  Raised in 1694. When first formed it saw much eventful service as Marines, and served in the capture of Gibraltar in 1704, and in the great sea-fight off Malaga which followed. In January 1816, a battalion of the 59th was wrecked while proceeding to Ireland, and nearly the whole of the men perished. At Waterloo, after the British squares reformed line to make the final advance, the regiment left its formation plainly marked on the ground it had occupied by the square of dead and dying comrades who had fallen in the grim opposition to the enemy's cavalry and artillery. It fought with great distinction in the Crimea, China, Afghanistan and South Africa, winning the highest commendations everywhere. Nicknamed: "The Triple Xs," also "The Three Tens." 59th Foot, "Lily Whites," from its facings. (Depot, Kingston.) (Record Office, Hounslow.) "Gibraltar, 1704-5," "Dettingen," "Martinique, 1794," "Talavera," "Guadaloupe, 1810," "Albuhera," "Vittoria," "Pyrenees," "Nivelle," "Nive," "Orthes," "Peninsula," "Cabool, 1842," "Moodkee," "Ferozeshah," "Aliwal," "Sobraon," "Sevastopol," "Taku Forts," "New Zealand," "Afghanistan, 1878-79," "Suakin, 1885," "Relief of Ladysmith," "South Africa, 1899-1902." Uniform, Scarlet. Facings, White. Head-dress, Helmet. Cap, Blue. Allied Regiment, 4th (Otago) Regiment of New Zealand. Regimental March, "A Southerly Wind and a Cloudy Sky." The officers wear a black line in their lace to commemorate the death of General Wolfe at Quebec. |
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