaign and fought at theBattle of Quatre Bras and at theBattle of Waterloo, as part of the 8th Brigade commanded byJames Kempt, in June 1815.[22] Because of its actions in this campaign, the regiment earned distinguished mention in the dispatches of theDuke of Wellington.[3]
After the war the regiment spent the next 20 years in the Mediterranean, Ireland and England, before being posted to Australia as garrison troops. It served in India from 1842 to 1848 and fought at theBattle of Alma in September 1854, theBattle of Inkerman in November 1854 and theSiege of Sevastopol in winter 1854 during theCrimean War.[3] It then served in India from 1858 to 1865, before spending further time in the Mediterranean.[3] 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 28th was linked with the61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 37 atHorfield Barracks inBristol.[23] The final postings were to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malacca and Penang.[3] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form theGloucestershire Regiment.[2]
Archive material of the 28th Regiment of Foot is held byThe Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum in the Historic Docks Gloucester.[24]
The battle honours of the regiment were:[2]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[2]