69th Regiment of Foot
| 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 10 December 1756–1 July 1881 |
| Country |
 Kingdom of Great Britain (1756–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | One battalion (two battalions 1795–1796 and 1803–1816) |
| Garrison/HQ | Maindy Barracks, Cardiff |
| Nickname(s) | The Ups and Downs |
| Engagements |
Seven Years' War Napoleonic Wars Fenian raids |
The 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881.
The formation of the regiment was prompted by the expansion of the army as a result of the commencement of the Seven Years' War. On 25 August 1756 it was ordered that a number of existing regiments should raise a second battalion; among those chosen was the 24th Regiment of Foot. The 2nd Battalion of the 24th Regiment of Foot was formed on 10 December 1756 and renumbered as the 69th Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. The regiment took part in the Raid on St Malo in June 1758 and then formed part of a force which successfully captured Belle Île in spring 1761. It embarked for the West Indies later that year and took part in the Invasion of Martinique in January 1762 before returning home in 1763. The regiment returned to the West Indies in November 1781 and took part in the Battle of Saint Kitts in January 1782 and, while serving as marines, in the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782. In August 1782 the regiment took a county title as the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment returned home in 1785.
Detachments from the regiment embarked as marines in early 1793 and were in combat on the third-rate HMS Leviathan at the capture of Toulon in December 1793, the attack on the Tour de Mortella in February 1794 and at the Glorious First of June in June 1794. They transferred to the third-rate HMS Agamemnon and served under Lord Nelson at the Battle of Genoa in March 1795, and then, after Nelson's transfer into the third-rate Captain in June 1796, with him at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797. At Cape St Vincent, Matthew Stevens, a soldier from the regiment, was the first to board the Spanish ship San Nicolas.
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