In August of the same year, the Fifth was engaged in a second expedition to the coast of France, when Cherbourg was captured, and the harbour, forts, magazines, and ordnance, consisting of 173 pieces of iron cannon and 3 mortars, were destroyed: at the same time 22 pieces of fine brass cannon, and two brass mortars, were brought off as trophies, and sent to England; and these guns, having been seen by King George II. in Hyde Park on the 16th of September, were conducted in procession through the city to the Tower of London.
The Fifth was also engaged in the descent made on the coast of Brittany on the 4th of September, when the batteries in the bay of St. Lunaire were destroyed, and the troops, marching into the interior, crossed the Drouette and Equernon, and advanced to Matignon, while the fleet proceeded to the Bay of St. Cas; thus alarming the country with the view of producing the return of the French army from Germany. While the Fifth was in France, some sharp skirmishing occurred, and when the troops re-embarked at St. Cas, the enemy attacked the rear-guard and occasioned considerable loss. The loss of the Fifth in these three descents was ninety-five men. Towards the end of September the regiment landed at Cowes, and, having encamped a short period near Newport, went into quarters.
1759
The decease of Lord George Bentinck having occurred in 1759, Studholme Hodgson was appointed to the Colonelcy of the Fifth, from the 50th regiment.
1760
In the mean time the war was continued in Hanover and the neighbouring States, and the Fifth, having been ordered to proceed to Germany, embarked at Gravesend on the 12th of May, 1760, and arrived in the Weser on the 22nd of that month. After landing near Bremen, the regiment marched up the country, and joined the allied army commanded by Ferdinand Duke of Brunswick, at Fritzlar in Hesse-Cassel, on the 17th of June; when the grenadier company was detached to form, with the grenadier companies of the other regiments, two Battalions, which, being united in Brigade with the Scots Highlanders, usually formed the advance-guard of the army.
The regiment, after being employed in several manœuvres, formed part of the corps commanded by the hereditary Prince of Brunswick, which marched on the 10th of July to take post on the heights of Corbach; but found the ground occupied by the enemy in force; when a sharp skirmish occurred in which the Fifth lost five men.[23]
Towards the end of July the regiment was encamped at Kalle. At 11 o'clock on the night of the 30th of that month it marched with the main army for Liebenau, and, having crossed the Dymel, advanced at five on the following morning to attack the enemy in his position on the heights of Warbourg.
The German corps and British grenadiers in advance having commenced the action, the French retired before the English infantry arrived. "No troops could show more eagerness than they showed. Many of the men, from the heat of the weather, and overstraining themselves to get on through morasses and difficult ground, suddenly dropped down on their march.[24]" The grenadier company of the Fifth, being in the column which commenced the attack, highly distinguished itself[25], and had four men killed, and Captain Ross, Lieutenant Baker, and twenty-six men, wounded.
The regiment remained for some time encamped near Warbourg; and the grenadier company, being encamped on the heights of Wilda, was engaged, on the night of the 5th of September, in surprising a French force in the town of Zierenberg, which service was performed with distinguished gallantry and success. The grenadiers were afterwards detached to the Lower Rhine, and were engaged in the attempt to surprise the enemy's camp at Rheinberg on the morning of the 16th of October, when a sharp action was fought at the Convent of Campen, in which the company of the Fifth lost several men. In December the regiment left the camp at Warbourg, and went into cantonments in the villages on the bank of the Weser.