| 47th (The Lancashire) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1741–1881 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Great Britain (1741–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Size | Onebattalion (two battalions 1794–1795; 1803–1815) |
| Garrison/HQ | Fulwood Barracks,Lancashire |
| Nicknames | The Cauliflowers, The Lancashire Lads, Wolfe's Own |
| Colors | White facings, white lace |
| Engagements | 1745 Jacobite Rising Father Le Loutre's War Seven Years' War 1756-1763 American Revolutionary War Napoleonic Wars Third Anglo-Maratha War First Anglo-Burmese War Crimean War |
The47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot was aninfantryregiment of theBritish Army, raised in Scotland in 1741. It served in North America during theSeven Years' War andAmerican Revolutionary War and also fought during theNapoleonic Wars and theCrimean War. Under theChilders Reforms it amalgamated with the81st Regiment of Foot (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers) to form theLoyal Regiment (North Lancashire) in 1881.
The regiment was raised inScotland by ColonelSir John Mordaunt asSir John Mordaunt's Regiment of Foot in 1741.[1] In 1743,Peregrine Lascelles was appointed Colonel and until May 1745, the regiment was employed building a military road nearLoch Lomond, part of a new route fromDumbarton toInverary.[2]
In July,Charles Stuart landed in Scotland to launch the1745 Rising and two companies of Lascelles garrisonedEdinburgh Castle.[3] The remaining eight companies fought at theBattle of Prestonpans in September, when the government army was swept aside in less than 20 minutes; most of the regiment was taken prisoner, except for Lascelles who fought his way out.[4]
Lascelles, together withSir John Cope, commander at Prestonpans, and his deputyThomas Fowke, were tried by acourt-martial in 1746; all three were exonerated, but Cope never held a senior command again.[5]
As part of the reforms enacted by theDuke of Cumberland, the regiment was designated the 58th Regiment of Foot in 1747, before being re-numbered47th Regiment of Foot in 1751.[1]
The 1748Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle awarded Britain sovereignty over the whole ofNova Scotia, including parts previously claimed by France. Between 1748 and 1755, conflict between British and French settlers resulted in a series of clashes known asFather Le Loutre's War; the regiment was posted there in 1750, taking part in thesiege of Grand Pré, theBattle at Chignecto and theBattle of Fort Beauséjour.[6]
During theSeven Years' War, it was part of the force underJames Wolfe that capturedLouisbourg in 1758, allegedly earning the nickname "Wolfe's Own".[7] It was also present at the 1759Battle of the Plains of Abraham, theBattle of Sainte-Foy and the subsequentsiege of Quebec in April to May 1760. It then took part in the final anddecisive campaign between July and September 1760 whenMontreal fell. The regiment returned to Britain when the war ended in 1763.[8]
On the outbreak of theAmerican Revolutionary War in 1773, the 47th was posted toNew Jersey.[8] It took part in theBattles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and theBattle of Bunker Hill in June 1775 and theBattles of Saratoga in September 1777.[7] The main body of the regiment was interned as part of theConvention Army and did not return home for another six years.[7] In 1782 the regiment was given a county distinction when it was given the title the47th (The Lancashire) Regiment of Foot.[1] In 1791 the regiment was sent to theWest Indies where it was garrisoned during much of theFrench Revolutionary Wars.[8] In 1794 a second battalion was raised inNorfolk but disbanded soon afterwards.[1]
In 1803, a second battalion was reformed and the following year deployed toIreland.[9] In 1806, the 1st battalion was sent to garrison the former Dutch settlement of theCape of Good Hope,[8] then joined the1807 River Plate expedition underSir Samuel Auchmuty, fighting atMontevideo in February and Buenos Aires in July.[7] The battalion was deployed to India in 1808 and the following year its flank companies took part in an expedition to thePersian Gulf.[8]
Meanwhile, the 2nd battalion was deployed toGibraltar in 1809 and toPortugal in 1811 for service in thePeninsular War.[9] The battalion took part in theBattle of Barrosa in March 1811 and the successfulsiege of Tarifa in December 1811.[7] The battalion was victorious at theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813 and took part in the successful but bloodysiege of San Sebastián in August 1813.[7] At San Sebastián the battalion lost 17 of its 22 officers and almost half the other ranks.[7] The battalion then crossed theRiver Bidasoa and pursued the French Army into France fighting at theBattle of the Nive in December 1813 and taking part in theBattle of Bayonne in April 1814 before returning home and being disbanded atPortsmouth.[9]
In 1817 the regiment was deployed toIndia and took part in theThird Anglo-Maratha War helping to defeat thePindaris.[7] It returned to the Persion Gulf in December 1819 to combat piracy off the shores ofRas al-Khaimah and was sent toBurma in 1824 for service in theFirst Anglo-Burmese War:[7] it formed part of an army which advanced up theRiver Irrawaddy to theKingdom of Ava before returning to India in 1826 and embarking for England in 1829.[8]
The regiment was posted to theIonian Islands in 1850 and toMalta in 1853 before landing atCalamity Bay in September 1854, as part of the2nd Division, for service in theCrimean War.[7] The regiment took part in theBattle of Alma in September 1854 and theBattle of Inkerman in November 1854 as well as thesiege of Sevastopol in winter 1854.[7] The regiment returned to Malta in 1856 and to England in 1857.[8]
The regiment returned to Nova Scotia in 1861 to reinforce Canada's defences during tension with the United States arising from theTrent Affair.[7] It then helped defend Canada againstIrish-American ex-soldiers during theFenian raids in 1866.[7] The regiment then went toBarbados in 1868 before landing inIreland in 1870.[8]
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 47th was linked with the81st Regiment of Foot (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers), and assigned to district no. 12 atFulwood Barracks inLancashire.[10] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 81st Regiment of Foot (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers) to form theLoyal Regiment (North Lancashire).[1]
Battle honours won by the regiment were:[1]
After the inception of theVictoria Cross (VC) in 1856 PrivateJohn McDermond was awarded the only VC of the regiment for his actions in saving a wounded Colonel during theBattle of Inkerman.[11]
Colonels of the regiment were:[1]