The 94th Regiment of Foot was a British Armyline infantryregiment, raised as the Scotch Brigade in October 1794. It was renumbered as the 94th Regiment of Foot in December 1802 and disbanded in December 1818. The regiment was reformed in December 1823 and served until 1881 when it amalgamated with the 88th Regiment of Foot to form the Connaught Rangers.
The regiment was raised, from officers who had previously served in the Scots Brigade, by General Francis Dundas as the Scotch Brigade on 9 October 1794.[1][2] The regiment embarked for Gibraltar in November 1795[3] and then moved on to South Africa in 1796[3] before transferring to India in late 1798.[3] The regiment landed at Madras in January 1799[3] and saw action at the Battle of Mallavelly in March 1799[4] and the siege of Seringapatam in April 1799 during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.[5] It was renumbered as the 94th Regiment of Foot in December 1802.[2] It also took part in the Battle of Argaon in November 1803[5] and the Capture of Gawilghur in December 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War.[6] At Gawilghur, Captain Campbell led the light company of the regiment up the assault ladders and over the walls of the fort, which had previously been considered impregnable, and then let the rest of the British force in through the main gate.[6] The regiment embarked for home in October 1807.[7]
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Bradford depicted in uniform as colonel of the regiment circa 1825
The regiment was reformed in Glasgow (and subsequently confirmed as the successor of the predecessor formation with full continuity of battle honours),[a] in response to the threat posed by the French intervention in Spain, in December 1823.[16] Of the initial appointments, two of the officers had previous service in the 94th Regiment of Foot (Major Allan and Captain Bogle).[15] The regiment was posted to Gibraltar in April 1824[17] and it was presented with its new regimental colours in April 1825[17] before being sent to Malta in March 1832.[17] It returned to Ireland in November 1834.[18]
The regiment was posted to Ceylon in October 1838,[18] then moved to Cannanore in April 1839[18] and served in the Madras Presidency for fifteen years during which time it saw some action suppressing the Mappila riots in summer 1849.[19] The regiment embarked for England in March 1854.[20]
William Plummer Gaskell, an ensign in the regiment in 1854
Some volunteers departed for service in the Crimean War in November 1854[21] and the service companies left for Gibraltar in September 1855.[21] The main body of the regiment embarked for Karachi in November 1857[22] and then transferred to Peshawar in the North-West Frontier region in October 1858.[22] The regiment embarked for home again in January 1868.[23]
The regiment embarked for South Africa in spring 1879 and saw action at the Battle of Ulundi in July 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War.[10] The regiment marched into the Transvaal and took part in the successful attack on Sekukuni's stronghold on 28 November 1879 during the Basuto Gun War.[10] Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to members of the regiment for their conduct during this action.[24]
The regiment remained in South Africa with its eight companies widely distributed throughout the Transvaal, garrisons being established in Pretoria (E and G companies), Lydenburg (A and F companies), Wakkerstroom (C company), Marabastad (B company), Standerton (H company) and Newcastle in northern Natal (D company). It was during the re-concentration of the companies, in response to outbreaks of civil disorder by the Boers, that A and F companies were attacked at Battle of Bronkhorstspruit in December 1880 in the opening clash of the First Boer War: the two companies saw 156 of their soldiers killed or wounded, with the rest taken prisoner.[25] The other six companies of the regiment spent the war being besieged by the Boers: C, D and H in Standerton, E and G in Pretoria, B in Marabastad, and a small detachment of 50 men in Lydenburg.[26]
Kingdom of Great Britain (1794–1800)
United Kingdom (1801–1881)
British Army
