Alderney and The British Army

British Regiments in Alderney: from a manuscript in the Alderney Museum - courtesy of the Alderney Society
 
(J) = also in Jersey (G) = also in Guernsey (CI) = Island not specified
 
Dates Reg. No. Reg. Name after 1882
7.1732-6.1785 18th Royal Irish Regt. (J)
5.1804-11.1804 1st/57th 1st Bn. Middlesex Regt. (CI)
12.1804-1.1806 2nd/3rd The Buffs (First Kent Regt.)
1.1806-4.1807 2nd/l8th Royal Irish Regt.
8.1806-4.1807 2nd/5th Northumberland Fusiliers.
11.1807-7.1810 2nd/67th 2nd Bn. Hampshire Regt.
8.1809-3.1810 2nd/44th 1st Bn. Essex Regt.
3.1810-5.1810 2nd/89th 2nd Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers.
5.1810-? 2nd/11th Devonshire Regt.
5.1811-10.1811 75th 1st Bn. Gordon Highlanders. (J)
1811 2nd/63rd 1st Bn. Manchester Regt
5.1812-9.1815 2nd/82nd 2 Bn. Prince of Wales' Sth. Lancshire Regt.
4.1815-2.1816 2nd/15th East Yorks Regt.
1816 8th/15th Depot Companies, East Yorks Regt.
1817-6.1819 13th Somerset Light Infantry. (G)
7.1819-10.1819 53rd Duke of Wellington's Regt. (G)
10.1819-3.1820 79th Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (G)
5.1825-3.1824 72nd 1st Bn. Seaforth Highlanders. (G)
 
From 1824 until 1852 there were no regular army units in Alderney; there was always a Regimental Depot (Recruiting and Training Company) in Guernsey, they may have visited Alderney. The Garrison revived again in 1852, when the 11th Field Company R.E. arrived and when the Forts were largely completed.
 
8.1856-4.1857 72nd 1st Bn. Seaforth Highlanders (G)
1857-1859 Unknown
4.1859-5.1860 1st/15th East Yorks Reg. (J)
6.1860-5.1861 30th Cambrideshires (later 1st Bn. East Lancashire Reg.) (J)
3.1861-6.1862 55th 2nd Bn. Border Reg. (J)
6.1862-2.1863 2nd/18th Royal Irish Reg. (J)
8.1863-8.1864 61st 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Reg. (CI)
8.1864-7.1865 2nd/1st Royal Scots (CI)
7.1865-7.1866 1st/6th Royal Warwickshire Reg. (CI)
7.1865-3.1867 69th 69th South Lincolnshire Reg. (later 2nd Bn. Welch Reg.) (CI)
3.1867-4.1868 66th 2nd Bn. Berkshire Reg. (CI)
4.1868-4.1869 43rd Monmouthshire L.I. (later 1st Bn Oxfordshire Light Infantry) (CI)
4.1869-7.1870 2nd/17th Leicestershire Reg. (CI)
7.1870-5.1871 2nd/15th East Yorks Reg. (CI)
5.1871-7.1872 1st/22nd Cheshire Reg. (CI)
7.1872-8.1873 1st/9th Norfolk Reg. (G)
7.1873-9.1873 84th 2nd Bn Yorks and Lancs Reg. (CI)
9.1873-7.1874 1st/15th East Yorks Reg. (G)
7.1874-6.1875 2nd/6th Royal Warwickshire Reg. (G)
6.1875-6.1876 61st 2nd Bn Gloucestershire Reg. (G)
6.1876 - 5.1877 104th 104th Bengal Fusiliers (later 2nd Bn Royal Munster Fusiliers) (G )
5.1877 - 5.1878 75th 1st Bn Gordon Highlanders (G)
5.1878 - 4.1879 105th 105th Madras L.I. (later 2nd Bn King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry) (G)
4.1879 - 9.1879 64th 1st Bn Prince of Wales's North StaffordshireRegt (J)
9.1979 - 7.1880 107th 107th Bengal Fusiliers (later 2nd Bn Royal Sussex Regt) (G )
7.1880 - 4.1881 87th 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers (G)
4.1881 - 11.1882 1st/22nd 1st Bn Cheshire Regt (J)
11.1882 - 9.1884 1st Middlesex Regt (G)
9.1884 - 12.1885 1st Royal Irish Rifles (G)
12.1885 - 8.1887 2nd Bn Gordon Highlanders (G)
9.1887 - 4.1888 2nd Bn Border Regt (G)
4.1888 - 2.1891 2nd Bn East Surrey Regt (G)
2.1891 - 5.1893 2nd Bn K.O.Y.L.I. (G)
5.1893 - 11.1895 2nd Royal Fusiliers (G)
11.1895 - 5.1897 2nd Somerset Light Infantry (G)
5.1897 - 9.1897 2nd Northamptonshire Regt (G)
9.1897 - 9.1899 2nd Bn Wiltshire Regt (G)
9.1899 - 1.1900 1st Bn Worcestershire Regt (G)
1.1900 - 4.1901 3rd Bn Suffolk Regt (G)
4.1901 - 7.1901 4th Bn Norfolk Regt (G)
7.1901 - 12.902 3rd Bn Lincolnshire Regt (G)
12.1902 - 9.1904 2nd Bn Leicestershire Regt (G)
9.1904 - 10.1907 2nd Bn Manchester Regt (G)
10.1907 - 10.1910 2nd Middlesex Regt (G)
10.1910 - 10.1913 2nd Royal Irish Regt (G)
10.1913 - Aug 1914 2nd Bn Yorkshire Regt (Green Howards) (CI)
 
During the 1914 -18 War there were usually Infantry on the Island. These were generally "Garrison" Battalions or the Royal Defence Corps, composed of low medical grade troops in which the parent Regiment were not much interested, an exception was the 4th Bn the North Staffordshire Regt. that was in Alderney from August, 1914 until September, 1916 and was an Officer Training Unit.
 
After the 1914-18 War the Infantry Garrison does not appear to have been taken very seriously. Although there was nominally a battalion in Guernsey and Alderney, it was often represented in Alderney by one platoon only, the rest being elsewhere including strike Duty in England and Police Duties in Ireland. The Regiments and dates of first arrival were:-
 
November 1919 2nd Bn Royals (North Lancashire) Regt.
February 1922 1st Bn Manchester Regt.
October 1924 2nd Bn Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.
November 1927 2nd Bn Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regt.
November 1936 2nd Bn Sherwood Foresters.
November 1938 1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers.
 
From a recent posting by Iain Kerr at soc.genealogy.britain and the GENBRIT Mailing List (gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.britain newsgroup for the discussion of genealogy in Great Britain and the Islands).
 
The Invalids and later the Veteran's Battalions were separate regiments manned with volunteers who had been previously discharged from regular service on account of wounds, age or illness. Being of limited physical capability, the veterans had only a home defence role or light duties only (and were ideal for Channel Islands Service).
 
From 1703, the responsibility for raising and maintaing the Companies of Invalids was place with the Royal Hospital Chelsea and a Royal Corps of Invalids was formed. In 1804, withe revival of war with revolutionary France, the Royal Corps was disbanded, but invalids fit for service became part of the Royal Garrison regiment; the others went on the strength of the newly formed Veterans Battalions.
 
Muster returns for both Invalid Companies and Veterans Battalions are in the War office archives in the PRO, Kew in WO12. Casualty returns for the Veteran Battalions 1809 - 1830 are in WO25/2190-2195 and 2216-2243.
 
If you need to find out where any of these Regiments went after Alderney and do not have access to the Army List, I would suggest that Iain probably has the answer.
 
This link may be helpful: Barney Tyrwhitt-Drake's British Infantry Regiment Name Changes in 1881.
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