Historical Record of the 2nd (now 80th), or Royal Tyrone Fusilier Regiment of Militia, from the Embodiment in 1793 to the Present Time (1872)

This is an account of an Irish Mlitia regiment embodied in 1793 in the county of Tyrone and to be known as the ‘2nd, or Royal Tyrone Regiment of Militia,’ a title it held till 1855. The Regimental HQ was in Strabane, the CO was The Marquis of Abercorn and the nominal roll of the 28 officers (including the Chaplain) is given. The ‘here-today-gone-tomorrow’ aspect of the Militia is reflected in the fortunes of the Royal Tyrones. It was disembodied in 1802, reformed eight months later in 1803, disembodied again in 1816 (the threat posed by Napoleon had vanished), and was re-embodied once more in 1855, disembodied in 1856, re-embodied in 1857, disembodied in 1858 at which point I have become as confused as I imagine the officers and men must have been. But this account does give a good feel for soldiering with the militia: terms of service, dress, equipment, pay, bounties, parades, recruitment into the regular army, regular commissions for officers and splendid examples of correspondence and written orders. There are frequent lists of officers present for duty, in fact at each embodiment and disembodiment as well as regimental strength figures. I nearly forgot: the regiment received its Fusilier title in April 1855 becoming the Royal Tyrone Fusilier Regiment of Militia.