& the Australian Exploring Expedition of 1860
London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Andrew Jackson served in the 3rd Buffs, the same regiment as Burke's oldest brother, James Hardiman Burke.
The Regiment was originally formed in 1572 and was one of the oldest infantry regiments in the British Army. The nickname of The Buffs arose because the regiment was issued soft leather armour coats, 'buff coats' when it served abroad in Holland as The Maritime Regiment of Foot. It was later given buff-colored facings and waistcoats to distingush itself from those of other regiments who had their leather equipment dyed the traditional white.
The nickname became official in 1744 when The 3rd Regiment of Foot was on campaign in the Low Countries under the command of Lieutenant-General Thomas Howard. At the same time, The 19th Regiment of Foot were commanded by a colonel named The Honourable Sir Charles Howard. Because regiments were then named after their colonels, (which would have made them both 'Howard's Regiment of Foot'), the regiments took the colours of their facings as part of their names - the 19th Foot became the Green Howards, while the 3rd Foot became Howard's Buffs, eventually being shortened to simply The Buffs.
In 1782 the regiment became The 3rd (East Kent) Regiment of Foot and in 1935 became The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment). In 1961 it was amalgamated with The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment to form The Queen's Own Buffs, (The Royal Kent Regiment) and in 1966 it was amalgamated with the three other regiments in the 'Home Counties Brigade' to become The Queens Regiment. This regiment amalgamated with The Royal Hampshire Regiment in 1992 to become The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires), a senior infantry regiment of the 'Queens Division'.
(Note: Burke's other brother, James Thomas Burke, served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers
and on 7 July 1854, at the Battle of Giurgevo, became the first British officer killed in the Crimean War)
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This book was originally digitised by Gogle Books.