30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot

The 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot was an

30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of
infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under
the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 59th (2nd Foot
Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot to form the East
Lancashire Regiment in 1881.

Contents
History
Origins
War of the Austrian Succession
Seven Years' War
American War of Independence
Badge of the 30th (Cambridgshire)
Napoleonic Wars
Regiment of Foot
The Victorian era
Active 1702–1881
Amalgamation
Country Kingdom of England
Battle honours
(1702-1707)
Victoria Cross
Regimental Colonels Kingdom of Great
Britain (1707-1801)
References
Sources United Kingdom
Further reading (1801-1881)
Branch British Army
Type Infantry
History Garrison/HQ Burnley Barracks,
Burnley
Origins Nickname(s) The Triple X's
Colors Pale yellow facings
The regiment was originally raised in Lincolnshire by
Viscount Castleton as Lord Castleton's Regiment of Foot in Engagements Capture of Gibraltar
1689, during the Nine Years' War. In 1691 travelled to French campaign in
Flanders. In 1694 the colonelcy of the unit changed and it Egypt and Syria
became Colonel Thomas Sanderson's Regiment of Foot.[1] Peninsular War
With the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 the war Napoleonic Wars
came to an end. Sanderson's Regiment returned to England, Crimean War
where it was disbanded on 4 March 1698.[2][3][4]

By 1702 England was involved in the European conflict which became known as the War of the Spanish
Succession. Sanderson was commissioned to reform his regiment as marines.[4] In February 1702 Thomas
Sanderson's Regiment of Marines (or the 1st Regiment of Marines) was reraised in Lincolnshire.[2] The
unit took part in the capture and defence of Gibraltar in July 1704.[5] It subsequently took part in the campaign
led by the Earl of Peterborough and was involved in the capture of
Barcelona in September 1705.[6] The regiment's title changed with the
name of its colonel: Thomas Pownall (1704–1705) and Charles Wills
(from 1705).[1]

War of the Austrian Succession

In 1714 the regiment was converted to conventional infantry as

Charles Willis's Regiment of Foot[1] and deployed to Ireland later
that year.[7] The regiment was sent to Menorca on garrison duty in
1724[7] and was again in Gibraltar during the siege of 1727.[8] The
regiment served in Ireland again from 1732 to 1743[9] and then sailed
with the expedition under General James St Clair to capture the
Breton port of Lorient in September 1746 during the War of the
Austrian Succession: they also destroyed the French fortifications near
Quiberon and returned to England.[10] Troops from the regiment
served as marines again on board Lord Anson's fleet at the First Battle
of Cape Finisterre in May 1747.[11] The regiment was sent to Ireland
again in 1749.[11]

Soldier of the 30th Foot in 1742

Seven Years' War

On 1 July 1751 a royal warrant was issued declaring that in future regiments were no longer to be known by
their colonel's name, but by the "Number or Rank of the Regiment". Accordingly, Colonel the Earl of
Loudoun's Regiment was renamed as the 30th Regiment of Foot.[1] The warrant also for the first time
regulated the uniform clothing of the army, and provided that the 30th should wear pale yellow facings on their
red uniform coats.[12] The regiment returned to England in 1755[11] and took part in the Raid on Rochefort in
September 1757,[13] the Raid on St Malo in June 1758[14] and the Raid on Cherbourg in August 1758[14] as
well as the Battle of Saint Cast in September 1758 during the Seven Years' War.[15] Their most notable action
during the war was the capture of Belle Île in June 1761.[16] The regiment served in Gibraltar again from 1763
to 1771[17] and in Ireland again from 1775 to 1781.[18]

American War of Independence

In 1781 the regiment embarked for North America where they arrived in Charleston to take part in the
southern campaign of the American War of Independence.[18] The regiment then spent nine years on Antigua,
Saint Lucia and Dominica.[3] In 1782 all regiments of the line without a royal title were given a county
designation and the regiment became the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot.[2] In 1791 the regiment
was called to put down a rebellion by the Maroons.[19]

Napoleonic Wars

The regiment arrived back in England in 1791 and provided support to the French Royalists at the Siege of
Toulon in autumn 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars.[20] In March 1801 the regiment formed part of
the expedition to Egypt to drive out the French occupying force[21] and took part in the Battle of Mandora[22]
and then the Battle of Alexandria later that month.[23] The regiment returned to England in 1802 and formed a
second battalion in the following year.[24] In January 1807 the 1st Battalion sailed for India where it remained
throughout the war.[25]
The 2nd Battalion embarked for Portugal in March 1809 for service in
the Peninsular War.[26] It fought at the Siege of Badajoz in March
1812: the battalion's losses were 6 officers including the commanding
officer, Lieutenant Colonel George Grey, and 132 other ranks.[27] It
also saw action at the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812;[28] at
Salamanca Ensign John Pratt, a junior officer in the battalion,
captured the French Imperial Eagle of the 22nd Regiment de
Ligne.[29] It went on to fight at the Siege of Burgos in September
1812 before returning home in December 1812.[30] The battalion
subsequently landed in Holland and fought at the Battle of Quatre
Bras[31] and the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.[32] At Waterloo the
2nd Battalion, 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot and the 2nd
Battalion, 30th Regiment of Foot formed a defensive square to defend
their ground against successive French attacks.[33]

By the beginning of 1816 the 2nd Battalion were once more in

Ireland.[29] In April 1817 the order came for disbandment of the 2nd
Battalion. Lieutenant Edward Macready wrote in his journal:
A French Imperial Eagle similar to
that captured at the Battle of
"This brave corps … will be remembered as Salamanca in July 1812
long as the names of Fuentes de Onoro,
Badajoz, Salamanca, Muriel, Quatre Bras
and Waterloo are emblazoned in the highest
pages of British achievement."[29]

The same year, the 1st Battalion, already in India, was

involved in the Third Anglo-Maratha War before
returning to England in 1829.[3] The regiment then
served in Ireland from 1831 to 1834, in Bermuda from
1834 to 1841 and Nova Scotia from 1841 to 1843.[34] It
was back in Ireland again from 1844 to 1846.[35]

The 2nd Battalion, 73rd and the 2nd Battalion, 30th

The Victorian era Regiments of Foot at the Battle of Waterloo, June
1815, Joseph Cartwright
The regiment landed at Scutari in May 1854[36] and was
present at the Battle of Alma in September 1854,[37] the
Battle of Inkerman in November 1854[38] and the Siege of Sevastopol in winter 1854[39] during the Crimean
War.[2][4] In June 1861 the regiment moved to Canada as Britain increased their military presence following
the Trent Affair.[40] The regiment remained there until 1869, and was involved in repelling the Fenian
raids.[41]

Amalgamation

The regiment was posted to Ireland in 1869,[42] moving to Jersey in 1871.[43] As part of the Cardwell
Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and
recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 30th was linked with the 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment
of Foot, and assigned to district no. 15 at Burnley Barracks in Lancashire.[43][44] It sailed for India in January
1880.[45] On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 59th
(2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot to form the East Lancashire Regiment.[2]

Battle honours
The 30th Foot was granted the following battle honours and honorary distinctions to be borne on their colours.
The year shown is the year of the award, not the action.[46]

Napoleonic wars: Badajoz (1825), Salamanca (1830), Peninsular (1815 to 2nd Battalion: to
whole regiment in 1827), Waterloo (1815 to 2nd Battalion: to whole regiment in 1827), The
sphinx superscribed "EGYPT"(1802)
Crimean War:Alma (1855), Inkerman (1855), Sevastopol (1855)

Victoria Cross
Lieutenant Mark Walker, Crimean War (5 November 1854)

Regimental Colonels
Colonels of the Regiment were:[1]

1689–1694: James Saunderson, Earl of Castleton

1694–1699: Col. Thomas Saunderson
Regiment disbanded, 1799
Regiment reformed, 1802

Thomas Saunderson's Regiment of Marines

1702–1704: Col. Thomas Saunderson

1704–1705: Col. Thomas Pownall
1705–1716: Gen. Sir Charles Wills, KB
Converted to foot regiment, 1714
1716–1717: Col. George Forrester Baillie, 5th Lord Forrester
1717: Brig-Gen. Thomas Stanwix
1717–1742: Lt-Gen. Andrew Bissett
1742–1743: Maj-Gen. Henry de Grangues
1743–1749: Lt-Gen. Charles Frampton
1749–1770: Gen. John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun

30th Regiment of Foot - (1751)

1770–1786: Gen. John Parslow

30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot

1786–1790: Maj-Gen. William Roy

1790–1792: Maj-Gen. Sir Henry Calder, Bt
1792–1799: Gen. Thomas Clarke
 1799–1823: Gen. Robert Manners
1823–1829: Lt-Gen. James Montgomerie
1829–1846: Gen. Sir Thomas Bradford, GCB, GCH
1846–1862: F.M. George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, KT, GCB
1862–1867: Lt-Gen. Thomas Wright
1867–1881: Gen. Charles Ashmore
1881: Gen. Sir George Vaughan Maxwell, KCB

References
1. "30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot" (https://web.archive.org/web/20071219004434/http://
www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/030-689.htm). Regiments.org. Archived from the original (h
ttp://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/030-689.htm) on 19 December 2007. Retrieved
7 September 2009.
2. Swinson, p. 127
3. "1st Bn., East Lancashire Regiment: Service" (https://web.archive.org/web/20071218230150/ht
tp://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/030-1.htm). Regiments.org. Archived from the original
(http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/030-1.htm) on 18 December 2007. Retrieved
7 September 2009.
4. Rudolf, p. 197–200
5. Historical records, p. 10
6. Historical records, p. 18
7. Historical records, p. 26
8. Historical records, p. 27
9. Historical records, p. 28
10. Historical records, p. 29
11. Historical records, p. 30
12. Edwards, p. 194–197
13. Historical records, p. 33
14. Historical records, p. 34
15. Historical records, p. 35
16. Historical records, p. 37
17. Historical records, p. 39
18. Historical records, p. 40
19. Historical records, p. 48
20. Historical records, p. 51
21. Historical records, p. 64
22. Historical records, p. 69
23. Historical records, p. 73
24. Historical records, p. 82
25. Historical records, p. 83
26. Historical records, p. 84
27. Historical records, p. 96
28. Historical records, p. 98
29. "The 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment" (http://www.lancashireinfantrymuseum.org.uk/the-30th-
cambridgeshire-regiment/). Lancashire Infantry Museum. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
30. Historical records, p. 101
31. Historical records, p. 127
32. Historical records, p. 134
33. Historical records, p. 141
34. Historical records, p. 182
35. Historical records, p. 183
36. Historical records, p. 184
37. Historical records, p. 185
38. Historical records, p. 188
39. Historical records, p. 189
40. Historical records, p. 209
41. Historical records, p. 211
42. Historical records, p. 215
43. Historical records, p. 217
44. "Training Depots" (https://web.archive.org/web/20060210172841/http://www.regiments.org/regi
ments/uk/depot/1873.htm). Regiments.org. Archived from the original (http://www.regiments.org/
regiments/uk/depot/1873.htm) on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
45. Historical records, p. 222
46. Sumner, p. 26–28

Sources
Historical records of the XXX Regiment (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433006971
968;view=1up;seq=7). London: William Clowes and Sons. 1887.
Edwards, T J (1953). Standards, Guidons and Colours of the Commonwealth Forces.
Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
Rudolf, R de M (1905). Short History of the Territorial Regiments of the British Army. London:
Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
Sumner, Ian (2001). British Colours & Standards 1747–1881 (2): Infantry. Oxford: Osprey.
ISBN 1-84176-201-6.
Swinson, Arthur (1972). A Register of the Regiments and Corps of the British Army. London:
The Archive Press. ISBN 0-85591-000-3.

Further reading
Bannatyne, Neil (1923). History of the Thirtieth Regiment: now the First Battalion, East
Lancashire Regiment, 1689-1881. Liverpool: Littlebury Bros.

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