British Regiments at the Front, The Story of Their Battle Honours — John Shaqi
British Regiments at the Front, The Story of Their Battle HonoursHodder, Reginald
History
British Regiments at the Front, The Story of Their Battle Honours
Hodder, Reginald
Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army
The Liverpool Regiment, like the 5th Dragoon Guards, was raised to help
James, and, like them, it sided with the right against him. When James
tried to place Roman Catholic officers over English regiments, with the
help of the Liverpool Regiment, the colonel and five officers strongly
objected. James sent his son, Fitzjames, Duke of Berwick, to
Portsmouth, to correct them; but on this, and the issue of it, the
country rose, saying unanimously that James was wrong, and the "six
Portsmouth captains" were right. James had to flee from a country which
entertained ideas so strange to his way of thinking. In memory of this
protest against oppression, the portraits of those "six Portsmouth
captains" are preserved to this day by the regiment. Once having
definitely seceded, the Liverpool Regiment went further in the defence
of liberty, and fought fiercely at the Boyne.
But it was in the Netherlands that the "Leather Hats" performed their
first great feat of valour. Lord Cutts, whom they dubbed "The
Salamander"--because, where the fire was hottest, there was Cutts to be
found--ordered them, against all sane strategy, to storm the fortress
of Venloo. Everyone said it was impossible to take it, but the
Liverpool Regiment, who were actually facing the matter, got a
different view into their heads. They said nothing, but obeyed
commands--and took it. "Over bastion, fausse, bray and raveline," says
a graphic chronicler, "over trench, glacis and escarpment, Cutts led
his dare-devils; the ditches were heaped with the dead, till the living
walked over them, and--the enemy ran upon the farther side." It was a
magnificent feat of arms, and a fitting preface to Blenheim, Dettingen,
Lucknow, and their glorious deeds at the front to-day.
* * * * *
THEIR BADGES AND BATTLE HONOURS, ETC.
BADGE.--The White Horse within the Garter. In each of the four
corners the Royal Cypher.
MOTTO.--"Nec aspera terrent."
BATTLE HONOURS.--The Sphinx, superscribed Egypt. Blenheim,
Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Dettingen, Martinique, Niagara,
Delhi, Lucknow, Peiwar Kotal, Afghanistan 1878-80, Burma 1885-87,
S. Africa 1899-1902, Defence of Ladysmith.
UNIFORM.--Regular and Reserve Battns., scarlet with blue facings.
THE NORFOLKS
("THE HOLY BOYS")
"Our country will, I believe, sooner forgive an officer for
attacking his enemy, than for omitting to do it....
"A Norfolk man is as good as two others."--_Nelson._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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