Royal Munster Fusiliers History (Continued 2)

In 1774 they were engaged in �Rouhilcund,� and on St. George�s Day defeated the Rohillas at Kutra. In this action Sergeant Littelus Burrell of the Regiment greatly distinguished himself; he was afterwards promoted in 1779, and ultimately reached the rank of Major General, and was one of the most distinguished officers in the Company�s Army.

On the outbreak of war in the �Carnatic� in 1780, the Regiment again took the field, and served under Sir Eyre Coote in all the principal actions of the three years campaign, including the battle of �Sholinghur, 27th September 1781. They were again engaged in �Rohilcund� in 1794. In the Mahratta War the Regiment took part in the battle of �Deig� on 13th November 1804 and the subsequent siege and capture of that fortress on the following 24th December.

Then in 1805, they marched with Lake to �Bhurtpore,� where they suffered heavily in the four unsuccessful assaults, in one of which on the night of 21st-22nd January, in an attempt by the advanced party to swim the ditch, the gallantry of Sergeant Allen of the Grenadier Company, should ever be remembered with pride by the Regiment. It was during this siege, on an occasion when the Commander-in Chief was inspecting their work in the trenches, that they had not found time to change their shirts for weeks, to which General Lake replied that their dirty shirts were an honor to them: and his Excellency frequently addressed the Regiment as his own �Dirty Shirts� a name which had been cherished with pride by the Regiment ever since. They were again at Bhurtpore, at the final assault, on 18th January 1826, where the cool courage of two of the officers, Captain Davision and Lieutenant George Warren, who led the storm of the Jungeena Gate, was beyond all praise. The Regiment lost one officer, 10 rank and file, killed; and 2 officers 40 rank and file wounded.                           More>>