80th Foot
| 80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1793-1881 |
| Country |
 Kingdom of Great Britain (1793–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Infantry Regiment |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | 1 battalion |
| Garrison/HQ | Whittington Barracks, Lichfield |
| Nickname(s) | The Staffordshire Knots |
| Colors | Yellow facings |
| Anniversaries | Battle of Ferozeshah, 21 December |
| Engagements |
French Revolutionary Wars Second Anglo-Maratha War Travancore War First Anglo-Sikh War Indian Rebellion Perak War Anglo-Zulu War |
The 80th Regiment of Foot (Staffordshire Volunteers) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, created in 1793. It amalgamated with the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot to form the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1881. Its lineage is continued today by the 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment.
In February 1793 the French Revolutionary Government declared war on Great Britain. The British Army was quickly expanded, with a number of new regiments of foot raised. The 80th Regiment of Foot was raised on 9 December 1793 by Lord Henry Paget. The regiment was largely recruited from the Staffordshire Militia and comprised men living on the estates of Paget's father, The Earl of Uxbridge.
Within three months of raising the 80th Foot were stationed in Guernsey from where they sailed to Flanders. They remained there until 1795, and were evacuated at the end of a disastrous campaign which ended in a decisive French victory. They remained in England for only a short time as they formed part of a force formed to assist in the landing of French Royalist troops on the Île d'Yeu off the Vendée coast of France. Arriving on the island in September 1795 in an already weakened state, the 80th Foot had lost half of its strength by the time it was forced to return to Britain in January 1796.
Following the French conquest of the Netherlands the Batavian Republic had been established in 1795, taking over the various Dutch colonial possessions, and declaring war on Great Britain. The British quickly seized control of the Cape of Good Hope from the Dutch and in 1796 the 80th Foot arrived in the territory, taking part in an operation to capture a Dutch naval squadron in August of that year.
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