Medals of the Regiments:
The East Lancashire Regiment

 
 
East Lancashire Regiment Victorian Cap Badge
Victorian period cap badge of the regiment. Collar badges.
Kipling and King 637 

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The East Lancashire Regiment

1689 - 1958
 
 
 
Titles
pre 1881 post 1881
30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot 1st Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment
59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment
   
 
Earliest recognised formation: 30th: 1689, when raised as Viscount Castleton's Regiment
59th: 1755, when raised as the 61st Regiment of Foot, renumbered  the 59th in 1756.
 
Motto: Spectemur agendo (Let us be judged by our acts)
 
Regimental Journal:  The XXX. (1st Btn),  The Lilywhite Gazette. (2nd Bn) and the East Lancashire Regimental Journal. (post 1931?)
 
WWI: Battle Honours; 61 Victoria Crosses; 4 Died; 7000
WWII:    Battle Honours;  18 Victoria Crosses; 1 Died; ???
 
Amalgamated: 1958, with The South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers), to form The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers)
 
 
A 2nd Battalion of both the 30th and 59th was operational 1804-17 and 1804-1816 respectively.
 

Egypt Campaign 1801 (1st Battalion, 30th), The Capture of Java (1st Battalion, 59th )  and the Peninsula War 1808 - 1814   (2nd Battalions, both Regiments)

Military General Service Medal 1793 - 1814

30th Regiment
clasp:

Egypt

Fuentes d' Onor

Ciudad Rodrigo

Badajos

Salamanca

Total Medals Max clasps
number: 2042 11102 77136 7
 
 
 
59th Regiment
clasp:

Corunna

Java

Salamanca

Vittoria

St. Sebastian

Nivelle

Nive

number: 78104 1*120 11517 37
 
Total Medals Max clasps            
275 5          
 

* Lt. Marlborough Seymour, clasp with the Commisariat Dept.

 

Battle Honours: Java, Badajos, Salamanca, St. Sebastian, Nive, Peninsula;  and a Sphinx superscribed Egypt was permitted to be borne on the colours

 
 
 

Battle of Waterloo 1815  both regiments present.

Waterloo Medal 1815 (names on roll, includes died, missing etc)

 

 2nd Battalion, 30th Regiment.

Number : 597
 
 

Casualties 16th, 17th & 18th June 1815 (extracted London Gazette 8/7/1815 & "Medals of the British Army and  how they were won" T. Carter 1861*)

Officers: 1 Major, 1 Captain, 2 Lieutenants and 2 Coronets Killed. 1 Lt. Colonel, 2 Majors, 1 Captain, 9 Lieutenants, and 1 Staff wounded.

*Sergeants, Trumpeters, Drummers, Farriers and Rank and File:

Wounded Missing
Died of wounds Suffered amputation Discharged Transferred to Veteran or Garrison Battalions Rejoined the Regiment Remaining in hospitals in April 1816 Total Rejoined the RegimentNot since heard of, supposed dead.
36 25 4 1 2 109 52 193 26 -
 
 

2nd Battalion, 59th Regiment.

Number : 520
 

2/59th not deployed directly in the Waterloo battle -  positioned at Hal to prevent any potential surprise attack in the direction of Brussels & the right flank. [4th Division (Collville) 6th British Brigade (Johnstone) with 2/35th, 54th and the 1/91st ]

Casualties:  2 other ranks wounded on the 26th June in the assault and taking of Cambray.

 
 

*Carter's figures are in turn extracted from the return prepared by the Adjutant-Generals office, 13th April 1816.

Battle Honour;  Waterloo. (30th Regt)

 
 
 

Revolt of the Rajah of Bhurtpore (1826)  59th Regiment

Army of India Medal 1799 - 1826

clasp:

Bhurtpoor

number: 90
 

Battle Honour: Bhurtpore

 
 

Crimean War  1854 - 1856  30th Regiment

Crimea Medal 1854 -56

 
Clasp: →..none...

Alma

Balaklava

Inkermann

Sebastopol

Total Medals 
Number: ?751 38557 ?>1153 
 

 

 

Battle Casualties;

Action.KilledDied of Wounds'Wounded'Dangerously
Wounded
Severely
Wounded
Slightly
Wounded
MissingTotal
Battle of the Alma 12- 67- -- -79
First bombardment of Sebastopol, first battle of Inkermann and minor actions 7- -3 911 -30
Battle of Inkermann 271 -15 3744 -124
Assault on the Quarries -- -- 1- -1
First Attack on the Redan -- -- 12 -3
Final Attack on the Redan 43- -8 5351 -155
2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Bombardments of Sebastopol and Minor Actions. 19 2* -6 2544 197
Magazine explosion at the French Siege Train -- -- -- --

Grand Total:     

489
 

* Lt and Adj. J. Forbes, and 3554 Private John Desmond = "wounded mortally"

 

Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for:

Turkish Crimea Medal 1855

 


VCs: 1  Walker    see VC page

 
 

Battle Honours:  Alma; Inkermann Sevastopol.

 
 
 

Second China War 1856-60 59th Regiment

Second China War Medal 1856-60

  
clasp:..none...

Canton 1857

total medals
numbers: ?? ?
    
 

Battle Honour: Canton

 
 
 

Fenian Raids, Canada 1866-1870  30th Regiment

Canada General Service Medal 1866-70

clasp:

Fenian Raid 1866

Fenian Raid 1870

number: 94 1*
 

*as a two clasp medal

 
 
 
 

Second Afghan War 1878-80 59th Regiment

Afghanistan Medal 1878  -1880

clasp:...none...
Ahmed Khel
Kandahar
total
number: 153719 11881
 
 

General Roberts' March, Kabul to Kandahar 9-31 August 1880 

Kabul to Kandahar Star 1880

 
number: 9*
 

*Lt's H.A. Boulderson and C. Hodgkinson, 2/Lt W.G. Small, and 6 Privates.

 


VCs: 1  Sartorius   see VC page

 

Battle Honours: Ahmed Khel

 
1881: The Regiments now become the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The East Lancashire Regiment.
 

Relief of Chitral 1895  1st Battalion

India Medal 1895

clasp:
Relief of Chitral 1895
number: ?
 

Battle Honour: Chitral

 
 
 

Anglo - Boer War 1899 - 1902.  1st Battalion, February 1900 to end of the War

Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902

Common clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902; also:

 
             
clasp:

Driefontein

Johannesburg

       
number: ? ?        
             
 

 

Casualties:

Officers NCOs and Men
KIA & DOW/ DOD Wounded Missing / POW KIA & DOW Death from disease Wounded Missing / POW
 
1/- 1 1 19 36 39 31
 

Battle Honour: South Africa 1900-1902

 
 
 

The Great War 1914 - 1918  ( 18 battalions; 12 served overseas:- )

Generally awarded the British War Medal & Victory Medal, men overseas prior to 1/1/1916 also a 1914 or 1914-15 Star.

Battalion → 1  2* 1/4 1/5 2/4 2/5 6 7 8 9 11 13**
Accrington Garrison
date of first overseas service.
 (first theatre red x )
22/8
1914
6/11
1914
25/9
1914
25/9
1914
2/3
1917
2/3
1917
26/6
1915
18/7
1915
?/7
1915
5/9
1915
1/1
1916
11/6
1918
France & Flanders x   x x x x   x x x x x
Gallipoli     x x     x          
Egypt & Palestine     x x     x       x  
Mesopotamia            x          
Macedonia                   x    
Star
possible ?
1914 or 1914-15 x x                    
or 1914-15 only     x x     x x x x    
VCs at a glance:                
died
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate - in addition the regiment as a whole lost an additional   127 officers who are recorded with 'battalion not shown'  or with battalions not shown here, or who we have  not yet allocated a battalion.)
1212 1191 375 441 318 291 625 457 579 152 751 74
 

*2nd Battalion in South Africa at the start, moved to the UK.       

** Formed in France, "Garrison" title later dropped.

 
Regular Territorial Force New Armies Garrison.

 

Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
 3 officers and 18 men of the East Lancashire Regiment also qualified for this medal.

 


VCs: 4;      Bent    Smith   Young    Horsfall   see VC page

 

Battle Honours:  Retreat from Mons; Marne 1914; Aisne 1914, 1918; Neuve Chapelle; Ypres 1915, 1917, 1918; Somme 1916, 1918; Arras 1917, 1918; Doiran 1917, 1918; Helles; Kut al Amara 1917.  Le Cateau; Armentières 1914; St Julien; Frezenberg; Bellewaarde; Aubers; Albert 1916, 1918; Bazentin; Pozières; Le Transloy; Ancre Heights; Ancre 1916, 1918; Vimy 1917; Scarpe 1917, 1918; Arleux; Oppy; Messines 1917; Pilckem; Langemarck 1917; Menin Road; Polygon Wood; Broodseinde; Poelcapelle; Passchendaele; St Quentin; Bapaume 1918; Rosières; Villers Bretonneux; Lys; Estaires; Hazebrouck; Bailleul; Kemmel; Hindenburg Line; Canal du Nord; Cambrai 1918; Selle; Valenciennes; Sambre; France and Flanders 1914-18; Kosturino; Macedonia 1915-18; Krithia; Suvla; Sari Bair; Gallipoli 1915; Rumani; Egypt 1915-17; Tigris 1916; Baghdad; Mesopotamia 1916-17.

 
 
 

WW2 1939 - 1945  

Battalion → 1st 2nd 4th 5th
campaign ↓        
France and Belgium 1940.
(Dunkirk )
x   x  
North Africa & Middle East        
Burma   x    
Sicily / Italy        
N.W. Europe x     x
 

Notes.

  126th Infantry Brigade, France and Belgium 15/4/40 - 2/6/40. Returned to the UK, then
158th Infantry Brigade, N.W. Europe
4/8/44 - 31/8/45
In India at the start, returned to the UK - then 29th Infantry Brigade, Madagascar, East Africa 5/5/42-16/10/42, Burma; 12/2/44-6/6/44 and 3/8/44 and 13/5/45 127th Infantry Brigade 3/9/39- 22/10/41, including France and Belgium 24/4/40 - 30/5/40 197th Infantry Brigade, NW Europe, 29/6/40-26/8/44.
 
 
 

WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star )
 Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B =  Burma, I = Italy,  F&G = France and Germany

  F&G B - F&G
         
 

 


VCs: 1  Andrews   see VC page

 

 

Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal

 

Battle Honours: Dunkirk 1940; Falaise; Lower Maas; Ourthe; Reichswald; Weeze; Aller; Madagascar; Pinwe; Burma 1944-5.  Defence of Escaut; Caen; Nederrijn; Rhineland; Rhine; Ibbenburen; North-West Europe 1940, 1944-5; North Arakan.
 

 
1948: Regulars reduced to a single battalion (the 1st)
 
 

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Selected Links

The Regimental Museum.

 
 
 

Selected Bibliography;

 
Author Title Publisher
? Historical Records of the XXX Regiment. 283 pp. London: William Clowes and Sons Ltd., 1887
 Lieut.-Col. Neil Bannatyne. History of The Thirtieth Regiment, now the First Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, 1689-1881.
 474 pp.
Liverpool: Littlebury Bros., 1923
Capt. E. C. Hopkinson. Spectamur Agcndo. 1st Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment, August and September 1914  73pp. Cambridge: Heifer & Sons Ltd., privately printed, 1926
Brig. J. W. Pendlebury 1st Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment; France, 1940.  16 pp. Ringwood: Brown & Son (Ringwood) Ltd., printers, 1946
By Second Lieut. F. M. James. Annals of the " Five and Nine "; being the History of H.M. 59th Regiment (2nd Nottinghamshire), now the Second Battalion East Lancashire Regiment.   135 pp. Poona: S. Shalom & Bros., 1906
Compiled by Maj.-Gen. Sir Lothian Nicholson and Major H. T. McMullen History of The East Lancashire Regiment in the Great War, 1914-1918   568 pp. Liverpool: Littlebury Bros. Ltd., 1936
Edited by Brig. G. W. P. N. Burden
History of The East Lancashire Regiment in the War, 1939-1945.   331 pp.
 
Manchester: H. Rawson & Co. Ltd., 1953
? History of the East Lancashire Regiment, XXX and LIX. 1702-1902.   56 pp.  Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd., 1919
John M. Garwood. Chorley Pals.  56 pp. The Chorley Pals formed 'Y' Company, 11th (Accrington Pals) Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment.  
William Turner Pals. The 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington) East Lancashire Regiment.   256 pp. The Barnsley Chronicle.
     

 

Additional Bibliography for this Page.

 
Author/Compiler Title Publisher
Officers of the Regiment. Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc. -
  Additional bibliography same as Northumberland Fusiliers page  
     
     
 

 

 

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