Part 1

REGIMENTAL NICKNAMES

AND

TRADITIONS OF THE BRITISH ARMY

Regimental Nicknames

_and_

Traditions _of the_ British Army

FIFTH EDITION ENLARGED & REVISED

LONDON: GALE & POLDEN LTD. 2 AMEN CORNER, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.

WELLINGTON WORKS, ALDERSHOT & NELSON HOUSE, PORTSMOUTH

_Obtainable of all Booksellers._

* * * * *

TWO SHILLINGS (Net)

ALDERSHOT: PRINTED BY GALE & POLDEN, LTD. WELLINGTON WORKS.

1916

_[Copyright under the Act of 1911]_

Preface to 1st Edition

When the Territorial System was adopted in 1881, the old titles borne by our regiments were, in many cases, changed, and in other instances entirely lost. When the old titles changed, the Nicknames, by which nearly every corps was known, disappeared. These Nicknames often brought to mind some amusing event or memorable incident in the regiment's career, and in many cases originated from some peculiarity in the uniform, or, in the case of a cavalry regiment, the colour of the horses. There is no official record kept of these Nicknames, as they were wholly unrecognised by the "Army List"; it is, therefore, hoped that the record of the old names and titles as shown in this work will be appreciated.

CONTENTS

Page

Alexandra Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) 60

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 106

Army Medical Corps, Royal 112 " Ordnance Corps 114 " Pay Corps 115 " Service Corps 111 " Veterinary Corps 113

Artillery, Field, Royal 34 " Garrison, Royal 35 " Horse, Royal 33

Bedfordshire Regiment 57

Berkshire Regiment, Royal 88

Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 82

Border Regiment 75

Borderers, Scottish, King's Own 66 " South Wales 65

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and, Light Infantry 83

Buffs (East Kent Regiment) 44

Cameron Highlanders 102

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 67

Canadians, Royal (Leinster Regiment) 107

Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) 10

Cheshire Regiment 63

Coldstream Guards 38

Connaught Rangers 105

Derbyshire, Notts. and, Regiment 85

Devonshire Regiment 52

Dorsetshire Regiment 79

Dragoon Guards, 1st (King's) 5 " " 2nd (Queen's Bays) 6 " " 3rd (Prince of Wales's) 7 " " 4th (Royal Irish) 8 " " 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) 9 " " 6th (Carabiniers) 10 " " 7th (Princess Royal's) 11

Dragoons, 1st (Royal) 12 " 2nd (Royal Scots Greys) 13 " 6th (Inniskilling) 17

Dublin Fusiliers, Royal 109

Duke of Cambridge's Own Lancers (17th) 28

Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) 92

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 73

Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) 94

Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) 74

Durham Light Infantry 98

East Kent Regiment 44 " Lancashire Regiment 71 " Surrey Regiment 72

East Yorkshire Regiment 56

Empress of India's Lancers (21st) 32

Engineers, Royal 36

Essex Regiment 84

Field Artillery, Royal 34

Flying Corps, Royal 1

Fusiliers, Dublin, Royal 109 " Inniskilling, Royal 68 " Irish, Royal 104 " Lancashire 61 " Munster, Royal 108 " Northumberland 46 " Royal 48 " Scots, Royal 62 " Welsh, Royal 64

Garrison Artillery, Royal 35

Gloucestershire Regiment 69

Gordon Highlanders 101

Grenadier Guards 37

Guards, Foot 37

Guards, Horse, Royal 4 " Life 2, 3

Hampshire Regiment 77

Highland Light Infantry 99

Highlanders, Argyll and Sutherland 106 " Cameron 102 " Gordon 101 " Royal 82 " Seaforth 100

Horse Artillery, Royal 33

Horse Guards, Royal 4

Hussars, 3rd (King's Own) 14 " 4th (Queen's Own) 15 " 7th (Queen's Own) 18 " 8th (King's Royal Irish) 19 " 10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) 21 " 11th (Prince Albert's Own) 22 " 13th 24 " 14th (King's) 25 " 15th (The King's) 26 " 18th (Queen Mary's Own) 29 " 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) 30 " 20th 31

Inniskilling Dragoons (6th) 17 " Fusiliers, Royal 68

Irish Dragoon Guards, Royal (4th) 8 " Fusiliers, Royal 104 " Guards 40 " Hussars, King's Royal (8th) 19 " Lancers, Royal (5th) 16 " Regiment, Royal 59 " Rifles, Royal 103

Kent, East, Regiment 44 " West, Regiment, Royal 89

King's Dragoon Guards (1st) 5 " Hussars (14th) 25 " Hussars (15th) 26 " Liverpool Regiment 49 " Own Hussars (3rd) 14 " Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) 45 " Own Scottish Borderers 66 " Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry) 90 " Royal Irish Hussars (8th) 19 " Royal Rifle Corps 93 " (Shropshire Light Infantry) 91

Lancashire, East, Regiment 71 " Fusiliers 61 " North, Regiment, Loyal 86 " South, Regiment 80

Lancaster Regiment, Royal 45 " York and, Regiment 97

Lancers, 5th (Royal Irish) 16 " 9th (Queen's Royal) 20 " 12th (Prince of Wales's Royal) 23 " 16th (The Queen's) 27 " 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) 28 " 21st (Empress of India's) 32

Leicestershire Regiment 58

Leinster Regiment 107

Life Guards 2, 3

Lincolnshire Regiment 51

Liverpool Regiment 49

London, City of, Regiment 48

Manchester Regiment 95

Marines, Royal 117

Middlesex Regiment 92

Military Police, Corps of 116

Munster Fusiliers, Royal 108

Norfolk Regiment 50

North Lancashire Regiment, Loyal 86 " Staffordshire Regiment 96

Northamptonshire Regiment 87

Northumberland Fusiliers 46

Notts. & Derby Regiment 85

Orders and Decorations worn in British Army 118

Ordnance Corps, Army 114

Oxfordshire & Bucks. Light Infantry 83

Pay Corps, Army 115

Police, Military, Corps of 116

Prince Albert's Own Hussars (11th) 22 " " (Somerset Light Infantry) 54 " Consort's Own (Rifle Brigade) 110

Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards, 3rd 7 " " Leinster Regiment 107 " " North Staffordshire Regiment 96 " " Own Royal Hussars (10th) 21 " " Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) 55 " " Royal Lancers (12th) 23 " " Volunteers (South Lancashire Regt). 80

Princess Charlotte of Wales's Dragoon Guards (5th) 9

Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) 88

Princess Louise's (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders) 106 " Royal's Dragoon Guards (7th) 11 " Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) 104

Queen Alexandra's Own Royal Hussars (19th) 30 " Mary's Own Hussars (18th) 29

Queen's Bays (2nd Dragoon Guards) 6 " Lancers (16th) 27 " Own Cameron Highlanders 102 " " Hussars (4th) 15 " " " (7th) 18 " " (Royal West Kent Regiment) 89 " Royal Lancers (9th) 20 " (Royal West Surrey Regiment) 43

Rifle Brigade 110 " Corps, King's Royal 93

Scots Fusiliers, Royal 62 " Greys, Royal 13 " Guards 39 " Royal 42

Scottish Borderers, King's Own 66 " Rifles (The Cameronians) 67

Seaforth Highlanders 100

Sherwood Foresters (Notts. & Derby Regiment) 85

Shropshire Light Infantry 91

Somerset Light Infantry 54

South Lancashire Regiment 80 " Staffordshire Regiment 78 " Wales Borderers 65

Staffordshire, North, Regiment 96 " South, Regiment 78

Suffolk Regiment 53

Surrey, East, Regiment 72 " West, Regiment, Royal 43

Sussex Regiment, Royal 76

Veterinary Corps, Army 113

Wales, South, Borderers 65

Warwickshire Regiment, Royal 47

Welsh Fusiliers, Royal 64 " Guards 41 " Regiment 81

West Kent Regiment, Royal 89

West Riding Regiment 74 " Surrey Regiment, Royal 43

West Yorkshire Regiment 55

Wiltshire Regiment 94

Worcestershire Regiment 70

York and Lancaster Regiment 97

Yorkshire, East, Regiment 56 " Light Infantry 90 " Regiment 60 " West, Regiment 55

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

H.M. King George V. Frontispiece

Royal Escort of Life Guards at St. James's Palace Facing Page xxiv.

Types of Royal Flying Corps Aeroplanes " 1

The Standard and Uniforms of the 3rd Dragoon Guards " 4

The Drum Horse of the 7th Dragoon Guards " 5

Grenadier Guards--Sergeant Drummer in State Dress " 12

Sergeant Ewart capturing the Eagle at Waterloo " 13

The Coldstreamers first meeting with the Monarch " 16

Scots Guards--Piper in State Dress " 17

Irish Guards--Officer of the Guard " 20

Welsh Guards--Ceremonial Duty " 21

Charging with the Light Brigade at Balaclava " 28

Royal Engineers at Pontooning Work " 29

Royal Field Artillery in Review Order " 32

The Heroic Stand of "L" Battery, R.H.A., at Nery " 33

The Royal Fusiliers marching through the City of London " 48

Presentation of Colours " 49

Colonel Ridge leading the stormers at Badajoz " 52

Types of old Infantry Uniforms " 53

Drums and Silver Mounted Drum-Major's Staff captured by 2nd Battalion Border Regiment " 60

The Lancashire Fusiliers--Returning from a Review " 61

L'entente cordiale " 64

Types of Uniforms worn by the Worcestershire Regiment " 65

Types of Uniforms worn by the Border Regiment " 80

The Colours of the Border Regiment " 80

British Infantry storming a village in modern warfare " 81

The Middlesex Regiment--Drums and Fifes " 84

A Review--The March Past " 85

The Glorious Gallantry of the Middlesex Regiment at Albuhera " 92

The Manchester Regiment--Commanding Officer, Adjutant and Sergeant-Major " 93

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders--Officers in Review Order " 100

Gordon Highlanders--Officers in Review Order " 101

The Army Service Corps--A Field Bakery " 108

Royal Dublin Fusiliers--Officers with Colours " 109

FORMER TITLES OF THE BATTALIONS OF INFANTRY