236-732: The Royal Sherwood Foresters , originally the Nottinghamshire Militia , was an auxiliary regiment of the British Army from the English Midland county of Nottinghamshire . From its formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 until its final service in the Special Reserve , the Militia regiment of the county carried out internal security and home defence duties in all of Britain's major wars. It became
472-709: A ruse however managed to repel the Spanish and forced Parma's retreat with heavy losses which boosted both Dutch and English morale. The following year Bertie, under orders from Elizabeth I, left for France with a force to help the Protestants in their fight against the Catholic League . Sir Francis Vere assumed command of English forces thereafter – a position he retained during fifteen campaigns, with almost unbroken success. In 1590 an Anglo-Dutch force under Maurice and Vere respectively launched
708-779: A 21-year engagement, following which (should he survive so long) he was discharged as a Pensioner. Pensioners were sometimes still employed on garrison duties, as were younger soldiers no longer deemed fit for expeditionary service who were generally organised in invalid units or returned to the regimental depot for home service. The cost of paying pensioners, and the obligation the government was under to continue to employ invalids as well as soldiers deemed by their commanding officers as detriments to their units were motivations to change this system. The long period of engagement also discouraged many potential recruits. The long service enlistments were consequently replaced with short service enlistments, with undesirable soldiers not permitted to re-engage on
944-463: A 600-strong 2nd Battalion, the greater part comprising former Nottinghamshire militiamen. The Nottinghamshire Militia wintered at Lewes from September 1808 to February 1809 and then spent the spring at Rye, Winchelsea and Pleydon before returning to Lewes and then Bletchingdon. At the end of the year it moved to Salisbury , then in May 1810 to Frankfort Barracks, Plymouth , where the duties included guarding
1180-577: A Catholic) during his brief controversial reign, off the throne and into exile. England then involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance on the Continent, primarily to prevent a possible French Catholic monarch organizing invasion restoring the exiled James II (Queen Mary's father and still a Roman Catholic ). Later in 1689, William III to solidify his and Mary's hold on the monarchy, expanded
1416-501: A Great Muster of all the counties, recording the number of armed men available in each hundred or wapentake . Nottinghamshire reported 284 men, of whom 21 bowmen and 10 billmen equipped with horses and 'harness' (armour) were ready to serve the king at all times. In addition the 'North Clyde' part of Bassetlaw Wapentake had 107 harness, 270 bowmen and 480 billmen, Broxtowe Wapentake had 154 harness, 300 billmen and 200 bowmen, and Rushcliffe Wapentake had 342 men. The legal basis of
1652-670: A battalion of the Sherwood Foresters regiment in 1881 and fought in the Second Boer War , where the whole battalion was captured at the Rhenoster River bridge. It then trained thousands of reservists and recruits during World War I . It maintained a shadowy existence until final disbandment in 1953. The English militia was descended from the Anglo-Saxon Fyrd , the military force raised from
1888-732: A campaign with the aim of taking Breda . In a remarkable feat, a small assault force hid in a peat barge before a successful surprise assault that captured the city. With Spanish forces in France supporting the Catholic League as well as in the Low Countries, Maurice was able to take advantage, and thus started a gradual reconquest of the Netherlands, which became known by the Dutch as the " Ten Glorious Years ". Soon after Breda
2124-620: A court of enquiry. He was finally removed on 23 October 1791 after he had celebrated the Storming of the Bastille , the method used being a misapplication of a requirement in the Militia Act that a proportion of officers should retire every five years. The militia had already been called out before Revolutionary France declared war on Britain on 1 February 1793. The Nottinghamshire Militia assembled for permanent duty on 28 January. About
2360-707: A deployment in Afghanistan as part of Operation Toral . Following an announcement by the US Government of the end of their operations in the Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced in April 2021 that British forces would withdraw from the country by 11 September 2021. It was later reported that all UK troops would be out by early July. Following the collapse of the Afghan Army, and the completion of
2596-594: A detachment at Tynemouth . In April a serious riot broke out amongst the English and Irish coalminers at Shotley Bridge in County Durham , and Lt-Col Mellish led a strong detachment of the Royal Sherwood Foresters to aid the civil power. They found that the contending bodies rioters had armed themselves with firearms and even small cannon, but the appearance of the militia immediately quelled
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#17327729119852832-480: A first group of 'inland' counties (including Nottinghamshire) whose TBs were organised from May 1585 onwards. In April 1588, as the threat from the Spanish Armada grew, Nottinghamshire reported 2800 able-bodied men available, and during the crisis that summer actually furnished 1,000 footmen, of whom 400 were trained, together with 100 pioneers , 20 lancers , 60 light horse and 20 ' petronels ' (the petronel
3068-457: A former naval officer, as Major . The men were organised into eight companies, including a Grenadier Company and a Light Company. The order to provide weapons to the regiment from the Tower of London was issued on 14 November 1775 and they arrived to be stored at Nottingham Castle about a month before the regiment was assembled for its first 28 days' training at Nottingham on 20 March 1776. Training
3304-609: A gratuity. However, the Peace of Amiens was short-lived and Britain declared war on France once more on 18 May 1803. The Nottinghamshire Militia was immediately embodied and the main body sent to Dover , later to Margate and then Ramsgate , while the rifle companies were stationed on the Isle of Wight . In June 1804 it moved to Canterbury and then in November to Ridding Street Barracks near Tenterden before taking up winter quarters in
3540-748: A large fine instead of raising their regiment. Nottinghamshire remained a defaulter county liable for militia fines throughout the 1760s. An attempt to raise the county regiment in 1765 failed because of a dispute over the town of Nottingham's quota. It was not until 1775, when war with the American colonies broke out, that agreement was reached in the county, and the balloting passed off without trouble. As Lord Lieutenant, Henry Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle , appointed Lord George Manners-Sutton , Member of Parliament (MP) for Grantham , as Colonel, his own son Henry Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln , MP for Nottinghamshire , as Lt-Colonel, and John Cartwright ,
3776-606: A large reserve of recently discharged soldiers, ready to be recalled on the outbreak of war to immediately bring the small peacetime regular army up to strength), the Regular Reserve of the British Army was originally created in 1859 by Secretary of State for War Sidney Herbert , and re-organised under the Reserve Force Act 1867 . Prior to this, a soldier was generally enlisted into the British Army for
4012-526: A month later it received orders to proceed to the Lincolnshire coast, and marched out of Nottingham on 6 March, never again being quartered in the county town. In Lincolnshire it was based at Boston , with outlying detachments at Spalding and elsewhere. The French Revolutionary Wars saw a new phase for the English militia: they were embodied for a whole generation, and became regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service in
4248-578: A multinational armoured battlegroup in Estonia under Operation Cabrit and contributes troops to another military battle group in Poland . As part of the NATO plans, Britain has committed a full mechanized infantry brigade to be on a high state of readiness to defend Estonia. Between 2015 and 2022, the British Army deployed Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) to Ukraine under Operation Orbital to help train
4484-558: A night watch of women to patrol the town in companies of 50 and give alarm of attack. Newark was one of the last Royalist garrisons to surrender after the end of the First Civil War in May 1646. As Parliament tightened its grip on the country after winning the First Civil War it passed new Militia Acts in 1648 and 1650 that replaced lords lieutenant with county commissioners. Militia commissioners for Nottinghamshire and
4720-532: A number of merchant ships were seized. Norris then won a modest victory over a Spanish relief militia force at Puente del Burgo. When the English pressed the attack on the citadel, however, they were repulsed with heavy casualties. In addition, a number of English ships were captured by Spanish naval forces. Two-weeks later, having failed to capture Coruña, the English departed and sailed towards Lisbon , landing on 26 May, but owing to poor organisation (they had very few siege guns), lack of co-ordination and starvation,
4956-575: A planned invasion of Scotland. He listed 407 men from the county out of an assessment of 1,050, the Privy Council 'sparing' the remainder for a 'Second Army' to be held in reserve. Of the 407, 282 were musketeers, and125 ' Corslets ' (signifying pikemen); there were also 50 Cuirassiers and 10 Dragoons . The TBs were mustered in late November and December 1638, and the Midland contingents were used in an abortive amphibious attack on Eastern Scotland
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#17327729119855192-628: A recruitment drive for the regular army encouraged about 300 men from the Nottinghamshire Militia to accept the offered bounty and transfer to various regiments of the line. At the end of the year a company's worth (over 100 men) volunteered for the 35th Foot and four officers received regular commissions in that regiment, while a further 60 men volunteered for other regiments. In March 1800 the regiment marched from Glasgow to Dumfries , and from there moved in August 1801 to Kelso . With
5428-821: A safe distance by aiding the Ottoman Empire ). Like the English Army , the British Army fought the kingdoms of Spain, France (including the First French Empire ) and the Netherlands ( Dutch Republic ) for supremacy in North America and the West Indies . With native and provincial and colonial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the French and Indian War (North American theatre) of
5664-553: A series of support vehicles, including six-, nine- and fifteen-tonne MAN trucks, Oshkosh heavy-equipment transporters (HET), close-support tankers, quad bikes and ambulances. Tactical communication uses the Bowman radio system, and operational or strategic communication is controlled by the Royal Corps of Signals . Anglo-Spanish War (1585%E2%80%931604) Status quo ante bellum The Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)
5900-512: A target strength of 82,000, and just over 30,000 Army Reservists , with a target strength of 30,000. All former Regular Army personnel may also be recalled to duty in exceptional circumstances during the 6-year period following completion of their Regular service, which creates an additional force known as the Regular Reserve . The table below illustrates British Army personnel figures from 1710 to 2024. The British Army's basic weapon
6136-516: A very short space of time. Philip then established a naval base in Brittany which threatened England and allowed for a sophisticated convoy system and improved intelligence network which frustrated English naval attempts on the Spanish treasure fleet during the 1590s. This was best demonstrated by the repulse of the squadron that was led by Effingham in 1591 near the Azores, who had intended to ambush
6372-604: A volunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions were not met. Learning from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution. The British Army fought Irish rebels—Protestant and Catholic—primarily in Ulster and Leinster ( Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen ) in the 1798 rebellion . In addition to battling the armies of other European empires (and its former colonies,
6608-790: A war against the Prussian -led German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire ). When the First World War broke out in August 1914 the British Army sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), consisting mainly of regular army troops, to France and Belgium . The fighting bogged down into static trench warfare for the remainder of the war. In 1915 the army created the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to invade
6844-410: A year. On 29 July, Philip obtained Papal authority to overthrow Elizabeth, who had been excommunicated by Pope Pius V , and place whomever he chose on the throne of England. He assembled a fleet of about 130 ships, containing 8,050 sailors, 18,973 soldiers, and 2,088 rowers. To finance this endeavour, Pope Sixtus V had permitted Philip to collect crusade taxes. Sixtus had promised a further subsidy to
7080-593: Is based on that of the earlier English army. Although technically the Scots Royal Regiment of Foot was raised in 1633 and is the oldest Regiment of the Line, Scottish and Irish regiments were only allowed to take a rank in the English army on the date of their arrival in England (or the date when they were first placed on the English establishment). In 1694, a board of general officers was convened to decide
7316-713: Is provided by L16 81mm mortars . Sniper rifles include the L118A1 7.62 mm, L115A3 and the AW50F , all manufactured by Accuracy International . The British Army utilises the Glock 17 as its side arm. Anti tank guided weapons include the Javelin , the medium range anti-tank guided weapon replacement for Milan , with overfly and direct attack modes of operation, and the NLAW . The Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon ( NLAW )
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7552-514: Is the 5.56 mm L85A2 or L85A3 assault rifle, with some specialist personnel using the L22A2 carbine variant (pilots and some tank crew). The weapon was traditionally equipped with either iron sights or an optical SUSAT , although other optical sights have been subsequently purchased to supplement these. The weapon can be enhanced further utilising the Picatinny rail with attachments such as
7788-591: Is the first, non-expert, short-range, anti-tank missile that rapidly knocks out any main battle tank in just one shot by striking it from above. The army's main battle tank is the Challenger 2 , which is being upgraded to Challenger 3 . It is supported by the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle as the primary infantry fighting vehicle , (which will soon be replaced by the Boxer 8x8 armoured fighting vehicle ) and
8024-670: Is the official list of which bodies of the British Military (not to be confused with naval ) Forces were to be considered Corps of the British Army for the purposes of the Army Act , the Reserve Forces Act, 1882, and the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act, 1907, had not been updated since 1926 (Army Order 49 of 1926), although amendments had been made up to and including Army Order 67 of 1950. A new Corps Warrant
8260-718: Is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom , British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies , a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Naval Service and the Royal Air Force . As of 1 July 2024, the British Army comprises 74,296 regular full-time personnel, 4,244 Gurkhas , 25,934 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,612 "other personnel", for a total of 109,086. The British Army traces back to 1707 and
8496-731: The By May they were back in Hull, in new barracks, and were part of a large brigade in the area. The grenadier and light infantry companies of each regiment in the brigade were grouped into composite battalions, of which Lt-Col Carlton commanded the Light Battalion. The Royal Navy 's victory at the Battle of Camperdown in October 1797 ended the threat to North East England. On 1 May 1798 the regiment marched out of Hull and camped at Dimlington on
8732-729: The Americas , Africa , Asia , India and Australasia . British soldiers captured strategically important sites and territories, with the army involved in wars to secure the empire's borders, internal safety and support friendly governments and princes. Among these actions were the French and Indian War / Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War , the Napoleonic Wars , the First and Second Opium Wars ,
8968-433: The Anglo-Irish War . The increasing demands of imperial expansion and the inadequacy and inefficiency of the underfunded British Army, Militia , Ordnance Military Corps, Yeomanry and Volunteer Force after the Napoleonic Wars led to series of reforms following the failures of the Crimean War . Inspired by the successes of the Prussian Army (which relied on short-term conscription of all eligible young men to maintain
9204-457: The Armed Forces of Ukraine against further Russian aggression. This operation was succeeded by Operation Interflex in July 2022. The British Army has been a volunteer force since national service ended during the 1960s. Since the creation of the part-time, reserve Territorial Force in 1908 (renamed the Army Reserve in 2014), the full-time British Army has been known as the Regular Army. In July 2020 there were just over 78,800 Regulars, with
9440-433: The Battle of the Lippe . Maurice was then forced to cancel further planned offensives as the bulk of his English and Scots troops were withdrawn to take part in the attack on Cadiz. Under their new commander, the Archduke of Austria , the Spanish took advantage of this lull and recaptured Hulst the following year which led to a prolonged stalemate in the campaign and delayed the reconquest. By 1597, Spanish bankruptcy and
9676-411: The Boxer Rebellion , the New Zealand Wars , the Australian frontier wars , the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 , the first and second Boer Wars , the Fenian raids , the Irish War of Independence , interventions in Afghanistan (intended to maintain a buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire ) and the Crimean War (to keep the Russian Empire to the north on the Black Sea at
Royal Sherwood Foresters Militia - Misplaced Pages Continue
9912-418: The British Isles ), which the Regular Army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manned garrisons, guarded prisoners of war, and were used for internal security, while their traditional local defence duties were taken over by the Volunteers and mounted Yeomanry . In the summer of 1794 the Nottinghamshires were sent to join a militia camp at Danbury, Essex . This camp
10148-416: The Bulldog armoured personnel carrier . Light armoured units often utilise the Supacat "Jackal" MWMIK and Coyote tactical support vehicle for reconnaissance and fire support. The army has three main artillery systems: the M270 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), the AS-90 and the L118 light gun . The MLRS, first used in Operation Granby , has an 85-kilometre (53 mi) standard range, or with
10384-476: The Catholic Church , he sought to suppress the rising Protestant movement in his territories, which eventually exploded into open rebellion in 1566. Meanwhile, relations with the regime of Elizabeth I of England continued to deteriorate, following her restoration of royal supremacy over the Church of England through the Act of Supremacy in 1559; this had been first instituted by her father Henry VIII and rescinded by her sister Mary I , Philip's wife. The Act
10620-523: The Cleopatra for Liverpool on 23 May. It proceeded at once to Newark, where it remained until orders for disembodiment arrived. This was completed with a parade on 1 July, which the townspeople of Newark treated as a public holiday. In January 1857 a new regimental store was completed at Newark, and the arms, clothing and accoutrements were moved there from the Corn Exchange. The Royal Sherwood Foresters had not been mustered for their annual training when they were called out again for garrison duty when much of
10856-419: The English Civil War . The king appointed Henry Pierrepont, Viscount Newark , as Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire , and on 13 July 1642 at Newark-on-Trent he made an appeal to the trained bandsmen of the county to take up arms for the king, though few did so. In August Lord Newark and the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire , Sir John Digby of Mansfield Woodhouse Manor , with a Troop of horse, tried to seize
11092-477: The Far East , the British Army rallied against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign and regained the British Far Eastern colonial possessions. After the Second World War the British Army was significantly reduced in size, although National Service continued until 1960. This period saw decolonisation begin with the partition and independence of India and Pakistan, followed by the independence of British colonies in Africa and Asia. The Corps Warrant , which
11328-409: The Foot Guards . With the numbers of men who had transferred to the regulars and the detachments, the regiment was short of men and had to arm the bandsmen, who guarded the Tower gates in their white uniforms. The title of Royal Sherwood Foresters was conferred on the regiment by the Prince Regent on 16 December 1813 as a reward for having done duty at the Tower and Palace. After duty at the Tower,
11564-523: The Grand Banks . The campaign was a huge success, and subsequently led to England's first sustained activity in the Americas. In August, England joined the Eighty Years' War on the side of the Dutch Protestant United Provinces , which had declared their independence from Spain. In that same year, the English established their first New World settlement, the short lived Roanoke Colony established by Ralph Lane . The Queen through Francis Walsingham ordered Sir Francis Drake to lead an expedition to attack
11800-442: The Islamic State (ISIL). The British Army maintains a standing liability to support the civil authorities in certain circumstances, usually in either niche capabilities (e.g. explosive ordnance removal) or in general support of the civil authorities when their capacity is exceeded. In recent years this has been seen as army personnel supporting the civil authorities in the face of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak ,
12036-507: The Jacobite Risings of 1715 and 1745 . However, the Duke of Kingston did raise a unit of volunteer cavalry in Nottinghamshire in 1745, the Duke of Kingston's Regiment of Light Horse or 'Royal Foresters', which saw action against the rebels. Under threat of French invasion during the Seven Years' War a series of Militia Acts from 1757 re-established county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. There
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#173277291198512272-445: The L17A2 under-barrel grenade launcher. In 2023, the Army Special Operations Brigade , which includes the Ranger Regiment , began using the L403A1 , an AR-pattern rifle also used by the Royal Marines . Some soldiers are equipped with the 7.62mm L129A1 sharpshooter rifle , which in 2018 formally replaced the L86A2 Light Support Weapon. Support fire is provided by the L7 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), and indirect fire
12508-417: The Luddites , who had begun their machine-breaking in Nottingham. On 26 August the regiment under the command of Col Gould embarked at Plymouth on board the transports Margaret , Nestor , Wadstay and Fame , which sailed for Dublin , where it was housed at Palatine Square Barracks. Unlike the other militia regiments of the first group, which were scattered across Ireland, the Nottinghamshires were kept in
12744-437: The Netherlands for the War of the Spanish Succession . Although all the regiments were now part of the new British military establishment, they remained under the old operational-command structure and retained much of the institutional ethos, customs and traditions of the standing armies created shortly after the Restoration of the Monarchy 47 years earlier. The order of seniority of the most-senior British Army line regiments
12980-424: The Ottoman Empire via Gallipoli , an unsuccessful attempt to capture Constantinople and secure a sea route to Russia . The First World War was the most devastating in British military history , with nearly 800,000 men killed and over two million wounded. Early in the war, the BEF was virtually destroyed and was replaced first by volunteers and then by a conscript force. Major battles included those at
13216-441: The PrSM , up to 500 km. The AS-90 is a 155 mm self-propelled armoured gun with a 24-kilometre (15 mi) range. The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed gun, which is typically towed by a Pinzgauer all-terrain vehicle. To identify artillery targets, the army operates the TAIPAN artillery detection radar and utilises artillery sound ranging . For air defence it uses the new Sky Sabre system, which in 2021 replaced
13452-418: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement , there was a gradual reduction in the number of soldiers deployed. In 2005, after the PIRA declared a ceasefire, the British Army dismantled posts, withdrew many troops and restored troop levels to those of a peacetime garrison. Operation Banner ended at midnight on 31 July 2007 after about 38 years of continuous deployment,
13688-422: The Rapier . It also deploys the Very Short-Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) Starstreak HVM (high-velocity missile) launched by a single soldier or from a Stormer HVM vehicle-mounted launcher. Where armour is not required or mobility and speed are favoured the British Army utilises protected patrol vehicles, such as the Panther variant of the Iveco LMV , the Foxhound , and variants of the Cougar family (such as
13924-422: The Solent , preventing them from securing any English harbours. The Spanish were forced to withdraw to Calais . While the Spanish were at anchor there in a crescent-shaped defensive formation, the English used fireships to break the formation and scatter the Spanish ships. In the subsequent Battle of Gravelines the English navy attacked the Armada and forced it to sail northward in more dangerous stormy waters on
14160-435: The Spanish Armada in 1588, while Spain repelled the English Armada . The 2nd Spanish Armada in 1596 and the 3rd Spanish Armada in 1597 likewise ended in failure. The war included much English privateering against Spanish ships, and several widely separated battles. The war dragged on towards the end of the sixteenth century; England and Spain intervened in France in the 1590s and in Ireland from 1601 . The campaign in
14396-416: The Spanish New World in a kind of preemptive strike . Drake sailed in October to the West Indies. In January 1586 he captured and sacked Santo Domingo , and in the following month did the same at Cartagena de Indias . In May Drake sailed north to raid St. Augustine in Florida , and when he arrived in England in July he became a national hero. In Spain, however, the news was a disaster, and further buoyed
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#173277291198514632-437: The Territorial Force as the army's volunteer reserve component, merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia and Yeomanry. Great Britain was challenged by other powers, primarily the German Empire and Nazi Germany , during the 20th century. A century earlier it vied with Napoleonic France for global pre-eminence, and Hanoverian Britain's natural allies were the kingdoms and principalities of northern Germany . By
14868-421: The Treaty of Joinville with the Catholic League of France to defeat the Huguenot forces in the French Wars of Religion . In the Spanish Netherlands , England had secretly supported the side of the Dutch Protestant United Provinces , who were fighting for independence from Spain. In 1584, the Prince of Orange had been assassinated, leaving a sense of alarm as well as a political vacuum. The following year
15104-439: The formation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain which joined the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into a single state and, with that, united the English Army and the Scots Army as the British Army . Members of the British Army swear allegiance to the monarch as their commander-in-chief , since both the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and Scottish Claim of Right Act 1689 require parliamentary consent for
15340-407: The status quo ante bellum , agreed to cease their military interventions in the Netherlands and Ireland respectively, and resumed trade; the English ended their high seas privateering and the Spanish recognized James as king. In the 1560s, Philip II of Spain was faced with increasing religious disturbances as Protestantism gained adherents in his domains in the Low Countries . As a defender of
15576-469: The ' cap of liberty ' in the regimental badge he designed (he saw the militia as the constitutional force and a safeguard against tyranny). He was also a campaigner for parliamentary reform, which embarrassed the government. It is clear that the intention was to induce him to resign, but he would not do so. The regimental officers supported him, demanding assurances that promotion would be by seniority, and that that no officer would be removed without there being
15812-429: The 13th Century the Nottinghamshire men of Sherwood Forest were renowned for their skill in archery and they were often called out in the later Anglo-Scottish Wars , such as the Siege of Caerlaverock in 1300, the Weardale campaign of 1327, the Battle of Halidon Hill and Siege of Berwick in 1333, and the campaign of 1335 . Nottingham levies were present at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, and paid soldiers from
16048-453: The 2002 firefighters strike, widespread flooding in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014, Operation Temperer following the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 and, most recently, Operation Rescript during the COVID-19 pandemic . Since 2016, the British Army has maintained a presence in the Baltic States in support of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence strategy which responded to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea . The British Army leads
16284-608: The 2014 West African Ebola virus epidemic . In November 2001, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom with the United States, the United Kingdom deployed forces in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban in Operation Herrick . The 3rd Division were sent to Kabul to assist in the liberation of the capital and defeat Taliban forces in the mountains. In 2006 the British Army began concentrating on fighting Taliban forces and bringing security to Helmand Province , with about 9,500 British troops (including marines, airmen and sailors) deployed at its peak —the second-largest force after that of
16520-438: The American War the army began linking its regiments of the line to particular counties as an aid to recruitment. The 45th Foot began sending recruiting parties into Nottinghamshire and gained the county name as its official subtitle in 1782. Although the county links were a dead letter for many regiments, the 45th gained a large proportion of its recruits during the following French wars from Nottinghamshire, and particularly from
16756-420: The American colonial rebels early in the war). Halifax, Nova Scotia and Bermuda were to become Imperial fortresses (although Bermuda, being safer from attack over water and impervious to attack overland, quickly became the most important in British North America), along with Malta and Gibraltar , providing bases in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea for Royal Navy squadrons to control
16992-529: The Anglo-Dutch retook Zutphen and Deventer which restored English prestige after their earlier betrayals. After defeating the Spanish under the Duke of Parma at Knodsenberg in 1591 a new confidence in the army took shape. English troops by this time composed nearly half of the Dutch army. The reconquest continued with Hulst , Nijmegen , Geertruidenberg , Steenwijk , and Coevorden all being taken within
17228-666: The British Army was deployed as a peacekeeping force from 1969 to 2007 in Operation Banner . Initially, this was (in the wake of unionist attacks on nationalist communities in Derry and Belfast ) to prevent further loyalist attacks on Catholic communities; it developed into support of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and its successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) against
17464-591: The British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world; at its peak in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian armies under the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blücher finally defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. The English were involved politically and militarily in Ireland. The campaign of English republican Protector Oliver Cromwell involved uncompromising treatment of
17700-439: The British military, mostly civilians. An estimated 100 soldiers committed suicide during Operation Banner or soon afterwards and a similar number died in accidents. A total of 6,116 were wounded. Sierra Leone The British Army deployed to Sierra Leone for Operation Palliser in 1999, under United Nations resolutions, to aid the government in quelling violent uprisings by militiamen. British troops also provided support during
17936-725: The Crown to maintain a peacetime standing army . The army is administered by the Ministry of Defence and commanded by the Chief of the General Staff . At its inception, being composed primarily of cavalry and infantry, the British Army was one of two Regular Forces (there were also separate Reserve Forces ) within the British military (those parts of the British Armed Forces tasked with land warfare, as opposed to
18172-487: The Dutch handed over three Cautionary Towns , which were garrisoned by English troops. Philip took this to be an open declaration of war against his rule in the Netherlands. The Anglo-Spanish War broke out in 1585, following the seizure of English merchant ships in Spanish harbors. In response the English privy council immediately authorised a campaign against the Spanish fishing industry in Newfoundland and off
18408-683: The English Long Parliament realised that the use of county militia organised into regional associations (such as the Eastern Association ), often commanded by local members of Parliament (both from the House of Commons and the House of Lords), while more than able to hold their own in the regions which Parliamentarians ('Roundheads") controlled, were unlikely to win the war. So Parliament initiated two actions. The Self-denying Ordinance forbade members of Parliament (with
18644-472: The English Army under Francis Vere reluctantly agreed. They used Ostend (still in Dutch hands) as a base to invade Flanders. Their aim was to conquer the privateer stronghold city of Dunkirk . In 1600 they advanced toward Dunkirk and the Anglo-Dutch inflicted a rare defeat in a pitched battle on the tercio -led Spanish army at the Battle of Nieuwpoort in which the English played a major part. Dunkirk
18880-457: The English an excited enthusiasm to engage in this opulent commerce. Raleigh himself in 1595 went on an expedition to explore the Orinoco river in an attempt to find the mythical city of El Dorado ; in the process the English plundered the Spanish settlement of Trinidad. Raleigh would, however, exaggerate the wealth found there upon his return to England. Supporting Raleigh with his expedition
19116-565: The English and Huguenot forces from much of the area. Henry IV's conversion to Catholicism in 1593 won him widespread French support for his claim to the throne, particularly in Paris (where he was crowned the following year), a city that he had unsuccessfully besieged in 1590 . In 1594 Anglo-French forces were able to end Spanish hopes of using the large port of Brest as a launching point for an invasion of England by capturing Fort Crozon . The French Wars of Religion turned increasingly against
19352-598: The English coast. While the war became a great drain on the English treasury, it proved to be profitable for a number of English privateers. In its final years, English privateering continued despite the strengthening of Spanish navy convoys – Cumberland's last expedition in 1598 to the Caribbean led to the capture of San Juan , and had succeeded where Drake had failed. Newport struck at Tobasco in 1599 while William Parker successfully raided Portobello in 1601. In 1603 Christopher Cleeve struck at Santiago de Cuba and in
19588-426: The English support of the Dutch rebellion. While English forces were containing the rebels in Ireland at great cost in men, general suffering, and finance, the Spanish attempted two further armadas, in 1596 and 1597: the first was shattered in a storm off northern Spain, and the second was frustrated by adverse weather as it approached the English coast. Philip II died in 1598, and his successor Philip III continued
19824-489: The English. In time, their Irish allies arrived to surround the besieging force but the lack of communication with the rebels led to an English victory at the Battle of Kinsale . The besieged Spanish accepted the proposed terms of surrender and returned home, while the Irish rebels hung on, surrendering in 1603 , just after Elizabeth died. With the end of the war in France, Philip III sought peace with England as well. By 1598
20060-497: The French and Spanish crowns had already begun before the battle and the League hardliners were already losing popular support throughout France to a resurgent Henry after his conversion to Roman Catholicism which was bolstered by his military successes. In addition, Spanish finances were at breaking point because of fighting wars in France, the Netherlands, and against England. Therefore, a deeply ill Philip decided to end his support for
20296-685: The Germans and Italians at the Second Battle of El Alamein in North Africa in 1942–1943 and helped drive them from Africa. It then fought through Italy and, with the help of American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and Free French forces, was the principal organiser and participant in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944; nearly half the Allied soldiers were British. In
20532-632: The Indies despite the great number of military personnel mobilized every year. Thus, Spain remained the predominant power in Europe for several decades. Soon after the defeat of the Armada , the Duke of Parma's force stood down from the invasion. In the autumn Parma moved his force North towards Bergen op Zoom and then attempted to besiege the English-held town with a substantial force. The English in
20768-673: The Irish capital throughout their tour of duty there. Men continued to volunteer for the regulars, many of them being shipped to the Peninsula still wearing their militia uniforms. The regiment returned to England in 1812, landing at Bristol on 1 August and marching to Colchester . At the beginning of October the Nottinghamshire Militia left Colchester and marched to the Tower of London, with detachments at Kew , Epsom and Guildford . The Tower detachment provided guards for St James's Palace , Bank of England and other places usually protected by
21004-618: The Irish towns (most notably Drogheda and Wexford ) which supported the Royalists during the English Civil War . The English Army (and the subsequent British Army) remained in Ireland primarily to suppress Irish revolts or disorder. In addition to its conflict with Irish nationalists, it was faced with the prospect of battling Anglo-Irish and Ulster Scots in Ireland who were angered by unfavourable taxation of Irish produce imported into Britain. With other Irish groups, they raised
21240-602: The League and to finally recognize the legitimacy of Henry's accession to the French throne. Without Spanish support, the last League hardliners were quickly defeated. In May 1598, the two kings signed the Peace of Vervins ending the last of the religious civil wars and the Spanish intervention with it. In 1594, the Nine Years' War in Ireland had begun, when Ulster lords Hugh O'Neill and Red Hugh O'Donnell rose up against English rule with fitful Spanish support, mirroring
21476-460: The Netherlands saw a Spanish veteran force defeated by the Anglo-Dutch at the Battle of Nieuwpoort in 1600. This was followed a year later by the costly three-year Siege of Ostend , which Spain eventually seized. The war was brought to an end with the Treaty of London (1604) , negotiated between Philip III of Spain and the new king of England, James I . In the treaty, England and Spain restored
21712-420: The Netherlands. On 8 February 1587, the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots outraged Catholics in Europe. In retaliation for the execution of Mary, Philip vowed to invade England to place a Catholic monarch on its throne. In April 1587 Philip's preparations suffered a setback when Francis Drake burned 37 Spanish ships in the harbour of Cádiz , and as a result the invasion of England had to be postponed for over
21948-599: The Nottinghamshire Militia was stationed at Plymouth in July 1811, the government invited militia regiments to volunteer to serve in Ireland . All but 14 men out of about 900 did so, and the regiment was selected as one of the first group to do a tour of duty there. It appears that the government was happy to send the Nottinghamshires (and other Midlands militia regiments) to Ireland in case they developed sympathies with
22184-607: The Nottinghamshire Militia. After being stationed at Hull for a year, the Nottinghamshire Militia marched to Southsea Common near Portsmouth , for summer camp. Leaving in two 'divisions' on 9 and 10 June 1779, it arrived on 28 June and remained in camp until going into winter quarters in Gosport in December. Here the duties included providing guards for the French prisoners of war confined in Forton Prison . In June 1780
22420-625: The Nottinghamshire Supplementaries were called out and sent into Northern England. However, the force was disbanded in 1799, the discharged men being encouraged to volunteer for the regular army. For the winter of 1798–99 the Nottinghamshire Militia marched via York to winter quarters in Edinburgh . In June 1799 it exchanged stations with the North Yorkshire Militia at Glasgow . The following month
22656-464: The Nottinghamshires formed a brigade under Maj Gen Alexander Mackenzie Fraser , defending Dungeness . It also took part in a royal review at Brighton that summer. On 1 September the Nottinghamshires had 633 men in 10 companies under Lt Col John Need at Rye and Pleydon Barracks, sharing with five companies of the East Norfolks. It spent the winter in barracks at nearby Steyning . In May 1807
22892-874: The Ridgeback, Husky and Mastiff). For day-to-day utility work the army commonly uses the Land Rover Wolf , which is based on the Land Rover Defender . Specialist engineering vehicles include bomb-disposal robots such as the T7 Multi-Mission Robotic System and the modern variants of the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers , including the Titan bridge-layer, Trojan armoured engineer vehicle, Terrier armoured digger . Day-to-day utility work uses
23128-596: The Royal Sherwood Foresters wintered at Deal and Margate in Kent, supplying a guard of honour for the Prince Regent and King Louis XVIII when the latter sailed from Dover in April 1814 to assume the throne of France following Napoleon's abdication. Soon afterwards the regiment marched to Norman Cross Prison in Huntingdonshire , where large numbers of French prisoners of war were being released. The regiment
23364-735: The Royalist army had left, Nottingham was secured by the Parliamentarians. Hutchinson was commissioned to raise the Nottingham TBs for Parliament and was later made governor of the town. Parliament nominated three local men to command the regiments as Colonels : Sir Francis Molyneux of Teversal, 2nd Baronet (who refused the commission), Sir Francis Thornhagh of Fenton, and Viscount Newark's younger brother Francis Pierrepont , who supported Parliament. Thornhagh appointed his son Francis Thornhagh as his Lieutenant-Colonel to command
23600-476: The Scots Greys was reassessed and based on their June 1685 entry into England. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, and the Scots Greys eventually received the British Army rank of 2nd Dragoons. After 1700, British continental policy was to contain expansion by competing powers such as France and Spain. Although Spain was the dominant global power during the previous two centuries and
23836-720: The Somme and Passchendaele . Advances in technology saw the advent of the tank (and the creation of the Royal Tank Regiment ) and advances in aircraft design (and the creation of the Royal Flying Corps ) which would be decisive in future battles. Trench warfare dominated Western Front strategy for most of the war, and the use of chemical weapons (disabling and poison gases) added to the devastation. The Second World War broke out in September 1939 with
24072-633: The Soviet and German Army 's invasion of Poland . British assurances to the Poles led the British Empire to declare war on Germany . As in the First World War, a relatively small BEF was sent to France but then hastily evacuated from Dunkirk as the German forces swept through the Low Countries and across France in May 1940. After the British Army recovered from its earlier defeats, it defeated
24308-576: The Spanish crown. Spanish prizes though were taken at an attritional rate; nearly 1,000 were captured by the war's end, and there was on average a declared value of approximately £100,000–£200,000 for every year of the war. In addition, for every Spanish prize brought back, another was either burned or scuttled, and the presence of so many English corsairs deterred some Spanish merchantmen from putting to sea. This resulted in much Spanish and Portuguese commerce being carried on Dutch and English ships, which in itself created competition. Nevertheless, throughout
24544-568: The Spanish should they reach English soil. On 28 May 1588, the Armada, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia , set sail for the Netherlands, where it was to pick up additional troops for the invasion of England. As the armada sailed through the English Channel, the English navy, led by Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham , and Francis Drake, fought a battle of attrition with the Spanish from Plymouth to Portland and then to
24780-538: The Spanish to cease further naval operations against England for the remainder of the war. Spain's priority was no longer an invasion of England, but the fall of Ostend . After the death of Elizabeth in 1603, James I , became the new king of England. He was the Protestant son and successor to the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, whose execution had been a proximate cause of the war. James regarded himself as
25016-540: The Spanish yet again, although an attempt on s'Hertogenbosch failed during the winter months. At Ostend in January 1602 after being reinforced, Vere faced a huge Spanish frontal assault organised by the Archduke Albert and in bitter fighting this was repelled with heavy losses. Vere left the city soon after and joined Maurice in the field, while Albert, who drew much criticism from army commanders for his tactics,
25252-454: The Spanish. This was delayed after Huy was besieged in March but Maurice was unable to prevent its fall . When Maurice did go on the offensive an attempt to take Grol in July ended in failure when a Spanish force under 90-year-old veteran Cristóbal de Mondragón relieved the city. Maurice then tried to make an attempt on the city of Rheinberg in September but Mondragon defeated this move at
25488-545: The States. Leicester soon realised how dire his situation was and asked to be recalled. He resigned his post as governor – his tenure had been a military and political failure, and as a result, he was financially ruined. After Leicester's departure, the Dutch elected the Prince of Orange's son Count Maurice of Nassau as the stadtholder and governor. At the same time Peregrine Bertie took over English forces in
25724-602: The TB armoury at Nottingham Castle , but were prevented by John Hutchinson until the rest of the king's army gathered. The King raised his standard at Nottingham on 22 August 1642, officially declaring war. From then on, both sides paid little attention to the part-time TBs, treating them as a source of arms and potential recruits for their permanent forces, or as town guards to supplement permanent garrisons. The Nottingham TB not having supported him, King Charles disbanded it in September and confiscated its weapons for his regulars. After
25960-431: The TB foot regiment while he busied himself with raising a regiment of horse; Pierrepont appointed Hutchinson as his lt-col and eventual successor. Meanwhile, Newark declared for the king, the local TBs being raised for him by Sir John Digby, Sir Gervase Clifton, 1st Baronet , Robert Sutton of Averham , and a troop of horse under Sir John Byron of Newstead Abbey . (Digby's regiment was taken over by Col Anthony Gilby by
26196-571: The Troubles . Following the 1994–1996 IRA ceasefires and since 1997, demilitarisation has been part of the peace process and the military presence has been reduced. On 25 June 2007 the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment left the army complex in Bessbrook , County Armagh , ending the longest operation in British Army history. The British Army contributed 50,000 troops to
26432-595: The US. In December 2012 Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the combat mission would end in 2014, and troop numbers gradually fell as the Afghan National Army took over the brunt of the fighting. Between 2001 and 26 April 2014 a total of 453 British military personnel died in Afghan operations. Operation Herrick ended with the handover of Camp Bastion on 26 October 2014, but the British Army maintained
26668-1026: The United States, in the American War of 1812 ), the British Army fought the Chinese in the First and Second Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion , Māori tribes in the first of the New Zealand Wars, Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daula's forces and British East India Company mutineers in the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 , the Boers in the first and second Boer Wars, Irish Fenians in Canada during the Fenian raids and Irish separatists in
26904-425: The arms, uniforms and equipment were stored in the castle. The ballot was employed to keep the disembodied regiment up to strength. From 1784 to 1792 the militia were supposed to assemble for 28 days' annual training, even though to save money only two-thirds of the men were actually called out each year. In 1786 the number of permanent non-commissioned officers (NCOs) was reduced. Colonel Willoughby rarely served with
27140-578: The army saw the introduction of new weapons systems. Despite the decline of the British Empire, the army was engaged in Aden , Indonesia , Cyprus , Kenya and Malaya . In 1982, the British Army and the Royal Marines helped liberate the Falkland Islands during the conflict with Argentina after that country's invasion of the British territory. In the three decades following 1969,
27376-558: The army was heavily deployed in Northern Ireland 's Operation Banner to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (later the Police Service of Northern Ireland ) in their conflict with republican paramilitary groups. The locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment was formed, becoming home-service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992 before it was disbanded in 2006. Over 700 soldiers were killed during
27612-455: The army was sent to quell the Indian Mutiny . The regiment was embodied on 1 October 1857, and went by train to the new South Camp barracks at Aldershot on 1 December, leaving a depot company at Newark. Having been issued with 1842 pattern percussion cap smoothbore muskets when reformed in 1852, the regiment was now equipped with the 1853 pattern Enfield Rifled Musket . In February 1858 the regiment moved by train to Newcastle upon Tyne , with
27848-401: The barracks at Rye and Winchelsea . Once again, the regiment supplied its quota of volunteers for the regulars. During the invasion crisis of 1805 , while Napoleon assembled the ' Army of England ' across the English Channel at Boulogne , the Nottinghamshire Militia were stationed in the Southern District (Sussex), the most vulnerable sector. Together with the East and West Norfolks ,
28084-412: The beginning of 1645.) The townspeople and TBs, with a few regular troops, fortified the town and withstood a succession of sieges from May 1643 under the command of Sir Robert Byron and later John, Lord Belasyse . In September 1643 and January 1644 detachments from Newark almost succeeded in seizing Nottingham town and castle from its Parliamentarian garrison, and there was constant skirmishing between
28320-427: The chief threat to England's early trans-Atlantic colonial ambitions, its influence was now waning. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the later Napoleonic Wars . Although the Royal Navy is widely regarded as vital to the rise of the British Empire , the British Army played an important role in the formation of colonies, protectorates and dominions in
28556-442: The coalition which fought Iraq in the Persian Gulf War , and British forces controlled Kuwait after its liberation. Forty-seven British military personnel died during the war. The army was deployed to former Yugoslavia in 1992. Initially part of the United Nations Protection Force , in 1995 its command was transferred to the Implementation Force (IFOR) and then to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR);
28792-460: The coast near Spurn Point . In an attempt to have as many men as possible under arms for home defence in order to release regulars, the Government created the Supplementary Militia in 1796, a compulsory levy of men to be trained in their spare time, and to be incorporated in the Militia in emergency. Nottinghamshire's additional quota was fixed at 896 men. The lieutenancies were required to carry out 20 days' initial training as soon as possible. There
29028-417: The colours and the remainder in the Regular Reserve, remaining liable for recall to the colours if required. Among the other benefits, this thereby enabled the British Army to have a ready pool of recently trained men to draw upon in an emergency. The name of the Regular Reserve (which for a time was divided into a First Class and a Second Class ) has resulted in confusion with the Reserve Forces , which were
29264-416: The command of Maj Cartwright. Lieutenant-Col Lord John Pelham-Clinton died later in the year and was succeeded by Edward Thoroton Gould of Mansfield Woodhouse, who had been a junior officer in the 4th Foot at the first action of the American war at Concord , where he had been wounded and captured. After release he returned to England, married and sold his regular army commission in 1776. Again, Maj Cartwright
29500-428: The command of Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norris was prepared in 1589 with three tasks: Because this mission was floated as a joint stock company , Drake had investors to satisfy, so, rather than adhere to the Queen's orders, he bypassed Santander in favor of seeking plunder, booty and financial rewards. He started by making a surprise landing at Coruña on 4 May where the lower town was captured and plundered, and
29736-403: The commitment rose to over 10,000 troops. In 1999, British forces under SFOR command were sent to Kosovo and the contingent increased to 19,000 troops. Between early 1993 and June 2010, 72 British military personnel died during operations in the former Yugoslavian countries of Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. Although there have been permanent garrisons in Northern Ireland throughout its history,
29972-438: The completion of their first engagement. The size of the army also fluctuated greatly, increasing in war time, and drastically shrinking with peace. Battalions posted on garrison duty overseas were allowed an increase on their normal peacetime establishment, which resulted in their having surplus men on their return to a Home station. Consequently, soldiers engaging on short term enlistments were enabled to serve several years with
30208-419: The control of the king's lords-lieutenant, the men to be selected by ballot. This was popularly seen as the 'Constitutional Force' to counterbalance a 'Standing Army' tainted by association with the New Model Army that had supported Cromwell's military dictatorship, and almost the whole burden of home defence and internal security was entrusted to the militia under politically reliable local landowners. In 1697
30444-448: The convoy system had allowed it to defend its treasure fleets and retain its New World colonies. English support for the Dutch rebellion against the Spanish king, the original cause of the war, ceased. The Spanish could then concentrate their efforts on the Dutch, in the hopes of bringing them to their knees. A complete abandonment of the Dutch cause, however, was not promised in the treaty. The English-held cautionary towns in Holland on
30680-428: The counties were required to submit detailed lists of their militia. Nottinghamshire had one foot regiment of 400 men in six companies under the command of the Lord-Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire , John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle as colonel, and two troops of horse each of 60 men. The Militia passed into virtual abeyance during the long peace after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, and few units were called out during
30916-408: The county were at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). The levies of Nottinghamshire under Sir John Markham fought against Lambert Simnel 's rebels at the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487, and when the Pilgrimage of Grace revolt broke out in 1536, the Earl of Shrewsbury called them out to confront the rebels without waiting for the king's orders. With invasion threatened in 1539 King Henry VIII held
31152-450: The declining numbers of Volunteers, and if their ranks could not be filled voluntarily the militia ballot was employed. The various units of Nottinghamshire Volunteers were disbanded and incorporated into four regiments of Local Militia: When their regiments were not under training, the permanent staffs of the local militia were employed as recruiting parties for their county's regular militia. The Local Militia were disbanded in 1816. While
31388-491: The defeat at Kinsale in 1602, the Treaty of Mellifont was concluded the following year between James I and the Irish rebels. In the subsequent London treaty Spain pledged not to support the rebels. The treaty was well received in Spain. Large public celebrations were held at Valladolid , the Spanish capital, where the treaty was ratified in June 1605, in the presence of a large English ambassadorial delegation led by Lord Admiral Charles Howard. Nevertheless, some members of
31624-414: The defeat resulted in chaos in the Spanish army – mutinies took place and many deserted. The following year the Dutch senate led by Johan van Oldenbarneveldt saw the chaos in the Spanish army and decided the time was ripe for a focal point of the war to be concentrated in Catholic Flanders. Despite a bitter dispute between Maurice and van Oldenbarneveldt, the Dutch and a sizeable contingent of
31860-450: The disbanded New Model Army , were formed between November 1660 and January 1661 and became a standing military force for England (financed by Parliament ). The Royal Scots and Irish Armies were financed by the parliaments of Scotland and Ireland . Parliamentary control was established by the Bill of Rights 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689 , although the monarch continued to influence aspects of army administration until at least
32096-400: The disturbance. As a precaution one company remained at Shotley Bridge for several days. In September the regiment (now consisting of 12 companies including the grenadier and light companies), moved to Glasgow, with a detachment at Ayr . During the year the regiment won the British Army shooting competition, berating every other regular or embodied militia regiment in the country. The regiment
32332-451: The end of the 19th century. After the Restoration, King Charles II pulled together four regiments of infantry and cavalry, calling them his guards, at a cost of £122,000 from his general budget. This became the foundation of the permanent English Army. By 1685, it had grown to number 7,500 soldiers in marching regiments, and 1,400 men permanently stationed in garrisons. A Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 allowed successor King James II to raise
32568-572: The end of the year. The offensive's success meant that most of the seven northern provinces of the Netherlands had been recaptured by the Dutch Republic and a significant barrier had been created along the Rhine river. In November, 1588, Philip II ordered the construction of 21 new galleons, all of them large. 12 of them were built in Cantabrian ports and stood out due to their number and the names they received; they were known as "the twelve apostles". In addition, 6 were made in Portugal, 2 in Gibraltar and 1 in Vinaroz ; all of them entered service in
32804-444: The ensuing fight saw the defeat of an armed Spanish convoy but Newport lost his right arm in the process. Despite this Newport continued the ventures – the blockade of Western Cuba in 1591 was the most successful English privateering venture made during the war, and then followed that with another successful expedition to Hispaniola and the Bay of Honduras the following year. Both Drake and Hawkins died of disease on
33040-408: The following summer. For the Second Bishops' War of 1640 Nottinghamshire was ordered to raise 300 men and march them to Grimsby for shipment to Scotland. However, many of those sent on this unpopular service were untrained replacements and conscripts, and many officers were corrupt or inefficient. Control of the militia was one of the areas of dispute between Charles I and Parliament that led to
33276-441: The following year the English detained several treasure ships sent by the Spanish to supply their army in the Netherlands. Drake and Hawkins intensified their privateering as a way to break the Spanish monopoly on Atlantic trade. Francis Drake went on a privateering voyage during which he eventually circumnavigated the globe between 1577 and 1580; Spanish colonial ports were plundered and a number of ships were captured, including
33512-410: The forces to 20,000 men. There were 37,000 in 1678, when England played a role in the closing stage of the cross-channel Franco-Dutch War . After Protestant dual Monarchs William III , formerly William of the Dutch House of Orange , and his wife Mary II's joint accession to the throne after a short constitutional crisis with Parliament sending Mary's father, predecessor King James II, (who remained
33748-399: The freemen of the shires under command of their Sheriffs . It continued under the Norman kings , and was reorganised under the Assizes of Arms of 1181 and 1252 , and again by King Edward I 's Statute of Winchester of 1285. Nottinghamshire levies are first mentioned when they served under William de Peverel at the Battle of the Standard against the Scots in the 1138. By the end of
33984-407: The globe returning to England on 9 September 1588. Robert Dudley, The Earl of Leicester was sent to the United Provinces in 1585 with a dignitary party and took the offered governorship of the United Provinces. This, however, was met with fury from Elizabeth, who had expressed no desire for any sovereignty over the Dutch. An English mercenary army had been present since the beginning of the war and
34220-411: The great naval expeditions were on the whole unprofitable. The last of the great English naval expeditions took place in 1597, led by the Earl of Essex, known as the Islands Voyage . The objective was to destroy the Spanish fleet and intercept a treasure fleet in the Azores. Neither was achieved and the expedition ended in costly failure, and Essex on his return was scolded by the Queen for not protecting
34456-403: The harbour, from where it was later recovered. Despite its failure to capture the treasure fleet, the sack of Cádiz was celebrated as a national triumph comparable to the victory over the Spanish Armada, and for a time Essex's prestige rivalled Elizabeth's own. Instead of controlling and taxing its subjects, the English crown competed with them for private profit; it failed to succeed at this, as
34692-434: The hardliners of the French Catholic League. With the signing of the Triple Alliance in 1596 between France, England, and the Dutch, Elizabeth sent a further 2,000 troops to France after the Spanish took Calais . In September 1597 Anglo-French forces under Henry retook Amiens , just six months after the Spanish took the city, bringing to a halt a string of Spanish victories. In fact, the first tentative talks on peace between
34928-489: The hegemony of the Spanish empire, whilst the Archduke and Isabella sought peace and friendly relations. Soon after victory in Ireland the following year, the English navy under Richard Leveson conducted a blockade of Spain, the first of its kind. Off Portugal, they sailed into Sesimbra bay where a fleet of eight Spanish galleys under Federico Spinola (brother of Ambrogio) and Álvaro de Bazán were present. Spinola had already established his base at Sluis in Flanders and
35164-410: The high confidence in the army and renewed the treaty with the States in 1595. English troops having been given high praise by the Dutch were kept at around 4,000 men. They were to be paid for by the States and the Queen would also be repaid on the Crown's expenses in instalments until a conclusion of peace was made. In 1595, Maurice's campaign was resumed to retake the cities of the Twente region from
35400-407: The idea of a Spanish invasion of England by King Philip. Thomas Cavendish meanwhile set out with three ships on 21 July 1586 to raid Spanish settlements in South America . Cavendish raided three Spanish settlements and captured or burned thirteen ships. Among these was a rich 600-ton treasure galleon, Santa Ana , the biggest treasure haul that ever fell into English hands. Cavendish circumnavigated
35636-405: The impressment of able-bodied unemployed men, and the Queen ordered 'none of her trayned-bands to be pressed'. Replacing the weapons issued to the levies from the militia armouries was a heavy cost on the counties. In 1596 and 1615 the corporation of Nottingham maintained its own militia of 16 trained men, and a further 24 bowmen and halberdiers were maintained at the expense of private individuals in
35872-423: The invading force also failed to take Lisbon. The expected uprising by the Portuguese loyal to Crato never materialized. With Portuguese and Spanish reinforcements arriving, the English were forced to retreat; they sailed north – tossing the dead overboard by the hundred along the way – where Drake sacked and burned Vigo . Young William Fenner, who had come from England with 17 supply ships commanded by Captain Cross,
36108-488: The large number of prisoners of war in Millbay Prison. In October the regiment was moved to the same duty at Dartmoor Prison , where it foiled an attempted breakout during a violent storm. It returned to Frankfort Barracks in November. While the Regular Militia were the mainstay of national defence during the Napoleonic Wars , they were supplemented from 1808 by the Local Militia, which were part-time and only to be used within their own districts. These were raised to counter
36344-467: The last raid of the war Newport plundered Puerto Caballos . Finally, just days before the signing of the peace treaty in August 1604, future admiral Antonio de Oquendo defeated and captured an English privateer in the Gulf of Cádiz . By the end of the war, English privateering had devastated the Spanish private merchant marine. The most famous pirates lauded by English literature and propaganda tended to attack fishing vessels or boats of small value to
36580-406: The later 1595–96 expedition against Puerto Rico , Panama , and other targets in the Spanish Main , a severe setback in which the English suffered heavy losses in soldiers and ships despite a number of minor military victories. In August 1595, a Spanish naval force from Brittany led by Carlos de Amésquita landed in Cornwall , raiding and burning Penzance and several nearby villages. During
36816-405: The long reign of Elizabeth I, and its failure was so embarrassing that, even today, England barely acknowledges it ever happened. Through this lost opportunity, Philip was able to revive his navy the very next year, sending 37 ships with 6,420 men to Brittany where they established a base of operations on the Blavet river. The English and Dutch ultimately failed to disrupt the various fleets of
37052-442: The long way home. As they sailed around Scotland , the Armada suffered severe damage and loss of life from stormy weather. As they approached the West coast of Ireland more damaging stormy conditions forced ships ashore while others were wrecked. Disease took a heavy toll as the fleet finally limped back to port. Philip's invasion plans had miscarried partly because of unfortunate weather and his own mismanagement, and partly because
37288-442: The longest in British Army history. According to an internal document released in 2007, the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but made it impossible for them to win by violence. Operation Helvetic replaced Operation Banner in 2007, maintaining fewer service personnel in a more-benign environment. Of the 300,000 troops who served in Northern Ireland since 1969, there were 763 British military personnel killed and 306 killed by
37524-475: The men received full army pay. Under the Act, Militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time home defence service in three circumstances: The Royal Sherwood Foresters was reformed at Newark in 1852, still under the command of Col Rolleston, but with a number of new officers, including William Leigh Mellish , appointed Lt-Col, and several who had seen service in the regular army. The regimental stores moved from Newark Town Hall into rooms beneath
37760-410: The middle of the 19th century, Britain and France were allies in preventing Russia's appropriation of the Ottoman Empire , although the fear of French invasion led shortly afterwards to the creation of the Volunteer Force. By the first decade of the 20th century, the United Kingdom was allied with France (by the Entente Cordiale ) and Russia (which had a secret agreement with France for mutual support in
37996-508: The militia for the regular army was encouraged. The regiment stayed at Newark until 20 August when it entrained for Aldershot Camp . Over 26–7 December the regiment went by rail to Liverpool where it embarked for Ireland on the Niagara . It was quartered at Athlone [] for several months. The war was ended by the Treaty of Paris signed at the end of March 1856, and the militia could be stood down. The Royal Sherwood Foresters left Athlone for Dublin on 21 May and then embarked at Kingstown on
38232-407: The militia obligation was universal, it was impractical to train and equip every able-bodied man, so after 1572 the practice was to select a proportion of men for the Trained Bands (TBs), who were mustered for regular training. The threat of invasion during the Spanish War led to an increase in training. The government initially emphasised the 17 'maritime' counties most vulnerable to attack, then
38468-420: The militia was updated by two acts of 1557 covering musters ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 3) and the maintenance of horses and armour ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 2). The county militia was now under the Lord Lieutenant , assisted by the deputy lieutenants and justices of the peace (JPs). The entry into force of these acts in 1558 is seen as the starting date for the organised county militia in England. Although
38704-462: The most important effects of the event was that the Armada's failure was seen as a sign that God supported the Protestant Reformation in England. One of the medals struck to celebrate the English victory bore the Latin / Hebrew inscription Flavit יהוה et dissipati sunt (literally: " Yahweh blew and they were scattered"; traditionally translated more freely as: " He blew with His winds, and they were scattered "). An English counter armada under
38940-404: The most successful English naval expedition of the war. Off Flores island in 1592, the English fleet captured a large Portuguese carrack , the Madre de Deus , and outwitted a Spanish fleet led by Alonso de Bazán . The expedition's reward equalled nearly half the size of the Kingdom of England's royal annual revenue and yielded Elizabeth a 20-fold return on her investment. These riches gave
39176-399: The naval forces), with the other having been the Ordnance Military Corps (made up of the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers , and the Royal Sappers and Miners ) of the Board of Ordnance , which along with the originally civilian Commissariat Department , stores and supply departments, as well as barracks and other departments, were absorbed into the British Army when the Board of Ordnance
39412-479: The new Corn Exchange . The reformed regiment carried out its first training in November 1852 with 600 men, but had reached its full establishment of 1223 ORs by voluntary enlistment in time for the second training in May 1853. War having broken out with Russia in 1854 and an expeditionary force sent to the Crimea , the militia were called out for home defence. The Royal Sherwood Foresters was embodied at Newark on 1 December 1854. As in previous wars, volunteering from
39648-440: The new English army to 74,000, and then a few years later to 94,000 in 1694. Parliament was very nervous and reduced the cadre to 70,000 in 1697. Scotland and Ireland had theoretically separate military establishments, but they were unofficially merged with the English Crown force. By the time of the 1707 Acts of Union , many regiments of the English and Scottish armies were combined under one operational command and stationed in
39884-444: The next two years. In 1593 a Spanish attempt led by Francisco Verdugo to recapture Coevorden ended in failure when the Anglo-Dutch under Maurice and Vere relieved the place during the spring of 1594. Finally, the capture of Groningen in the summer of 1594 resulted in the Spanish army being forced out of the northern provinces which led to the complete restoration of the seven provinces. After these successes, Elizabeth could view
40120-409: The nobility, or on hired mercenaries from Europe. From the later Middle Ages until the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, when a foreign expeditionary force was needed, such as the one that Henry V of England took to France and that fought at the Battle of Agincourt (1415), the army, a professional one, was raised for the duration of the expedition. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the members of
40356-424: The notable exception of Oliver Cromwell , then a member of parliament and future Lord Protector) from serving as officers in the Parliamentary armies. This created a distinction between the civilians in Parliament, who tended to be Presbyterian and conciliatory to the Royalists ("Cavaliers") in nature, and a corps of professional officers, who tended to be Independent ( Congregational ) in theology. The second action
40592-458: The oceans and trade routes, and heavily garrisoned by the British Army both for defence of the bases and to provide mobile military forces to work with the Navy in amphibious operations throughout their regions. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars , participating in a number of campaigns in Europe (including continuous deployment in the Peninsular War ), the Caribbean , North Africa and North America . The war between
40828-409: The opportunistic defensive naval efforts of the English and their Dutch allies prevailed. The failure of the Armada provided valuable seafaring experience for English oceanic mariners. While the English were able to persist in their privateering against the Spanish and continue sending troops to assist Philip II's enemies in the Netherlands and France , these efforts brought few tangible rewards. One of
41064-453: The other hand were not surrendered despite Spanish demands. The sieges of Ostend and Sluis were allowed to continue until the end of those respective campaigns. The Dutch by 1607 had in fact prevailed; the Spanish did not deliver the knockout blow that they had sought, and the Twelve Years' Truce effectively recognized the independence of the Republic. For England the treaty was a diplomatic triumph as well as an economic necessity. At
41300-436: The parallel Seven Years' War and suppressed a Native / Indian North Americans uprising in Pontiac's War around the Great Lakes . The British Army was defeated in the American Revolutionary War , losing the Thirteen Colonies but retaining The Canadas and The Maritimes as in British North America , including Bermuda (originally part of the Colony of Virginia , and which had been originally strongly sympathetic to
41536-428: The peacemaker of Europe, and the ultimate aim of his idealistic foreign policy was the reunion of Christendom. James sought an end to the long and draining conflict, which Philip III also wanted. James ordered an end to further privateering, and in return Philip sent a Spanish-Flemish Commission headed by Juan de Tassis to London to explore the possibilities of ending the war. After nearly a year of negotiations, peace
41772-550: The permanent staff in 1817. Colonel Gould resigned his commission in 1819, and Lt-Col Henry Coape was promoted to succeed him in command. In 1820 the regiment carried out its first training since 1814, then again in 1821, 1825 and 1831, but not thereafter, and the permanent staff of NCOs and drummers was reduced. The Lord Lieutenant continued to commission officers in the regiment, Lt-Col Gilbert-Cooper-Gardiner succeeding Col Coape on his resignation in 1825, and after his death in 1833 Lancelot Rolleston , MP for South Nottinghamshire ,
42008-481: The pre-existing part-time, local-service home-defence forces that were auxiliary to the British Army (or Regular Force ), but not originally part of it: the Yeomanry , Militia (or Constitutional Force ) and Volunteer Force . These were consequently also referred to as Auxiliary Forces or Local Forces . The late-19th-century Cardwell and Childers Reforms gave the army its modern shape and redefined its regimental system . The 1907 Haldane Reforms created
42244-458: The prevailing wind. In the face of increasing sickness and deaths, he abandoned the venture and limped back to Plymouth with Captain Diego de Aramburu's flotilla of zabras harassing him nearly the entire way. None of the objectives were achieved and the opportunity to strike a decisive blow against the weakened Spanish navy was lost. The expedition depleted the financial resources of England's treasury, which had been carefully restored during
42480-424: The protesters in Nottinghamshire feared being forced into overseas service if they were selected by lot: some said that they would rather be hanged in England than scalped in America. There was also religious opposition to any form of census. Even when the riots were quelled and other counties' militia had been called out in the invasion crisis of 1759, the Nottinghamshire county gentry were apathetic, preferring to pay
42716-410: The rank of English, Irish and Scots regiments serving in the Netherlands; the regiment which became known as the Scots Greys were designated the 4th Dragoons because there were three English regiments raised prior to 1688 when the Scots Greys were first placed in the English establishment. In 1713, when a new board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of several regiments, the seniority of
42952-417: The regiment and resigned in 1790; Edward Thoroton Gould was appointed colonel in his place, with Thomas Charlton of Chilwell as lt-col.</ref> Major Cartwright was continually passed over for promotion, even though he claimed to have been the effective commander of the regiment for much of the American war. He was a Radical Whig – he supported both the American and French revolutionaries, incorporating
43188-400: The regiment in a march-past at Nottingham, Col Manners-Sutton died. The Hon Henry Willoughby , 23-year-old son of Lord Middleton, was appointed to the colonelcy. The Treaty of Paris having been agreed, the war ended and the militia returned to their headquarters to be disembodied, the Nottinghamshires completing this in March 1783. The regiment's permanent staff were housed in Nottingham and
43424-422: The regiment marched from Steyning to Portsmouth. An increase in pay for the regulars (but not the militia) encouraged another 225 men to transfer in 1807, including one whole company, with its officers. Many of these volunteers served with the 45th Foot in the battles of the Peninsular War . However, the militiamen who stayed with the regiment were awarded extra pay for labouring on the defences of Portsmouth. During
43660-476: The regiment was part of a large encampment at Warley , Essex, under the command of Lt-Gen Cornwallis. In early 1796 it moved to King's Lynn in Norfolk . By now the regiment had two rifle companies (which paraded on either flank of the line) and two light 'battalion guns'. A number of militiamen were taught gun drill by a party from the Royal Artillery . About now the regiment gained its second nickname of 'Saucy Notts', which it kept for many years. From King's Lynn
43896-440: The regiment was relieved at Gosport and went to camp on Ranmore Common in Surrey . This camp was broken up in bad weather in November, and the regiment was billeted with one division in Basingstoke and the other split between Farnham and Bagshot . It returned to Gosport from late January to March 1781, and was then moved to Poole in Dorset on anti-smuggling duty until May, when it camped at Stokes Bay , near Gosport, under
44132-435: The regiment was sent to York , and then into garrison at Hull. Early in 1797 there was an invasion scare, and the Yorkshire coast was deemed a possible target for a Franco-Dutch landing. The Nottinghamshires were relieved at Hull and were posted in detachments along the coast around Bridlington . The whole coast was carefully reconnoitred, a black-out enforced, and the troops practised in rapidly turning out on alarm. However,
44368-458: The regimental stores in Newark Town Hall . This became an important duty towards the end of 1816, when it was feared that the Luddites would attempt to seize the arms. Night sentries were posted and the staff issued with live ammunition. One of the permanent staff was the poet Robert Millhouse , who had enlisted as a private in 1811. His poems attracted the attention of Maj John Gilbert-Cooper-Gardiner, who promoted him to corporal and placed him on
44604-491: The return of a king. The militia acts of 1661 and 1662 prevented local authorities from calling up militia and oppressing their own local opponents. Calling up the militia was possible only if the king and local elites agreed to do so. King Charles II and his " Cavalier " / Royalist supporters favoured a new army under royal control, and immediately after the Restoration of 1660 to 1661 began working on its establishment. The first English Army regiments, including elements of
44840-448: The same time, the treaty was highly unpopular with the English public, many of whom considered it a humiliating peace. Many felt that James had abandoned England's ally, the Netherlands, in order to appease the Spanish crown and this damaged James's popularity. The treaty, however, made sure the Protestant reformation there had been protected, and James and his ministers refused the Spanish demand for Catholic toleration in England. After
45076-401: The summer of 1596, an Anglo-Dutch expedition under Elizabeth's young favourite, the Earl of Essex , sacked Cádiz , causing significant loss to the Spanish fleet, leaving the city in ruins and delaying a projected descent on England. The allies were unable to capture the treasure, as the Spanish commander had time in order to torch the treasure ships in port, sending the treasure to the bottom of
45312-429: The summer they were camped on Southsea Common. In February 1808 the Nottinghamshire Militia marched from Portsmouth to Lewes in Sussex, then in June moved to Bletchingdon Barracks near Brighton. That summer the whole regiment volunteered to serve in the Peninsular war; the offer was politely turned down, but individual militiamen were encouraged to continue volunteering for active service. The 45th Foot had recently formed
45548-435: The tacit support of Elizabeth, even though the Spanish government complained that Hawkins's trade with their colonies in the West Indies constituted smuggling . A slaving expedition led by Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake was surprised by the Spanish in September 1568, and several ships were captured or sunk at the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa near Veracruz in New Spain . This engagement soured Anglo-Spanish relations, and in
45784-650: The three years after the Spanish Armada was defeated, more than 300 prizes were taken from the Spanish with a declared total value of well over £400,000. English courtiers provided money for their own expeditions as well as others, and even Elizabeth herself would make investments. The Earl of Cumberland made a number of expeditions and a few did yield profit – his first being the Azores Voyage in 1589 . Others failed however due to bad weather and his 1591 voyage ended in defeat with Spanish galleys off Berlengas . Cumberland with Sir Walter Raleigh and Martin Frobisher combined financial strength and force that led to
46020-428: The town of Nottingham were appointed on 2 December 1648. The establishment of The Protectorate saw Oliver Cromwell take control of the militia as a paid force under politically selected officers to support his Rule by Major-Generals . From now on the term 'Trained Band' began to be replaced by 'Militia'. After the Restoration of the Monarchy , the English Militia was re-established by the Militia Act of 1661 under
46256-435: The town. With the passing of the threat of invasion, the trained bands declined in the early 17th century. Later, King Charles I attempted to reform them into a national force or 'Perfect Militia' answering to the king rather than local control. Before the First Bishops' War of 1639, Sir Jacob Astley was charged with organising and reviewing the TBs of a number of North Midland counties, including Nottinghamshire, ahead of
46492-432: The treasure fleet. It was in this battle that the Spanish captured the English flagship, HMS Revenge , after a stubborn resistance by its captain, Sir Richard Grenville . Throughout the 1590s, enormous convoy escorts enabled the Spanish to ship three times as much silver as in the previous decade. English merchant privateers or corsairs known as Elizabeth's " Sea Dogs " enjoyed more qualified success, however. In
46728-573: The treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de la Concepción . When news of his exploits reached Europe, Elizabeth's relations with Philip continued to deteriorate. Soon after the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580 , English support was provided to António, Prior of Crato , who then fought in his struggle with Philip II for the Portuguese throne . Philip in return began to support the Catholic rebellion in Ireland against Elizabeth's religious reforms. Both Philip's and Elizabeth's attempts to support opposing factions were defeated. In 1584, Philip signed
46964-419: The two towns. After the first raid a detachment of the Royalist TBs retained a fort near the Trent Bridge . Colonel Hutchinson complained of Thornhagh's regiment that the men tended to slip away to their homes in Nottingham when they should have been on night guard and that on one occasion this allowed the 'Newarkers' to 'beat up their quarters' and capture 'almost two whole troops of the regiment'. He instituted
47200-400: The war Spain's important treasure fleets were kept safe by their convoy system. In 1598, the Spanish under Francisco Mendoza retook Rheinberg and Meurs in a campaign known as the Spanish winter of 1598–99 . Mendoza then attempted to take Bommelerwaard island but the Dutch and English under Maurice thwarted the attempt and defeated him at Zaltbommel . Mendoza retreated from the area and
47436-408: The war apparently ending, it was ordered to return to the Nottinghamshire area in March 1802, detachments being quartered at Doncaster (initially, then to Retford and Southwell ) and at Retford and Newark. With the signing of the Treaty of Amiens the war ended and in late April 1802 the detachments concentrated at Newark to be disembodied, the other ranks (ORs) being paid off with a month's pay as
47672-400: The war but with less enthusiasm. At the end of 1601, the Spanish sent a final armada north, this time a limited expedition intended to land troops in Ireland to assist the rebels. Only half the fleet arrived because of a storm that scattered it and that which did arrive landed far from Irish rebel forces. The Spanish entered the town of Kinsale with 3,000 troops and were immediately besieged by
47908-452: The war had become long and costly for Spain. England and Dutch Republic too were war-weary and both sides felt the need for peace. However, in peace negotiations at Boulogne in 1600, Spanish demands were adamantly rejected by the English and Dutch. Nevertheless, diplomatic routes remained open between the Archduke of Austria and his wife Infanta Isabella (Philip's sister) who differed in their policies to Philip's. Philip wanted to preserve
48144-482: The war in France gave the Anglo-Dutch an advantage. At the Battle of Turnhout a Spanish force was surprised and routed; Vere and the Earl of Leicester particularly distinguished themselves. With the Spanish distracted by the siege of Amiens in France, Maurice launched an offensive in the summer. This time both Rhienberg and Greonlo were taken by the Dutch. This was followed by the capture of Bredevoort , Enschede , Ootsmarsum , Oldenzaal , and finally Lingen by
48380-611: The withdrawal of civilians, all British troops had left by the end of August 2021. In 2003, the United Kingdom was a major contributor to the invasion of Iraq , sending a force of over 46,000 military personnel. The British Army controlled southern Iraq, and maintained a peace-keeping presence in Basra . All British troops were withdrawn from Iraq by 30 April 2009, after the Iraqi government refused to extend their mandate. One hundred and seventy-nine British military personnel died in Iraqi operations. The British Armed Forces returned to Iraq in 2014 as part of Operation Shader to counter
48616-519: The world's leading military and economic powers. Since the end of the Cold War , the British Army has been deployed to a number of conflict zones, often as part of an expeditionary force , a coalition force or part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation. Until the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , neither England or Scotland had had a standing army with professional officers and career corporals and sergeants. England relied on militia organised by local officials or private forces mobilised by
48852-433: Was a further blow to the Dutch with the capture of Antwerp by Spanish forces led by Alexander Farnese, the Duke of Parma . The Dutch rebels sought help from England, which Elizabeth agreed to as she feared that a Spanish reconquest there would threaten England. The Treaty of Nonsuch was signed as a result: Elizabeth agreed to provide the Dutch with men, horses, and subsidies, but she declined overall sovereignty. In return
49088-402: Was a huge blow to English morale. Zutphen itself and Deventer were betrayed by Catholic turncoats William Stanley and Rowland York , which further damaged Leicester's reputation. Finally Sluis with a largely English garrison was besieged and taken by the Duke of Parma in June 1587, after the Dutch refused to help in the relief. This resulted in mutual recriminations between Leicester and
49324-458: Was a property qualification for officers, who were commissioned by the lord lieutenant. An adjutant and drill sergeants were to be provided to each regiment from the Regular Army , and arms and accoutrements would be supplied when the county had secured 60 per cent of its quota of recruits. Nottinghamshire was given a quota of 480 men to raise, but failed to do so, partly because the Lord Lieutenant, Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle ,
49560-464: Was abolished in 1855. Various other civilian departments of the board were absorbed into the War Office . The British Army has seen action in major wars between the world's great powers , including the Seven Years' War , the American Revolutionary War , the Napoleonic Wars , the Crimean War and the First and Second World Wars . Britain's victories in most of these decisive wars allowed it to influence world events and establish itself as one of
49796-630: Was afterwards asked to provide instructors for other militia units and to the staff of the School of Musketry at Hythe, Kent . The regiment returned to England and was disembodied on 30 March 1859 and was disembodied on 30 March 1859 The regiment returned to a routine of annual training at Newark from 1860. Since 1852 no new militia colonels had been appointed, and after the death of Col Rolleston in 1862 Lt-Col Mellish became commanding officer. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war. British Army The British Army
50032-438: Was also carried out in 1777. With the threat of invasion from the Americans' allies, France and Spain, the militia was embodied for permanent duty on 31 March 1778. The regiment had been reduced to 320 men by the number of militiamen who had volunteered for the regular forces. The Earl of Lincoln died on 22 October 1778, and the Duke of Newcastle appointed his youngest son, Lord John Pelham-Clinton, to succeed him. Major Cartwright
50268-419: Was an early cavalry firearm). In the 16th Century little distinction was made between the militia and the troops levied by the counties for overseas expeditions, and between 1585 and 1601 Nottinghamshire supplied 737 levies for service in Ireland and 150 for France . However, the counties usually conscripted the unemployed and criminals rather than the Trained Bandsmen – in 1585 the Privy Council had ordered
50504-400: Was an intermittent conflict between the Habsburg Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of England that was never formally declared. It began with England's military expedition in 1585 to what was then the Spanish Netherlands under the command of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester , in support of the Dutch rebellion against Spanish Habsburg rule . In large-scale campaigns, the English repelled
50740-452: Was another led by Amyas Preston and George Somers known as the Preston Somers expedition to South America, notable for a daring overland assault that saw the capture of Caracas . Many of the expeditions were financed by famed London merchants, the most notable of these being John Watts . An expedition Watts financed to Portuguese Brazil led by James Lancaster saw the capture and plunder of Recife and Olinda – which
50976-461: Was appointed to the colonelcy. The Militia of the United Kingdom was revived by the Militia Act 1852 , enacted during a renewed period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the Militia Ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which
51212-422: Was besieged and captured instead. Soon afterwards the Ostend garrison finally surrendered, after a siege of nearly four years and costing thousands of lives; for the Spanish, it was a pyrrhic victory . Normandy added a new front in the war and the threat of another invasion attempt across the channel. In 1590, the Spanish landed a considerable force in Brittany to assist the French Catholic League , expelling
51448-401: Was broken up at the end of October. The regiment then wintered in 13 separate detachments in and around Braintree and Bocking, Essex . The quarters of the regiment were so dispersed that it received permission to give the men cash to buy food locally rather than attempt to supply them through a central contractor. The regiment then moved to Ely , with a detachment at Newmarket . By June 1795
51684-428: Was considered by Catholics as a usurpation of papal authority. Calls by leading English Protestants to support the Protestant Dutch rebels against Philip increased tensions further as did the Catholic-Protestant disturbances in France , which saw both sides supporting the opposing French factions. Complicating matters were commercial disputes. The activities of English sailors, begun by Sir John Hawkins in 1562, gained
51920-420: Was declared in 1951. Although the British Army was a major participant in Korea in the early 1950s and Suez in 1956, during this period Britain's role in world events was reduced and the army was downsized. The British Army of the Rhine , consisting of I (BR) Corps , remained in Germany as a bulwark against Soviet invasion. The Cold War continued, with significant technological advances in warfare, and
52156-445: Was furious on hearing of Grave's sudden loss and had van Hemert executed, which shocked the Dutch. The English force then had some successes, taking Axel in July and Doesburg the following month. Dudley's poor diplomacy with the Dutch, however, made matters worse. His political base weakened and so too did the military situation. Outside Zutphen an English force was defeated and notable poet Philip Sidney mortally wounded, which
52392-490: Was gathering more with an intent on a potential strike against England. In June 1602 Leveson defeated the Spanish which resulted in two galleys sunk and the capture of a rich Portuguese carrack. Months later in the English channel Spinola's fleet gathered more galleys and sailed through the English channel once more but was defeated again by an Anglo-Dutch naval squadron off the Dover straits. Spinola's remaining galleys eventually reached Sluis. The result of this action forced
52628-415: Was highly profitable for both. In response to English privateering against their merchantmen, the Spanish monarchy struck back with the Dunkirkers devastating English shipping and fishing in the largely undefended seas around England. By far the most successful English privateer was Christopher Newport , who was backed financially by Watts. Newport set out in 1590 to raid the Spanish West Indies and in
52864-409: Was legislation for the creation of a Parliamentary-funded army, commanded by Lord General Thomas Fairfax , which became known as the New Model Army (originally phrased "new-modelled Army"). While this proved to be a war-winning formula, the New Model Army, being organised and politically active, went on to dominate the politics of the Interregnum and by 1660 was widely disliked. The New Model Army
53100-413: Was never attempted however as disputes in the Dutch command meant that taking Spanish-occupied cities in the rest of the Republic took priority. Maurice's force thus withdrew leaving Vere to command Ostend in the face of an imminent Spanish siege. With the siege of Ostend underway, Maurice then went on the offensive on the Rhine frontier in the summer of 1600. Rheinberg and Meurs were thus retaken from
53336-409: Was opposed to the militia, and his Pelham family members were powerful in the county. There was also widespread anti-militia feeling in the county, with intimidation of parish constables, many of whose ballot lists were seized by rioters before they reached the lieutenancy meeting at Mansfield on 5 September 1757. A mob armed with clubs then invaded the meeting and destroyed the remaining lists. Many of
53572-432: Was paid off and disbanded at the later Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 with the accession of King Charles II . For many decades the alleged excesses of the New Model Army under the Protectorate / Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell were used as propaganda (and still feature in Irish folklore) and the Whig Party element recoiled from allowing a standing army to continue with the agreed-upon rights and privileges under
53808-454: Was passed over for the promotion. In the autumn of 1781 the regiment went into winter quarters, with detachments at Basingstoke, Andover, Hampshire , and nearby places. The following summer it was concentrated and camped on Brompton Common in Kent , where the principal duty was to mount guard over the stores and batteries of the Chatham Dockyard defences. Early in November 1782 it was ordered back to Nottinghamshire. Shortly after he had led
54044-399: Was posted to commanding points along the coast and reinforcing the town guard while the Invalids manned the town's guns. After approaching close to the batteries the French sheered away. While the regiment was stationed at Hull it practised musketry to good effect and gained the unofficial nickname 'Nottinghamshire Marksmen', which it used on recruiting advertisements for substitutes. During
54280-409: Was replaced by the talented Ambrogio Spinola . The siege dragged on for another two years as the Spanish attempted to take Ostend's strongpoints in a costly war of attrition . Around the same time Maurice continued his campaign, Grave was retaken but Vere was severely wounded during the siege. An attempt by the Dutch and English to relieve Ostend took place in mid-1604 but the inland of port of Sluis
54516-417: Was separated from the fleet after a storm and found himself heading toward the archipelago of Madeira , ultimately anchoring in Porto Santo where, the next day, seven more English vessels joined him. They took the island and resupplied themselves over the next two days. Unable to find the rest of the fleet, they set sail for England. Drake attempted to sail towards the Azores , but could not tack against
54752-402: Was signed between the nations on 28 August 1604, place at Somerset House in Westminster . The sieges of Ostend and Sluis were allowed to continue until the end of those respective campaigns. The treaty restored the status quo ante bellum ; the terms were favourable both to Spain and England. For Spain the treaty secured her position as a leading power in the world. Spain's upgrading of
54988-439: Was still opposition to the ballot in Nottinghamshire: in 1796 a radically inclined Friendly society held a meeting to consider either opposition to or infiltration of the new force. There were rumours of a 'Pistol Club', and some loyal citizens were terrorised by shots fired into their houses. Nevertheless, Nottinghamshire fulfilled its quota and the men were trained in the Hundreds from which they were recruited. In March 1798 half
55224-453: Was then ordered to be disembodied, marching to Newark to complete the process on 5 August 1814. The Royal Sherwood Foresters were not re-embodied during the short Waterloo campaign . After Waterloo there was another long peace. Although officers continued to be commissioned into the militia and ballots were still held, the regiments were rarely assembled for training. The permanent staff of the Royal Sherwood Foresters were charged with guarding
55460-400: Was then under the command of veteran Sir John Norreys . They combined forces but were undermanned and under-financed, and faced one of the most powerful armies in Europe led by the famed Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma . During the siege of Grave the following year, Dudley attempted its relief, but the Dutch garrison commander Hadewij van Hemert surrendered the town to the Spanish. Dudley
55696-430: Was thereby passed over for the lieutenant-colonelcy, but while the regiment was stationed at Hull in late 1778, he was asked by Col Manners-Sutton to compile a book of regimental standing orders. This book was published and afterwards adopted by a number of other regiments. On the evening of 11 November 1778 a group of French warships entered the Humber , threatening Hull. The Nottinghamshire Militia Beat to quarters and
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