The regiment was composed of the amalgamated battalions of the 75th and 92nd
regiments of the Line. The former has had three of the same
number, viz. the 2nd Battalion of the 37th (1756-63), the 118th Invalids
(1763-69) and the Prince of Wales's (1778-83); as also had the latter,
at first numbered the 100th in seniority, in regiments whose periods of
existence were from 1760-63, 1778-83 and 1794-98.
Turning to the 1st Battalion, it was raised for service in India in
1878, and was then commanded by Colonel Abercromby as a Highland
Regiment; but this was abandoned in 1807-8, owing to the paucity of the
Highlanders in the ranks, and the Line uniform was substituted for it
until 1881, when the "territorialisation" of the regiment led
to its union with the Gordon Highlanders and the assumption of the
Highland costume. As this change was carried into effect at Malta,
the regiment was at first laughingly called the "Strada Reale
Highlanders", and this joke was further emphasised by the
regimental conundrum, which went to state that the "difference
between the 92nd and 75th" was that
"one are real Highlanders, the other Reale Highlanders".
Its history in all three phases of uniform, whether kilted, trewed,
or kilted again, is sufficiently glorious, and for years it shared in
that portion of the making of India which began with the operations
against Tippoo and terminated with the assault on Bhurtpore.
During this period, when often it was the only leaven of white troops
the Sepoy army had, it shared in the severe skirmishes and storms of
Chowghasset, Travangarry, amd the capture of Ferokabad; and in the
operations which accompanied the attack on Bangalore it had to cover the
retreat of Abercromby's column on Coorg as a rear-guard, which it did
with distinguished success. It was also present in the battle
outside Seringapatam in 1792, which was followed by a peace broken again
the following year, because of the aggressive action of the French
Republic in declaring war against England and Holland. Tippoo
naturally sided with our ancient enemy, and in the operations which
ensued Mahe was taken from the French and Seringapatam fell. The
regiment lost heavily in the attack and in the storm, where the forlorn
hope of its own column was led by Corporal Roderick Mackenzie and
Sergeant Graham. Finally, after much continuous minor service
against unruly chiefs and refractory natives, such as the capture of
Fort Kerria and Baroda, it finished its active service for the time at
Bhurtpore, where it lost heavily, among the killed being that same
Sergeant Graham who had so distinguished himself at Seringapatam.
For this gallant work it bears "Seringapatam" and
"India" among its badges, with the Royal Tiger. Beyond
the ordinary routine duty, it saw no further active service until the
Kaffir rising of 1834, when it was employed continually under the severe
and trying conditions of frontier warfare, rightly earning the title
"South Africa 1835". It may be noted that this is one of
the first, if not the first, recorded regiments that saw the value of
mounted infantry, for a "troop" was formed and did good work
for more than two years.
The outbreak of the Mutiny saw it again employed on the scene of its
former glorious successes. It began well, by making a forced march
of forty eight miles, and formed part of the column directed upon
Delhi. It met the mutineers at Badli-ke-Serai, and in the
hard-fought action that carried by assault the enemy's heaviest battery,
occupying the key to the enemy's position, though with a loss of eleven
officers and sixty six men.
It completed the work begun outside the walls by the storm of the
city on October 13th 1857, and was then transferred to Sir Colin
Campbell's command in his advance on Lucknow, where it shared inthe
fighting from the Alam Bagh until the end of the year, and finally
formed the funeral party when Havelock died.
After these events the old 75th was posted to Sir James Outram's
command, and took part in the difficult Oude campaign, Major Gordon
displaying both gallantry and tactical skill in the defence of the
advanced post of Dungapur. It returned home to England in 1862
with its former Indian reputation enhanced, and with the authority to
bear "Delhi", "Lucknow", and "Central
India" among the regimental honours. Three Victoria Crosses
were also won during this campain; Private Green, Sergeant (afterwards
Lieutenant and Lieutenant Colonel) Wadeson, and Colour Sergeant Coghlan
were all conspicuous for saving life under fire, and the latter for
"cheering and encouraging a party which hesitated to charge down a
lane in Subzee Mundee, Delhi, lined on each side with huts and raked by
a cross fire, then entering with the said party into an enclosure filled
with enemy and destroying every man." Though still clothed
like an ordinary Line regiment, its national origin was recognised, in
1863, by the permission to wear a "diced border" to the
Kilmarnock forge cap, and this was further altered to the Glengarry
eleven years later.
The regiment had some trying frontier experience against the Kaffirs
in 1872. Next, as the1st Battalion of the Gordons, and kilted, it
sharedin the Egyptian campaign of 1882, in Sir Archibald Alison's
Highland Brigade; and at the storming of the lines of Tel-el-Kebir lost
two officers and thirty three men killed and wounded. For this
"Tel-el-Kebir" and "Egypt 1882" (and later
"1884") were permitted to be worn on the appointments.
Finally transferred to the Eastern Soudan, the battalion formed the
front face of the square at the battle of El Teb against Osman Digna,
taking part also in the affairs of Tamai and Tamanieh, and after a brief
period in garrison at Cairo, formed part of the Nile expeditionary force
for the relief of General Gordon, adding to the list in the campaign
roll the name "Nile 1884-5". In this expedition the
regiment ascended the great river 1,300 miles in sixty three days, doing
the return journey in twenty eight days.
The 2nd Battalion, the original Gordon Highlanders, was formed in
1794, and commanded by the Marquis of Huntly, whose crest adorns the
regimental badge, and whose fair mother was that beautiful Duchess of
Gordon whose fascinations were freely used to recruit her son's
regiment, to the extent - so legend has it - of placing the bounty money
between her lips. Be that as it may, the regiment was equipped as
a kilted regiment with the Gordon tartan, the number "100" on
the buttons, and armed with muskets and claymores. It retained the
number until 1798, when it became the 92nd, at the time when it was
employed in checking an Irish insurrection which was assisted by French
troops (who surrendered at discretion), and under its new designation
took part in the expedition to Holland in 1799. There it came
under fire at Shagen, Alkmaar, and at Egmont-op-Zee, this being the
second name in the list of regimental honours.
Returning to England the 92nd embarked for some coast service against
the French at Belleisle and Quiberon, and sailed from Minorca to join
Abrcromby's Egyptian expedition, landing at Aboukir Bay, and fighting a
few days later at Mandora, outside Alexandria, whre their General fell,
and they earned the right for their gallantry during the battle (when
they captured a battery) to bear "Mandora" and "Egyot",
with the Sphinx, on their colours.
About this time a second battalion was formed, but, like many others
similarly raised, it disappeared about 1814. The 1st Battalion was
present at the funeral of Lord Nelson, and, proceeding to Denmark in
1807, joined in the battle of Krioge Bay, close to Copenhagen, the site
of one of the great admiral's victories; and the following year, joining
Sir John Moore's army, it took part in Rolica, Vimiera, and Corunna,
where it behaved with distinguished gallantry, and bears the name of the
victory that was the one gleam of sunshine in that disastrous retreat on
the regimental standards. Nor was this the only honour the 92nd
gained in the Great War, in which they took an active part until the
close. To tell their services is to tell the whole history of the
campaign. They fought at Badajoz, Fuentes d'Onor, Albuera, Badajoz
again, Ciudad Rodrigo, El Bodon, Arroyo dos Molinos (where they charged
to the tune of "Hey, Johnny Cope, are ye waken yet?" and
greatly distinguished themselves); at the storm of Ciudad Rodrigo, and
of Badajoz for the third time; at Almaraz (where two of their number
swam the river to recover the pontoon bridge), Salamanca, Alba de Tormes,
Vittoria, Almaraz, San Sebastian, and the Pass of Maya. At the
latter fight they lost nearly two thrids their strength, refusing, with
a "stern valour that would have graced Thermopylae" to retire
lest they should endanger the 50th, who were hardly pressed, and earning
for their Colonel, Cameron, the addition of "Maya" to his
escutcheon. In all the affairs of the Pyrenees they took part,
gaining especial mention at St Pierre, where they charged four times and
lost13 officers and 171 men; and their bravery at Arriverete added that
word, too , to Colonel Cameron's arms.
They helped to check the last sortie from Bayonne, and no regiment in
the whole army of Wellington came out of the Peninsular War with a
grander or more honorable record.
They were early employed in the 1815 campaign, losing their gallant
colonel and almost feudal chief at Quatre bras. Too late to reward
him, his father was made a baronet in recognition of the brilliant
services of his distinguished son. At Waterloo again, though
reduced to 300 men, they checked, by a wild charge four deep, the
advance of a French column, their own compatriots the Scots Greys
finishing the work they had so well begun.
They went to the Crimea after the fall of Sebastopol, and were
transferred from Corfu to India in 1858, where, under Sir Hugh Rose's
command, they joined in the final suppression of the mutiny at Surat,
Oojein, Rajghur, Rajpur, and Sepree. In 1879 they joined the army
of Afghanistan, escorting Cavagnari up the Shutargardan pass, holding
the Sukar Khotal pass to cover Sir F Roberts's advance, taking part in
the battles of Charasiab, Maidan, Arguirdeh, Asmai heights, and
Takht-i-Shah, and were so hard pressed that it required all the bravery
of Lieut Dick Cunningham and Major White to check the advance of a
determined enemy with odds of eighteen to one in his favour. Both
these officers won the Cross for Valour, and if honour was then gained,
so also was loot to the value of £90,000. Finally they shared in
the march to Candahar, losing at the battle there eighty killed and
wounded.
Their last service was in the disastrous campaign against the Boers
in 1881. In the affair on Majuba hill, where two companies, in all
120 men, represented the regiment, their loss amounted to ninety-nine
officers and men.
Of regimental pets only two are recorded. One, "Juno, the
dof of the regiment", was present at Tel-el-Kebir, and was
decorated, for the march past at Cairo, with a silver collar inscribed
"Presented to Juno, the heroine of Tel-el-Kebir, by English and
Irish admirers". the other lies in the pets' cemetery at
Edinburgh, and was in life "Kate, the drummers' pet" of the
old 92nd.
The red uniform has the usual yellow national facings and the kilt of
the Gordon tartan. The button bears St Andrew's Cross with
"Gordon highlanders", the Sphinx over "Egypt" and
the Royal Tiger. On the head dress plate the crest of the Marquis
of Huntly , within an ivy wreath, , and with "Bydand"
below.
The 3rd Battalion is the Royal Aberdeenshire Militia, raised in 1797:
this, with the Militia Battalion of the Camerons only, is kilted.
The affiliated Volunteer battalions are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Aberdeen, the 1st Kincardine, and the 1st Banff. All these wear
the national scarlet except the fourth and fifth, which are clad in
green.
