A Short History of the 16th Regiment
In 1688, James II ordered the organization of 12 new Regiments to help in fighting William of Orange. The last of these was raised was by Col Archibald Douglas. His Regiment mustered out in Reading, with Col Douglas as the first Regimental Colonel. In 1689, the regiment was the first to fire a shot in conflict in Europe. The regiment did not have a number until 1751, just referred to as the regiment of its current Colonel-Commanding. In 1751, this Regiment was numbered as the 16th Regiment of Foot, with many of the recruits coming from the county of Buckinghamshire. The Regimental Colonel was Lt-Gen Handasyde.
In 1767, the Regiment was sent to do service in the American Colonies, landing first in New York. In the standing orders of 1775, the 16th was listed as having 477 men in 10 companies. By 1778, the Regiment was in Baton Rouge, and 1781 in Pensacola. The Light Company was attached to Cornwallis’ 2nd Battalion of Light Infantry and the Grenadier Company was in Savannah, Georgia on garrison duty. In 1781, after a rude explosion in the Pensacola Garrison, caused by the attacking Spaniards, the Regiment returned to London for a refit. The Light Company saw action at several places, including Charleston, Camden, and finally at Cowpens. The Grenadier Company was part of the relief of the Spring Hill Redoubt, fending off the attack by American and French troops.
In 1782, the 16th Regiment underwent another name change, to the 16th (Buckinghamshire) Regiment. In 1809, the 16th changed county designations with the 14th, becoming the Berkfordshires. The Regiment fought around the globe throughout history, including the Boer War, World War 1 and 2, and the Korean Conflict. The regiment merged a few more times before it was officially disbanded in 1992.
In our time period, the Honours worn on the Colours included:
Blenheim 1704
Ramilies 1706
Oudenarde 1708
Malplaquet 1709
Organization of the British Army in the American Revolution, Curtis
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