Many thanks to Richard Pearson OMRS 2176 for correcting errors
and providing missing figures from his own study of the Seaforths primary
material.
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| The Seaforth Highlanders |
 | 1778 - 1961
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| | | | | | Titles | | pre 1881 | post 1881 | 72nd (Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders)
Regiment of Foot | 1st Battalion the Seaforth Highlanders
(Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) | 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
(The Ross-shire Buffs) | 2nd Battalion the Seaforth Highlanders
(Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) | | | | Earliest recognised formation: | 72nd Foot: 1778, 78th Foot: 1793. | | | | Motto: | Cuidich'n Righ = Help the King N (Gaelic) (5th Btn, "Sans Peur" = Fearless) | | | | Regimental Journal: | Cabar Feidh | | | | WWI: | Battle Honours; 60 | Victoria Crosses; 7 | Died; 8,830 | | WWII: | Battle Honours; 25 | Victoria Crosses; 0 | Died; ???? | | | | Amalgamated: | 1961, with The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders to form "The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)". | | |
| | | | | | | Second Mahratta War 1803-05. 78th Regiment | Army of India Medal 1799 - 1826 | | Clasp: → | | | | | | 35 | 34 | 22 | | | |
Note: a "survivors only" medal issued many years after the campaign, hence the low numbers. | |
| | | | | Peninsula War 1808 - 1814 78th Regiment (72nd Regiment = no qualifying service) | Military General Service Medal. 1793 - 1814 clasps: | | Total Medals | Max clasps | | | | | | 185 | 2 | 97 | 1 | 107 | 1 | | | |
Note: another "survivors only" medal issued many years after the campaign, hence the low numbers. | |
| | | | | | | Battle of Waterloo 1815 78th Regiment | Waterloo Medal 1815 | |
number: | 4 | | | |
The four gentlemen in question are: : Capt.
Stephen Holmes, Sgt. William Mackay, Pte. Laughlin Machean and Pte. John MacDonald. | |
| | | | | | | First Kaffir War 1834 - 1835 72nd Regiment. | South Africa Medal 1834-53 | |
number: | 138 |
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| | | | | | | Crimean War 1854 - 1856 72nd Regiment | Crimea Medal 1854 -56 | | | |
clasp: → | ..none... | | Total Medals | |
number: → |
1 (or 2) |
868 |
869 | | | | | Battle Casualties; | | | Action. | Killed | Dangerously
Wounded | Severely
Wounded | Slightly
Wounded | Total | | First Attack on the Redan | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | | Final Attack on the Redan | 1 | - | 9 | 11 | 21 | | 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Bombardments of Sebastopol and Minor Actions. | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 31 | Grand Total: | 55 | Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for: | Turkish Crimea Medal 1855 | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | India Mutiny 1857 | India Mutiny Medal. 1857 -59 | | 72nd Regiment | | Clasp → | ...none... | | | | | | Number: | 10 | - | - | - | 657 | | | | 78th Regiment | | Number: | 121 | 640 | 358 | 550 | - | | | | |
| | | | | | | Afghan War 1878 | Afghanistan Medal 1878 -1880 | | 72nd Regiment | | Clasp → | ...none... | | | | | total medals | | Number | 89 | 389 | 802 | 753 | 786 | 1132 | | 78th Regiment | | Number | 766 | - | - | - | - | 766 | | | | | | | | | | | General Roberts' march, Kabul to Kandahar 9-31 August 1880 ( 72nd Regiment only) | Kabul to Kandahar Star 1880 | | 72nd Regiment | | 790 | |
notes. | | | |
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1881: The 72nd & 78th Foot Regiments are now titled 1st and 2nd
Battalions, The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-Shire Buffs, The Duke of
Albany's) | | | Egypt Campaign 1882 1st and part of 2nd Battalion. | Egypt and Sudan Medal 1882-89 | | | | | Clasp: | ...none... | | | 1st Battalion | | number: | 56 | 564 | | 2nd Battalion | | number: | 4 | 197 | | | |
Recipients also entitled to a Khedive's Star dated 1882 | | | |
| | | | | | | Black Mountain Expeditions 1888 and 1891. 2nd Battalion | India General Service Medal 1854 | |
clasp: | | | |
number: | 621* |
685** | | | |
*1 as a further clasp **393 as further
clasps. | |
| | | | | | | The Relief of Chitral, North West Frontier 1895 2nd Battalion | India Medal 1895 | |
clasp: | | |
number: | 826 |
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| | | | | | | Reconquest of the Sudan 1896 - 98 1st Battalion | Queen's Sudan Medal 1896 - 98 | |
number: |
991 | Khedive's Sudan Medal 1896 - 1908 | | clasp : | | | | number: |
883* | 836** |
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* 155 as single clasp medals ** 108 as single clasp
medals, (two clasps: 728) |
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| | | | | | | Anglo-Boer War 1899 - 1902 2nd Battalion
(Nov 1899- end of the war) with 3 companies provided from the volunteer
battalions. | 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; and or: | | | |
clasp: | | | | |
number: | 769 |
574 | 867* | | | |
*88 to men of the 1st Volunteer Coy. | | |
| | | | | | | Garrison & Guard Duty, ( Boer prisoners of war) Gibraltar and Malta etc., 1899 - 1902 (Militia
Battalions) | Queen's Mediterranean Medal 1899 -1902 | | | | Number: | 784 |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Great War 1914 - 1918 17 battalions, 9 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 | 1/6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 1 | | Garrison | date of first overseas service.
(first theatre red x ) | 12/10
1914 | 22/8
1914 | 7/11
1914 | 2/5
1915 | 2/5
1915 | ?/5
1915 | ?/7
1915 | 10/5
1915 | | | France & Flanders | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | | | Mesopotamia | x | | | | | | | | | | Egypt & Palestine | x | | | | | | | | | | Macedonia | | | | | | | | | x | | | | | | | | | | | | Star
possible ? | 1914 or 1914-15 | x | x | x | | | | | | | | or 1914-15 only | | | | x | x | x | x | x | | | | | | | | | | | | | died
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate, in addition 100 officers are recorded with 'battalion not shown' ) | 1059 | 1402 | 1050 | 913 | 1141 | 1105 | 1164 | 338 | 29 | | | Territorial Force War Medal 1914 - 1919
63 officers and men of the Seaforth Highlanders qualified for this medal. | * 1st Battalion
in India at the start, moved to the UK. | Regular | Territorial Force | New Armies | Garrison. |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | WW2 1939 - 1945 battalions that served overseas | | Battalion → | 1st | 2nd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | | | Theatre ↓ | | France and
Belgium 1940.
(Dunkirk ) | | x
Surrendered: St. Valery 12/6/40 | x
Surrendered: St. Valery 12/6/40 | x | x | | | | North Africa | | x | | x | | | | | Egypt & Middle East | | x | | x | x | | | | Burma | x | | | | | | | | Sicily / Italy | | x | | x | x | | | | N.W. Europe | | x | | x | x | x | | | | Notes. | | | 1st Ind Inf Bde 23 Inf Div 9/5/42 - end | Reformed Aug 1940 | | Absorbed elements of the 4th that had avoided capture at Valery | 17th Inf. Bde. 30/3/40- end.
Successfully evacuated from Dunkirk 31/5/1940
Also served 'Operation Ironclad' Madagascar 5/5/42-10/6/42 | | | | | WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star )
Key: A = Africa, I = Italy, F&G = France and Germany B = Burma. | | | B | A, I, F&G | | A, I, F&G | I, F&G | F&G | | | | Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal | | | | | | UK Honours and Awards WW2 (Totals, all battalions) | Victoria Cross | Distinguished Service Order | Military Cross | Distinguished Conduct Medal | Military Medal | Order of the Bath | Order of the British Empire
all classes | | 0 | 24 | 64 | 19 | 116 | 2 | 51 | |
| | | | | | | Re-establishment of order post WW2, South East Asia 1945 -46 1st Battalion | General Service Medal 1918 - 62 | |
clasp: | | |
number: | ? |
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| | | | | | | The Malaya Emergency: Operations against Communist insurgents. 1948-60 1st Battalion (1948-50) | General Service Medal 1918 - 62 | | | | |
clasp: | | |
number: | ? |
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| | | | | © This website and its contents are copyright. Images are digitally watermarked. © All Rights Reserved |
errors & omissions? please email us. |
| |  |  | Above, Crimea Medal 1854 clasp Sebastopol. As issued to the 72nd Regiment. | © Images Copyright © |
Links | The Regimental Museum. (Info.only - no website 6/5/07. Located in Fort George near Inverness) | | | | | Selected Bibliography; The Seaforth Highlanders / 72nd and 78th Foot Regiments | | | | Author | Title | Publisher | | Cannon, Richard. | Historical Record of the Seventy-Second Regiment, or the Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders. (Cannon's historical records series) | Parker, Furnivall & Parker, London 1848 | | Anon. | Historical Records of the 72nd Highlanders, now 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders 1777-1886 | William Blackwood and Sons Edinburgh. 1886. | | MacVeigh, James. | The Jubilee Memorial. The Historical Records of the 78th Highlanders or Ross-Shire Buffs. (now the 2nd battalion Seaforth Highlanders) from 1793 to 1887. | J. Maxwell & Son, Dumfries. 1887 | | Davidson, H. Major. | History and Services of the 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs) 1793 - 1881 (two vols) | W. & A. K. Johnson Edinburgh 1901 | | Walker, F. W. | The Great Deeds of the Seaforth Highlanders (The story of the regiments series ) | J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, London (1916) | | Davidson, H. Major [Ed.] | The Seaforth Highlanders; South Africa 1899-1902. | W. & A. K. Johnson, Edinburgh 1904 | | Sym, John M. [Ed.] | Seaforth Highlanders. | Gale and Polden Ltd. 1962 | | Egerton, Granville | With the 72nd Highlanders in the Sudan Campaign | Eden Fisher & Co ltd. London 1909 | | Addison-Smith, C. L. Lt-Col. | 10th Battalion The Seaforth Highlanders in the Great War | J. Bain & Sons, Edinburgh 1927 | | Haldane, M. M. | A History of the Fourth Battalion The Seaforth Highlanders. With some account of the Military Annals of Ross, the Fencibles, the Volunteers, and the Home Defence and Reserve Battalions 1914-19. | H.F. & G. Witherby, London 1928 | | Sutherland D. Capt. | War Diary of the 5th Seaforth Highlanders, 51st Highland Division. | John Lane, The Bodley Head, London 1920 | | Borthwick, Alastair. | Sans Peur. The History of the 5th (Caithness and Sutherland) Battalion The Seaforth Highlanders 1942-1945 | Eneas Mackay, Stirling. 1946 | | | | | | 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. | - | | | The Waterloo Medal Roll | | | Anon. | Soldiers Died in the Great War, Part 64; The Seaforth Highlanders. | HMSO 1921 | | Everson, G. R. | The South Africa 1853 Medal | Samson Books London 1978 | | Cook, Frank & Andrea. | Casualty Roll for the Crimea | Haywood & Son 1976 | | | | | | | and other sources as listed on the Northumberland Fusiliers page | | | |
16/05/2007 |
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The Seaforth Highlanders wore a pair badges on each collar from 1882 |
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© Images Copyright © |
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"Headress Badges of the British Army", Kipling and King
