At the Battle of Alma, they were in reserve. They only briefly were under cannon fire. In late September, the regiment was sent to the south of Sevastopol. After that they moved south.
On 25 October, the Russians tried to take the port of Balaclava, used by the allies as the port of supply. They arrived late to the battle. When they arrived, the Russians were retiring.
On 5 November, the Russians attacked the allies with 42,000 men. The 68th had only 243 men. They started off being the only British regiment to wear red coats.
After seeing the Russians trying to outflank the Guards on Sandbag Battery, the 20th, part of the 46th and the 68th were sent against them. This made the Russians retreat to a valley below. The 68th followed the Russians too far, and were out of ammunition. On retiring along the valley, they found more Russians on a ridge above their right:
During this, the actions of Pte. John Byrne and Sgt. Daniel Dwyer returned to help the wounded. This led to Pte. John Byrne getting the Victoria Cross. The regiment reorganized, and got sent to 'The Barrier' for the rest of the battle.
The regiment stayed in the trenches for the siege of Sevastopol. The regiment had to fight the Russians from Sevastopol, on 12 January 1855.
By the end of February, the regiment had been rearmed with the new Enfield rifle. Another fight against approximately 2000 men took place on 11 May, with the help of the Rifle Brigade and the 46th Foot. A party of Russians succeeded in spiking a gun, but were driven back. In the Crimean War, there were 2 members of the 68th who were awarded with the Victoria Cross: Pte John Byrne and Captain Thomas de Courcy Hamilton.
The regiment stayed in the trenches. They were in reserve for the assault on the Redan on the 18 June and for the final attack on 8 September. They stayed in Crimea while an agreement was being made. In May 1856, they left for Corfu.
Two Victoria Crosses were granted. Nine more were applied for but not awarded. 15 D.C.M.s were given, seven awards of the French Legion of Honour, 13 of the Order of the Medjidie, six of the Sardinian Medal of Honour, and seven of the Médaille militaire. Nine officers and the men of the 68th received their Crimea Medal from Queen Victoria on 18 May 1855.
The regiment remained in Corfu until September 1857. Then they were shipped back to England. On 5 November, they were given new colours by the Duke of Cambridge. In December, it went to India to help suppress the Indian Mutiny. It arrived on 30 March 1858. On 1 November, the control of India passed from the East India Company to The Crown.
The regiment that had been resting in Burma was finally going to be returned to England in August 1863. However, the governor of New Zealand requested reinforcements to deal with hostilities with the Maoris. The regiment was shipped to New Zealand. They were there from October to November 1863.
Three ships arrived in Auckland in mid-January 1864. Immediately detachments were sent to Tauranga, Rangarir and Maketu.
In April, the Maoris returned and began to occupy Pas in the area, including two on the peninsula of Tauranga Harbour. The 68th who were concentrated in Auckland were sent to Tauranga, with several other detachments. Two redoubts were built, one by the 68th and another by the 43rd Regiment of Foot. The commanding officer, Major-General Cameron, wanted to destroy the Maori Pas as quickly as possible. On the evening of April 28, around 720 men of the 68th crossed the river to the rear of the Maori line. At around 4 in the evening, over 300 men of the 43rd Regiment and the Naval brigade charged the Maoris and routed them by around 5 o'clock. The 68th had set up a protective cordon to capture many of the enemy, but they did not have enough men to stop the Maoris from retreating completely and they escaped.
For six weeks, the 68th remained in the area of Te Papa, to make sure pās was not set up. On 21 June, the patrol of about 600 men from the 68th, 43rd, a local Regiment and the 1st Waikato Militia, led by LT. Colonel Greer from the 68th, found a similar sized patrol in some rifle pits. Greer sent for reinforcement. They came two hours later, then assaulted the rifle pit. Sgt. Murrey was awarded the Victoria Cross.
The 68th stayed in Te Papa until February 1864. Then they were sent to Wanganui. Distrust was growing between the Army and the local militias over the colonists taking more land. They went to Auckland in February 1866. They left New Zealand in March. They reached Portsmouth between mid June and early July.
The 68th had 3 members who were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award available in the British Military.
The people who were awarded the VC were:
Simi
Simisola Bolatito Ogunleye (born ), also known as Simi, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter best known for her hit singles "Tiff" and "Jamb Question". She is signed to X3M Music since 2014
Simi was born in Surulere, Lagos State. She graduated from Covenant University where she majored in Mass Communication.
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In 2014, Simi released an EP tited "Restless", a 5-track cover of popular international songs which earned her a record deal with X3M Music in April 2014.
Durham Light Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry was a light Infantry regiment in the British Army from 1881-1968. It started in 1881 after the merger of the 68th and 106th.
It was formed in 1881 by a joining of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and the 106th Regiment Of Foot (Bombay Light Infantry) along with the Militia and Volunteers of Durham county.
They served notably in the Second Boer War, World War 1, World War II, the Korean War, and the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation.
In 1968 the regiment was merged with the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry, King's own Yorkshire Light Infantry and the King's Shropshire Light Infantry to form The Light Infantry. The Light Infantry joined with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment and the Royal Green Jackets to form The Rifles.
The Durham Light Infantry had 8 of its members to be awarded with the Victoria Cross, the highest award available in the British military.
In November 1915 Pte. Thomas Kenny of the 13th Battalion was awarded with a VC
In October 1916 Lieutenant Colonel Roland Bradford of the 9th Battalion was awarded with a VC
In May 1917 Pte Michael Heaviside of the 15th Battalion was awarded with a VC
In July 1917 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Youens of 13th Battalion was awarded with a VC
In December 1917 Captain Arthur Moore Lascelles of the 14th Battalion was awarded with a VC
In March 1918 Pte Thomas Young of the 9th Battalion was awarded with a VC
In May 1940 2nd Lieutenant Richard Annand of the 2nd Battalion was awarded with a VC
in June 1942 Pte Adam Herbert Wakenshaw of the 9th Battalion was awarded with a VC
Josh Robert Thompson
Josh Robert Thompson is an American Voice actor, Comedian, Puppeteer, and Actor. He currently works on Family Guy. He is probably best known for voicing and being the puppeteer of Geoff Peterson on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Thompson is known for his celebrity impressions, including Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Matthew McConaughey.
Thompson grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, "raised by classic television." He would watch as actors became different characters and began to mimic them. At age eight, his grandmother bought him a Fisher-Price tape recorder that he used to create radio-style "shows", voicing the host and the guests. The following year, he performed on stage in "Peter Pan" at the Cleveland Play House.