|History|
At the end of the wars against the French in the first part of the 18th century, the British army was greatly reduced in size as a cost-saving measure. It was also decided to raise garrison companies of ‘veterans’ to garrison key positions in the United Kingdom, thus freeing up ‘regular’ regiments for field service. These companies were gathered together for administrative purposes in 1719 and became ‘Colonel Fielding’s Regiment of Invalids’. In 1751, the Regiment was given the number “41”.
Contrary to what the modern reader might expect from the “invalid” title, the original members of the Regiment were well-trained veterans of Marlborough’s campaigns and were a respectable force. An “invalid” was simply a pensioner, whether disabled or not. But as the century progressed, the personnel of the 41st apparently degenerated in to men of whom the term “invalid” increasingly had its current meaning, and the unit became unfit even for garrison duties.
The decision was therefore taken to turn the 41st in to a “marching” regiment in late 1787. In a very real sense, the Regiment was reborn, the “invalids” were all pensioned off and new men recruited.
The 41st: Incarnation #2
The men who formed the Regiment after its change to “marching” status in 1787 inherited the Regimental Number “41”, but no history of proud achievements by their predecessors. They were, to all intents and purposes, starting afresh. Because the “Invalid” regiment had recruited all across the U.K., the ‘new’ 41st also did: it received no title or county affiliation until the 1820’s, when the 41st became the Welch Regiment. At the time of the War of 1812, the 41st had as its designation solely its number – and it continued to recruit its men from anywhere in Britain and Ireland.
The first field service of the 41st was in the West Indies. From 1793 to 1796, the Regiment saw action at Martinique, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, and San Domingo – but it was sickness, not enemy action, that decimated its ranks. When the 41st was pulled back to Portsmouth in October of 1796, only the surviving officers and NCO’s were taken – the few remaining (presumably well-acclimatized) privates were transferred in to the 17th Foot.
The 41st: Incarnation #3
After its hellacious spell of duty in the West Indies, the Regiment recruited itself up to strength again in Britain and Ireland, before being sent off to Canada in August of 1799. Only a few of its personnel had operational experience gained in the West Indies. In effect, it was “incarnation #3” of the Regiment that would see duty in the War of 1812. It remained a unit without a single earned Battle Honour on its Colours.
In the years before the outbreak of the War of 1812, the 41st had its ups and downs as it was shifted frequently between Lower and Upper Canada, performing garrison duties. Upper Canada was a particularly hard station for a Regiment to keep itself sharp in, as individual companies and even smaller elements of the Regiment would be detached to garrison a number of posts strung out along the long frontier. Each return to Lower Canada saw efforts made to again increase the combat readiness of the reunited Regiment.
Reinforcements and new equipment were sent out periodically as well. In 1809, a major reinforcement was received, that included Private Shadrach Byfield, perhaps the best-known member of the Regiment during the War of 1812, as he authored the only extended “ranker” account of the War currently known to exist.
On the eve of the War, the Regiment was in good shape. Its men were all fairly young and healthy, their equipment in acceptable condition. In fact, the Regiment had been about to be withdrawn to Europe, where it probably would have ended up in Wellington’s forces in Spain. However, the impending outbreak of the War of 1812 led to the decision to keep the 41st in Upper Canada. Not only was it up to strength, it was fully acclimatized to Canadian conditions, which must have been an important factor in what was to follow. Credit - Jim Yaworsky.
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