Complex sentence: The regiment was first raised in 1694 by Colonel Sir John Gibson, the Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth, as Sir John Gibson's Regiment of Foot and was posted to Newfoundland to protect the colony there, losing many of its men to the extreme cold.
Split into simpler sentences: The regiment was first raised by Colonel Sir John Gibson, who had served as the Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth, as Sir John Gibson's Regiment of Foot in 1694. It was posted to Newfoundland to protect the colony there, losing many of its men to the extreme cold.