The Hartford republican., 1915-02-26
REGIMENTS KNOWN
BY N|Ck.NAMES
Not Known By Official
Titles.
People Of Great Britain Name
Their Soldiers in Queer
Manner.
EEuI!IxTN


British regiments now battling in
France and Belgium are far better
known throughout Great Britain, and
to the world at large. by their nick
names than by their official titles.
Their official titles in many instances,
indeed. would convey nothing to the
average person.
Many people in many countries,
for instance, have heard of the
Black Watch; comparatively few
heard of the Forty-second Highland
ers; yet the names are of the same
regiment.
This famed body. the oldest Of all
Highland regiments. gets its nick
name from its tartan. When the
regiment was first formed it was used
chiefly to suppress sedition in Scot
land, to enforce the disarming act,
and to disperse unauthorized assem-
blies. A special tartan from which
all bright colors were eliminated was
designed for regimental use. and this
fact, together with the police nature
of the duties of early days. led to the
name Black Watch. On many fields,
in many parts of the world. have the
soldiers of the Black Watch upheld
the glory of this great reiment.
The Scot Greys. as famous in the
annals of calvalry as is the Black
Watch in infantry records. began
their career as the Royal North Brit
ish Dragons. In 1742 the regiment
was landed in the Low Countries. On
their Decentralization. the Stradthold-
er. seeing that they were without
mounts, ordered his own guards to
turn over their grey chargers to the
Scotchmen. And the Scots Greys.
with gray mounts. they have since
been, although they held the official
name of the Royal North British Dra-
goon down to the time of the Cri-
mean war.
"Coldstream Guards"
The Coldstream Guards, who also
have won laurels on scores of bat
tlefields. get their name from Cold
stream. in Berwickshire. In 1860
Gen. Monk marched to London to
aid in securing free Parliament and
the restoration of the Stuarts, bring
ing with him his own regiment of
infantry from Coldstream.
The regimental legend has it that
when the troops met Charles at
Blackhe cath the Monk regiment kept
some of the disaffected soldiers of
other. units from mutiny, and the
King. on learning whence the regi-
ment had come. addressed them as
my Coldstream Guards" The name
stuck.
Thin Red Line OF England.
"The Thin Red Line of England"
has long lived in song and story. the
name being applied generally to Brit
ish field forces. 1t is declared by ex-
perts. however. that the name prop
erly belongs to the Argyll and Suth-
erland Highlanders. in commemora-
ton of their remarkable repulse of
the flower of the Russian cavalry
at Balaclava. volley after volley of
rifle fire was poured by the slender
line of scarlet coats into the masses
of charging Russian horsemn, until
finally the attack was abandoned de-
spite the comparatively slight numer-
ical strength Of the British.
The "Fighting Fifteenth"
The Fighting Fifteenth" are the
Fifteenth Kings Hussars. They won
their title in 174s in Flanders
against the French revolutionary
troops. They were serving with the
Austrians. and in operations near
Landrecies they were ordered to res
cue the Emperor OF Austria, who had
been cut of from the main army.
| Two squadrons Of the Fifteenth.
with a few Austrian hussars. the
whole body not numbering more than
800 men. found themselves. through
mistake, facing an entire French
army corps. They attacked part of
the corps so fiercely that the French
thought themselves opposed by a
great force. The hussars rode through
the outposts, charged the artillery.
killed 1900 men. and took three
guns. The Emperor was rescued.
He later decorated the officers of the
regiment.
'sThe Die Hards."