| 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
_Regiment_of_Foot.jpg) 1856 photograph of three members of the 95th who fought in the Crimea: Sergeant John Geary, Thomas Onslow and Lance Corporal Patrick Carthay | |
| Active | 1823–1881 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Line infantry |
| Size | One battalion |
| Garrison/HQ | Normanton Barracks,Derbyshire |
| Nickname | The Nails |
| Engagements | Crimean War Indian Rebellion |
The95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot was aBritish Armyinfantryregiment, raised in 1823. Under theChilders Reforms, it amalgamated with the45th (Nottinghamshire) (Sherwood Foresters) Regiment of Foot to form theSherwood Foresters in 1881.
The regiment was raised by GeneralSir Colin Halkett as the95th Regiment of Foot,[a] in response to the threat posed by theFrench intervention in Spain, on 1 December 1823.[1] It embarked forMalta in March 1824[2] and was given a territorial designation as the95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot in December 1825.[1] It then sailed on to theIonian Islands in January 1830;[3] the headquarters was initially established inCorfu[4] but moved toVido in December 1831.[5] The headquarters went back to Corfu in May 1832,[5] toCephalonia in April 1833[5] and back to Corfu again in June 1834.[6] The regiment embarked for home in December 1834.[7]
The regiment embarked forCeylon in October 1838;[8] the headquarters was initially established atColombo but moved toKandy in September 1841[9] and reverted to Colombo in January 1844.[10] While in Colombo the regiment suffered from a serious epidemic ofcholera: at least 63 soldiers died.[10] The regiment transferred toHong Kong in March 1847.[11] In autumn 1848 the regiment lost nearly 40% of its strength tofever: representatives ofJardine Matheson provided extensive support in the form of the loan of boats and trips for convalescents.[12] The regiment embarked for home in March 1850.[13]
The regiment embarked forTurkey in March 1854 for service in theCrimean War.[14] It sailed on toKalamita Bay in September 1854[15] and advanced under heavyRussian fire at theBattle of Alma later that month.[16] Due to the heavy casualties suffered in this attack theRegimental colours, normally carried by anensign, were seized by Private James Keenan: he planted them triumphantly on the earthwork of theGreat Redoubt.[17][b] The regiment lost some 20 officers and some 180 other ranks in the battle.[17] The regiment sustained further losses at theBattle of Inkerman in November 1854 and Major John Champion, who commanded the regiment during the battle, was killed in action.[19] The regiment was also present at theSevastopol in winter 1854: the regiment continued to sustain losses caused by the extreme cold and rampant disease. This led to the comment that: "there may be few of the 95th left but those few are as hard as nails."[20] The regiment embarked for home in June 1856.[21]
The regiment embarked for theCape of Good Hope in June 1857[22] but, within days of arriving in September 1857, it was sent on toIndia to help suppress theIndian Rebellion.[23] The regiment took part in the capture of the entrenched town ofRowa in January 1858:[24] PrivateBernard McQuirt was awarded theVictoria Cross for his part in the action.[25] It went on to take part in a skirmish at Kotah-ke-Serai in June 1858 during which the rebel leader,Rani of Jhansi, was killed.[26] It also took part in the recapture ofGwalior later that month[27] as well as several other actions during theCentral Indian campaign.[28] The regiment remained in India until October 1870 when it sailed for England.[29]
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 95th was linked with the54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 26 atNormanton Barracks inDerbyshire.[30] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the45th (Nottinghamshire) (Sherwood Foresters) Regiment of Foot to form theSherwood Foresters.[1]
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[1]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[1]
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