| 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1793–1881 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Great Britain (1793–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | InfantryRegiment |
| Role | Infantry |
| Garrison/HQ | Peninsula Barracks, Warrington |
| Engagements | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars Crimean War Indian Rebellion |
The82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) was an infantryregiment of theBritish Army, raised in 1793. Under theChilders Reforms it amalgamated with the40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot to form thePrince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) in 1881.
The regiment was raised by GeneralCharles Leigh as the82nd Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by theFrench Revolution, on 27 September 1793.[1] It embarked for theWest Indies in June 1795 and was deployed toSanto Domingo in theDominican Republic in August 1795.[2] On arrival, the regiment was sent toPort-au-Prince to reinforce the garrison there.[3] Over the following year they repelled several attacks from French troops before returning to England in January 1799.[4] The regiment also took part in an expedition toQuiberon Bay in June 1800 and then transferred toMenorca in July 1800 before returning home in June 1802.[5] It absorbed the Prince of Wales's Volunteers in 1802, incorporating their name to become the82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers).[1]
A second battalion was raised in August 1804 but remained in the United Kingdom throughout theNapoleonic Wars.[6] The 1st battalion saw action at theBattle of Copenhagen in August 1807 during theGunboat War.[7] It embarked for Portugal in early August 1808 for service in thePeninsular War[8] and saw action at theBattle of Roliça in August 1808,[9] theBattle of Vimeiro later that month[10] and theBattle of Corunna in January 1809 as well as the subsequent evacuation.[11] The battalion then took part in the disastrousWalcheren Campaign in autumn 1809.[12]
The battalion returned to the Peninsula in spring 1811 and saw action at theBattle of Barrosa in March 1811,[13] theSiege of Tarifa in December 1811[14] and theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813[15] as well as theSiege of San Sebastián in July 1813.[16] It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at theBattle of the Pyrenees in July 1813,[17] theBattle of Nivelle in November 1813[18] and theBattle of the Nive in December 1813[19] as well as theBattle of Orthez in February 1814.[20]
The battalion then embarked for North America for service in theWar of 1812.[21] It saw action on the Canadian frontier in 1814 which later earned the battle honour 'Niagara'.[22] The battalion left for home in June 1815 but, shortly after arriving in England, it embarked forOstend from where it marched to Paris.[23] Meanwhile, the second battalion was disbanded in December 1815.[24] On the return journey from France, in January 1816, the brigBoadicea waswrecked in heavy storms off the east coast of Ireland while carrying 290 troops and 34 women and children from the regiment: 190 people died when the ship went down offCourtmacsherry.[25]
The regiment embarked forMauritius in January 1819[26] and returned home in March 1832.[27] It then sailed forGibraltar in January 1837,[28] on to the West Indies in December 1839[28] and on to Canada in April 1843[29] before returning home in May 1848.[29] It then embarked for theIonian Islands in January 1855;[30] it also saw action at theSiege of Sevastopol in summer 1855 during theCrimean War.[30]
The regiment returned to India in February 1857 to help suppress theIndian Rebellion.[31] It took part in therecapture of Cawnpore in July 1857[32] and then took part in thereinforcement of Lucknow defending the residency until it was relieved in November 1857.[33] It transferred toAden in 1869 and returned home in 1870.[34]
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 82nd was linked with the40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 14 atPeninsula Barracks, Warrington.[35] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot to form thePrince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).[1]
Battle honours won by the Regiment were:[1]
Regimental colonels were:[1]