HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE FIFTY-SECOND REGIMENT (OXFORDSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY) FROM THE YEAR 1755 TO THE YEAR 1858

The Oxfordshire Light Infantry was one of a number of infantry regiments raised on the eve of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and initially numbered 54th Foot; two years later, in 1757, it was renumbered 52nd. In 1782 the line regiments were given territorial affiliations and the 52nd became the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regt of Foot. In 1803 it was designated Light Infantry and its title changed accordingly to that shown in the title of this history. During the hundred years or so covered in this historical record the regiment served in Canada, America, India (before and during the Mutiny), Ceylon, the Peninsula, France and the Netherlands. The first ten years were spent in England and Ireland till, in 1765 the regiment sailed for Canada. It took part in the American War of Independence in which it suffered considerable casualties and finally returned to England at the end of 1778.There followed a spell of fifteen years in India during which it was involved in the Mysore War against Tippoo Sahib. From 1808 to 1814 the regiment was heavily engaged in the Peninsular War, of the twenty-three battle honours awarded during that campaign the Oxfordshires received thirteen and their losses amounted to 1,629 according to the casualty tables shown in the book. It was at Waterloo where it distinguished itself in its flank attack against the advancing Imperial Guard (The Old Guard) as it closed with the British Guards Brigade.The record closes with the return of the regiment from a second spell in India during which it was in action during the Indian Mutiny.
This book is set out on a year-by-year basis; there are no chapters, just date headings starting from 1755 with the narrative describing all the events involving the regiment in that year. Some are very short, as, for example 1781: “The 52nd Regiment, in 1781, was encamped at Rye.” Other years, such as the years of the Peninsular War, are full of detail, running into many pages and include correspondence, divisional orders, extracts from despatches and so forth. Casualty details. appear in the text, officers named and sometimes non-commissioned ranks. An appendix provides biographical notes on a number of officers and on a few non-commissioned officers, indicating where they are mentioned in the text, as in an index. Unfortunately there is no separate index, and as there is no contents list or chapter headings it is not always easy to find a particular action or event – unless you already know the date.