41st Regiment of Foot
| 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1719–1881 |
| Country |
 Kingdom of Great Britain (1719–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Light Infantry |
| Size | One battalion (2 battalions in 1813) |
| Garrison/HQ | Maindy Barracks in Cardiff |
| Engagements |
War of 1812 First Anglo-Burmese War First Anglo-Afghan War Crimean War |
The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881.
The regiment was raised by Colonel Edmund Fielding in March 1719 as Edmund Fielding's Regiment of Foot out of independent companies of invalids and Chelsea out-pensioners - soldiers incapable of normal service through disease, age or injury. For much of its early history the regiment undertook garrison duties at Portsmouth. It was renamed the Royal Invalids in 1741, and it was numbered the 41st Regiment of Foot in 1751. In 1782, when other regiments took county titles, it was denoted as the 41st (Royal Invalids) Regiment of Foot; in 1787 it ceased to comprise invalids and became a conventional line regiment, dropping the title. On 23 January 1788, Arthur Wesley, the future Duke of Wellington, joined the regiment as a young lieutenant.
The regiment embarked for the West Indies in 1793 for service in the French Revolutionary Wars; it took part in the capture of Martinique in March 1794 and the attack on Guadeloupe in April 1794 before returning to England in October 1796. It was posted to Canada in 1800 and saw service there during the War of 1812. It fought under Major General Isaac Brock at the Siege of Detroit in August 1812 and the Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812. Following Brock's death, it fought under Major-General Henry Procter at the Battle of Frenchtown in January 1813 and formed the bulk of the attacking force at the Siege of Fort Meigs in April 1813. It then formed part of the crew of the British naval squadron which was defeated at the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813 and faced defeat again at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813. It also took part in the successful Capture of Fort Niagara in December 1813.Shadrack Byfield, a private in the regiment from 1809 to 1815, took part in many of these battles before losing an arm at Conjocta Creek in 1814 and, after returning home, chronicled the battles in his memoirs.
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