1809-73rd Regiment of Foot
- Governor Macquarie - MacLeod's Highlanders - Lt-Col M.C. O'Connell - Port Jackson - Sydney - Van Diemen's Land - Norfolk Island - Newcastle, South Head - Old South Head Road -
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The 73rd Regiment of Foot also known as MacLeod's Highlanders after its founder Lord MacLeod , was an infantry regiment of the British Army
The 1st Battalion of the 73rd Foot, under the command of Lt-Col M.C. O'Connell, embarked on 8th May, 1809, at Yarmouth for service in, New South Wales, and anchored in Port Jackson on 28th December, 1809. They came with Governor Macquarie, their former commanding officer.
The battalion landed in Sydney on 1st January, 1810, and detachments were sent in the course of three months to Van Diemen's Land, Norfolk Island and Newcastle. While out here it was reinforced by volunteers from the old N.S.W. Corps, and in 1812 its establishment was raised to 1200 rank and file.
The officers of the 73rd were apparently, keen race-goers, for in October, 1810, they combined with some of the citizens and arranged Sydney's first race meeting, the track being where Hyde Park now is. A three-day meeting was held in the following year and the officers of the 73rd were successful in training the winners of some of the more important races.
The 73rd carried out many important tasks that were of considerable benefit to citizens and our defenses. For example, early in 1811 a party from the 73rd was detailed to build a road from the Hamlet of Sydney to South Head, and completed the task in ten weeks. This thoroughfare, now known as Old South Head Road, considerably helped in the development of the Eastern Suburbs.
In 1814 the 73rd sailed from Sydney (24 Jan., 24 Mar., 5 Apr) and commenced service at Colombo. Before it left Sydney, Governor Macquarie issued a General Order expressing appreciation of "the zealous and laborious exertion of the soldiers of the Seventy-Third". The 73rd afterwards played an important part in the Battle of Waterloo.
In 1809 the regiment raised a second battalion and lost its Highland status due to recruiting difficulties, becoming the 73rd Regiment of Foot. The 1st Battalion embarked at Yarmouth for a seven month journey to New South Wales, where in 1810 they received a draft of men from the 102nd Regiment of Foot.
The battalion left Australia in 1814 for Ceylon under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Giels, where it took part in the 2nd Kandyan War. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1817 and its remaining soldiers sent out to the 1st. In that year the battalion took part in suppressing the Uva Rebellion, losing 412 out of approximately 1,000 men.
Additional History
The first time the regiment was raised was in 1756 formed by the redesignation of the 2nd Battalion, 34th Regiment of Foot. It had a short service mainly in Ireland before being disbanded in 1763 when it became a Regiment of Invalids and finally disbanded in 1769.
The second is as the 1st Battalion 73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot (MacLeod's Highlanders) which was raised in 1777 in Scotland. A second battalion was raised in 1778. The regiment served in Gambia in West Africa in 1779 and in the Second Anglo-Mysore War from 1780 where they served alongside the 2nd/43rd Highlanders who would become the future 73rd Foot. In 1786 the MacLeod's Highlanders became the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot (MacLeod's Highlanders) which would eventually become the Highland Light Infantry .
In 1809 the 2nd/73rd Foot was raised in Nottingham from local militia companies. It remained in England until 1813 when it was shipped to Sweden , Germany and The Netherlands for a series of minor actions.
In 1814 the battalion found itself in Flanders and in 1815 part of Wellington's Army in Belgium. The 2nd/73rd Foot fought in the Battle of Quatre Bras two days before Waterloo. They lost 53 men killed and wounded.
At the Battle of Waterloo itself, the regiment was charged by French Cavalry no less than 11 times during the battle and bombarded by French artillery. It remained in square without breaking. After Waterloo the battalion was part of the Army of Occupation in Paris before moving back to England. The 2nd Battalion disbanded in 1817 sending 300 men to the 1st Battalion in Trincomalee .
In 1846, the 73rd Highlanders sailed for Argentina and then on to the Cape Colony to take part in the Xhosa Wars.
In 1857 the regiment took part in the putting down of the Sepoy Rebellion seeing some action in Central India. Over the next few years the regiment served in Hong Kong , back to India, and Ceylon.
In 1862 they received a new title becoming the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot.
In 1881 during Childers Reforms it was announced that it would be returning to the regiment they originated from 95 years earlier, and so the 73rd Highlanders became the 2nd Battalion , Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)