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THE 24th ’S LINKS WITH THE COUNTY OF .

A revision of the article of the same name from the Journal of the Anglo Zulu War Historical Society, June 1997. (Inaugural Edition).

By Derrick Smart ______

‘ are raised in troubled times’. The birth of the 24th Regiment was in accordance with this dictum. In the early months of 1689 William and Mary newly arrived from Holland, reigned uneasily over a country still recovering from James II’s determined bid to regain the throne of in the revolution of 1688. That revolution led to war with Louis X1V’s France (Louis had championed the ill-fated James); and to fight the war it was necessary to provide troops. King William as was the custom of the times, sent off Commissions to the noblemen and landowners who supported his cause. One such Commission went to Sir Edward Dering, 3rd Baronet, of Surrenden in . The Commission was acted upon at once. It was dated 8th March 1689 and by 28th March, the first muster was held and Dering’s Regiment became part of the Standing Army and thereafter named after the (1). The Royal Warrant of 1st July 1751 listing precedence gave the Regiment seniority as the 24th Regiment of Foot. The 24th formed a 2nd Battalion in in 1756, which was used in 1758 to form the 69th Regiment of Foot. In 1782 they were re-titled as the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot. The 24th Regiment’s 2nd Battalion was re-formed in in 1804 being disbanded in 1814. It was further re-formed in Sheffield in 1858 being disbanded in 1948 (2). A Royal Warrant of 31st August 1782, conferred county titles on all regiments not already in possession of special designations such as “The Queen’s” or “The King’s Own” (3). This title was secondary to the numerical one. This soon lost any relevance since in the 1790’s authority was given to regimental recruiters to recruit from wherever they wished. There was no insistence to establish regimental depots within the areas reflected by their titles. On the 27th July 1782, the following circular was sent out from the Adjutant-General office to the “Agents of the Regiments as far as 70 inclusive excepting those in . ‘I am so to desire that you will signify to the of the …. Regiments of Foot that General Conway (Commander in Chief) wishes to be informed if they have any connexion or Attachment to a particular County, and if so the name the County’. This circular in the main was ignored or Colonels nominated areas in which recruiting was traditionally strong but which their regiments had no particular connection. Accordingly the Commander-in-Chief, this time with the King’s authority, issued another and more stiffly worded circular on 31st August 1782 accompanied by two lists which directed ‘the Rank of Regiments attached to Counties’ and ‘Counties as assigned to Regiments’ (4). The 24th Regiment of Foot was serving in Warwickshire at the time and the 24th Regiment of Foot became The 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. (see notes below concerning the 6th (1st Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot.). A 24th recruiting party was immediately sent to Tamworth for recruiting purposes (5). This was a strange choice since Tamworth at that time was divided by the boundary of the Counties of Warwickshire and , the greater part being in Staffordshire. It was not until the Local Government Act of 1888 that Tamworth was transferred in whole to Staffordshire (6). The 24th had no special link with the County nor were any Depots or permanent recruiting centres set up. The Regiment adopted the “Warwickshire Lads” as their Regimental March, which was composed for the Shakespearean Centenary Celebrations in Stratford– on-Avon in 1769 and became so popular that it was immediately adopted as the County tune (7). On the 29th April 1882 this march was changed to the “” to reflect the 1881 change in Regimental title (8). The 24th had two of their Colours, known as the “Chillianwlla Colours” housed in St Mary’s Church in Warwick from 1868 until 1936 when they were removed to Cathedral. In common with the 6th Foot (see note below) the 24th whilst serving in kept an Indian blackbuck (antelope) as a pet. “Billy” as he was named charged at the head of the Regiment at Chillianwalla and would have lived for years with his medal for the action had he not succumbed to an act of pugnacity. He attacked and put to flight a newly arrived draft to the Regiment from England and he was ordered to be destroyed. It is noted in the Regimental history that he never had the slightest respect for officers. (9).

References:

1. Adams, Jack. The South Borderers. 1968. [Hamish Hamilton Ltd] 2. Westlake, Ray. English and Welsh Infantry Regiments. An illustrated record of service 1662- -1994. 1995. [Spellmount.] 3. Atkinson C.T. A History of The Borderers 1689 – 1937. 1937. [Cambridge: University Press.] 4. Ascoli, David. A Companion to the 1660-1983. 1983. [Harrap.] 5. As (3) above. 6. County of Warwick Handbook 1959. 7. BBC Records REB89S. Marches of the Vanishing Regiments. 1970. 8. Kipling, Arthur L and King Hugh. L Head-Dress Badges of the British Army Vol 1. 1973. 9. Colonel’s Paton. George, (ed) Glennie, Farquhar, (ed) and Penn Symonds. William. (ed). Historical Records of the 24th Regiment. 1892. [Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent.] Reprint 2005. [D.P.and G. Military Publishers).

Acknowledgements:

The Royal Regiment of Museum, (Royal Warwickshire). St John’s House, Warwick. CV34 4NF

The and Monmouthshire of The . (23rd,24th,41st, 69th Foot). The Barracks, Brecon, Powys. LD3 7EB

The South Wales Borderers and Monmouthshire Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh. (23rd,24th,41st, 69th Foot). The Barracks, Brecon, Powys. LD3 7EB

______

Source: The Journal of the Anglo Zulu War Historical Society. June 1997. Inaugural Edition. Page 50. This source refers to the up to date the then titles of the Regiments who participated in the Anglo Zulu War of 1879. Some of these are now subject to change as part of the ongoing Future Infantry Structure or were part of the 1992 , or earlier amalgamations.

The under mentioned list is where the 1879 regiments are or where they will be in 2006/2007. I have purposefully omitted their intermediate regimental titles.

1st (The King’s) Dragoon Guards – with effect from 1st January 1959 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards.

17th (Duke of Cambridge’s Own) Lancers – with effect from 25th June 1993 The Queen’s .

The Royal Regiment of Artillery

Corps of

Royal Marine – with effect from 1923 The . 3rd (East Kent. The Buffs) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 9th September 1992 The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (Queen’s and Royal Hampshires).

4th (The King’s Own Royal) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 1st July 2006 one of the numbered battalions of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (King’s, , and Border).

13th (1st Somersetshire) Prince Albert’s Light Infantry – with effect from 2007 a numbered battalion in .

21st ( Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 28th March 2006, , 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of .

24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 1st March 2006, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh ().

57th (West ) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 9th September 1992 The Princess of Wales’s Own Royal Regiment (Queen’s and Royal Hampshires).

58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 1st September 1964 The .

60th (The King’s Royal Rifle Corps) Regiment of Foot - With effect from 2007 a numbered battalion of The Rifles.

80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 2007, one of the numbered Battalions of The .

88th () Regiment of Foot – 1 July 1881 1st Bn The Connaught Rangers – 31st July 1922 disbanded.

90th (Perthshire Volunteers. - Light Infantry) – with effect from 1 July 1881 2nd Bn The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) - In the defence cuts of 1968 the Regiment was given the option of amalgamation or disbandment, and having chosen the latter, its singular Regular Battalion was accordingly disbanded.

91st (Princess Louise’s Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 28th March 2006, The Argyll and Highlanders, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

94th Regiment of Foot – 1 July 1881 2nd Bn The Connaught Rangers – 31st July 1922 disbanded.

99th Duke of ’s (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot – with effect from 27th April 1994, The Royal , , and Regiment – with effect from 2005, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire Light Infantry – with effect from 2007, 1st Battalion, The Rifles (after amalgamation with the Devonshire and Light Infantry.)

Commissariat and Transport Department and the Army Service Corps – with effect from 5th April 1993 The .

The Army Medical Department and The Army Hospital Corps – with effect from June 1898 The .

Additional reference.

Territorial titles of the Infantry of the Line taken from: Hart H.G. Lt Gen. Hart’s Annual Army Lists 1879. John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1879.