West Yorkshire Regiment History

The Regiment was raised on 22 June 1685 as the 14th Regiment of Foot and saw arduous service in Scotland. It had its first experience of active service in Flanders in 1693 when it served under King William III and took a prominent part in the siege and capture of Namur. It served in Ireland all through the period of Queen Anne's Wars being recalled to Scotland to put down the Jacobite Rebellion in 1715.

In 1727 the Regiment was sent to Gibraltar and remained on the Rock for fifteen years during which time it earned credit for its soldierly conduct in defence of the fortress against the Spanish. In 1745 the Regiment again served in Scotland and it was engaged there until Culloden put an end to the aims of the Scottish Clans. In 1751 the Regiment was back again at Gibraltar, and on returning to England in 1759 was quartered at Windsor where it gained as a mark of royal favour from King George III permission to wear the White Horse of Hanover on the cap of the grenadiers and drummers.

In 1766 the Regiment went to America returning home in 1778. For the next four years the Regiment served as marines in the Channel and West India Fleets, and in 1791 was serving in Jamaica. In the war against the French Republic it was one of the first British Regiments sent to Flanders, and took a notable part in the Battle of Famars, 23rd May, 1793, where it adopted its famous marching air of the "Ca Ira", a French Revolutionary air. The French had checked the advance of the Allied force, when the Colonel of the Regiment ordered his drummers to strike up the "Ça Ira", which the French were then playing, and called out, "Come on lads; we'll break them to their own d..... tune!" The effect was irresistible, and the French found themselves flying from the sound of their own war hymn.

In 1803 the Regiment returned home to recruit and a 2nd Battalion was raised. The 1st Battalion took part in the Hanover expedition of 1805 and, two years later, was to be found attacking the Danish settlements of Tranquebar in India. Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion went to the Peninsula and took part in Sir John Moore's famous retreat to, and glorious victory at, Corunna.

The 1st Battalion, after serving in the unfortunate Walcheren Expedition, took part in the capture of Mauritius in 1810 and in Java in 1811, where it formed part of a British force of 1,500 who stormed and captured the fortified palace of the Sultan, garrisoned by 17,000 trained troops. In the meantime a 3rd Battalion had been raised, mainly composed of boys, and was despatched in 1815 to Antwerp for garrison duty. Despite the age of most of the soldiers of this battalion it was permitted, at its urgent request, to form part of Wellington's Army and bore itself splendidly at Waterloo, exhibiting great valour under a pitiless artillery fire. In spite of the Battalion's heavy casualties, it went forward with the victorious British Army and subsequently took part in the storming of Cambrai where, just over one hundred years later, other battalions of the Regiment were destined to add great glory. Shortly afterwards both the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were disbanded. In the meantime the 1st Battalion was winning further laurels in India, taking part in the destruction of the robber fortress at Hatrass and, in 1826, the brilliant storming of the great Jat fortress of Bhurtpore. The Battalion returned home in 1831 and, in recognition of its distinguished services in India, was granted the badge of the Royal Tiger superscribed "India". Further service in the West Indies, Canada and Malta followed, after which the Regiment joined the British army in the Crimea in 1855 and took part in the siege and capture of Sevastopol.

In 1858 the 2nd Battalion was raised again and sent to New Zealand where it took part in the Maori Wars of 1860-61 and 1863-66. It returned from Australia in 1870. Meanwhile the 1st Battalion, after a short stay in Malta, returned to India. In 1876 the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII, presented new Colours to the Battalion at Lucknow and, as a testimony to its glorious record, he conferred on the Regiment the honoured title of "The Prince of Wales's Own". The 2nd Battalion, after relieving the 1st Battalion in India in 1878, achieved further glory in the Afghan Wars of 1879-80, and in 1895 both Battalions met for the first time in the history of the Regiment, at Gibraltar. The 2nd Battalion had been stopped at the Rock on the way home from India in order to proceed to the West Coast of Africa to take part in the Ashanti Expedition. The advance of the British column through the deadly swamps, the capture of the King's capital at Coomassie, and the withdrawal to the coast with King Prempeh, were achievements of considerable importance. In 1881 the 14th Regiment was given the county title of The West Yorkshire Regiment, and the Depot of the 14th Regimental District installed at York. In October 1899, war broke out with the South African Republics and the 2nd Battalion proceeded to the Cape. From Cape Town it went on to Durban and took part in all the severe fighting in Natal which resulted in the Relief of Ladysmith and afterwards in the invasion of the Transvaal. Peace was not concluded until 1902 and the rounding up of the commandos kept the Battalion in the field for a further six months. Two Victoria Crosses and numerous other decorations were won by officers and other ranks of the Battalion.

The year 1908 saw the 1st Battalion again on active service in the Mohmand Expedition.

On the outbreak of the First World War the 1st Battalion proceeded to France with the original Expeditionary Force and was quickly followed by the 2nd Battalion. The new armies saw many battalions added to the Regiment, and the Territorial battalions all responded to the call for Imperial service. The Regiment grew in strength until it numbered thirty-seven battalions, of which twenty-four served in various operations overseas and others did duty in parts of our far-flung Empire. A large number of decorations, which included six Victoria Crosses, were won by various members of the Regiment. Amongst many distinguished incidents that of the 8th (Leeds Rifles) Battalion is marked for its gallant conduct at the assault on the Montagne de Bligny, for which it was awarded the French Croix de Guerre.

In all over 13,000 officers and other ranks gave their lives for their country. Their names appear in the Roll of Honour in the Regimental Chapel of York Minster. After peace came at the end of 1918, the Regiment was represented by two Regular and four Territorial battalions, with the Depot at York. During these years the battalions served in many overseas stations. The 2nd Battalion was engaged in active operations in Kurdistan during 1923. The 1st Battalion was stationed at Quetta when the whole of the city was destroyed by a very severe earthquake on the 31st May 1935. All ranks of the Battalion were commended for magnificent rescue work.

On the outbreak of the Second World War the 1st Battalion was in Secunderabad and the 2nd Battalion in Palestine, but it soon moved to Khartoum. The 1st Battalion moved to Barrackpore in 1940, went to Rangoon in January, 1942, and took part in the withdrawal from Burma. After a short period at Ranchi, to refit, it returned to Burma and, except for a short interval, served continuously in that theatre until the end of 1944. Subsequently it took part in the recapture of Burma in 1945.

Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion distinguished itself at the Battle of Keren, after which it served in Eritrea. Subsequently, after a short period in Iraq, it moved to Egypt, Cyprus and finally Tobruk. This Battalion participated in the Battles of El Alamein and Ruweisat Ridge. In 1943 it moved to India. In 1944 the 2nd Battalion was in Burma, but was flown to Assam to help to raise the siege of Imphal, where it met the 1st Battalion who were defenders of the "Imphal Box". The meeting of two Regular battalions of the same regiment in one battle is believed to be unique in the history of the last two World Wars.

In 1945 the 2nd Battalion moved to Java, later returning to Malaya where it was stationed in Penang. From here it returned to the United Kingdom in 1948 where its cadre proceeded to Austria and was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion consequent on the new system of having only one Infantry battalion to each Regiment.

The 1st Battalion served in Austria until 1952 when it moved to Egypt and subsequently to Malaya. It returned to the United Kingdom and took part in the Suez Operation in 1956 and was stationed at Dover until the amalgamation in 1958.