Charles Boswell Norman

BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, 1662-1902

Tangier, 1662-1680—Gibraltar, 1704—Gibraltar, 1779-1783—Maida, 1806—Mediterranean—Mediterranean, 1901-02.

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Tangier, 1662-1680.

In the year 1910, just two centuries and a half after the event, the regiments which upheld British honour on the coast of Morocco were authorized to bear the above battle honour on their colours and appointments:

Royal Dragoons, 1662-1680.
Grenadier Guards, 1680.
Coldstream Guards, 1680.
Royal Scots, 1680.
The Queen's, 1662-1680.

The King's Own Lancaster Regiment has been unaccountably omitted from this list; but there is no doubt that the 4th (King's Own), under Colonel Kirke took part in the final series of actions with the Moors prior to our evacuating the fortress.

Tangier passed into our hands, together with Bombay, as a portion of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza on her marriage with Charles II. At that time there were many who considered it the more valuable of the two acquisitions, commanding as it did the entrance to the Mediterranean. Immense sums were spent in strengthening the fortifications and in improving the harbour. The inveterate hostilities of the Moors, however, only increased with time. The one regiment first raised for the garrison, then styled the "Regiment of Tangier" (now The Queen's Royal West Surrey) was from the outset of its career engaged in a long series of engagements waged against desperate odds. Soon it was found necessary to raise a regiment of horse to supplement the task of the infantry in dealing with the Moorish horsemen. The Royal Dragoons then came into existence, and laid the foundations of that reputation for dash and discipline which has never left them. Later on, owing to the persistent hostility of the Moors, the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstreams, and the 2nd Tangier Regiment (now the 4th King's Own) were sent as reinforcements; and a reference to the Tangier Papers shows that men from the fleet were continually employed against the enemy. On one occasion Sir Cloudesley Shovel, with 600 seamen, took a leading part in the defence. Casualty returns were not so carefully prepared in the seventeenth as in the twentieth century, and I have found it impossible to discover the total losses incurred during our occupation. Between the years 1660 and 1664 there was scarcely a month in which our troops were not fighting for their lives, and on one occasion at any rate they were so hard pressed that the Governor applied, and successfully, to the Spaniards at Gibraltar for assistance. Thus it comes about that in the casualty list which has come down to us of the action on October 27, 1680, the Spanish Horse figures side by side with the Grenadier Guards.

Casualties in Action at Tangier, October 27, 1680.

Regiments.	Officers.		Men.
	K.	W.	K.	W.
Royal Dragoons	-	2	11	35
Grenadier Gds.	-	1	7	51
Royal Scots	4	15	36	100
The Queen's R. W. Surrey	2	10	34	120
Spanish Horse	5	4	12	22

A few weeks after this action the King's Own (Lancaster Regiment), then commanded by Colonel Kirke, arrived as a reinforcement, and later in the year the Coldstream Guards. In 1684 the place was evacuated, having cost us many millions in money and many thousand valuable lives.

Gibraltar, 1704-05.

This battle honour, which commemorates the capture of Gibraltar by the fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke, and the subsequent defence of the fortress under Prince George of Hesse, is borne by the following regiments:

Grenadier Guards.
Coldstream Guards.
King's Own (Lancaster).
Somerset Light Infantry.
East Lancashire.
East Surrey.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
Royal Sussex.

Queen Anne caused a medal to be struck in recognition of the services of the senior officers at the capture of this historic fortress, but it was left to King Edward VII. to sanction the grant of the battle honour to the regiments which added the Rock to the possession of Great Britain.

Owing to our having espoused the cause of Charles III. in the War of the Spanish Succession, a fleet of fifty sail was sent into the Mediterranean, under the command of Sir John Rooke, but it was practically placed at the disposal of King Charles. Embarked on the fleet under the command of Prince George of Hesse were the 4th (King's Own), 30th (East Lancashire), 31st (East Surrey), the 32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry), with Holt's and Shannon's Regiments, all acting as Marines. On July 22, 1704, the fleet anchored in Gibraltar Bay, and landed on what is now known as neutral ground. To a summons to surrender, the Governor sent a defiant answer. He, at all hazard, refused to recognize King Charles as his Sovereign, or our right to dictate to Spaniards in the choice of their monarch. On the following day Admiral Byng, with twenty-seven vessels, stood close in and silenced the batteries, when the bellicose Governor, in order to avoid the effusion of blood, accepted the terms offered. Rooke then landed the troops under Prince George, and sailed away to attack the allied fleets which were in the offing. In the course of the month of August he fought the Battle of Malaga, the effects of which were overshadowed by the glorious victory of Blenheim. The French and Spaniards were not prepared to sit down and see England established at the entrance of the Mediterranean, and at once took steps to recover possession of Gibraltar. We, on the other hand, took equally decisive measures to hold it. At that moment we had a considerable force in Portugal, acting in support of Charles III., and from this force reinforcements were immediately despatched to Gibraltar.

Casualties at the Capture of and Subsequent Operations at Gibraltar, 1704-05.

A combined battalion of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards, the 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), and the 35th (Royal Sussex), some 1,800 of all ranks, embarked on transports. Narrowly escaping capture,[1] they succeeded in eluding the French fleet, and landed in Gibraltar Harbour on December 18. On the 23rd Prince George made a successful sortie at the head of his new troops, and destroyed a considerable portion of the siege-works; but the allies, having the land side open to them, were able to bring up supplies and fresh troops without difficulty, whereas we were dependent entirely on our fleet—in fact, on our command of the sea. In the early dawn of February 7, 1705, the allies made a determined attempt to carry the place by assault, but they were repulsed with terrible loss by the Coldstream Guards and the 13th (Somersets); then, finding their efforts useless, they abandoned the siege. Seventy-five years later a fresh attempt to dispossess us of the fortress led to a new battle honour appearing on the colours, but the siege of 1727 has been unaccountably lost sight of.

Gibraltar, 1727.

It is somewhat difficult to understand why the defence of Gibraltar in the year 1727 has not been considered worthy of being inscribed on the colours of the regiments which fought so well under the veteran Lord Portmore. From February 22 to June 23 the garrison, barely 6,000 strong, withstood a close siege, repelling many assaults and suffering many casualties. Famine as well as disease stared them in the face. I have been unable to ascertain the complete details of the losses of individual regiments engaged, but from the accounts of contemporary writers who went through the siege it would appear that the Grenadier Guards alone lost upwards of 100, of whom nineteen were killed in one day. Surely "Gibraltar, 1727," might be added to the colours of the twelve regiments which held the fortress for England under Lord Portmore.

The story of the siege is not pleasant reading. It is an early exemplification of the manner in which the warnings of the "man on the spot" are almost invariably disregarded by the authorities at home, and how our soldiers are expected to make bricks without straw, and to undergo perils which with a little exercise of forethought might be avoided. In the month of August, 1726, the Acting Governor, Colonel Kane, reported the threatening attitude of the Spaniards, and that Malaga was being converted into a military base, where large quantities of war material were being collected. He further asked for the paltry sum of £3,000, in order to place the fortress in a better state of defence. One of the most pressing questions was the levelling of the earthworks constructed by the Spaniards during the last siege, which were still left standing, and which would afford shelter to the enemy in the event of the outbreak of hostilities. The troops were lodged in houses in the town; there were no barracks, and no casemates to the various outworks. His garrison consisted of but four weak battalions. On these representations one battalion was sent from Minorca. In December Kane reported the mobilization at Malaga of 5,000 Walloon Guards, of fourteen Spanish battalions, and eight regiments of cavalry. No doubt as to the intention of the Spaniards now remained. Orders had been published for the Governors of the four Andalusian provinces to raise 8,000 men, and in reporting this circumstance Kane drew attention to the fact that the artillery under his command consisted of three non-commissioned officers and fifteen gunners, whilst the infantry amounted to but 1,400 men. His lines of defences were three miles in extent, and the two works mounted no less than 150 guns, the large majority of which had long since been condemned. In the month of January the Spaniards openly commenced their siege-works, throwing up batteries within gunshot of the fortress; but it was not until the month of April that General Clayton arrived with the first reinforcements, but with no siege material. By the end of April the garrison had been increased to a total of 6,000 men, two only of the regiments being over 600 strong, whilst the reinforcements of artillery brought up the strength of the Royal Regiment to 127 of all ranks; and of these Lord Portmore wrote that the gunners "are the worst that ever were employed."[2] The want of fresh provisions told heavily on the men, and all ranks and all arms were busily employed in throwing up fresh defensive works. Complaints were rife as to the guns—large numbers burst—and the Governor reiterated his complaints that the Spanish guns were far superior in range and accuracy to our own. By the end of May the garrison was reduced to 4,427 effectives, the men rarely getting one night in three in bed. Still the stout old veteran answered shot for shot, warning the Government that the Spaniards were evidently determined on wresting the position from us, and that unless reinforcements were speedily sent the place was liable to be carried by assault, as his men were not sufficiently numerous to man the whole of the works. Fortunately for the garrison, diplomacy was at work, and by the end of July preliminaries of peace had been signed, and the safety of the fortress was assured.

When actual hostilities broke out, the garrison of Gibraltar, including the two regiments that had been sent from Ireland and Minorca, consisted of the 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers), 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), 18th (Royal Irish), 20th (Lancashire Fusiliers), and the 29th (Worcesters). Considerable delays occurred in despatching the reinforcements, and, as I have remarked, it was not until the month of April that these left England. The Governor, the veteran Lord Portmore, who was at home on leave, returned to his post, and at the same time a battalion of the Grenadier Guards, under Colonel Guise—a name which has ever been synonymous in the service with daring gallantry—the 14th (West Yorks), 25th (Scottish Borderers), 26th (Cameronians), 34th (Border Regiment), and 39th (Dorsets), were despatched under convoy of the fleet to Gibraltar.

There would appear to have been the same eagerness amongst the younger members of the House of Lords to see active service in those days as there was in the Crimea and in the Boer War. The Duke of Richmond, who was a Knight of the Garter and a member of the King's Household, applied for leave to join the army, and so did a son of the Duke of Devonshire. On the other hand, the Duke Wharton joined the Spanish forces, and was happily wounded very early in the siege, and so spared the shame of taking a prolonged share in the operations against his own fellow-countrymen.

I have experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining any records of the casualties, but the following list appears in a contemporary publication written by an officer who took part in the siege, and may, I think, be relied on as showing to a certain extent the losses incurred during a portion of the siege:

Gibraltar, 1779-1783.

(With Castle and Key and motto, "Montis Insignia Calpe.")

The regiments permitted to bear these distinctions are the

Suffolk.
Dorset.
Northampton.
Essex.
Highland Light Infantry.

In the month of June, 1779, Spain declared war against England, France having done so in the preceding year. There was no doubt as to the object of the Spaniards—the recapture of Minorca, Gibraltar, and the American Colonies lost to us in the preceding wars. Fortunately, we had in Gibraltar a soldier who knew his work. Though the name of Eliott will ever be associated with the Rock, soldiers may also like to know that the gallant defender of Gibraltar raised and trained that distinguished regiment the 15th Hussars. From the moment that he took over the command in 1777 Eliott set to work to strengthen the defences. On the declaration of war he had but 5,382 of all ranks in his garrison, including 458 gunners. His chief danger was starvation, for on the land side he was completely hemmed in, whilst on the sea the Spaniards instituted a close blockade, and brought pressure to bear on His Shereefian Majesty to forbid the exportation of fresh meat and vegetables to the garrison from Morocco. In November of that year Rodney defeated the blockading fleet, and threw in the 71st (Highland Light Infantry), a welcome reinforcement, and also stores sufficient to maintain the garrison for a year. The Spaniards now drew closer the blockade, and commenced to throw up elaborate siege-works; but it was not until April, 1781, that the blockade was converted into a siege in earnest, and it is said that between then and November upwards of 100,000 shot and shell were poured into the place. Our casualties were by no means heavy, nor did the fortifications suffer much, though the town itself was utterly destroyed. On the 27th of that month (November) Eliott attacked the Spaniards, destroyed and burnt their batteries, spiking a large number of guns, but though his losses in this sortie were slight, his men suffered much from scurvy and the incessant duty which was imposed on an all too scanty garrison. From time to time a vessel would elude the blockading fleet; and on one occasion Admiral Darby forced his way through with the 97th Regiment, and later still the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the 59th (East Lancashires) were also thrown in. In May, 1782, the Spaniards were reinforced by a strong French division, and the siege was continued with renewed vigour. Floating batteries, with massive timber roofs to protect the gunners, were built by the allies, and then on September 14, 1782, convoyed by forty-seven sail of the line, this formidable armada entered the bay, and opened a fresh bombardment from the sea. To this Eliott responded with red-hot shot, and once more the garrison was saved. In the following month Howe was enabled to convoy a fleet of transports under the Rock, and so relieved Eliott of his one dread—starvation. In February, 1783, peace was signed between Spain and England, and on the 6th of the month the gates of the fortress were thrown open, after a bombardment of thirteen months.

Casualties at the Defence of Gibraltar, 1779-1783.

Maida, July 4, 1806.

This distinction is borne on the colours of the

Lancashire Fusiliers.
Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Royal Sussex.
North Lancashire.
Northamptons.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Gloucestershire Regiment.

It recognizes the gallant services of these regiments in the engagement fought in defence of our ally, the King of Naples, by the little force under the command of General Stuart against a superior body of French under General Regnier. In 1847, when the so-called Peninsular medal was issued, a special clasp, "Maida," was awarded to the survivors of the brilliant little action on the shores of the Straits of Messina. The Grenadier and Light Infantry battalions, which bulk so largely in the accompanying list of casualties, were composed of the flank companies of the five battalions engaged, supplemented by 250 men of the 35th (Royal Sussex) and a company of the 61st (Gloucesters), and so it comes about that, although the headquarters were not present, the old 35th and 61st were accorded the battle honour. The losses in this engagement were:

Mediterranean.

This distinction was awarded to the following regiments of Militia for their services during the Crimean War of 1854-55, when they volunteered to perform garrison duty in order to set free line regiments for service at the front:

3rd Batt. the Buffs.
3rd Batt. the King's Own (Royal Lancaster).
5th Batt. Royal Fusiliers.
3rd Batt. South Stafford.
3rd Batt. West Yorkshire.
3rd Batt. Loyal North Lancashire.
3rd Batt. Oxford Light Infantry.
3rd Batt. Northamptons.
3rd Batt. Royal Berkshire.
3rd Batt. Wiltshire.

Mediterranean, 1901-02.

The above honour is borne on the colours of the following regiments, in recognition of their services in performing garrison duty in the Mediterranean during the South African War of 1899-1902. For these services they were also granted a medal.

3rd Batt. Northumberland Fusiliers.
5th Batt. Royal Fusiliers
3rd Loyal North Lancashire.
3rd Batt. West Yorkshire.
3rd Batt. King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
3rd Royal West Kent.
3rd Batt. Seaforth Highlanders.
5th Batt. Royal Munster Fusiliers.