Inhaber
1755 Honeywood, 1756 Kingsley
Unit History
The regiment was formed in 1688 as Peyton's 20th Regiment of Foot. At the outbreak of the Seven Years War, the unit, along with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, took part in the unsuccessful and wasteful raids on Rochefort and St. Malo. Part of the initial forces sent to Germany in 1758. Present at Minden, Warburg, Zierenberg, Klosterkamp, Vellinghausen, and Wilhelmstal.
At Minden, August 1759, the unit fought in the centre in the second line along side the 51st Foot (Brudenell), 25th Foot (Home), and Hanoverian Guards. The second line was commanded by Major General Kingsley and under the direction of Lieutenant General von Sporcken. This formation led the advance against the French. Before the battle, the regiment is traditionally supposed to have been posted in or near some rose gardens from which the men picked flowers to use as a field sign. At Klosterkamp, October 16, 1760, the regiment along with the 87th Foot (Keith's Highlanders), the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers (Huske) and the Hanoverian regiment Reden (No. 3A) assaulted the monastery at Kamp.
In 1782, the regiment was renamed as the 20th (The East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot. The motto of the unit was 'Onmia audax' (In all things daring). The unit also had two nicknames. The first, 'Kingsley's Stand', was in reference to the unit being placed in reserve due to casualties after Minden. Major General Kingsley, also Colonel of the regiment, declined to obey the order with the words "Kingsley's Regiment, at its own request will resume its portion of duty in the line". The second nickname, 'The Two Tens', was due to the regimental number that was always shown in Roman numerals (XX).
The commander in 1757, James Wolfe, participated at Dettingen in 1745 as a major at the age of 19. His impressions from the battle are described in a short letter. He commanded the 20th until 1758 when he was appointed Colonel of one of the newly raised regiments, the 67th. Sent in 1758 to America with the local rank of Major-General, he commanded of one of the brigades taking part in the successful siege of Louisberg. In 1759 he led the successful attack on Quebec and was killed at the moment of victory on the Plains of Abraham.
Comments
The reason for the unit is simply – James Wolfe. Any Canadian should be able to tell you about the Plains of Abraham (especially if they were an immigrant and had to pass the Canadian passport tests). Few know that there was a second battle for Quebec in which the British again defeat the French but this time it is the British who occupy the fortress with the French attempting to storm it. The beautiful flag is from GMB Designs. Unit painted in the spring of 2004.
Sources
Letter: http://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/history/War/18e/1743-Dettingen-Wolfe.htmText: J. Mollo, Uniforms of the Seven Years War 1756-63, Blandford Press, page 156.
Inhaber
1756 Huske
Unit History
The regiment was formed in 1689 as Lord Herbert's Regiment by Henry, Lord Herbert of Chirbury. Although designated as the Welsh Regiment of Fusiliers in 1702, it has always contained men from all over Britain. The regiment was selected, during the War of the Spanish Succession, together with an English and Scottish regiment, to become 'Fusiliers' for the purpose of guarding the artillery train. The fusiliers all wore mitre caps; originally, these mitre caps were ordered to be lower than those of the Grenadiers but this distinction was soon lost. The unit was present at Dettingen in 1745 and became the 23rd Foot in 1751. The three feathers in the unit's flag are also found on the badge of the 3rd Dragoon Guards.
At the outbreak of the Seven Years War, the 23rd Foot was one of four regiments that unsuccessfully defended Minorca against the Duc de Richelieu. The unit then took part in the unsuccessful and wasteful raids on Rochefort and St. Malo. Later the 23rd Foot formed part of the initial forces sent to Western Germany after the battle of Hastenback. It was engaged at Minden, Warburg, Klosterkamp, Vellinghausen, and Wilhelmstal. The 23rd Foot was a regular unit whose motto was 'Nec aspera terrent' (Nor do difficulties deter).
At Minden, August 1759, the unit fought in the centre in the first line along side the 12th Foot (Napier) and 37th Foot (Stewart). The first line was commanded by Major General Weldegrave and was under the direction of Lieutenant General von Sporcken. The formation led the advance against the French and received supporting fire from Philip's Artillery battery.
The unit later participated in the American War of Independence and was sent out to the American Colonies in 1773. When the rebellion erupted in Boston, the unit took part in the battles of Lexington and Concord. As the War progressed, the 23rd Foot took part in many of the major battles. These battles included Bunker (Breed's) Hill, Germantown and Camden before the unit surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, but not before the Colours had been smuggled out and only the cased flagpoles surrendered. Their heroism at Yorktown was so admired by the opposing forces, and the fact that so few men had held out for so long, that the Fusilier Redoubt that they held along with a detachment of Royal Marines still stands as a memorial to them.
Comments
The appeal of the mitre says it all. The figures are British Grenadiers from Dixon’s French & Indian series. When placed beside the more full figured Front Rank, they definitely seem like ‘Welsh-miners’ in that they are just a bit shorter of stature. The beautiful flag is from GMB Designs and really make the unit stand out. Unit painted in the spring of 2000.
Sources
J. Mollo, Uniforms of the Seven Years War 1756-63, Blandford Press, page 154.
Inhaber
1756 Napier, 1758 Brudenell, 1767 Earl of Eglinton
Unit History
The regiment was formed in September 1757 in Leeds and was stationed on the Isle of Wight before embarking on the fleet for the aborted raid on Rochefort.
In the summer of 1758, the regiment was among the first British contingent (6,000 men) sent to reinforce the Allied army of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany. The contingent disembarked August 3 1758 at Emden and arrived at Koesfeld on August 17 after marching through a very heavy rain. During this campaign, the grenadiers of the regiment were converged with those of the 12th, 20th, 23rd and 25th to form Maxwell's Grenadiers Battalion.
On August 1 1759, at the battle of Minden, the regiment was in the centre of the second line of the third column from the right under Major-General von Spörcken. The entire column advanced with extraordinary bravery against the French centre consisting of three lines of cavalry and broke the attacks of each of these lines. Its action won the day for the Allied.
On July 10 1760, the regiment was with the Hereditary Prince at the battle of Korbach. Along with other British regiments, it covered the retreat of the defeated Allied army. On October 16 of the same year, at Klostercamp, the regiment was in the fourth division under Howard which was kept in reserve.
In July 1761, the regiment was in Howard's Corps and took part to the battle of Vellinghausen.
Comments
WIP. The beautiful flag is from GMB Designs and really make the unit stand out.
Inhaber
1758 Gage, 1762 Wilmot
Unit History
The regiment was raised in the spring of 1758 by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage of the 44th Foot specifically to act as light infantry in North America. The reasons light troops were raised stem from the disaster that overtook Braddock's column on the Mongnahela River in 1755 combined with the bitter truth that the British were unable to depend on their German allies for light troops having found most Provincial units hapless. They needed specialized units capable of meeting their irregular opponents on equal ground and tactics were needed to assist the line troops in dealing with irregulars. Lord Loudoun, as British commander-in-chief in America set about this task with a vengeance. Scouting companies were formed from the better Provincials to provide long distance intelligence gathering. Promising line officers and enlisted men volunteered to go out on these scouts "to learn the ropes”. They were then to return to their battalions and pass on what had been learned.
The 80th Light Armed Foot, the first Light Infantry Regiment in the British Army, was raised in addition to the above mentioned scouting companies. Nearly 500 men strong and organized into five companies, it served in the failed attempt on Ticonderoga. The regiment is best known for fighting at Bernetz Brook on July 6, 1758, two days before the Battle of Ticonderoga. It was at Bernetz Brook that the British Army suffered a great loss with the death of Lord Howe. His death disheartened the British troops just prior to Ticonderoga. The unit continued to campaign in the area of the Champlain Valley in 1758, participating in General Amherst's occupation of Ticonderoga and Crown Point in 1759 and advancing to Montreal in 1760. Some of its personnel served at Detroit with distinction during Pontiac's "rebellion." The men wore short brown coats with brown facings, no lace, and black buttons. By 1760 however, the men began to receive red coats with orange-brown facings, which changed to yellow the following year, but were back to orange brown again by 1763.
The unit was disbanded in 1764.
Comments
The unit came about because I received a strange assortment of American Front Rank figures from the AWI from Robert Swan over Christmas 2005. Scraping a dozen together to make a light unit was an easy choice but finding a unit which fit all the figures was a challenge and lead to this exotic unit. The uniform is modeled on the unit in late 1760 and in transition from the brown uniform to the red coat with orange brown facings. The mixed nature of the uniform also places the unit in the distinct Light Troop bucket of the troops gracing my gaming table.
Sources
J. Mitchell, British and American Troops in North America during the SYW, Seven Years War Association Journal Vol. XIII No.3
M. Nichipor, William Howe's Light Infantry Discipline "Loose File and Open Order" , 18th Century Military Notes & Queries No. 10.
Inhaber
1759 Keith
Unit History
The regiment was formed in 1759 from a nucleus draft of 300 men from the 42nd Highlanders by Lt.Col. Robert Murray Keith. A total of eight companies were sent to Germany by late 1759 after the battle of Minden. Present at Eybach, Viesebeck, Warburg, Zierenberg, Kalle, Klosterkamp, Vellinghausen, Brucher Muhl, and Wilhemsthal. The Highland units were used as a light troops or raiders. The men received little formal training other than to advance with the bayonet. The soldier's backgrounds, extensive cattle raiding in the Highlands, made them well suited to their role in Germany. The unit was often combined with the 88th Foot (Campbell or Highland Volunteers) and both were heavily engaged in 'petit guerre' operations gaining a fearsome reputation.
The opening actions saw a company of the 87th being captured in Viesebeck. At Warburg, the two battalions were not really engaged. On the 5th September 1760, 150 highlanders took part in a successful raid on a French outpost at Zierenberg. They led the assault on the town. At the next skirmish at Klosterkamp on October 16th 1760, 150 highlanders tried to seize the convent, held by the Chasseurs de Fischer. The highlanders were quickly routed and badly knocked about.
At Vellinghausen, the regiment was heavily engaged on the evening of the 15th July 1761. Initially driven back, they recovered, counter-attacked and stabilized their position until morning. The next day they and the rest of Granby's infantry were ordered forward when another French assault fell into confusion. In the action, the highlanders succeeded in cutting off and capturing the Regiment de Rouge (No.10) but suffered fairly heavy losses.
As was common with the light units of the period, in 1763, after wars end, the unit was shipped, via the Netherlands, home and disbanded at Perth. Based on later paintings, it is presumed that the unit had green facings. The tartan's basic colour was probably green with narrow blue green vertical and horizontal stripes (see Osprey's The British Redcoat). Over these narrow stripes were pencil-thin black stripes. Pipers and musicians probably wore the Royal Stewart tartan. This is described as "scarlet, with medium stripes of dark green arranged in pairs, the pairs spaced widely apart. Over the green stripes were alternating thin over-stripes of yellow and white."
Comments
It seems once anyone collects a British army, the obligatory Highland unit appears. In my case, although I love the history of the 42nd and their adventures at Carillon (or was that misadventure?), I wanted a unit that fought in Europe. This unit fit the bill although it was surprisingly short-lived. The figures are Front Rank but from their Jacobite Rebellion series. Unit painted in 2003.
Sources
S. Reid, Highland Regiments in the Seven Years War, 18th Century Military Notes & Queries No. 4 Osprey’s British Redcoat 1740–93 (Warrior 19)
Inhaber
1755 John Manners, Marquis of Granby
Unit History
The regiment was raised 1661 as the Oxford Blues. The unit was placed in 1687 as Household troops. It fought at Dettingen in 1745. The only unit in the British cavalry to wear the Royal Blue coat hence the nickname of 'The Blues'. The Royal Horse Guards were engaged at Minden, Warburg, Villinghausen and Wilhemsthal. Considered an elite unit whose motto was 'Honi soit qui mal y pense' (Evil be to him who evil thinks).
At Minden, August 1759, three squadrons were present along with the 1st Dragoon Guards and Inniskilling Dragoons under the command of Colonel John Mostyn. This command was in the first line under the command of Lord Sackville.
At Warburg, July 31, 1760, the regiment was in the brigade under the command of the Marquis of Granby. His brigade included the 1st King's Dragoons Guards, and the 3rd Dragoon Guards, and the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons. Later at Villinghausen, the Blues, while present, were inactive.
The Colonel of the Blues, John Manners, Marquis of Granby, became a Major-General in 1755. In August 1759 he succeeded the disgraced Lord Sackville as the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in Germany. He led it throughout the remainder of the campaign, showing much gallantry. He became Master-General of the Ordnance in 1763 and Commander-in-Chief in 1766. He died at Scarborough of gout in 1770.
Comments
Each army needs a unit close to royalty and this is it for the Anglo-German forces. Actually an active unit in the war so seeing it appear in a collection of SYW figs should not be a surprise. The blue coat is a nice addition to the British cavalry which is so often in red. Unit painted in 2004.
Sources
Flag: Osprey’s British Colours & Standards 1747-1881 (1) Cavalry (Elite 77)
Text: J. Mollo, Uniforms of the Seven Years War 1756-63, Blandford Press, page 188.
Inhaber
1756 Bland
Unit History
The regiment was formed in 1685 as the Queen's or 2nd Regiment of Horse. The regiment became the King's Own Regiment of Horse in 1714. The unit was engaged in 1745 at Dettingen. In 1746, the first three regiments of Horse were, for reasons of economy, 'reduced to the quality of Dragoon', with the extra title of 'Guard' added as compensation. As part of the change, the units lost their cross-belts and were provided with drums and hautbois instead of trumpets. Their arms were sword, carbine and pistol. 
The unit fought at Bergen; Minden; Korbach, where it charged with the 3rd Dragoon Guards in an attempt to save some Allied guns losing 66 men out of 90; Warburg, Vellinghausen; Wilhelmstal, and other engagements in the 'Kleinkrieg' in Germany.
At Bergen, April 1759, the regiment was in the centre column of the Anglo-Allied army. The infantry in the column was fed into the assaults on Bergen and beaten back while the cavalry protected their flank.
At Minden, August 1759, three squadrons were present along with the Royal Horse Guards and Inniskilling Dragoons under the command of Colonel John Mostyn. This command was in the first line under the command of Lord Sackville.
At Warburg, July 31, 1760, the regiment was in the brigade under the command of the Marquis of Granby. His brigade included the Royal Horse Guards, and the 3rd Dragoon Guards, and the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons.
Considered a regular unit receiving elite pay whose motto was 'Honi soit qui mal y pense' (Evil be to him who evil thinks).
Comments
This is one of my ‘Bergen’ units. The unit has fought well on the table top. Unit painted in the spring of 2004.
Sources
Flag: Osprey’s British Colours & Standards 1747-1881 (1) Cavalry (Elite 77)
Text: J. Mollo, Uniforms of the Seven Years War 1756-63, Blandford Press, page 188.
