62nd ( Wiltshire ) Regiment of Foot The 62nd ( Wiltshire ) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army , which was raised as a line regiment in 1756 and saw service through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries . As part of the Haldane Reforms , it was amalgamated with the 99th Duke of Edinburgh ' s ( Lanarkshire ) Regiment of Foot in 1881 , to form the Wiltshire Regiment . Although originally formed as a line regiment , the 62nd as a regiment was employed , at times , in a light infantry role . This was not the first 62nd Regiment of the British Army . The first unit of the British Army to be the 62nd Regiment was renumbered as the 60th Regiment in 1757 , and became better known as the King ' s Royal Rifle Corps . The second unit to be designated as the 62nd Regiment was also renumbered in 1757 . This second regiment would become the 78th Fraser Highlanders . During its existence , the 62nd Regiment would earn six battle honours : Louisburg , Nive , Ferozeshah , Sobaron , and Sevastopol . The regiment ' s slow march was " May Blossoms " and its quick march was " The Vly be on Turmit " . 1756 – 1758 : Formation , Louisbourg , and Carrickfergus . The 62nd Regiment was formed on 20 September 1756 as the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Regiment of Foot , and renumbered as a separate regiment in 1758 . The regiment ' s first action came during the Seven Years ' War . Because of a lack of available marine units , four companies of the 62nd was assigned to Admiral Boscawen ' s fleet as marines . As marines , they took part in the Siege of Louisbourg . Following the capture of Louisbourg , the 62nd Regiment participated in Wolfe ' s campaign to capture attack on Quebec . The regiment made a diversionary landing at Beauport as a diversion from the main landings . Although the siege of Louisbourg was the first battle of the 62nd , it would be more than a century before the War Office recognized the part they played . For decades , commanders of the regiment would petitioner the War Office for the Louisbourg honour , which had been granted to the other eleven regiments present during the siege . However , the War Office continually refused , stating that there was no record of the 62nd being present . This was true because the records which showed they were present were not held in the War Office . By acting as marines , they had been on the Royal Navy ' s books and thus the records verifying their part in the battle were with the Admiralty . The 62nd finally received the Louisbourg honour in 1910 . The rest of the regiment was assigned to Ireland and eventually assigned as the garrisoned for Castle Carrickfergus . On 23 February 1760 , a French force of approximately 600 men conducted an amphibious assault and laid siege to the castle . The castle ' s defences were in a state of disrepair , including a 50 foot breach in the wall . Under the command of Lieutenant - Colonel John Jennings , the four under - strength companies , approximately 200 men in all , withstood three assaults on the castle . In addition to being outnumbered , the garrison was short of ammunition , having to melt down their buttons to make bullets . By the time the French made their third attack , the defenders had expended all their ammunition and were left with rocks and bayonets . After the third attempt was beaten back , Colonel Jennings was forced to seek terms . After meeting with the French commander , Jennings and his men were allowed to surrender the castle , give their parole , retain their arms and colours . The French , in return , promised not to plunder the town of Carrickfergus . Although the 62nd surrendered the castle , the François Thurot French squadron which had landed the force was destroyed by the Royal Navy in an action near the Mull of Galloway . An investigation of the defence of Carrickfergus proclaimed that the men " behav ' d like Lyons " . The Irish Parliament voted a thanks to the Regiment and Carrickfergus presented the officers with silver cups . In 1761 , part of the regiment was sent to Germany to join the British forces serving on the continent . In 1763 , the regiment was reunited and deployed the West Indies where it would remain until it was sent to Canada join General Howe ' s forces . 1776 – 1783 : North America . The 62nd Foot returned to North America in 1776 , under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Anstruther . Anstruther would command the regiment from 1773 until retirement in 1782 . Initially dispatched to Canada , the 62nd took part in the campaign to expel the colonial forces from Canada . The regiment ' s flank companies would be detached and take part in the Battle of Trois - Rivières . The regiment ' s companies were reunited to support the British drive to clear the colonials from the rest of Canada , including the Battle of Valcour Island . Following its participation in the Canadian Campaign of 1776 , the 62nd Foot was assigned to serve with Major - General John Burgoyne ' s command . The 62nd Foot served under Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga . The regiment was brigaded with the 9th , 20th , and 21st regiments under the command of Major - General James Inglis Hamilton . With the rest of Bugoyne ' s command , the 62nd was surrendered along with the rest of the force . Most of the 62nd Foot remained imprisoned until 1781 when it was repatriated to England . After repatriation , the 62nd was sent to the West Indies , eventually becoming part of the garrison on the island of Jamaica in 1797 . In 1782 , now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Campbell , the 62nd Foot was given , for the first time , the county title " Wiltshire " . 1793 – 1815 : service during the Napoleonic Wars . The start of the French Revolution found the regiment still garrisoning islands in the West Indies . In 1795 , the 62nd was transferred to Jamaica to act as the islands garrison . The 62nd spent the majority of 1796 fighting in what is now Haiti as part of the British expedition there . As with the rest of the British expedition , the regiment suffered heavily from yellow fever . After transferring men out to other unit , the cadre was returned by ship to England in 1797 . In 1799 , the 62nd Foot was expanded into a two battalion regiment . However , with the peace of Amiens in 1802 , the 2nd battalion was disbanded . When hostilities resumed , a second battalion was once again raised in 1804 . Initially , the second battalion was raised for limited service , however the rank and file would eventually volunteer additional . In 1808 , the 2nd / 62nd was assigned to garrison the isle of Jersey . The 1st / 62nd having been dispatched to Sicily . In 1809 , the 1st / 62nd Foot was transferred to Sicily to aid in the British defence of the island . The regiment participated in a raid under General Stuart resulting in the destruction of the magazines at Ischia and Procida . In 1811 , elements of the 1st / 62nd participated in another raid on the Italian mainland . Three companies were landed at Palinure . For three days , they engaged a French force of approximately 1000 , and in the process destroyed three batteries and captured a French convoy . Detachments of the 1st / 62nd were used on gunboat duty operating out of Messina . These army crewed gunboats managed to capturing a French privateer and retaking two of her prizes . In 1812 , the 1st / 62nd was transferred to eastern Spain to support Wellington ' s forces on the Peninsula . The 2nd / 62nd , along with the 2nd / 47th and 84th Regiments of Foot , was attached Major - General Lord Aylmer ' s independent brigade during Wellington ' s offensive across the Pyrenees beginning in 1813 . The 2nd / 62nd then moved on in preparation for the investment of Bayonne when the war ended . The 2nd / 62nd was then sent to Ireland after a brief period of occupation duties in France . In 1814 , after spending time in Spain , 1st / 62nd was assigned again to an expedition to Italy . The battalion landed at Leghorn before marching on Genoa . Like many other units of the British Army , upon Napoleon ' s abdication , the 1st / 62nd was ordered to North America to fight against the United States . After arriving in Halifax , Nova Scotia , the regiment moved south . Neither battalions of the regiment were present at Waterloo . The 1st / 62nd would be sent to the West Indies , while the 2nd / 62 would be sent to France for occupation duties after the conclusion of the Hundred Days . In 1816 the 2nd battalion was disbanded and its officers put on half - pay . Following the Napoleonic Wars , the 62nd would be returned to Halifax , Nova Scotia . It would remain there until 1823 when it was rotated to Ireland . The regiment would remain in Ireland until 1830 . 1830 – 1847 : service with The East India Company and the Battle of Ferozeshah . In 1830 , the 62nd Foot was deployed to India . Arriving in September 1830 , the 62nd Foot was initially garrisoned Bangalore . After two relatively quiet years in India , the 62nd Foot participated in putting down the abortive Bangalore Mutiny . The next twelve years passed relatively quietly for the regiment . At the end of 1844 , the 62nd Foot was ordered to Ferozepore . There they joined the British East India Company forces gathering there . From March until December 1845 , the 62nd Foot garrisoned the area as tensions between British - controlled India and Sikhs escalated . In December 1845 , hostilities began . On 21 – 22 December 1845 , the 62nd Foot fought in the Battle of Ferozeshah . There the British - Company forces , under the command of General Gough , were successful in a hard fought battle where the 62nd Foot suffered heavy casualties , including 18 out of 23 officers and 281 out of 560 other ranks . The regiment had been part of an attack on the strongest part of the Sikh lines . However , they were unable to carry the position at bayonet point and were forced to retreat with the rest of their division . By the end of the first day of battle , no officers were left to take charge of the regiment . Command of the regiment devolved to its sergeants and non - commissioned officers . In honor of their leadership , 21 December became a regimental anniversary . Ironically , although the honor for Ferozeshah would be considered one of the regiment ' s crowning moments , it did not come without controversy . In his report of the battle , the 62nd ' s division commander reported that the regiment was " panic - struck " during the fighting and that was the cause of its losses . This was contradicted by the commanding general , Gough ' s report . In end , Gough ' s version was supported by Parliament , Duke of Wellington , and Horse Guards . The regiment , although diminished by its losses at Ferozeshah , also fought at the Sobaron . There they served in Dick ' s Division , participating in the main bayonet assault against the Sikh defences once Gough ' s forces ran out of artillery ammunition . Despite the regiment ' s exploits at Ferozeshah and Sobaron being among the regiment ' s proudest honors , the campaign was also the sight of one its greatest embarrassments . On two separate occasions , the regiment lost its colors . At first , they were lost when the boat carrying them sank in the Ganges . The second time , after they were recovered , they burned when the same boat caught fire . The regiment remained in India for another two years . In that time , the 62nd was cycled through various stations in India , in addition to performing ceremonial duties for visiting dignitaries . In 1847 , the regiment returned to England before being sent to Ireland . 1848 – 1856 : Ireland and Crimean War service . For the next few years served in Ireland , assigned to the garrison at Fermoy . In January 1854 , with war brewing in the Black Sea , the regiment was put on notice for service in Crimea . The 62nd Foot would see action in the Crimean War as part of the Second Division . The regiment participated in the Siege of Sevastopol . On 8 September 1855 , the 62nd Foot was among the battalions which took part in the failed assault of the Redan bastion . Once again , the 62nd Foot suffered heavy casualties , including half of its officers and senior non - commissioned officers . 1856 – 1881 : Canada , Ireland , India , Aden and Amalgamation . Following the Crimean War , the 62nd once again returned to Canada . They would remain in Canada there until 1865 when they were rotated through Aldershot . A year later , the 62nd would be back in Ireland . 1867 would see the 62nd engage Fenians in an action at Kilmallock defending the police barracks on 6 March 1867 . Two years later , the regiment would once again find itself in India , and in July 1879 was in transit in the Punjab . . In 1880 , the 62nd was transferred to Aden . While in Aden , as part of the Childers Reforms , the regiment was amalgamated with 99th Duke of Edinburgh ' s ( Lanarkshire ) Regiment of Foot . The new regiment would be known as The Duke of Edinburgh ' s ( Wiltshire Regiment ) .