 The 52nd began as a standard infantry line regiment in 1755, when Colonel Hedworth Lambton received papers to raise a new regiment, to be numbered as the 54th Foot. It was renumbered as the "52nd Regiment of Foot" in 1757, and was stationed in England and Ireland. (At the same time, the previous 52nd Foot was renamed the 50th Foot.) In 1765, the Regiment was posted to Canada. The regiment, under the command of Colonel John Clavering, departed Cork, Ireland aboard the transport Pitt, for Quebec. En route, the ship ran aground in dense fog in the Gulf of St Lawrence, near the coast of Nova Scotia; the wreck remained intact enough for all on board, including the soldiers' wives, to disembark safely, transferring their effects and regimental provisions to shore. General Murray, Governor of Quebec, sent a schooner to retrieve the personnel and belongings, and carry them to Quebec.
