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In 1881 the Army went through considerable reforms,
including the names and numbers of Regiments. As part of these
the "Worcestershire Regiment" was formed, comprising
a 1st Battalion made up of the 29th Regiment
of Foot, formally Farrington's Regiment
of Foot and with links to Worcestershire, and a 2nd Battalion
made up of the 36th Regiment of Foot, formally
Charlmont's Regiment, and with links to
Herefordshire.
See Also - A Brief History of the
Worcestershire Regiment
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Farrington's Regiment of Foot - In 1694 Colonel Thomas
Farrington was ordered to raise a Regiment of Foot soldiers
to help fight in England's on-and-off wars with France. In those
days, Regiments were known by their Colonel's name.
Despite being disbanded when peace was declared in 1698, they
were raised again with the same officers in 1702. In 1704 they
were sent to Holland, and served there under the Duke of Marlborough.
They first saw action in 1706, at Ramilles and at the siege
of Ostend. |
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next 40 years were spent in various garrisons in England, Ireland
and Portugal, and also in the siege of Gibraltar, 1727. |
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The 29th Regiment of Foot- Towards the end of the 1740's,
Farrington's Regiment started to be more widely known as the
29th Regiment of Foot. From the 1750's, Regiments were only
known by their numbers (based upon the order in which they had
been raised) to save confusion over the constantly changing
names. For example, both the 29th and the 36th were known as
Disney's Regiment (after Henry Disney) at different times.
The 29th also had a long relationship with North America. |
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In 1749, the Regiment helped to clear the land and lay the
foundations of the town of Halifax, now the capital of Nova
Scotia, which they visited frequently over later years. One
of the Regiment's claims to fame comes from 1770, when they
were stationed in Boston. One night a mob attacked one of their
patrols, and the resulting scuffle became known as the Boston
Massacre. |
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Charlemont's Regiment - In 1701 Colonel William Charlemont raised
a Regiment in Ireland for sea-service. Charlemont's Regiment served
on board Royal Navy ships all over the world - in Spain, the West
Indies and America as well as Ireland, north-west Europe and Britain.
After tours in the West Indies and Ireland, the Regiment saw it's
first action in 1705, distinguishing itself at the siege of Barcelona.
They fought in Spain for another five years before being sent on an
expedition against the French in Nova Scotia. After suffering badly
in severe storms, the expedition turned for home and the Regiment
returned briefly to France before starting more than thirty long years
of relative peace in Ireland and the West Indies. |
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36th Regiment of Foot - In 1744 Charlmont's
Regiment was again sent to France, but the following year were pulled
out and rushed north to help counter the Scottish revolt. After being
defeated at Falkirk, the Regiment were part of the revenge on and
destruction of the Scottish forces at Culloden in 1746. About this
time, the Regiment began to be known as the 36th Regiment of Foot.
After another spell in England, the 36th took part in a series of
raids against the French coast, and were part of the force which captured
the Belle Isle in the Bay of Biscay. Further years were spent in England,
Ireland and the West Indies, before moving to India in 1783. Here
they spent the next fifteen years, fighting in the wars against the
Tipu Sultan of Mysore, and winning a formidable reputation for themselves
among both friend and foe.
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