68th ( Durham ) Regiment of Foot ( Light Infantry ) The 68th ( Durham ) Regiment of Foot ( Light Infantry ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army , formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Durham Light Infantry in 1881 . It saw action during the Seven Years ' War before being converted to Light Infantry in 1808 , fighting with distinction in the Peninsular Army under Arthur Wellesley . It would go on to fight with some distinction during the Crimean War , was present during the Indian Mutiny and the Maori Rebellion before returning to India between 1872 and 1888 . It would become one of the battalions of the Durham Light Infantry in 1881 , the other being the 106th Bombay Light Infantry . Formation and the Seven Years ' War . The regiment was raised by the redesignation of the 2nd Battalion , 23rd Regiment of Foot on 22 April 1758 , ranked as the 68th Regiment of Foot ; it was considered the successor to a previous 68th Foot raised in 1745 and disbanded the following year by John Russell , 4th Duke of Bedford . It was placed under the command of Colonel John Lambton and in May 1758 was stationed on the Isle of Wight during the Seven Years ' War . The Regiment was part of the 14 , 000 - strong army stationed on the island at the request of Britain ' s ally Frederick the Great of Prussia . This action consisted of descents upon the French coast to disturb privateers in the area , distract the French army and relieve pressure on Britain ' s allies , the Prussians . The first expedition anchored at Cancale Bay , near St Malo , and after pillaging that village and an attempt at taking Cherbourg returned on 1 July . A second expedition involving the 68th on the French Coast would be embarked on 23 July , disembarking on 7 August in the Bay of Ureville and marched for Cherbourg . The town was taken with little resistance and the fort and harbour were demolished ; after a few minor skirmishes the 68th sailed for England on 16 August . A third and final expedition was launched in succession ; the 68th landed at Lunaire Bay on 3 September , but suffered severe defeat after a concentrated French army engaged the British army at St . Cast . The Governor of Brittany , the Duc d ’ Aiguillon , led a force of 6 , 000 regulars , several squadrons of cavalry , the “ Garde de Cote ” and militia against the British , who fought a rearguard action while evacuating the beach . The British casualties were between 600 and 700 officers and men , with between 300 and 400 taken prisoner by the French . The 68th itself lost 73 men from Captain Revell ’ s Grenadiers company who formed part of the rear guard force left on the beach . The 68th disembarked at Cowes on 19 September , and proceeded to its former camping ground at King ’ s Forest . In October , the regiment went into winter quarters at Rochester . With losses in expeditions and providing a draft of 173 men to the 61st regiment , it was very weak indeed and recruiting parties scoured the country to refill its ranks . On 23 March 1759 , the regiment marched from its winter quarters at Rochester to Southampton where it remained until 2 June , when it embarked on three transports for Jersey . It arrived on 21 June and remained there until February 1760 when it returned to England . In March 1760 around 600 men of the regiment were drafted to make up the British Regiment in the West Indies . The regiment marched to Leeds , receiving orders on 10 May to march to Newcastle and billet at Tynemouth Barracks . At this point , it mustered 9 companies consisting of 41 officers and 239 men only . There the 68th would remain through 1761 , with detachments sent to Durham to aid Civil power and providing drafts to fill up other regiments . In May , the regiment was based at Hexham with its headquarters at Morpeth . It mustered a strength of 42 officers and 289 men . In January 1762 , the 68th had grown to 415 men and was ordered to march to Berwick , where it transferred to the command of Lord George Beauclerk , commanding in Scotland or North Britain as it was referred to since the 1745 rebellion . It was quartered at the newly built Fort George and remained throughout 1762 through to 1763 and the end of the war . 1764 - 1806 . In 1764 and following years , it was on active service in the West Indies engaged in the capture on one or other of those islands from the French or Spaniards . Between 1764 and 1806 the regiment endured 4 postings to the West Indies where the battalion earned a high reputation and was granted the motto " Faithful " for its conduct in the campaign against the natives of St . Vincent . In 1779 , the regiment was in the news when one of its former officers , James Hackman , was hanged for the notorious murder of Martha Ray , mistress of the Earl of Sandwich . The 68th Light Infantry and the Peninsular War . In September 1808 the 68th - 436 rank and file - were ordered to convert to Light Infantry , after the fashion of the 43rd and 52nd . Marched to Brabourne Lees , Ashford , Kent to train with the 85th under the master of light infantry training , Lt . Col . Franz Von Rothenburg . Salamanca . In 1811 the 68th went to Spain to share the fame of Wellington ' s army in The Peninsula , joining the newly formed 7th Division ( The ' Mongrels ' ) . After being present at the sieges of Badajoz and Cuidad Rodrigo the battalion advanced on Salamanca in June 1812 . It took part in a vicious street - fight with the French at Moriscos is described byPrivate John Green . One Lt . Mackay received 22 bayonet wounds and survived . On July 22 7 Division was attacked by Foy ' s Division from Marmont ' s Army . The 68th and 2nd Cacadores were ordered - out to repel the French Voltigeures . Early in the afternoon the 68th were relieved by the 95th . By 4 o ' clock it was back with the 1st Brigade of the 7th Division ; under the command of Bernewitz , when Wellington came to the front , pulled off his hat and they advanced against then broke three French Divisions . Darkness brought the fighting to an end . The French suffered an overwhelming defeat where their losses of killed , wounded and taken prisoner totalled 20 , 000 , compared with British losses of slightly over 5 , 000 . In August the 51st and the 68th were the first Regiments to march into Madrid , to great excitement . One the 13th August they assaulted a defended Fort , The Buen Retiro . Vittoria . The battalion took a significant part in the splendid victory of Vitroria on 21 June 1813 , when within a few hours a French army of 70 , 000 men was irretrievably beaten , and Joseph Bonaparte , whom Napoleon had made King of Spain , was forced to flee . Pyrenees . In July 1813 the British advance continued into the Pyrenees , pushing onward and upward . On 30 July , above Ostiz , ' attacked 2 battalions of Clausel ' s flank guard , driving them by bayonet down into the valley ' . It took over a month of constant fighting in terrible conditions to push the French back over the Pyrenees . In November Wellington attacked the formidable position taken up by Marshal Soult on the Nivelle , and the skilful tactics of the English commander , combined with the determined bravery of our troops captured , in 24 hours , the position which the French Marshal had been three months fortifying . Col . Inglis wrote ' The 68th made the attack with its usual vivacity ! ' The Regiment numbered only 197 men . Orthez . With the same spirit the battalion fought at Orthez . The 1st Brigade , including the 68th charged where the 4th Division had been stopped earlier and carried the position . One Brigade of approximately 1000 men had defeated a whole French Division . Orthes was the last action of the 68th in the Peninsular War , since while at the capture of Bordeaux the abdication of Napoleon brought an end to the Peninsular War for the 68th .