Napoleon Bonaparte, whom the French had elevated to the dignity of Emperor, having made preparations for the invasion of England, his menace was met by a meritorious display of loyalty and patriotism by the British people, who armed to repel the threatened invasion. Among the precautionary measures adopted at this period, an "Additional Force Act" received the Royal Assent in July, 1804. The men raised for limited service, under the provisions of this Act, in the counties of Ayr and Renfrew, were added to the ROYAL NORTH BRITISH FUSILIERS, and were formed into a second battalion, which was embodied at Ayr, and placed on the establishment of the army on the 25th of December, 1804.
1805
On the 30th of April, 1805, the first battalion embarked from Monkstown for England; it landed at Portsmouth, and was subsequently encamped at Weymouth, where several corps were assembled, and were repeatedly reviewed by the King, and other members of the Royal Family, who expressed their high approbation of the ROYAL NORTH BRITISH FUSILIERS on every occasion on which the corps appeared before them. In the autumn the battalion marched to Lewes.
1806
From Lewes the first battalion marched to London, in January, 1806, to attend the funeral of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, who was killed at the battle of Trafalgar, where the British navy gained a decisive victory over the combined fleets of France and Spain. The remains of this highly distinguished naval commander were honored with a public funeral, which was conducted with great state. The interment took place on the 9th of January, in St. Paul's Cathedral: the ROYAL NORTH BRITISH FUSILIERS afterwards marched to Colchester.
At this period the French arms were triumphant in Germany; and the Court of Naples having displeased the Emperor Napoleon, the Neapolitan territory was seized by the armies of France, and Joseph Bonaparte was proclaimed King of Naples. The British preserved the island of Sicily in the interest of the dethroned family: and in April the first battalion of the TWENTY-FIRST embarked from Tilbury for Sicily, and landed at Messina on the 26th of July.
On the 15th of August the second battalion embarked from Portpatrick for Ireland, where it was stationed during the following five years.
1807
The Court of the Grand Seignior having become involved in hostilities with Great Britain, the first battalion embarked from Sicily on the 17th of May, 1807, and joined the expedition to Egypt under Major-General Alexander Mackenzie Fraser. The battalion landed at Alexandria, and marched to the camp at Aboukir. Peace having been concluded with the Turks, the battalion returned to Sicily, where it arrived in October.