Devonshire Regiment
Devonshire Regiment | |
---|---|
Volunteer and Territorial battalions Up to 19 Hostilities-only battalions | |
Garrison/HQ | Topsham Barracks, Exeter |
Nickname(s) | The Bloody Eleventh[1] |
Motto(s) | Semper Fidelis (Ever faithful) |
Colors | Lincoln green facings |
March | We've Lived and We've Loved Together |
Insignia | |
Arm Badge | Croix de Guerre |
The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 the regiment was amalgamated with the Dorset Regiment to form the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment which, in 2007, was amalgamated with the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, the Royal Green Jackets and The Light Infantry to form a new large regiment, The Rifles.
History
Formation
In June 1667 Henry Somerset, Marquess of Worcester, was granted a commission to raise a regiment of foot, The Marquess of Worcester's Regiment of Foot.[2] The regiment remained in existence for only a few months and was disbanded in the same year. It was re-raised in January 1673 and again disbanded in 1674. In 1682, Henry Somerset was created Duke of Beaufort, and in 1685 he was again commissioned to raise a regiment, The Duke of Beaufort's Regiment of Foot, or Beaufort Musketeers, to defend Bristol against the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion.[3]
Early years
The regiment was not required to fight at the time of its formation since the Duke of Monmouth was drawn away from Bristol. Its first action came in
The regiment was deployed to
The regiment embarked for the continent in spring 1760 for service in the Seven Years' War; it fought at the Battle of Warburg in July 1760,[14] the Battle of Kloster Kampen in October 1760[15] and the Battle of Villinghausen in July 1761[16] as well as the Battle of Wilhelmsthal in June 1762[17] and the inconclusive Iberian campaign. After the war, it garrisoned the island of Menorca.[18]
The regiment served under the name of its various Colonels until it was numbered as the 11th Regiment of Foot when the numerical system of regimental designation was adopted in 1751.[2] It was given the additional county title of 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment of Foot in 1782.[2]
French and Napoleonic Wars
The 11th Regiment spent the early years of the French Revolutionary Wars serving as detachments in the Mediterranean with the Royal Navy.[19] It also took part in an abortive raid on the port of Ostend in 1798.[20] It was deployed to the West Indies in 1801 where it captured Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin later that year.[21] A 2nd Battalion was formed in 1809 and took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign.[22]
The 1st battalion returned to Europe in July 1809 to fight in the
The Victoria era
The regiment spent most of the 19th century on garrison duty throughout the
In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the
First World War
Regular Army
The 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment was a
The 2nd Battalion, assigned to the
The
Territorial Force
The 1/4th, 1/5th (Prince of Wales's) and 1/6th Battalions of the Devonshire Regiment, all First Line Territorial Force (TF) units, were mobilised upon the outbreak of war, serving together in the Devon and Cornwall Brigade of the Wessex Division, and were sent to India. The 1/4th and 1/6th Battalions later saw action in Mesopotamia, while the 1/5th was transferred to the Western Front. The Second Line battalions (2/4th, 2/5th (Prince of Wales's) and 2/6th) also went to India, with the 2/4th and 2/5th later serving in Palestine and Mesopotamia respectively. The 1/7th and 2/7th (Cyclist) Battalions served in Home Defence.[44]
Kitchener's Army
The 9th (Service) Battalion
The later years of the war
The experience of an 18-year-old volunteer joining the 35th Training Reserve Battalion, part of the Devon Regiment, in 1918, is provided by A S Bullock.[48]
Second World War
The 1st Battalion was serving in
The 2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment was a
The Devonshire Regiment raised the 7th, 8th and 9th Territorial Army battalions, in addition to the 4th, 5th and 6th, all of which (except the 5th, which was converted pre-war into 86th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery) were serving in the 45th (Wessex) Infantry Division on the outbreak of war. However, none of these units, save the 4th Battalion, saw active service outside of the United Kingdom and were used mainly for home defence, training or supplying the other battalions of the regiment with infantry replacements and served with many different brigades and divisions such as the 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division. The 4th Battalion was sent, in May 1940, to Gibraltar to join the 2nd Gibraltar Brigade[54] and returned to the United Kingdom on 28 December 1943 and eventually joined the 164th Brigade, 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division before finally ending the war in the 183rd Infantry Brigade, 61st Infantry Division. The 6th Battalion was transferred to the 141st Brigade, 47th Division.[55]
The 5th and 7th Battalions were converted to anti-tank units, becoming 86th, and 87th Anti-Tank Regiments, Royal Artillery respectively. The 86th Anti-Tank Regiment was a corps-level Anti-tank unit with XII Corps in the
The 50th (Holding) Battalion was raised in 1940 and renumbered the 12th Battalion the same year and spent most of its time on home defence anticipating a
Post-war and amalgamation
The 2nd Battalion was disbanded at
Regimental museum
The regimental collection is displayed in the Keep Military Museum in Dorchester.[61]
Battle honours
The regiment was awarded the following battle honours:[62]
- Dettingen, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Afghanistan 1879–80, Tirah, Defence of Ladysmith, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902
- The Great War (25 battalions): Aisne 1914 '18, La Bassée 1914, Armentières 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Hill 60, Ypres 1915 '17, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Aubers, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Arras 1917 '18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, Bullecourt, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Rosières, Villers Bretonneux, Lys, Hazebrouck, Bois des Buttes, Marne 1918, Tardenois, Bapaume 1918, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, Beaurevoir, Cambrai 1918, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914–18, Piave, Vittorio Veneto, Italy 1917–18, Doiran 1917 '18, Macedonia 1915–18, Egypt 1916–17, Gaza, Nebi Samwil, Jerusalem, Tel Asur, Palestine 1917–18, Tigris 1916, Kut al Amara 1917, Mesopotamia 1916-18
- The Second World War: Normandy Landing, Port en Bessin, Tilly sur Seulles, Caen, St. Pierre la Vielle, Nederrijn, Roer, Rhine, Ibbenburen, North-West Europe 1944–45, Landing in Sicily, Regalbuto, Sicily 1943, Landing at Porto San Venere, Italy 1943, Malta 1940–42, Imphal, Shenam Pass, Tamu Road, Ukhrul, Myinmu Bridgehead, Kyaukse 1945, Burma 1943-45
- 4th, 5th, 6th Bns: South Africa 1900-01
Colonels
Colonels of the Regiment were:[2]
- 1667: Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester
- disbanded
- 1673: Col Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort
- disbanded
- 1685: Col Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort
- 1685–1687: Col Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester
- 1687–1688: Lt-Gen William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of Powis
- 1688–1702: Maj-Gen Sir John Hanmer, 3rd Baronet
- 1702–1705: Gen James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope
- 1705–1715: Maj-Gen John Hill
- 1715–1738: Brig-Gen Edward Montagu
- 1738–1743: Maj-Gen Stephen Cornwallis
- 1743–1746: Col Robinson Sowle
- 1746–1747: Brig-Gen William Graham
- 1747–1765: Lt-Gen Maurice Bocland
The 11th Regiment of Foot
- 1765–1781: Gen William A'Court Ashe
- 1781–1791: Lt-Gen Francis Smith
The 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment
- 1791–1806: Gen James Grant
- 1806–1807: Gen Hon Richard FitzPatrick
- 1807–1823: Gen Sir Charles Asgill, 2nd Baronet GCH
- 1823–1837: Gen Sir Henry Tucker Montresor KCB GCH
- 1837–1841: Gen Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin KCB GCH
- 1841–1856: Gen Sir John WilsonKCB
- 1856–1857: Lt-Gen William George Cochrane
- 1857–1862: Lt-Gen Sir Richard Doherty
- 1862–1874: Gen Sir John Gaspard Le Marchant GCMG KCB
Devonshire Regiment
- 1874–1890: Gen Sir Francis Seymour, 1st Baronet GCB
- 1890–1897: Gen Sir George Harry Smith Willis GCB
- 1897–1902: Lt-Gen Sir Edward Newdigate Newdegate KCB
- 1902–1903: Maj-Gen Hon. Charles John Addington[63]
- 1903–1910: Maj-Gen Hon. Sir Savage Lloyd Mostyn KCB (also Royal Welch Fusiliers)
- 1910–1921: Lt-Gen Sir George Mackworth Bullock KCB
- 1921–1930: Lt-Gen Sir Louis Jean Bols KCB KCMG DSO
- 1930–1943: Maj-Gen Sir Charles Clarkson Martin Maynard KCB CMG DSO
- 1943–1948: Col Harold Street DSO
- 1948–1958: Col Lionel Henry Mountifort Westropp
Victoria Crosses
The following members of the regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross:
- Lieutenant (later Major) James Edward Ignatius Masterson, Second Boer War
- Private (later Corporal) Theodore Veale, Great War
- Lance-Corporal (later Captain) George Onions, Great War
References
- ISBN 0 947554 03 3.
- ^ a b c d e "The Devonshire Regiment at the archive of regiments.org". Archived from the original on 13 January 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ "Early Days of the Regiments". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ Cannon, p. 16
- ^ Cannon, p. 18
- ^ Cannon, p. 20
- ^ Cannon, p. 21
- ^ Cannon, p. 26
- ^ Cannon, p. 28
- ^ Cannon, p. 29
- ^ Cannon, p. 30
- ^ Cannon, p. 31
- ^ Cannon, p. 33
- ^ Cannon, p. 36
- ^ Cannon, p. 37
- ^ Cannon, p. 38
- ^ Cannon, p. 40
- ^ Cannon, p. 41
- ^ Cannon, p. 42
- ^ Cannon, p. 49
- ^ Cannon, p. 51
- ^ "The 11th Regiment of Foot in the Napoleonic War - the 2nd Battalion by Sir David Pepper KCMG". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 28 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ Cannon, p. 55
- ^ Cannon, p. 57
- ^ a b Cannon, p. 61
- ^ "The Devonshire Regiment". Devon Heritage. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ Cannon, p. 64
- ^ Cannon, p. 69
- ^ Cannon, p. 71
- ^ Cannon, p. 73
- ^ Cannon, p. 74
- ^ a b Cannon, p. 76
- ^ "Devonshire Regiment". National Army Museum. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "Training Depots 1873–1881". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) The depot was the 34th Brigade Depot from 1873 to 1881, and the 11th Regimental District depot thereafter - ^ "No. 24992". The London Gazette. 1 July 1881. pp. 3300–3301.
- ^ "The Boer War". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 31 March 1908. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- ^ These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the 4th Battalion at Bedford Circus in Exeter (since demolished), the 5th (Prince of Wales's) Battalion at Prospect Place in Plymouth (since demolished), the 6th Battalion at The Strand in Barnstaple (since demolished) and the 7th (Cyclist) Battalion at Leighton Terrace in Exeter (since demolished) (all Territorial Force).
- ^ a b "Devonshire Regiment". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "The 1st Battalion The Devonshire Regiment in World War One - The Keep Military Museum, Dorchester, Dorset". Keepmilitarymuseum.org. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ "The Battle of Bois des Buttes". The Keep Military Museum. Retrieved 6 September 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 978-1783376056.
- ^ "The 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion The Devonshire Regiment in World War One - The Keep Military Museum, Dorchester, Dorset". Keepmilitarymuseum.org. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ a b Devonshire Regiment at Long, Long Trail.
- ^ The Service designation indicates that this was a battalion of Lord Kitchener's New Army.
- ^ "The Devons in World War One". Devon Remembers. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "The 8th and 9th (Service) Battalions The Devonshire Regiment in World War One". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-7524-4793-3. (Page 52)
- ^ "The 1st Battalion The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "26 Infantry Brigade". Orders of Battle. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "The Devons on D-Day". Warchronicle.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ Patrick Elie - Normandie - France. "50th Infantry Division - Order of battle". 6juin1944.com. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ "The 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "The 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 30th Battalions The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "47th (London) Infantry Division" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "The 5th and 7th Battalions The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "The 12th and 50th Battalions The Devonshire Regiment in World War Two". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "D-Day Memories: 12th Devons". BBC. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "Memorial to the Devonshire Regiment men who died in the Kenyan and Malayan emergencies". Devon Heritage. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ Merged regiments and new brigading — many famous units to lose separate identity. The Times, 25 July 1957.
- ^ "The Keep Today". The Keep Military Museum. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ "Battle Honours awarded to the Devonshire Regiment after the Great War". Devon Heritage. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ "No. 27474". The London Gazette. 16 September 1902. p. 5959.
- ^ "Devonshire Cemetery, Somme Battlefields, France". Great War. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
Sources
- Cannon, Richard (1845). "Historical Record of the Eleventh Regiment, Or the North Devon Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1845". Parker, Furnivall and Parker.*
Further reading
- C.T. Atkinson, The Devonshire Regiment, 1914-1918 (Exeter: Eland Brothers; London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, 1926).
External links
- Regimental museum
- 1914-1918.net
- The Record of a Regiment of the Line Being a regimental history of the 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment during the Boer War 1899-1902, by M. Jacson, from Project Gutenberg. Deals extensively with the siege of Ladysmith.