Motto.—"Spectamur Agendo."
Battle Honours.—Arcot, Condore, Wandiwash, Scholingur, Nundy Droog, Amboyna, Ternate, Banda, Pondicherry, Mahidpoor, Guzerat, Seringapatam, Kirkee, Beni Boo Ally, Aden, Punjaub, Mooltan, Goojerat, Ava, Pegu, Lucknow, S. Africa 1899-1902, Relief of Ladysmith.
Uniform.—Scarlet with blue facings.
FUENTES D'ONORO AND ALBUERA
"A battle's never lost until it's won."—Old British proverb.
"Nothing could stop that astonishing infantry."
Napier.
As at Balaclava and Inkerman, a great number of our Expeditionary regiments now contending side by side at the front were present at the victorious battle of Fuentes d'Onoro, and a new significance attaches to that name from the fact that these regiments were mainly responsible for the victory on that occasion. The battle is also very noteworthy in the annals of British pluck and endurance for the number of times the little village was taken and retaken in the course of the day.
In September, 1810, Wellington, having beaten Regnier and Ney at Busaco, withdrew to his colossal defences at Torres Vedras. In the following spring he again assumed the offensive, and marched his army to Fuentes d'Onoro, where the battle of glorious incident was fought. A Highlander who was in the fight has described it in the following picturesque narrative, which as his description is taken from notes written in camp, contains no indication as to his regiment, and prudently refrains from mentioning the names of most of the other regiments, we may preface it with a list of the principal regiments engaged. They were as follow:
1st (Royal) Dragoons; 14th (King's) Hussars; 16th (Queen's) Lancers; the Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards; King's Royal Rifle Corps; the Rifle Brigade; 1st and 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry; 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders; 1st Battalion Royal Highlanders (Black Watch); 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers; 1st Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders; Norfolk Regiment; 1st Battalion Yorkshire Light Infantry; 1st Battalion Royal Irish Rifles; 1st Battalion Connaught Rangers; 16th Lancers; and others.