The 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment
The 62nd Regiment of Foot was derived from the 2nd/4th Regiment of Foot. The 2nd Battalion was raised in 1756, but two years later became an independent regiment as the 62nd Regiment of Foot.
In 1782, the 62nd was granted its territorial affiliation with Wiltshire to become The 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment.
On 1 July 1881, The 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment merged with the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment to form The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment).
In 1959, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) joined The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Regiment to form The Duke of Edinburgh Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire).
The 1st/62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment
1854 62nd (Wiltshire)
28 Feb 1854 The 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment arrived from Ireland. Steam navigation had cut its journey from Cork to 16 days. The 1st division disembarked from the transport Sir George Pollock and marched to Lower St Elmo Barracks.
18 Apr The 62nd was kept as a reserve at Floriana Barracks until needed in the East.
20 May The Steamer Karnak left Cork on 20 May with 60 private soldiers, 3 women and 10 children of 3rd Regiment of Foot, 5 private soldiers, 7 women and 15 children of 9th Regiment of Foot, 102 private soldiers, 6 women and 9 children of 62nd Regiment of Foot, and 47 private soldiers, 2 women and 0 children of 68th Regiment of Foot. The ship was under the medical charge of Assistant Surgeon Andrew risk 23rd Regiment. It arrived at Malta on 31 May 1854. There had been no casualties or sick during the voyage other than a single case of measles.
10 Oct In the garrison reshuffle of 10 Oct 1854, the 62nd moved from Floriana Barracks to the Auberge de Castille and Fort Manoel.
3 Nov The 62nd, (21 officers and 560 men), left Malta for the Crimea, where it arrived on 14 November. HQ Coy proceeded in the Miranda and the rest followed in the Jura on 6 November.
The men were attacked with cholera soon after disembarking. Fourteen died of cholera and 2 from diarrhoea before the end of the month; 18 died in December 1854. The surgeon attributed cholera the result of fatigue, exposure, inclement weather and change of diet from fresh meat and vegetables to salt meat, rum and biscuits.
19 Dec 116 men, 234 women and 303 children of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment left for England on the Himalaya with the wounded and convalescents from the Crimea.
Baptisms in 1854:
- 5 July Francis John Gamble born on 13 June 1854, son of Elizabeth and Sgt Maj James Gamble.
- 9 Aug John Henry born on 24 June 1854, son of Catherine and Pte William Henry.
- 4 Oct John Fowler born on 15 May 1854, son of Rosanna and Sgt James Fowler.
Burials in 1854:
- 21 Mar Mary Ann Fry aged 8 months, daughter of Pte William Fry.
- 26 Mar Emma Clonnie aged 8 months, daughter of Drum Major William Clonnie.
- 13 May Pte John Thorn aged 19 years 11 months.
- 21 June James Hann aged 5 months, son of Pte James Hann.
- 30 June Mary Keepence aged 29 years, wife of Pte George Keepence.
- 26 July Hannah Smith aged 34 years, wife of Sgt Thomas Smith.
- 31 July Pte John Wyatt aged 36 years.
- 1 Aug Pte William Lee aged 28 years.
- 7 Aug Pte William Morris aged 25 years.
- 9 Aug Pte William Goodfellow aged 31 years 6 months.
- 11 Aug Pte Elijah Hemmings aged 22 years.
- 1 Sep Cpl George Lawrence aged 25 years.
- 12 Sep Eliza Knapton daughter of Pte George Knapton.
- 14 Sep Pte John Moore aged 19 years.
- 18 Sep Susanna Clunie aged 27 years 6 months, wife of Drm Maj W Clunie.
- 3 Oct Catherine Kenny aged 26 years 6 months, wife of Pte William Kenny.
- 4 Oct John Kenny aged 3 months, son of Pte William Kenny.
- 20 Oct Clement Sadlier aged 3 months, son of Pte Clement Sadlier.
- 7 Nov Charles James Jones aged 6 years, son of Sgt Thomas Jones.
- 7 Nov Maria Clarke aged 1 year 2 months, daughter of Pte George Clarke.
- 13 Nov Thomas Jones aged 11 years 6 months, son of CSgt Thomas Jones.
1855 62nd (Wiltshire)
The Wiltshire Regiment fought at Sebastopol in the Crimean War (1854–56).
Burials in 1855:
- 16 Dec 1855 Pte James King 62nd Regiment.
Baptisms in 1855:
- 10 Jan Henrietta Frances Ingall born 6 Dec 1854, daughter of Frances Mary and Capt William Lenox Ingall 62nd Regiment.
1856 62nd (Wiltshire)
11 May 1856 The 62nd (Wiltshire) embarked on the Himalaya and proceeded to Halifax Nova Scotia with the 2nd/63rd Foot.
Burials in 1856:
- 25 Feb Pte William Gullick 62nd Regiment.
The 1st/The Duke of Edinburgh Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
1962 1st/The Duke of Edinburgh's (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
3 Dec 1962 The 1st/The Duke of Edinburgh's Regiment embarked at Southampton in HMT Oxfordshire. It was the last infantry regiment to deploy from England in a troopship. The battalion moved into St Patrick's Barracks, Pembroke.
1963 1st/The Duke of Edinburgh's (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
Aug–Sep 1963 The battalion took part in Exercise Drum Beat in Libya.
1964 1st/The Duke of Edinburgh's (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
9 Feb 1964 The battalion moved to Cyprus. It took up positions at Nicosia Airport and manned the Green Line between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Apr 1964 The battalion returned to Malta. It was the Guard of Honour on the granting of independence to Malta on 21 September 1964.
1965 1st/The Duke of Edinburgh's (Berkshire and Wiltshire)
Dec 1965 The 1st/The Duke of Edinburgh's Regiment returned to England. It moved to Minden in Germany where it formed part of 11th Infantry Brigade.
The 5th/Wiltshire Regiment
The 5th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment came ashore at Cape Helles, Gallipoli on 17 July 1915.
Burials in Pietà Military Cemetery in 1915:
- 28 Sep Pte John Johnson aged 38 yrs.
Bibliography
- Farmer J. S., 1984. The regimental records of the British Army Reprint Edition, Trowbridge, Wiltshire: Crecy Books.
- TNA:WO 156/113. Register of burials September 1853 to June 1862.
- The Malta Times, dated 7 November 1854.