104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers)

History

Early history

The regiment as first raised by the Honourable East India Company as the 2nd Bengal European Regiment when it was formed from the 1st Bengal European Regiment in 1765. It went to take part in an action at Rohilkhand in April 1774 during the First Rohilla War before being absorbed by the Marine Battalion in 1803. It was re-raised as the 2nd Bengal (European) Regiment in 1822 and took part in a deployment to Burma in 1825 before being disbanded in 1830.

The Victorian era

The regiment was re-raised as the 2nd Bengal (European) Light Infantry from a nucleus of 1st Bengal (European) Regiment in 1839.

During the cholera epidemic of 1869, the regiment left its barracks at Peshawar on the North West Frontier for the countryside, to try to alleviate the impact of the disease. After the regiment had returned to barracks with the end of the epidemic, the commanding officer's wife, Elizabeth Webber Harris, was presented with a gold replica Victoria Cross, by the officers of the regiment, for her tireless endeavours tending the sick men. The presentation had the approval of Queen Victoria and was made by General Sir Sam Browne, commander of the Peshawar garrison. The regiment embarked for England in 1871.

As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 104th was linked with the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers), and assigned to district no. 70 at Ballymullen Barracks in Tralee. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) to form the Royal Munster Fusiliers.

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were:

• Rohilla War: Rohilcund 1774 (inherited from predecessor regiment)
• Second Anglo-Sikh War: Chillianwallah, Goojerat, Punjaub
• Indian Mutiny: Delhi 1857

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were:

;2nd Bengal Fusiliers (HEIC)

• c.1859: Maj-Gen. Robert Blackall

;104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) (British Army)

• 1862–1863: F.M. Sir Patrick Grant, GCB, GCMG
• 1863–1867: Gen. Sir George Bell, KCB
• 1867–1874: Gen. George Dixon
• 1874–1881: F.M. Sir Frederick Paul Haines, GCB, GCSI, CIE

References

References

1. "104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers)". regiments.org.
2. "104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers): Locations". Regiments.org.
3. It saw action at the [[Battle of Chillianwala]] in January 1849 and the [[Battle of Gujrat]] in February 1849 in the [[Punjab Province (British India). (30 September 1862)
4. Ashcroft, Lord. (2015-03-18). "Only woman to win a Victoria Cross: Elizabeth Webber Harris saved soldiers with cholera". Express.co.uk.
5. "Training Depots". Regiments.org.