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Commissions from the British Ranks, 1706–1855

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Commissions from the British Ranks, 1706–1855 Royal United Services Institution. Journal ISSN: 0035-9289 (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rusi19 Commissions from the British Ranks, 1706–1855 Charles Dalton Esq. To cite this article: Charles Dalton Esq. (1900) Commissions from the British Ranks, 1706–1855, Royal United Services Institution. Journal, 44:264, 167-176, DOI: 10.1080/03071840009419990 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03071840009419990 Published online: 11 Sep 2009. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 6 View related articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rusi20 Download by: [UQ Library] Date: 19 June 2016, At: 16:23 COhIi\IISSIONS FROM THE BRITISH RANKS, 170G-18.55. A GENUINE ranker has been defined as " the man of respectable parentage, good.education and character, who becomes a soldier with the object of making the Army a profession, and joins without money or scrip, without influential or sympathetic friends."' Prom time imniemo- rial British soldiers of the above type have been promoted from the ranks to combatant commissions, and their nanies have, in many cases, added lustre to the.Service which they ivcre so well fitted to ador,n. A unique and little Irnoivn MS. at the \Var Office throws a flood of light on the services of non-commissioned oficcrs and nien in 1Iarl- borough's Xrniy who received commissions in 170G. The MS. in qucstion is a sinall vellum-backed folio, entitled .''Recommendations for Com- missions in the New Levies, 170G." It contains contemporary copies of hundreds of applications for commissions, and petitions for promotion, by officers who had served, by persons who wished to serve, and by non- commissioned onicers and soldiers asking for advancement. The r.tisi~n Jitre of this military register is quite clear. The heavy British losses in Flanders, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, during the first four years of the War of the Spanish Succession, necessitate'd'a large increase to the Army in the springof l7OG. It ivas highly important that the new regiments should be largely oficcred by gentlemen nlio had previously served in the Army. To attain this end, officers and deserving non-commissioned officcrs and soldicrs \vex! invited by the Comninnder-in-Chief to send in Downloaded by [UQ Library] at 16:23 19 June 2016 their applications for conimissions in the new levies; each application to be accompanied, in the case of thosc who had served, by a recomniencla- tion frotn at lcast one oficcr of high rank who was personally acquainted with the applicant ; while in the case of persons itho'hatl not previously served in the Army, a recommendation was' required from n Member of Parliament, -or any nobleman or gentleman of assured position. To facilitatematters, the numerous applications for commissions, and petitions for advancement, which inundated Narlborough's oflice in Whitehall, early in 1706, were copied into the aforesaid military entry book, and systemat- ically arranged as follows :-The left-hand margin contained the, name and Army nrzd .\'my Gn;cffe, 29th April, 1899. 168 COlIlIlSSIOBS FROJl TIlE JllZITlSII IZASES, rank of applicant ; the right-hand margin was reserved for the. name and status of thosc who certified in favour of the petitioner ; whilc thc centre of the pagc contained a pii>is of thc petition itself. 11s a record of military scrvicc, this old MS. volumc is highly inter- esting ; but it is something more : it is a valuable relic of JIarlborough, for the great captain has himself initialled the names of the officers and persons whom hc thought fit to recommend to Queen Annc for com- missions in 1706, prior to his dcparturc for Flanders.’ Space only permits one-third of thc list of_non-commissioncd officers and privates, whom Marlborough commissioned in 1706, bciiig enumerated hcrc with thcir respective claims for advanccmcnt. Il’nfftrZzisface I‘ Carricd arms in the first regiment of Foot Guards the spacc of two years, at which tinic there being a battalion ordcrcd for Spain he volun- tarily offcrcd his scrvicc, and continued at Gibraltar till he was wounded. Prays a licutenancy in the ncw lcvics. Rccommendcd by Col. C. Ethercgc.” Robert Gordon ‘I Has bcen in the Service ttt*enty-thrccyears, and elcvcn of them a sergeant in Lt.-General Erle’s regiment. IIe was taken prisoner at Sticnkirk undcr Brigadier Cadogan, and is now a private gentleman in the (I-Iorsc) Grenadier Guards. Prays a lieutenancy in thc new lcvics. Recommcnded by Lt.-Gcncral Erle.” Il’illinnr Ah‘eir “ Has servcd her Majesty in thc 0Rice.of Ordnancc all this mar. In thc year 1703 hc nont bombardier to thc Straits under Sir Cloudesley Shovel, and has served in the Train of Artillery in Holland thc two last ycars, and was present at thc battles of Schcllcnbcrg and Blenheim, and marched under his Gracc’s command to Trier. Prays a lieutenancy in the new Icvics. Recommended by the Speaker.” I’ Chrisfojher A Downloaded by [UQ Library] at 16:23 19 June 2016 faridge, A dragoon in Major-General Ross’s regiment. Took Count Horn at forcing the French lincs, and delivered him to his Grace. Being informed by thc said Count that his Grace was pleased to say that he ~vouldprovide for him, he therefore humbly prays a lieutenancy in thc ncn levies. Recommended by Count Horn.” ‘(Richnrd Bosfoc.4 ‘I Has served in Brigadier Ho~ve’sregiment upwards of twenty years, and sisteen thereof as sergeant. Prays to be a licutcnant in thc new levies. Recommended by Lt.-Coloncl Armstrong.” ~ On the last page of the AIS. book, described above, is the following notice : I( AIy Lord Duke of Jiarlborough desires commissions may be presented to Her Majesty according to the foregoing lists, and that when they are signed they may not be delivered out but upon the respective officers appearing in town with their colonel’s certificate to rcceivc them.-A. Cnrdonnel. Whitehall, 27th March, 17OG.” COlIlIISSIONS FROM THE BRITISH RAXES. 1GO Snniird K~nipsfer “Scrvcd as trooper in Brigadier Wiers’s rcgimcnt all thc wars of l’rcland, ancl aftcnvards as a corporal in the same troop in Flanders till the conclusion of thc Peace, at which timc he was reduced at his dcsirc; ,hut some timc after hc- listed himself in Lt.-General \Vyiidham’s regiment, under Captain Strickland, who promised to advance him, but he is sincc dcad.. Prays a lieutcnancy in thc new levies. Reconimendcd by Col. Carpcntcr, Mr. Ncville, Col. Staniris, and Brigadier Palines.” 6L CorjorclC Solldfor-d,i Of General Luinley’s regiment, nho was taken up as dcad with iiitic n.ounds at the battle of Rlcnhcim. Prays a licutciiancy in the new Icvies. Recommended by Col. Crowther.” ‘lJoh~~PmIp1grms ‘I Was a trooper in Erigadicr Cadogan’s regiment and lost his arm at thc battle of Blenheim. Was made quartcr-mastcr to Col. Wynnc’s regiment, which being sent for Ireland nhcre no quarter-master is allo\ved on the cstablishment hath sincc carried arms in that regiment. TOtc a licutenant. Rccommendcd by Brigadier Cadogan.” l1 Charles Frrcdee l1Served thirteen years as privatc gentleman and onc year as corporal in Lt.-General Lumlcy’s regiment and discharged his duty as bccamc a soldicr. Recnmmcnded by Lt.-Gcneral Lumlcy and Brigadier Z-Io~ve.” “Joseph Han@fon ‘I Hath scrvcd in Brigadier Cadogan’s rcginicnt the last war and this, ancl at passing the French Iincs received a ivountl in onc of his hands, which is likely to deprive him of thc use of it and incapacitated him for thc horse scrvice. Prays to bc a lieutenant. Recoinmcntlcd by Rrigadicr Cadognn.” Downloaded by [UQ Library] at 16:23 19 June 2016 61 NicAolos Gorsiirh, “ Of Xajor-General Wood’s regiment. Behaved very well at tlie battle of Hochstadt ; and at forcing thc French lines took a colour, for which his Grace promised to provide for him. Prays to be a lieutenant. Recomincndcd by Major-General Wood.” l‘ AYlliana &in fing Ilnth scrvcd cightccn years in thc Army (twclvc in Lt.-General Luinley’s regiment, and sis in tlie first troop of Horse Guards) and rcceived seventeen wounds. Allcges hc was rccommeiided last year for a licutenant’s commission by Sir Walter St. John and the Countess of Lindscy.” ’ Christian name not forthcoming in the MS. Doiibtless the Nathaniel Sand- ford-appointed lieutenant in Colonel Thomas. Stnnwix’s Regiment of Foot, 10th April, IiOG. 170 COJI3lISSIOSS FROM THE nRITlSI1 R.\SKS. cc F’enton Hasofey “Sened scvcn years in the first Foot Guards, and behavcd’on all occasions very well, and particularly at both the battles in Germany ; had his thigh broke by a cannon shot at Hochstadt, diich being thought incurable by the chirurgcons at Nordling he was sent to the hospital at Chelsca, diere he was perfcctly cured. To be an cnsign. Rccomrnended by Major-General Withcrs, Col. Primrosc, Col. Ferrers, Col. Durcll.” Among signal acts of gallantry during Marlborough’s campaigns spccial mention must bc niadc of a daring fcat pcrfornicd by Sergcant Williain Littler in 1708 :-l ‘‘ When the bcsieging army appeared before Lille the French out- guards retired, and Sergcant Littler of the lGth Foot swam across the rivcr with a hatchet, and cut the fastenings which held up a (Iran-bridge, to enable a party to pass thc strcnm, for nhicli act of gallantry lie was rcrarded with a commission in thc 3rd Foot, or the Buffs.” In January, 1711, thcrc being an incrcased demand for oGcers of espeYience to serve abroad, a Royal Warrant was signed by Queen Anne, directing “ thirty sergeants of Our Army, whose experience in military affairs has inclined Us to employ them in Our Service on the foot of cnsigns’ pay, to take rank as lieutenants from 1st January, 1711.”3 Threc of the fortunate sergeants belonged to the 1st Foot Guards, but one of the three (Thos.
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