65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding)
Regiment of Foot


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dates= 1758 - 1881
country= United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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branch= British Army
type= Line Infantry
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nickname= "The Royal Tigers"
"Hickety Pips"
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colors= Facings - White
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battle_honours= India
Arabia
New Zealand

The 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot was a British Army infantry regiment formed in 1758 from the redesignation of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Regiment of Foot. In 1881 it would become the 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment when amalgamated with the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot.

History

Seven Years' War

After the regiment was formed in 1758 it was sent to the fever ridden West Indies to aid in the capturing of the French islands of Guadeloupe (1759) and Martinique (1762). They were also involved in the expedition to capture Havana, Cuba in 1762. In 1764 the 65th Foot returned to England, where the regiment refilled its ranks.

American Revolution

In 1768 the 65th Foot was shipped to Boston, Massachusetts as part of the garrison. A few years later in 1775 the American War of Independence began. The regiment's first action in the war was at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 where their Grenadier and Light Companies were involved in the attack.

In 1776 the remnants of the 65th Foot were drafted into other regiments and the officers sent home to reform. In 1782 they received the title 2nd Yorkshire, North Riding Regiment.

In 1789 war had broken out with France again and Spain and the 65th were sent in 1782 to the fortress at Gibraltar which had fallen to British forces. After this regiment was sent to Canada in 1784 and Nova Scotia in 1791. In 1794 the 65th Foot were shipped back to the West Indies to take part in the attack on Santo Domingo in Haiti and a second attack on Martinique and then St Lucia.

India and Mauritius

The 65th Foot were shipped to South Africa in 1800 and on to Ceylon where they were involved in the Kandian War and the Mahratta War both in 1803. The Napoleonic War was still going strong and the regiment was dispatched to the island of Mauritius in 1810 where they took part in the capture of the island. After this they were shipped back to India where they remained until 1821. During this time they were briefly involved in the campaign against the Oman Coast Pirates in the Persian Gulf as well as numerous uprisings and small wars in India.

New Zealand

After a short period in England the regiment was back in Canada by 1837 in time for the rebellions of 1837 and 1838.

They went back to Britain in 1841 but in 1845 they were shipped to Australia and in 1846 to New Zealand where they took part in the New Zealand land wars. This is where they got the nickname "Hickety Pip", from the Māori pronunciation of their number. They fought in the Taranaki Wars of 1860 to 1861 and in the Waikato campaign of 1863 to 1866.

By 1871 they were back in India where they were based when the Childer's Reform of the British Army occurred. The 65th Foot became the 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment while the 84th Foot beame the 2nd Battalion.

External links

* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/Misc/Military/StandingOrders.html Standing Orders for the 65th Regiment]
* [http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/065-758.htm British Army regiments site]
* [http://members.cox.net/johnahamill/fortescue.html#Martinique Attack on Martinique by Fortescue]
* [http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/%7Egarter1/65thfoot.htm 65th Foot in Australia]
* [http://hicketypip.tripod.com/history.htm#top_page 65th Foot in the Maori Wars and New Zealand]
* [http://britishbattles.com/bunker-hill.htm Battle of Bunker Hill]