And the principle battles in which British forces participated.
In March 1854, fearful of their expansionist policies, the British government declared war on Russia and raised an expeditionary force of some 26,000 men, the so named Army of the East, which in June was landed at Varna on the west coast of the Black Sea.
This initial force was soon devastated by disease, and thenceforth was reinforced with replacements and fresh units from the UK and other garrisons. The list below describes all of the British Army units involved in the Crimean War.
Letters following the names of units indicate battles at which they were present, thus: (A) Alma-20 Sep54 : (B) Balaclava-25 Oct 54 : (L) Little Inkerman-26 Oct 54 : (I) Inkerman-5 Nov 54 : (S) Sevastopol-(bombardments 17 Oct 54-11 Sep 55) : (E) Eupatoria-17 Feb 55 : (GR) Great Redan (Sevastopol)-18 June & 11 Sep 55 : (M) Malakoff (Sevastopol)-8 Sep 55.
Letters preceded by an asterisk, (e.g. *A, *B, *E, *I), denote that a unit was in direct action at that battle. Note: in addition, all units were present and saw general action at the Siege of Sevastopol over the subsequent eleven month period.
Cavalry Division
- 1st (The King’s) Dragoon Guards
- 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards *B
- 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) Dragoon Guards *B
- 6th Regiment of Dragoon Guards (The Carabiniers)
- 1st (Royal) Dragoons *B
- 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) *B
- 6th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons *B
- 4th (The Queen’s Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons *B
- 8th (The King’s Royal Irish) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars) *B
- 10th (Prince of Wales’s Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars) *E
- 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars *B
- 12th (The Prince of Wales’s) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers) [1856]
- 13th Regiment of Light Dragoons *B
- 17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Lancers) *B
First Division
(Including the Guards Brigade)
- Grenadier Guards 3rd Battalion *A, *I
- Coldstream Guards 1st Battalion *A, *I
- Scots Fusilier Guards 1st Battalion *A, *I
- 9th (The East Norfolk) Foot
- 13th (1st Somersetshire) Foot
- 31st (Huntingdonshire) Foot
- 56th (West Essex) Foot
Second Division
- 3rd (Kent) Regiment of Foot, “The Buffs” *GR
- 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 47th (The Lancashire) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) (or the Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 62nd (The Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot *GR
- 82nd (The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers) Regiment of Foot
- 95th (The Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot *A, *I
Third Division
- 4th or the King’s Own Regiment of Foot *A, *I
- 14th (Buckinghamshire – The Prince of Wales Own) Regiment of Foot
- 18th (The Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot
- 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot *A
- 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot *A, *I
- 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot
- 44th (the East Essex) Regiment of Foot *A, *I
- 50th (Queen’s Own) Regiment of Foot *A, *I
- 89th Regiment of Foot
Fourth Division
- 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot *GR
- 20th (the East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot *A, *I
- 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 46th Regiment of Foot *A
- 48th (The Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot
- 57th (the West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot *I
- 63rd (the West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot *I
- 68th (Durham Light Infantry) Regiment of foot *A, *I
- Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own) [2nd Battalion] *A, *GR
Highland Division
- 1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots) *A, *I
- 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot *A, B
- 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry)
- 72nd Regiment of Foot, or 78th Highlanders (Duke of Albany’s Own)
- 79th Regiment of Foot (Cameron Highlanders) *A
- 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
- 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot *A, B
Light Division
- 4th (The King’s Own) Regiment of Foot *I
- 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers) *A, *I, *GR
- 19th (1st North Riding of Yorkshire) Regiment of Foot *A, *I
- 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fuzileers) *A, *I, *GR
- 33rd (The Duke of Wellington’s) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot, *GR
- 77th (the East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot *A, *I, *GR
- 88th Regiment of Foot (Connaught Rangers) *A, *I
- 90th Regiment of Foot (Perthshire Volunteers) (Light Infantry) *GR
- 97th (The Earl of Ulster’s) Regiment of Foot *GR
- Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own) [1st Battalion ?] *A, *GR ?
Board of Ordnance
Batteries of the Royal Artillery were assigned to the various infantry divisions.
- Royal Artillery *A, *I, B, S
- Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) B-Troop *B,
- Royal Engineers S
- Royal Sappers and Miners S
Royal Marine Brigade :
A total muster of 1,216 officers and men were landed from 15 Royal Navy ships in September and the beginning of October, 1854. Their role was to aid in the defense of the heights above Balaklava. A further 831 were subsequently landed at different periods to make-up the numbers lost due to disease. *B, *I
Royal Naval Brigade