Part 6

During the year 1828 the regiment furnished several detachments to the neighbouring islands of Ithaca, Cerigo, Calamos, and Santa Maura; the detachment in the last-named island suffered severely from a malignant fever which raged during the months of June, July, and August, and carried off thirty-six men out of seventy-five, of which it originally consisted. On the 19th of September, the head-quarters were removed to Cephalonia, on which occasion Major-General Woodford took leave of it in the following very flattering terms:—

“GARRISON ORDERS. “_Brigade-Major’s Office, Corfu, “Sept. 18th, 1828._

“Major-General Woodford will not allow the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment to embark without his expressing the satisfaction he feels at the invariably good conduct the regiment has maintained in the garrison. Its interior order and general soldier-like appearance sufficiently evince the assiduous attention which has been bestowed on the regulation and discipline of the corps. The Major-General feels this tribute to be due to Lieutenant-Colonel O’Malley, and he requests he will communicate his sentiments to the regiment.”

[Sidenote: 1830]

In April, 1830, the EIGHTY-EIGHTH again returned to Corfu, where it remained until September, 1831, when it was removed to Vido, and continued there until December, 1831, when it again proceeded to Corfu. The reserve companies remained in Ireland from 1825, to April, 1830, when they embarked for England.

* * * * *

From the time of its original formation, the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment had, as stated at the commencement of the Record, borne on its colours and appointments a device, consisting of a Harp and Crown, with the motto “_Quis separabit?_” No direct authority appears to have authorised this appropriation of a badge and motto, but use had sanctioned it, and the recollection of the fields of glory in which it had waved before the enemy, endeared it to the sympathies of the officers and men. In an official design for a new stand of colours preparing for the regiment towards the end of 1830, this device and motto were omitted. Colonel O’Malley immediately wrote to the Adjutant-General representing the case, and the strong wishes of the regiment for its retention, for the consideration of the Commander-in-Chief. His application was successful, and obtained distinct authority for the corps to continue the use of the badge to which it was so strongly and so reasonably attached. The Adjutant-General, in a letter dated from the Horse-Guards, 30th of December, 1830, says—

“Sir,

“I have had the honour to submit to the General Commanding-in-Chief your letter of the 22nd instant with its enclosures, and am directed to acquaint you, that under the circumstances therein stated, his Lordship has been pleased to obtain his Majesty’s permission, that the EIGHTY-EIGHTH Regiment, or ‘CONNAUGHT RANGERS,’ may retain on its colours and appointments the HARP and CROWN, with the motto ‘_Quis separabit?_’ in addition to the badges and devices which it has been authorized to bear in commemoration of its distinguished services on various occasions.

“I have, &c., “JOHN MACDONALD, A.G.

“_Colonel O’Malley, Eighty-Eighth Regiment._”

The EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment having been omitted among the regiments authorised to bear, as an honorary distinction, the word “_Pyrenees_” on its Colours, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel O’Malley, in the year 1830, made the most strenuous exertions to obtain this additional honour for the regiment, in commemoration of its services in the actions in the Pyrenees, as narrated at pages 52, &c.; and testimonials of its gallant conduct on the occasions in question, were furnished by Major-General Sir Thomas Brisbane, who commanded the brigade of which the EIGHTY-EIGHTH formed a part,—by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Frederick Stovin, who acted as Assistant-Adjutant-General to the third division,—and by Lieutenant-Colonel James Campbell, who was Major of Brigade.

This omission occurred in consequence of the officer who commanded the regiment on the occasion alluded to, not having received a medal for that service, perhaps owing to an accident, or clerical error at the time; but, as Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton, who commanded the third division, fell in the battle of Waterloo, the requisite form of recommendation for honours of this description could not be procured, and the General Commanding-in-Chief did not feel himself justified in departing from the general rule which had been established, as the ground on which these distinctions should be submitted for the King’s approval. This honorary inscription is, consequently, not borne on the colours of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment, for its services in the Pyrenees.

[Sidenote: 1831]

On the 20th October, 1831, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Frederick Campbell, K.C.B., was removed to the Twenty-Fifth regiment, and Major-General Sir John Alexander Wallace, Bart. and K.C.B., who had commanded the regiment in many of the arduous campaigns during the Peninsular war, was appointed to the Colonelcy of the CONNAUGHT RANGERS.

The EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment continued in Corfu from the year 1830 to 1836, furnishing occasionally working parties for the island of Vido, and detachments to Santa Maura, and the other islands: the detachment to Santa Maura in April, 1832, continued there ten months, and consisted of two Captains, three Subalterns, one Assistant-Surgeon, six Serjeants, two Drummers, and one hundred and fifty Rank and File.

To those persons interested in the well-being of the corps, and who recollect the extent of sickness and mortality experienced by a former detachment at this station, and of not more than half the strength, in the year 1828, it will be gratifying to know, that not more than two deaths took place, neither of which was caused by climate, one of them was accidental drowning, and the other the consequence of _delirium tremens_; indeed, such was the health of this detachment, that the hospital was, for the greater part of the time, unoccupied during its stay at Santa Maura.

From the period of the return of the regiment from the Island of Cephalonia to Corfu, Major-General Sir Alexander Woodford, in making his half-yearly inspections, expressed in every instance his approbation of the corps, more especially in June, 1831, when he addressed a letter, of which the following is a copy, to Major O’Hara, then Commanding Officer, upon whom, and the regiment altogether, the sentiments expressed by the Major-General reflect much credit:—

“_Corfu, 6th June, 1831._

“Sir,

“Having now inspected the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment, twice within six months, and having on both occasions found it in high order, I have a satisfactory duty to perform, in desiring you will communicate to the regiment my approbation of its soldier-like appearance, its interior order, and its general steadiness under arms.

“I beg you will intimate to the Officers, that their attention to their duties, and to the good order and management of their companies, is very apparent; and that, from the direction thus given to the men, in the care and keeping of their arms, accoutrements, and appointments, and in everything relating to their equipment and personal appearance, arise, in my opinion, the good humour and contentment, and consequent regularity and discipline, which characterise the regiment.

“To the Non-Commissioned Officers and Men, I desire you will state, that I am perfectly satisfied with them, individually, as clean, smart, and well-behaved soldiers, and collectively as a corps, highly creditable to the King’s service.

“In conveying these observations to the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment assembled on parade, you will, Sir, receive yourself the best testimony I can give, to the care and attention with which you have discharged your own superior duties.

“I have, &c. (Signed) “A. WOODFORD, “Major-General.

“_To Major O’Hara, Commanding Eighty-Eighth Regiment._”

Nothing of importance connected with the history of the regiment, occurred from the date of its return to Corfu, with the exception of the melancholy circumstance of Captain the Honourable Charles Gustavus Monckton having been assassinated by a villain, private James Clarke, on the 9th August, 1831, under the impression, as it is believed, that his being accidentally met out of barracks at a late hour of the night, by Captain Monckton, when in the act of committing felony, might tend to his conviction thereof.

The constitution of a regiment is such that the acts of individuals, more or less, reflect honour or disgrace on the whole corps, and much of the fame and high character to which the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment has claim, would perhaps be tarnished, if grounds existed for imagining that any other individual belonging to it was concerned in this diabolical act; the feelings evinced by the soldiers of the regiment, particularly those of the company to which the assassin belonged, when forgetful of the forbearance due to religion and to the laws, they were with difficulty restrained from taking vengeance, as well as their subsequent conduct in requesting to be permitted to subscribe one dollar (4_s._ 4_d._) per man, to erect a monument to the memory of their much-lamented officer, and thereby make known to posterity, their horror and indignation at the disgraceful occurrence, are convincing proofs that no other soldier was implicated in this disgraceful transaction.

The request of the regiment was acquiesced in; at the same time it was deemed prudent to limit the subscription of the Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates, to one day’s pay each, with which a monument has been erected in the military burial-ground of Corfu.

The following notification was made to the regiment on this occasion:—

“_Corfu, 15th March, 1833._

“The Colonel commanding has much pleasure in announcing to the regiment, that the Monument to the memory of the late Honourable Captain Monckton has been completed, and now stands over the grave of that much-lamented officer, in the military burial-ground of this garrison. This mark of esteem and regard for the deceased reflects much credit and honour upon the regiment, more especially, as the expense attending it has been paid by the voluntary subscriptions of the Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers who generously offered one dollar per man towards it, which Colonel O’Malley feels quite assured they would as cheerfully have paid, if necessary, and if permitted to do so, as they have readily contributed one day’s pay, to which it was deemed prudent to limit their contribution.”

The monument bears the following inscription in English, and in Greek, viz.:—

SACRED To the Memory of THE HONOURABLE CHARLES GUSTAVUS MONCKTON, Late Captain in His Majesty’s Eighty-Eighth Regiment (or Connaught Rangers), Who died by the hand of an Assassin, on the 9th August, 1831, Aged Twenty-Six years. This Monument is erected by the Non-Commissioned Officers and Private Soldiers of the Regiment, in testimony of their respect and regard for this most lamented young Officer, and to record their abhorrence of the atrocious act by which he was deprived of life. The feeling of grief and indignation, strongly and universally expressed by the Regiment, was only moderated on witnessing the prompt punishment of the murderer, Private James Clarke, who was executed on the 11th August, 1831.

[Sidenote: 1833]

It may be here told, in further justice to the feelings of the men of the company to which this assassin Clarke belonged, that such was the horror of the wretch’s memory amongst them, that not one of those soldiers could be prevailed with, unless positively ordered, to receive, and do duty with the arms and accoutrements which had been in his charge, and this having come to the knowledge of the Commanding Officer, in March, 1833, when a draft of men was received from the reserve companies, which made it necessary to bring in use some spare arms and accoutrements, Colonel O’Malley (in proof of his acquiescence in the feeling) caused the accoutrements and appointments in question to be cut in pieces on the parade of the regiment, and the objectionable firelock was delivered into the Ordnance stores in exchange for another.

[Sidenote: 1834]

The ceremony of presenting new colours to the regiment, took place at Corfu on the 27th of February, 1834, _the anniversary of the battle of Orthes_, in which the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment bore a distinguished part, and suffered a severe loss in officers and men.

The presentation of colours, which is under any circumstances interesting, caused on the present occasion an unusual excitement, it being known that they were to be given by Lady Woodford, the wife of Major-General Sir Alexander Woodford, commanding the troops in the Ionian Islands. A vast concourse of people, with all the beauty and fashion of the place, assembled at an early hour on the esplanade of the citadel, which is finely situated, commanding a view of the rugged and snow-topped mountains of Albania, of the sea, and of the fertile hills of the island covered with olives, and green with the opening vegetation of an early spring. The fineness of the day was in unison with the beauty of the scenery, and nature herself seemed to smile on the expected ceremony. The Lord High Commissioner, Lord Nugent, the President of the Senate, and the Senators with their families, and the nobility and gentry of the island, honoured the corps with their presence.

The regiment being assembled and drawn up in line, at about eleven o’clock Lady Woodford arrived in her carriage, attended by the Major-General and his Staff on horseback; and on her Ladyship’s descending in front of the line, the regiment presented arms, the band playing “God save the King.” The grenadier company then moved from the right, and drew up facing the centre of the battalion: having opened its ranks, it presented arms to the old colours, of which it took charge, and escorted them to the citadel, the regiment presenting arms to them. Shortly afterwards the grenadiers returned with the new colours, which had been consecrated on the previous Sunday, and had remained in the garrison chapel. These were delivered by the Rev. Charles Küper to the Major and senior Captain, by whom they were borne to the parade, where those officers placed themselves on either side of Lady Woodford, continuing to hold the colours unfurled. The grenadiers having resumed their place on the right of the line, the regiment formed three sides of a square, leaving the fourth open to the public. During this formation, in order that a suitable impression might be made on their young minds, the school children of the regiment (boys and girls), neatly and uniformly dressed in green, moved into the square.

Ensigns Herbert and Honeywood, upon whom the honour of receiving the colours devolved, were then ordered to advance towards Lady Woodford, when her Ladyship delivered the colours to those officers, with the following exhortation:—

“Gentlemen,

“Receive and guard with fidelity, in every danger, these Colours which I have the honour of presenting to you! May the Almighty protect and prosper you in this sacred duty, and may you live to be distinguished in your country’s service!”

At this moment a light breeze expanded the Colours, emblazoned with the names of the many battles in which the corps had borne a distinguished part, and a simultaneous burst of admiration and applause issued forth from the numerous spectators.

The Ensigns then moved to their places in the line of Officers; as they advanced, the regiment presented arms, the band playing “God save the King.”

The Major-General then stepped forward and addressed the regiment in the following terms:—

“Colonel O’Malley, Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Privates of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment, I have witnessed the presentation of your Colours with peculiar interest and satisfaction.

“To a regiment whose bravery in the field has ever been conspicuous, few words can be necessary on this occasion; but as your Colours are a sacred pledge which binds you to your duty and your country, I cannot pass over in silence a ceremony which calls forth every warm and honourable feeling that ought to animate a soldier’s breast.

“This day, the anniversary of the battle of Orthes, reminds us of a period when the valour and discipline of the British arms rendered it everywhere triumphant, under that great commander who led it from victory to victory.

“In those active and arduous campaigns, the EIGHTY-EIGHTH regiment, from first to last, bore a most distinguished part, under the command of that gallant officer who is now your Colonel[8].

“The records of its meritorious services in those hard fought battles, emblazoned on these colours which are now confided to your trust, will be to you a proud memorial of the past, and a stimulus for days to come.

“There are other corps, too, in this command, who equally shared in those glorious successes, and in reverting to their own gallant conduct, they will attest, and they can well appreciate the ardour and gallantry of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH.

“Nor can I pass over a fact not less honourable to the corps than even brilliant achievements in the field, I allude to the campaign in Canada, where the inducement to desertion was great, but where your men, without one single exception, spurned every attempt to seduce them from their colours and their duty; a memorable instance of their love of country, and of their fidelity to the service, which rendered them worthy of their native land, and an honour to the British army.

“Colonel, Officers, and Soldiers,

“The good spirit and discipline which pervade your ranks are the best presages of your future conduct, wherever you may be called.

“In your hands, Sir, warmly supported as you are by the officers around you, with your vigilance, your perseverance, and your zeal for the welfare of the regiment, I feel persuaded that its reputation and high name will ever be nobly maintained.

“With respect to you, Soldiers, there never was a period when the country had stronger claims on your attachment; when the regulations of the service so carefully provide for your maintenance, your comfort, and your protection, while serving; your support and honourable retirement, when age and infirmity render you incapable of active duty; and I may say, with confidence, there never was a time when the British soldiers were more sensible of the advantages they enjoy—more firm in their allegiance—more faithfully devoted to their King and country.

“And whenever your services shall again be required to encounter the enemies of our country in the field, need I say to the CONNAUGHT RANGERS, by these Colours you must stand or fall—with these Colours you must conquer or perish?”

The Commanding Officer, Colonel O’Malley, replied to the Major-General as follows:—

“It becomes my duty for the Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Soldiers of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH, to return thanks to you, Lady Woodford, and to you, Sir Alexander, for the honour done to us this day; in performing which duty, I feel, with much regret, how very incapable I am to do justice to the occasion, or to the grateful feelings towards you, which animate me and every individual of the regiment.

“RANGERS! the Colours you have just received have been in my possession above two years, in which I have watched over them with a constant and anxious desire to witness their delivery to you. Unavoidable circumstances have hitherto prevented this, more especially, which we all have viewed with deep sympathy and regret, the long and severe indisposition of Lady Woodford. We have now, however, thanks to the Almighty, the great satisfaction to see her Ladyship on this parade in renewed health and strength; under any circumstances you would receive with pleasure and honour throughout your lives, those Colours, borne as they are on the old and wounded poles which accompanied the regiment through many successful and triumphant battles, and with the only remaining fragments of the old Colours attached to them; but tenfold will be your satisfaction in having received them through the hands of Lady Woodford, a circumstance in itself which could not fail to insure them your respect and devotion; of this I was fully aware, when in your name I solicited her Ladyship to present those Colours.

“In reference to them, identified as they are with the history and gallant achievements of the regiment, I might, and would say much, and that without a fear of the charge being made against me, of sounding my own praises, (for, unhappily, I had no share in the deeds of glory to which I allude); but my feelings, excited by the very impressive address that the Major-General has had the goodness to make to us, and by the interesting presentation of the Colours by Lady Woodford, altogether unfit me for the task.

“To gain the good opinion and the confidence of those General Officers under whose orders we may serve, should at all times be our study; to succeed must in any case be gratifying; but in the instance of so very distinguished an officer as Sir Alexander Woodford, who so thoroughly knows what a British soldier is and ought to be; and after a period of seven years, in which we have served under his orders, in the course of which he has acquired an intimate knowledge of us as a regiment, it is flattering and grateful in the extreme to me, as it is to you, Officers and Soldiers, to have heard the Major-General speak as he has done of the good spirit and discipline which pervade our ranks.

“We owe it to ourselves never to be unmindful of this address, and I pray you to recollect what I have frequently impressed on you, that not only by bravery in war can the honour of your Colours be upheld, but also by a steady perseverance in good and regular conduct, and let us ever bear in mind, that valour without discipline is of no avail.”

The square was then reduced, and the regiment being in line, fired a _feu de joie_, the drums beating a point of war between each fire, and at the close the band played “God save the King;” after which the regiment gave three hearty cheers in honour of the occasion. The regiment then broke into column and marched past, the Officers saluting, and the line being re-formed, opened its ranks, advanced, and again presented arms.

At two o’clock, the whole of the Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, with their families, were provided with an excellent dinner on the parade in the citadel.

The Service Companies embarked from Corfu on board the Barosa troop ship, under command of Major Eden, on 29th July, 1836, and landed at Portsmouth the 23rd of September, where they joined the Depôt Companies after a separation of nearly eleven years, those companies having arrived only _two_ days previously from Ireland.

The Depôt Companies after being moved from Ireland to Languard Fort and Harwich in 1830, continued to occupy those quarters until July, 1832, when they moved to Chatham, leaving a detachment of one company at Harwich, under command of Captain Orr; on the 1st January, 1833, Major O’Hara joined and assumed the command of the depôt, Major Eden having proceeded to join the Service Companies, and in this year the depôt moved to Sheerness, where Captain Orr’s detachment joined in June from Harwich, on quitting which place Captain Orr received a letter expressive of the admiration of the Mayor, Justices, and Inhabitants, of the good conduct of the detachment, of which letter and of Captain Orr’s reply, the following are copies, viz.:—

_“Harwich, 12th June, 1833._

“Sir,—By the desire of the Mayor and Justices of this Borough, and on behalf of the inhabitants at large, I have to communicate to you the expression of their admiration of the conduct of the detachment of the EIGHTY-EIGHTH Regiment under your command, during their long services on this station, as having been of the most exemplary and praiseworthy description. I beg to assure you how much gratified I am by the honour of this instrumentality.

“Believe me, Sir, very respectfully, yours, (Signed) “B. CHAPMAN, T. C.”

“A correct copy of the testimonial of good conduct of a detachment of EIGHTY-EIGHTH Regiment, under the command of Captain Orr.

(Signed) “GEORGE GRAHAM, Mayor.

“_To Captain Orr, Commanding 88th Foot._”

“_Harwich, 12th June, 1833._