The South Staffordshire Regiment
THE YPRES TIMES
145
(38th Foot and 80th Foot).
The Sphinx superscribed "Egypt."
Battle Honours
'-Guadaloupe, 1759," "Martinique, 1762," "Monte Video," "Rolica," "Vimiera," "Corunna," "Busaco,'
"Badajoz," "Salamanca," "Vittoria," "St. Sebastian," "Nive," "Peninsula," "Ava," "Moódkee," "Ferozeshah,"
"Sobraon," "Pegu," "Alma," "Inkerman," "sebastopol," "Lucknow," "Central India," "South Africa, 1878-79,"
"Egypt, 1882," "Kirbekan," "Nile, 1884-85," "South Africa, 1900-02."
The Great War18 Battalions."Mons," "Retreat from Mons," "Marne, 1914," "Aisne, 1914, '18," "Ypres, 1914, '17,"
"Langemarck, 1914, '17." "Gheluvelt," "Nonne Bosschen," "Neuve Chapelle," "Aubers," "Festubert, 1915," "Loos,'
"Somme, 1916, '18," "Albert, 1916, '18," "Bazentin," "Delville Wood," "Pozieres," "Flers-Courcelette," "Morval,"
"Thiepval," "Ancre, 1916," "Bapaume, 1917, '18," "Arras, 1917, '18," "Scarpe, 1917, '18," "Arleux," "Bullecouit,'
"Hill 70," "Messines, 1917, '18," "Menin Road," "Polygon Wood," "Broodseinde," "Poelcappelle," "Passchendaele,"
"Cambrai, 1917, '18," "St. Quentin," "Lys," "Bailleul," "Kenimel," "Scherpenberg," "Drocourt-Queant," "Hindenburg
Line." "Havrincourt," "Canal du Nord," "St. Quentin Canal," "Beaurevoir," "Selle," "Sambre," "France and Flanders,
1914-18," "Piave," "Vittorio Veneto," "Italy, 1917-18," "Suvla," "Landing at Suvla," "Scimitar Hill," "Gallipoli,
1915," "Egypt, 1916."
Regular and Militia Batallions. UniformsScarlet. FacingsWhite.
OVER a century ago William Corbett, famous for his sound sense wrote in
glowing terms of Staffordshire men.
He said:
Of all the bull-baiting in England, one half is carried on in Staffordshire and Lancashire.
The best soldiers in the Kingdom, the most brave and the most faithful to their colours come
out of those counties, particularly Staffordshire. The bravery and fidelity of Staffordshire
men are proverbial through the army and have been so for two hundred years past. The
Staffordshire Regiment of Militia is not only the finest but the best behaved regiment of Militia
in the Kingdom. Wherever this regiment goes, it is followed by a score or two of bull-dogs,
no bad emblem of the character of the soldiers themselves. The King has had this regiment
about his person for several years past, and prefers it to any other. If the manners and morals
of the people were injured by bull-baiting, the injury would certainly be rendered manifest in a
regiment of Militia, which is composed of young men from every part of the county, from
that class of the people who follow such ports."
After such a tribute, and from such a man, we are not surprised to find that the
South Staffordshire Regiment has one of the finest records in the Army, and one of the
longest lists of battle honours, not only holding its own on many a famous field, but
serving equally well in campaigns, on four of the five Continents, some of them now
almost forgotten, but each contributing in some degree to the expansion of our Empire.
The regiment has been connected with Staffordshire from its earliest days, the 1st
Battalion having been formed as the 38th Foot at Lichfield in 1702, its headquarters
are still in that c'lty and its colours rest in the Cathedral. In 1706 it embarked for the
West Indies and remained there nearly sixty years, winning its first battle honours in
attacks on the French at Guadaloupe 1759 and Martinique 1762. In 1775 it was in
North America for the War of Independence taking part in the battles of Bunker's Hill
and Lexington.
Meanwhile the second battalion had been raised as the 80th Foot (Staffordshire
Volunteers) and proceeded to India. It was shipwrecked on its voyage from India to
Egypt, to take part in Abercrombie's campaign against the French in 1801, and again
on its return voyage. Incidentally it was shipwrecked a third time in 1844 on a voyage
from Australia to India.
