40th Regiment of Foot

40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot
Officer's Cap Badge 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot c.1830
Active	1717–1881
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain (1717–1800)  United Kingdom (1801–1881)
Branch	British Army
Type	Line Infantry
Role	Light Infantry
Size	One battalion (2 battalions 1799-1802, 1804-1816)
Garrison/HQ	Peninsula Barracks, Warrington
Nickname(s)	"The Excellers", "The Fighting Fortieth"
Colors	Light Buff Facings, Gold Braided Lace
Engagements	Father Rale's War King George's War Father Le Loutre's War French and Indian War American Revolutionary War Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 First Anglo-Afghan War Gwalior Campaign New Zealand Wars

The 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1717 in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The regiment amalgamated with the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) to form the Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) in 1881.

The regiment was raised at Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia by General Richard Philipps as the Richard Philipps's Regiment of Foot in August 1717 out of independent companies stationed in North America and the West Indies.

Prior to Father Rale's War, the Mi'kmaq resisted the establishment of a British fort at Canso, Nova Scotia by raiding the fishing station in 1720. Phillips sent a company of the 40th, under the command Major Lawrence Armstrong, to take up garrison of a small fort in Canso built by the New England fishermen. The Mi'kmaq continued preying on shipping, forcing the garrison to take action in February 1723. Serving as marines, the troops and local fishermen were able to disperse the marauding Indians. The next engagement came in July 1724 when a party of sixty Indians attacked Annapolis Royal. The garrison responded with a poorly calculated sortie from the town's dilapidated fort, resulting in the death of a sergeant and private, the wounding of an officer and three privates, and the repulse of the troops. After some pillaging, the Mi'kmaq departed with a number of civilian prisoners.

From 1717 to 1743, Phillips' Regiment, garrisoning Annapolis, Placentia, and Canso, was successful in protecting settlers from Indian attacks, checking French influence in the area, and preserving the British foothold in Atlantic Canada.

At the outbreak of King George's War, the French at Louisbourg immediately engaged in the Raid on Canso in May 1744. A flotilla containing 900 French regulars and militia. The four poorly supplied companies of Phillips' Regiment were forced to surrender. The town was destroyed and the prisoners sent to Louisbourg. Once the regiment's officers and men were paroled in September 1744, the regiment was evacuated to Boston where they provided valuable information on the defences of Louisbourg for the British siege the following year. Governor Shirley was having difficulty raising troops requested by Mascarene and therefore he ordered the ex-Canso garrison to Annapolis Royal.