77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
| 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1787–1881 |
| Country |
 Kingdom of Great Britain (1787–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Light Infantry |
| Size | One battalion |
| Garrison/HQ | Hounslow Barracks |
| Colors | Yellow facings |
| Engagements |
Third Anglo-Mysore War Fourth Anglo-Mysore War Polygar Wars Napoleonic Wars Crimean War Indian Rebellion |
The 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line regiment of the British Army, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) in 1881.
The regiment was raised by General James Marsh for service in India due to fears that war with France was imminent as the 77th (Hindoostan) Regiment of Foot in October 1787. In accordance with the Declaratory Act 1788 the cost of raising the regiment was recharged to East India Company on the basis that the act required that expenses "should be defrayed out of the revenues" arising there. First assembled in Dover in early 1788, The regiment arrived in India in August 1788, and saw action at the Siege of Seringapatam in February 1792 in the Third Anglo-Mysore War and the capture of the Dutch settlements in Ceylon in 1795. It also saw action at the Battle of Seedaseer in March 1799 and formed part of the storming part at the Siege of Seringapatam in April 1799 during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The regiment also took part in skirmishes at Panjalamcoorchy in March 1801 and Caliarcoil and October 1801 during the Polygar Wars. The regiment then embarked for England in February 1807.
On 29 May 1807 one of the ships carrying the soldiers home, the East Indiaman Ganges, was off the Cape of Good Hope when she sprang a leak. She sank almost due south of Cape Agulhas. Fortunately there was no loss of life; the East Indiaman St Vincent, which was in company, managed to get all 203 or 209 persons on board Ganges off, including a number of soldiers from the regiment.
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