57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot | |
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Badge of the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
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Active | 1755 to 1881 |
Country |
Kingdom of Great Britain (1755–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Line Infantry |
Role | Light Infantry |
Size | One battalion (two battalions 1803–1815) |
Garrison/HQ | Hounslow Barracks |
Nickname(s) | "The Die Hards" |
Motto(s) | Honi soit qui mal y pense (Evil be to Him, who Evil Thinks) |
Colors | Yellow facings, gold braided lace |
March |
Quick: Sir Manley Power Slow: Caledonian |
Engagements |
American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars Crimean War Indian Rebellion New Zealand Wars Anglo-Zulu War |
The 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of line infantry in the British Army, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Middlesex Regiment in 1881.
The regiment was raised in Somerset and Gloucester by Colonel John Arabin as the 59th Regiment of Foot in 1755 for service in the Seven Years' War. It was re-ranked as the 57th Regiment of Foot, following the disbandment of the existing 50th and 51st regiments, in 1756. The regiment, which originally operated as marines, was deployed to Gibraltar in 1757, to Minorca in 1763 and to Ireland in 1767. It was dispatched to Charleston, South Carolina in February 1776 for service in the American Revolutionary War. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776 and stormed Fort Montgomery at the Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery in October 1777. The regiment's light company then served under General Lord Cornwallis and was taken prisoner at the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781. It adopted a county designation as the 57th (the West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot in August 1782. After this it moved to Nova Scotia in October 1783 and returned to England in November 1790.