The two regiments became, respectively, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Duke of Wellington's Regiment. In 1948 the 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated into a single battalion, the 1st Battalion. On 6 June 2006 The 'Dukes' were amalgamated with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and The Green Howards to form the Yorkshire Regiment.
Battalions from the regiment had served in most land conflicts involving British forces since its formation, from the Wars of the Austrian and Spanish succession's, through the American war of Independence and various campaigns in India and Africa, the Napoleonic Wars, the Second Boer War and many of the greatest battles of World War I (the Battle of Mons, the Battle of the Somme (1916), the Battle of Passchendaele, the Battle of Cambrai) and the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919.
The Duke of Wellington, by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Painted in 1814, a few months before the Battle of Waterloo. | The Napoleonic Wars
In the wake of the French Revolution war broke out between England and France on 1st February 1793. The British strategy was to use the Navy to cut off all French colonial possessions and to restrict activity in Europe to subsidising her allies. But this did not work for long and in 1794 the 33rd was part of a contingent sent to the Netherlands. Because of the unsatisfactory state of the army, due to peacetime neglect, and the appalling conditions and serious deficiencies of equipment; the force was soon in disastrous retreat. By 1795 the remains were back in England. For Arthur Wellesley who had assumed command of the 33rd two years earlier, it was a lesson in 'how not to do it'. While the Regiment was in the Netherlands two of its companies were detached as part of a picked force to capture three French held islands in the West Indies. That campaign likewise ended in failure, as a result of appalling losses due to disease.
The 76th returned from India in 1806. The following year it was ordered to the Peninsula where it disembarked at Corunna as part of a force of 11,000 men. They advanced into Spain where they joined up with the army of Sir John Moore. However, before long the force had to retreat under threat to its lines of communication from a French army under Napoleon. The retreat took place under dreadful weather conditions, over very bad country. Eventually Corunna was reached where a battle was fought which resulted in the death of Sir John Moore. The 76th was awarded the battle honour Corunna for its part in the campaign. Six months later, in June 1809, the 76th took part in the Walcheren Campaign. This expeditionary force, which was one of the largest ever sent from the shores of Britain up to that time, was also one of the worst managed. By December the 76th was back in England, much reduced in numbers, 23,000 men of the force had died of disease, Only 217 had been killed in action against the French. In 1813 the 76th returned to the Peninsula and took part in the closing stages of the war in Spain. In the process it acquired the battle honours Peninsula and Nive. The war ended in April, but there was no rest for the 76th which was forthwith ordered to Canada, arriving there in August 1814.
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The war against the United States had been in progress for two years and the cessation of the French war gave an opportunity to prosecute operations with greater vigour. The plan was to invade New York. The first objective was Plattsburg, where the Americans were nearly defeated. However, because of loss of command of Lake Champlain, which flanked the army's route, the only option was to retire. Peace was signed at the end of the year and thus ended the 76th's long period of active service. It was almost one hundred years before it again fought as a battalion.
Arthur Wesley (later Wellesley) Lieutentant Colonel of the 33rd, 1793-1802The 33rd Regiment returned from India in 1812. A year later it formed part of a force first sent to northern Germany and then, in 1814, to the Netherlands. It was decided to attack the near impregnable fortress of Bergen-op-Zoom as a preliminary to the capture of Antwerp. The attack failed. Later the same year peace was signed with France. The peace was short lived. Napoleon escaped from Elba and quickly gathered a new army about him.
The Duke of Wellington had been placed in command of the allied forces in Belgium and there his old regiment, the 33rd, joined him as part of the 5th Brigade. In June 1815 Napoleon began his advance on Belgium where the allied forces were distributed along the frontier. On 16th June the French attacked them at Quatre Bras. The 33rd was heavily involved and played its part in ensuring the safe withdrawal of the British force to Waterloo. There, on 18th June, was fought the battle which was forever to be associated with the name of Wellington. The battle lasted all day and despite repeated attacks the British squares held firm against the massed attacks of the French cavalry. Napoleon, frustrated, is reported to have said 'These dogs of English never know when they are beaten'. Finally Wellington, aided by the Prussians under Blucher, drove the French from the field and the long periods of wars against them came to an end. | 
The Battle of Waterloo |
WIP - this section
"Incident in Crimea - A party of ten men of the 33rd encounter a dozen Russians.
Both sides having expended all their ammunition, resort to throwing stones."
(20th September 1854) | 1854 - 1856 The Crimean War
"Of the 33rd Regiment or, as it is its delight and honour to be called The Duke of Wellington's Regiment, it can be fairly said that no regiment has more largely shared in the losses, sufferings and the hard work of the expedition from the first to the last." - The Times 26th June 1856
On 18th June 1853, the 38th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, it was announced that in future the 33rd would bear the name 33rd (or The Duke of Wellington's) Regiment. The following year war broke out between Russia and Turkey. The Russians quickly won a naval victory in the Black Sea, opening the route to the Mediterranean. This threat was sufficient to bring the British and French into the war as Turkey's allies. The plan was to capture the port of Sebastapol in the Crimea, denying its use to the Russians.
So the Allies landed about thirty miles north of Sebastapol and on 20th September 1854 came up with the Russians posted in the hills overlooking the river Alma. With a minimum regard to tactics a frontal assault was made against the heavily defended Russian positions. However, such was the courage and confidence of the troops that they drove the Russians off the heights and forced them to retreat to Sebastapol. The cost was heavy. The 33rd, in the centre of the leading brigade, had 268 casualties, more than any other regiment that took part in the battle, and more than at Waterloo, even though the engagement only lasted half as long. After the battle of Balaclava, in which the 33rd took no part, the Russians made an attack on the British position at Inkerman. Aided by dense fog they were into the British lines almost before either side realised it. The fog made any form of control impossible and as a result the Battle of Inkerman became known as 'the soldiers' battle'.
During the subsequent winter the troops suffered very severely through lack of warm clothing, no shelter beyond light tents, scanty food and hopelessly inadequate medical services. As a result often more men were sick than were fit for duty. In September 1855 the Allies captured Sebastapol, although six months were to elapse before peace was eventually signed. Little was gained by the war; but it did have far reaching effects on the army as action was taken to remedy many of the severe shortcomings in training and administration which had been thrown up during the campaign.
The Great War
The 1st Battalion (Regular) remained in India throughout the war, but the 2nd Battalion (Regular) first saw action at the Battle of Mons. It then fought a rearguard action at the Battle of Le Cateau, an action during the retreat from Mons. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the British forces inflicted severe casualties on the Germans. The British soldier's ability to fire the Lee-Enfield rifle with deadly accuracy and speed was certainly a deciding factor in the engagement. Although it was a victory for the Germans, at least tactically, the brave actions of the British soldiers that fought the rearguard effectively saved the war for the Allies.
The 2nd Battalion also fought at the First Battle of the Marne, the Battle of the Aisne, the Battle of La Bassée and the brutal first Battle of Ypres. First Ypres began as an offensive battle, with the attacking and exposed British infantry taking heavy casualties from German machine guns. The battle soon bogged down into trench warfare. The British Expeditionary Force suffered some 54,100 casualties, astonishing figures that would be eclipsed within two years.
The 2nd Battalion was also at the Battle of Hill 60. The British placed six mines under Hill 60. Most of the hill was blown away when the mines were detonated, causing many casualties to the German forces defending it. The British then launched a massive bombardment, followed by an assault that led to vicious hand-to-hand fighting. About 150 Germans were killed in the action and the British lost seven. That night the Germans counter-attacked, inflicting numerous casualties on the British defenders, and retook the hill. The 'Dukes', along with the 2nd Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry assaulted the hill, recapturing it after some fighting. They were subsequently relieved by four regiments, with one in reserve. The Germans counter-attacked two days later, but were repelled by those regiments, in which an officer from the 1st Surreys won a Victoria Cross for his actions during the defence of the hill.
The 'Dukes' raised twenty-three battalions for service during the First World War, including two labour Battalions. Fourteen of these Battalions (Regular, Territorial Force and Service) took part in several of the greatest battles of the war:, the 8th Battalion saw service in the Gallipoli Campaign and the 10th Battalion was in action at Piave in Italy. In all, during the course of World War I, the Regiment suffered many casualties, with over 8,300 killed. Having fought in nearly every theatre of the war the Regiment's service was recognised by the award of 197 Battle Honours, many of which were to separate battalions in the same theatre of action, 10 of which are emblazoned on the King's Colour. |
World War II
During the period between 1920 and 1935 the 1st Battalion was stationed in the UK, except for a brief period in Gibraltar and Turkey in 1922/23. In 1935 the Battalion was moved to Malta, returning to England in 1938 where it joined the 1st Infantry Division.
The 2nd Battalion was overseas for almost the whole of the period between the wars, sailing for Egypt in 1922, before proceeding to Singapore and then India, where it arrived in 1928. During 1934/35 the battalion took part in the Looe Agre and Mohmand operations on the North West Frontier.
Immediately war broke out the 1st Battalion was sent to France, where little happened until May 1940, when the Germans attacked. In the ensuing retreat to Dunkirk the 1st Battalion formed part of the rearguard covering the embarkation of the BEF. In 1942 the battalion landed in North Africa and took part in several battles, notably at Djebel Bou Aoukaz in 1943. The following year it participated in the landing at Anzio and subsequently saw some of the most desperate fighting of the war, particularly at Monte Ceco in October 1944, where Private Richard Burton won the VC.
Following the Japanese attack on the Americans at Pearl Harbour, in December 1941, the overstretched forces of the Allies were soon swept aside by the Japanese Army. In February 1942 the 2nd Battalion was hastily mobilised as part of a force sent to reinforce Burma. Within a week of landing at Rangoon the battalion found itself defending the bridge across the river Sittang, which was then blown up before the battalion could withdraw across it. From there the campaign developed into one long retreat until the British force eventually crossed into India in May. After a period for reorganisation the 2nd Battalion was assigned to the Chindits in which it formed two columns - the 33rd and the 76th. As part of that force both columns were involved in the relief of Imphal in March-July of 1944.
Before the outbreak of the war both the 4th and 5th Battalions were converted to other arms - the 4th to Royal Artillery and the 5th to Royal Engineers (and later, in 1944 to RA).
Both the 1/6th and the 2/6th saw service in Europe, the former in Normandy in June 1944 and the latter in the campaign of 1940.
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1/7th DWR advance towards Ede, west of Arnhem. |
Final morning parade before rebadging (6 June 2006) |
The Present
The Duke of Wellington's regiment survives today as the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. In 1990 General Sir Charles Huxtable wrote, after vacating the colonelcy:
""We are not a smart, social regiment. We do not seek to be ever in the headlines. We do not pretend to have some special expertise. Indeed perhaps what makes us special is that we do not seek to be any of those things.
“We are ordinary, straightforward folk who stick together. We have in the Duke's some of the best soldiers in the world. I would back the Duke's soldier - the good, honest, straight forward, hard working Yorkshireman - against any soldiers in the world.”" |
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