| 53rd Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
 Colours of the 53rd Regiment | |
| Active | 1755–1881 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Great Britain (1755–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Onebattalion (two battalions 1803–1817) |
| Garrison/HQ | Copthorne Barracks,Shrewsbury |
| Nicknames | "Old Five & Threepennies"[1] "Brickdusts" "Red Regiment" |
| Colors | Red Facings |
| Engagements | American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars First Anglo-Sikh War Second Anglo-Sikh War Indian Rebellion |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | William Whitmore Sir John Abercromby |
The53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot' was aBritish Armyregiment, raised in 1755. Under theChilders Reforms it amalgamated with the85th (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form theKing's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881.
The regiment was raised in Northern England by ColonelWilliam Whitmore as the 55th Regiment of Foot for service in theSeven Years' War.[2] It was re-ranked as the53rd Regiment of Foot, following the disbandment of the existing50th and51st regiments, in 1756.[2] The regiment embarked forGibraltar in 1756[3] and, after returning home, moved toIreland in 1768.[4]
The regiment departed Ireland forNorth America in April 1776 and arrived atQuebec City in May 1776 to help raise thesiege of the city byContinental Army troops during theAmerican Revolutionary War.[4][5] It served underSir Guy Carleton at theBattle of Trois-Rivières in June 1776 and theBattle of Valcour Island in October 1776.[6] Its flank companies (grenadier andlight infantry) were with GeneralJohn Burgoyne during the ill-fatedSaratoga campaign.[4] Men from the other eight companies served under MajorChristopher Carleton of the29th Regiment of Foot duringCarleton's Raid in 1778 and during theBurning of the Valleys campaign in 1780.[7] Lieutenant Richard Houghton of the 53rd led theRoyalton raid in 1780 burning three towns in easternVermont.[8] In 1782 the regiment adopted a county designation and became the53rd (the Shropshire) Regiment of Foot.[2] The regiment returned toEngland in 1789.[9]
In March 1793 the regiment embarked forFlanders for service in theFrench Revolutionary Wars.[10] The regiment saw action at theBattle of Famars in May 1793,[10] theSiege of Valenciennes in June 1793[10] and theSiege of Dunkirk in August 1793.[11] It also took part in the Siege ofNieuwpoort in October 1793,[11] theSiege of Landrecies in April 1794[12] and theBattle of Tournay in May 1794.[12] The regiment returned to England in spring 1795 but then embarked for theWest Indies in November 1795 where it took part in the capture ofSaint Lucia in May 1796.[13] It also helped suppress an insurrection bycaribs onSaint Vincent in June 1796;[14] expeditions toTrinidad andPuerto Rico followed in February 1797 and April 1797 respectively.[15] The regiment returned home in 1802.[16]
A second battalion was raised in 1803.[2] The 1st battalion left forIndia in April 1805[16] where it undertook a punitive expedition to the Fortress of Callinger inAllahabad Province in February 1812.[17] It also helped secure apyrrhic victory at theBattle of Nalapani in October 1814 during theAnglo-Nepalese War.[18][19] The 1st battalion also took part in engagements againstPindari forces in 1817 during theThird Anglo-Maratha War[20] and did not return home until July 1823.[21]
Meanwhile, the 2nd battalion embarked forPortugal for service in thePeninsular War in March 1809.[22] It took part in theSecond Battle of Porto in May 1809[23] and theBattle of Talavera in July 1809[23] before falling back to theLines of Torres Vedras.[24] It then fought at theBlockade of Almeida in April 1811,[25] theBattle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811[24] and theBattle of Almaraz in May 1812[26] as well as theBattle of Salamanca in July 1812,[26] theSiege of Burgos in September 1812[27] and theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813.[28] The battalion then pursued the French Army into France and fought at theBattle of the Pyrenees in July 1813,[29] theSiege of San Sebastián in autumn 1813[30] and theBattle of Nivelle in November 1813[31] as well as theBattle of Toulouse in April 1814.[32] The battalion returned home in July 1814.[33] In August 1815 the 2nd battalion accompaniedNapoleon into his exile on the island ofSaint Helena.[34][35] It returned home in September 1817 and was disbanded atCanterbury in October 1817.[36]
In July 1844 the regiment returned toIndia[37] where it saw action at theBattle of Aliwal in January 1846[38] and theBattle of Sobraon in February 1846 during theFirst Anglo-Sikh War[39] as well as theBattle of Gujrat in February 1849 during theSecond Anglo-Sikh War.[40] It also took part in theSiege of Cawnpore in June 1857, theRelief of Lucknow in November 1857 and theCapture of Lucknow in spring 1858 during theIndian Rebellion.[40] Five members of the regiment were awardedVictoria Crosses during the rebellion.[40] The regiment returned to England in 1860[40] and was garrisoned for the next four years in Aldershot, Plymouth and Portsmouth. In 1864 it moved toCurragh Camp and subsequently to other locations in Ireland. With theFenian Brotherhood threatening from the United States, the regiment departed Ireland for Canada, arriving in Quebec in August 1866, subsequently garrisoningLondon for the next 2 years. In 1868 it occupied theQuebec Citadel, and finally departed Canada for Barbados in 1870.[41]
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 53rd was linked with the43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 21 atCopthorne Barracks inShrewsbury.[42] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers) to form theKing's Shropshire Light Infantry.[2]
The 53rd regiment is commemorated inA. E. Housman's poem '1887', fromA Shropshire Lad.[43]
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[44]
Victoria Crosses awarded to men of the regiment were:
Colonels of the Regiment were:[44]