109th Foot
Hierarchical Path: Seven Years War (Main Page) >> Armies >> British Army >> 109th Foot
Origin and History
The regiment was raised in the English counties of Hertfordshire and Middlesex as the “Battalion of London Volunteers” on October 13 1761 by Colonel Nairne. By December 1761, the regiment counted 280 men in 4 companies.
During the Seven Years' War, the regiment was under the command of:
- from October 1761 to 1763: Colonel John Nairn
The regiment was disbanded on June 10 1763.
Service during the War
In 1761, the Regiment was initially stationed at Harrow, Middlesex, then Royston and Wisbech.
In March 1762, the regiment was sent to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. The “Pountenay's Independent Company” was added to the regiment as a fifth company. It was soon followed by the “Independent Company of London Volunteers”, although in the strictest sense this company never served with the regiment as it was used exclusively to guard French prisoners at a camp in Bristol. In May, the regiment was transferred to Belle-Isle, recently captured from France> It then remained in garrison on this island until the end of the war.
In 1763, the regiment returned to Bristol where it was disbanded on June 10.
Uniform
No details are known of the uniforms of this regiment.
Colours
On June 10 1763, when the regiment was disbanded, its colours were presented by John Nairne, who was the son of the third Baron Nairne (Scotland), to the Duke of Atholl to be preserved at Blair Castle, Scotland. However, we have found no information on these colours.
References
Fortescue, J. W.: A History of the British Army Vol. II, MacMillan, London, 1899
Mills, T. F., Land Forces of Britain the Empire and Commonwealth (an excellent website which unfortunately does not seem to be online any more)
Regimental Association of the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)
Schirmer, Friedrich: Die Heere der kriegführenden Staaten 1756 - 1763. Edited and published by KLIO-Landesgruppe Baden-Württemberg e.V., Magstadt, 1989
Wikipedia - 109th Regiment of Foot (1761)
United Services Magazine 1863, Issue 3
Acknowledgements
Digby Smith for the information provided on this junior regiment.
