45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot
Encyclopedia
The 45th Regiment of Foot was a British Army
line infantry
regiment
. During the Childers Reforms
it was united with the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot
to form the The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) .
. It was first posted to Gibraltar in 1745, before moving to Nova Scotia in 1747 for garrison duty. In 1758 the regiment fought in the Siege of Louisburg. which became the regiments first battle honour.
From 1774 the regiment was in action in North America during the American War of Independence, fighting in the battles of Long Island, Philadelphia, Brandywine Creek and Germantown.
In 1783 they returned home to Nottingham, where the citizens petitioned for the regiment to be named "the Nottinghamshire regiment". This was granted the same year, becoming the 45th (1st Nottinghamshire) Regiment
The regiment returned to the Americas in 1786, spending the next 16 years, with one break, in the West Indies. During this time they saw action against the French as part of the French Revolutionary Wars
, at Martinique, Dominica and Les Saintes.
After an expedition to South America in 1807, fighting at Buenos Aires, the 45th returned to Britain, to take part in Wellington's
Peninsular campaign
. In this they fought in every major action, winning the nickname "Old Stubborns" at Talavera, and being commended at Busaco and Badajoz
.
Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars
the Nottinghamshires served in a series of colonial campaigns. In 1819 they were in Ceylon, and in 1824 in the First Burma War. In 1843 they were in South Africa for the First Kaffir War, and in 1851 for the Second. In 1867, now called the 45th Nottinghamshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters), they took part in the Abyssinian campaign.
In 1881, as part of the Childers Reforms
, the 45th was amalgamated with the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment
to form the Sherwood Foresters
.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
line infantry
Line infantry
Line infantry is a type of infantry which composed the basis of European land armies from the middle of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century....
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
. During the Childers Reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
it was united with the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot
95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot
The 95th Regiment of Foot was formed when the 95th Rifles were redesignated as The Rifle Brigade . In 1881, during the Childers Reforms, it was united with the 45th Regiment of Foot to form the Sherwood Foresters .-History:...
to form the The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) .
Service history
The 45th Regiment was raised in 1741 as Houghton's Regiment, for service during the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
. It was first posted to Gibraltar in 1745, before moving to Nova Scotia in 1747 for garrison duty. In 1758 the regiment fought in the Siege of Louisburg. which became the regiments first battle honour.
From 1774 the regiment was in action in North America during the American War of Independence, fighting in the battles of Long Island, Philadelphia, Brandywine Creek and Germantown.
In 1783 they returned home to Nottingham, where the citizens petitioned for the regiment to be named "the Nottinghamshire regiment". This was granted the same year, becoming the 45th (1st Nottinghamshire) Regiment
The regiment returned to the Americas in 1786, spending the next 16 years, with one break, in the West Indies. During this time they saw action against the French as part of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, at Martinique, Dominica and Les Saintes.
After an expedition to South America in 1807, fighting at Buenos Aires, the 45th returned to Britain, to take part in Wellington's
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
Peninsular campaign
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. In this they fought in every major action, winning the nickname "Old Stubborns" at Talavera, and being commended at Busaco and Badajoz
Battle of Badajoz (1812)
In the Battle of Badajoz , the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, besieged Badajoz, Spain and forced the surrender of the French garrison....
.
Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
the Nottinghamshires served in a series of colonial campaigns. In 1819 they were in Ceylon, and in 1824 in the First Burma War. In 1843 they were in South Africa for the First Kaffir War, and in 1851 for the Second. In 1867, now called the 45th Nottinghamshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters), they took part in the Abyssinian campaign.
In 1881, as part of the Childers Reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
, the 45th was amalgamated with the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment
95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot
The 95th Regiment of Foot was formed when the 95th Rifles were redesignated as The Rifle Brigade . In 1881, during the Childers Reforms, it was united with the 45th Regiment of Foot to form the Sherwood Foresters .-History:...
to form the Sherwood Foresters
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th Regiment of Foot and the 95th Regiment of Foot...
.
Battle honours
- LouisburgSiege of Louisbourg (1758)The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War in 1758 which ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.-Background:The British government realized that with the...
, - Rolica, Vimiera, Talavera, Busaco, Fuentes D'Onoro, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse, PeninsulaPeninsular WarThe Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, - Ava,
- South Africa 1846-47,