Beginnings 1774 1775 1776 1777 1778 1779 1780 1781

Beginnings

Nine regiments of infantry were raised in 1685 as a result of the Monmouth Rebellion. One of these nine was originally formed as an independent ordnance regiment raised by Lord Dartmouth. It was patterned after a similar corps in the French army. The regiment was mustered in at the Tower of London. It had no pikemen, which composed one third of an infantry regiment as late as 1692. In this regiment the men were armed with flintlock fusils to the matchlock & fusil mix in line regiments. The subalterns were lieutenants and carried fusils instead of half pikes and partisans. In the Fusilier Regiment there was no grenadier company, but there was a company of miners, the only instance of the British Army of the time.

The Fusilier Regiment’s primary duty was to act as an escort to the artillery when on the march. Actually the regiment performed no differently from other line regiments form the outset. Designated a corps d’elite by King James II, they were referred as “Our Royal Regiment of Fuzileers”. The Royal Regiment of Fuzileers was given the seniority number as the 7th Regiment of Foot. In 1685 to 1697, the 7th Regiment of Foot fought in Flanders. It participated at Walcourt 1685, Steenkirk 1692, Landen 1693, Neerwinden 1694, and Namur 1695 which provided the 7th with it’s first Battle Honour.

During the War for Spanish Succession, 1702 to 1714, the 7th fought in Barcelona in 1706 and suffered heavy casualties at the capture of Lenda by the French.

In 1751 the Regiment received another designation, 7th Royal Fuziliers. The 7th took part in the Battle of Quebec under General Wolfe during the French and Indian War.

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