| 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1702–1881 |
| Country |  Kingdom of England (1689–1707) Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 1 battalion (2 battalions 1756–1758, 1813–1817) |
| Garrison/HQ | Lower Barracks,Winchester |
| Engagements | War of the Spanish Succession War of the Austrian Succession American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars Matale rebellion Indian Rebellion |
The37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot was aline infantryregiment of theBritish Army, raised inIreland in February 1702. Under theChilders Reforms it amalgamated with the67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot to become theHampshire Regiment (later theRoyal Hampshire Regiment) in 1881.
The regiment was raised inIreland by Lieutenant-GeneralThomas Meredyth asMeredyth's Regiment in February 1702.[1] It embarked for theNetherlands in May 1703 and fought under theDuke of Marlborough at theBattle of Schellenberg in July 1704,[2] theBattle of Blenheim in August 1704[2] and theBattle of Ramillies in May 1706[3] as well as theBattle of Oudenarde in July 1708[3] and theBattle of Malplaquet in September 1709 during theWar of the Spanish Succession.[4] The regiment embarked forCanada in 1711 as part of theQuebec Expedition but lost 8 officers and 253 men when the ships in which it was sailing foundered on the rocks on theSaint Lawrence River; the expedition returned home.[4] It was also in action at theCapture of Vigo in October 1719.[5]
The regiment next saw action at theBattle of Dettingen in June 1743 during theWar of the Austrian Succession.[6] It also fought at theBattle of Falkirk in January 1746 during theJacobite rebellion when its colonel,Sir Robert Munro, 6th Baronet, was shot and then finished off with three sword blows to the head.[7] It went on to fight under the command of Colonel Lewis Dejean at theBattle of Culloden in April 1746[6] and was ranked the 37th Foot in 1747.[1] The regiment returned to the Netherlands and fought at theBattle of Lauffeld in July 1747.[6]
On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant was issued which provided that in future regiments would no longer be known by their colonel's name, but would bear a regimental number based on their precedence: the regiment became the37th Regiment of Foot.[1] The second battalion became the75th Regiment of Foot in 1758.[8]
The regiment fought at theBattle of Minden in August 1759 during theSeven Years' War.[9] After the battle the men of the regiment pickeddog-roses from the hedges and put them in their headdresses to celebrate the victory.[10] It also took part in a skirmish atGrebenstein in June 1762[11] and another atFellinghausen in July 1762.[11] It was then garrisoned inMenorca from 1763 to 1769.[12]
The regiment embarked forNorth America for service in theAmerican Revolutionary War in 1776 and was present at theBattle of Long Island in August 1776[12] and the British surrender at the end of theSiege of Yorktown in September 1781.[13] It became the37th (the North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot in 1782.[1]
The regiment was next in action at theBattle of Tournay in May 1794 in theFlanders Campaign of theFrench Revolutionary Wars.[13] It was posted to theWest Indies from 1800 to 1809[14] toGibraltar from 1812 to 1814[15] and toCanada from 1814 to 1826.[16]
The regiment embarked forCeylon in 1846 and took part in the suppression of theMatale rebellion in 1847.[17] It moved to India in spring 1857 and, having arrived by steamer on theSon River, opened fire on the attacking mutineers at theSiege of Arrah in July 1857[18] during theIndian Rebellion.[19] It returned to England in 1861 and was sent toIreland in 1865[20] before returning to India in 1866.[21]
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 37th was linked with the67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 40 atLower Barracks inWinchester.[22] The regiment returned to England in 1875 and then moved to Ireland in 1880.[23] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot to become theHampshire Regiment (later theRoyal Hampshire Regiment).[1]
Battle honours won by the regiment were:[1]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[1]