King's Own (Lancaster).
Northumberland Fusiliers.
East Yorkshire.
Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Gloucester.
Cornwall Light Infantry.
Border Regiment.
Royal Sussex.
South Lancashire.
Royal Berkshire.

—for their services at the capture of the island from the French, and for its gallant defence a few days later against a vastly superior force.

On the outbreak of war between France and England in 1778 the French at once assumed the offensive in the West Indies by the capture of Dominica on September 8, that island, with a garrison of barely 500 men, being compelled to surrender to the Marquis de Bouillé, who landed some 8,000 troops, drawn from the large forces massed in Martinique and Guadeloupe, which, in pursuance of our time-honoured custom, had been restored to France at the end of the previous war in 1763. In the month of November a combined naval and military expedition under Admiral Barrington and Major-General James Grant left Barbados for the reduction of St. Lucia. It numbered some 6,000 men, composed as under:

First Brigade—Brigadier Robert Prescott: 15th (East Yorkshire), 28th (Gloucester), 46th (Cornwall Light Infantry), and 54th (Border Regiment).

Second Brigade—Brigadier Sir H. Calder: 27th (Inniskilling Fusiliers), 35th (Sussex), 40th (South Lancashire), and 49th (Royal Berkshire).

Third Brigade—Brigadier W. Meadows: 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers), Grenadier Battalion and Light Infantry Battalion, made up of the flank companies of all regiments present.

In addition, there were two companies of Royal Artillery and a troop of Dragoons. Knowing that Admiral d'Estaing, with a fleet outnumbering his own three to one, had already left Boston to oppose him, Admiral Barrington set sail from Barbados on December 10, and the following day entered in Cul de Sac Bay, on the western coast of the island. Two brigades were at once disembarked, and they, carrying the French entrenchments, made themselves masters of a strong position overlooking the main works of the enemy at Castries. On December 12 the remainder of the troops were landed, and an attack on the French entrenchments at the Morne Fortunée was successfully carried out, and by evening we were in possession of all the forts and batteries defending Castries Bay. Two days later the French fleet, carrying 9,000 troops, appeared in the offing, and d'Estaing at once attacked Barrington's squadron, which was anchored across Cul de Sac Bay. Foiled there, he stood to the northward, with the intention of turning General Grant's position at Castries, and, under cover of the guns of the fleet, several thousand French were landed. Here, however, they met with stout opposition. Meadows, at the head of the Northumberland Fusiliers and the Light Infantry Battalion, repulsing several most determined attacks, in which the French lost 400 dead left on the field, with some 1,200 wounded, our casualties in killed and wounded barely reaching 175. D'Estaing re-embarked his men on the 28th, and withdrew his fleet to Martinique, whereupon the French commandant had no option but to surrender.

Casualties at the Capture of the Island of St. Lucia in 1778.

Regiments.Officers.Men.
K.W.K.W.
Royal Artillery--12
4th King's Own----
5th North. Fus.-2220
15th E. Yorks-1-1
27th Innis. Fus.----
28th Gloucester1112
L.I. Battalion--648
35th R. Sussex-1-1
40th S. Lancs-111
46th Corn. L.I.-139
49th Berks----
55th Border Regiment-1-2
Grenadier Batt.--376

Note.—I am indebted to the courtesy of the Army Council for the above casualty list.