Historical record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry: $b from its formation in 1777, under the title of the 73rd, or McLeod's Highlanders, up to the year 1876Hildyard, Henry John Thoroton
History
Historical record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry: $b from its formation in 1777, under the title of the 73rd, or McLeod's Highlanders, up to the year 1876
Hildyard, Henry John Thoroton
Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 71st (Highland Light Infantry)
The losses of the regiment during the seven years it was quartered
in India were Captain W. F. Smith, Captain R. B. Aldridge, Lieut.
Wyndham Neave, and Ensign C. B. Murray, 2 sergeants and 24 rank and
file killed, 1 officer, Colonel W. Hope, C.B., 4 sergeants, and 50
rank and file wounded. Major H. Loftus, Lieut. and Adjutant Cowburn,
Ensign Swainson, and Surgeon W. Simpson, and about 250 men, died of
disease. About a half of the loss incurred by disease occurred during
the six weeks that the Central India campaign lasted, and during the
six weeks that the cholera was raging in the regiment in 1860.
The depôt companies joined the regiment in Edinburgh, and the
establishment of the regiment was fixed at 12 companies, with 54
sergeants, 31 buglers and pipers, and 700 rank and file.
In October occurred the death of Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Parker, of
typhoid fever, after a service of 23 years in the regiment.
[Sidenote: 1866.]
In February, authority was received from the Commander-in-Chief
for the officers of the regiment to wear a sword with a cross hilt
instead of a basket hilt on all occasions except at levees, &c.
In the same month the regiment embarked at Granton, for Aldershot,
where it arrived on the 19th, and remained stationed there till
December, when it proceeded to Portsmouth, and embarked on board Her
Majesty’s ship “Tamar” for Ireland, where it arrived on the 14th.
The head-quarters and five companies proceeded to Fermoy, detaching
three companies to Cork and two to Ballincollig. During the whole
of this year, when a Fenian outbreak was anticipated, the regiment
was much broken up into detachments, having at different times sent
detachments to the following places:—Cork, Ballincollig, Mallow,
Millstreet, Dungarvan, Mitchelstown, Tralee, Limerick, Killarney, and
Rathkeale. On the 27th of November Colonel W. Hope, C.B., retired
on half-pay, after a service of 32 years in the regiment, and after
having commanded it for eight years, much and deservedly respected
and regretted by all ranks. The command now devolved on Major J. J.
Macdonell.
[Sidenote: 1868.]
The regiment proceeded to Dublin on the 30th April, 1868, at which
time its establishment was increased to 800 privates. On the 22nd of
July the regiment proceeded to the Curragh Camp, and remained there
till the 17th of October, when it embarked on board Her Majesty’s
ship “Simoom” for Gibraltar, where it arrived on the 22nd of the same
month.
[Sidenote: 1869.]
On the 1st of April the establishment of the regiment was reduced by
100 privates.
[Sidenote: 1870.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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