Historical Record of the Thirty-ninth, or the Dorsetshire Regiment of Foot: containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1702, and of its subsequent services to 1853.

by Richard Cannon

The above-named officer was appointed Ensign in the One hundred and twenty-eighth regiment (since disbanded), on the 29th of November 1794; and on the 6th of December following, was promoted Lieutenant in the Thirtieth light dragoons, in which regiment he rose to the rank of Captain on the 31st of January 1795, and was removed to the Twenty-second light dragoons on the 19th of April 1796: these corps were afterwards disbanded. On the 17th of February 1803, he was promoted to the rank of Major in the Fortieth regiment, and to that of Lieut.-Colonel in the Thirty-ninth on the 16th of July 1803. Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan embarked, in March 1805, in command of the first battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment, which was selected to form part of the expedition destined for the Mediterranean under Lieut.-General Sir James Craig, and subsequently proceeded from Malta to Naples with the flank companies. When those companies returned to Malta in February 1806, Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan remained in Sicily, and at the battle of Maida, on the 4th of July following, commanded a grenadier battalion; he received a gold medal for this victory.

On the 20th of August 1811, Lieut.-Colonel O’Callaghan proceeded with the first battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment from Sicily to join the army in the Peninsula, and on the 1st of January 1812, was advanced to the brevet rank of Colonel. At the battle of Vittoria, on the 21st of June 1813, he was placed in temporary command of the brigade, and his conduct was specially noticed in the Marquis of Wellington’s despatch. Colonel O’Callaghan also commanded the brigade during the actions in the Pyrenees in July following, and was present at the passage of the Nivelle and Nive. His conduct while in command of the first battalion of the Thirty-ninth at Garris, on the 15th of February 1814, was particularly adverted to by the Marquis of Wellington, in his Lordship’s despatch. Colonel O’Callaghan also shared in the victory gained at Orthes on the 27th of the same month. He received a cross and two clasps for Maida, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, and Orthes. Colonel O’Callaghan was promoted to the rank of Major-General on the 4th of June 1814, and was nominated a Knight Commander of the Bath on the 2nd of January 1815.

Major-General the Honorable Sir Robert William O’Callaghan, K.C.B., was placed upon the staff of the army in Flanders on the 25th of June 1815, and was appointed to the staff in France on the 22nd of April 1818. He was nominated to the command of the troops in North Britain on the 15th of June 1825; and on the 7th of September 1829 he received the colonelcy of the Ninety-seventh regiment. He was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General on the 22nd of July 1830, which removed him from the command of the troops in North Britain.

Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Robert William O’Callaghan was appointed to the command of the army at Madras on the 4th of October 1830; and on the 4th of March 1833, was removed from the colonelcy of the Ninety-seventh to the Thirty-ninth regiment. He continued in command at Madras until October 1836, and on the departure for England of General the Right Honorable Lord William Bentinck, G.C.B., in the spring of 1835, he held for some months the command of the troops in India. On the 19th of July 1838, he was nominated a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Robert William O’Callaghan, G.C.B., who was brother to Lord Viscount Lismore, died in London on the 9th of June 1840.

Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson, G.C.B.

Appointed 15th of June 1840.

In February 1777, this officer was appointed Ensign in the Loyal American regiment, with which he served in North America; on the 11th of September 1778, he was removed to the Seventeenth regiment of infantry; and on the 1st of September 1779, Ensign Robinson was promoted Lieutenant in the fourth battalion of the Sixtieth regiment, and was removed to the Thirty-eighth regiment on the 4th of November 1780. He was a prisoner of war in America several months during the period of his belonging to the Sixtieth, and afterwards was in several engagements in that country. Lieutenant Robinson was promoted to the rank of Captain in the Thirty-eighth regiment on the 24th of March 1794, and served at the capture of the West India Islands, under General Sir Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey, in that year, including the siege of Fort Bourbon in the island of Martinique. On the 1st of September 1794, Captain Robinson was promoted to a Majority in the One hundred and twenty-seventh regiment (since disbanded), and was removed to the Thirty-second regiment on the 1st of September 1795, when he returned home from the West Indies. He was removed to the One hundred and thirty-fourth regiment (since disbanded) on the 29th of July 1796. In May of this year he had been appointed Inspecting Field Officer of the Recruiting service at Bedford, and some years after filled the same situation in the London district. While thus employed he suggested several improvements in regard to carrying on the Recruiting service. On the 1st of January 1800, he received the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and was placed on half-pay of the Ninety-first regiment on the 30th of April 1807. Lieut.-Colonel Robinson was promoted to the brevet rank of Colonel on the 25th of July 1810. He served as Brigadier-General on the staff in the Peninsula, from the 8th of August 1812 to the 3rd of June 1813. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General on the 4th of June 1813, and continued, from that date, on the staff in Spain in that capacity until the 24th of May 1814. He commanded a brigade at the battle of Vittoria on the 21st of June 1813, siege of Sebastian in August and September following, where he was wounded, and at the actions connected with the passage of the Nive, for which he received a medal and two clasps. After the termination of the war in the Peninsula, he proceeded to North America, and was employed on the staff in Canada from the 25th of May 1814 to the 24th of March 1816, when he was removed to the staff in the West Indies. On the 2nd of January 1815, Major-General Robinson was nominated a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. Major-General Sir Frederick Robinson continued in command of the troops in the Windward and Leeward Islands until the 24th of July 1821. He was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General on the 27th of May 1825; was appointed Colonel of the Fifty-ninth regiment on the 1st of December 1827; and was nominated a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on the 20th of April 1838.

Lieut.-General Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson, G.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the Fifty-ninth to that of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 15th of June 1840, and was promoted to the rank of General on the 23rd of November 1841. His decease occurred at Brighton, on the 1st of January 1852.

George Burrell, C.B.

Appointed 11th February 1852.