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During the Peninsular War, the 2/27th Inniskillings, commanded by Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Reeves, landed at Alicante on 3 January 1813 and joined Lieutenant General Sir John Murray’s Anglo-Sicilian and Spanish army. They became part of the force’s Independent Brigade commanded by Colonel Frederick Adam. His brigade included English Light Dragoons, infantry from Portugal, the King’s German Legion, and the Calabrian Free Corps. There were mounted guns 'on troublesome mules' and hussars found from French army deserters of assorted nationalities, including Hungarians and Poles.
At the end of 1857, during the Indian Mutiny the 3rd Madras European Regiment was ordered into the field as part of the Saugor and Nerbudda Field Force commanded by Brigadier General Whitlock (who had been the Regiment's first commanding officer).
The Sepoys in the East India Company were first issued with the Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle-musket in 1857. Its cartridges consisted of a .577 inch ball projectile and a charge of gun powder propellant wrapped in waterproofed cartridge paper. This provided the opportunity for circulating rumours that the paper was sealed with animal grease, either beef tallow or pork lard. Before pouring the powder down the barrel followed by the paper wadding, the cartridge had to be torn open and the drill* for doing so was for the soldier to use his teeth to bite off the sealed end.
The origin of the badge worn on our collars goes back to when the Inniskillener-men were raised in 1689 as regiments of foot to defend the town of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh during the Williamite War. The spelling of the town we know today as Enniskillen originates from its Irish name Inis Ceithleann, (Isle of Kathleen). The Annals of Clonmacnoise stated that the isle took its name from Cethlen, the wife of Balor, Chief of the race of pirates known as the Formorians.
On the morning following the Battle of Waterloo, the Inniskillings had an opportunity to discover who was still alive. The casualties among all ranks amounted to almost 59% - a greater loss than that sustained by any other infantry regiment in the battle.
Although officially raised in 1793, as with the other Militia units, the 18th or Cavan Battalion of Militia did not start recruiting until 1794. One of two units, the other being the Kildare Battalion, described as ‘defective’ in an Irish House of Lords debate on 1 March 1794, the Cavans were ordered to ‘complete their number with convenient speed’.
UK operations in Iraq ceased at the end of Operation TELIC 13, the last roulement of British forces in support of the US Op IRAQI FREEDOM. The last of the British forces was withdrawn on 22 May 2011
On 31 December 1950, the Chinese attacked across the Imjin at Korangpo-Ri and established a bridgehead. The following morning at 1030 hours, the 1st Battalion The Royal Ulster Rifles (1 RUR) moved north along the Seoul to Kaesong road to a brigade blocking position near Tongo-Ri from where it was to attack the enemy's leading elements. But the Chinese breakout from the bridgehead was sooner and faster than expected. The Battalion was therefore halted and moved cross-country to the area of Chaegunghyon.
The Chaplain General, the Reverend Doctor David Coulter, led the Regimental Service of Remembrance in St Anne's Cathedral on Sunday, 2 November 2014. The army had sponsored him through Queen’s University Belfast and after attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into The Royal Irish Rangers and served for nine years before transferring to the TA.
He gave an interview before the service to Forces News and described his former service with The Royal Irish Rangers.
Charles Richard Huxtable was born in London on 22 July 1931 and died aged 87 on 26 November 2018. He was educated at Wellington College and then the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before being commissioned into The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (DWR) on 8 February 1952.
