Harry Payne series. Victorian period military uniform prints of the Fusilier regiments of the British Army by Harry Payne. Great value military uniform prints published by Cranston Fine Arts.

The East Devonshire. or 20th Regiment, as it was formerly called from 1782 until it was changed to the "Lancashire Fusiliers" in 1881, was raised by Sir Robert Peyton in 1688, and served in the Irish wars until 1691.  It took part in the expeditions to Cadiz and Portugal in 1702 and 1707, but saw no further active service until 1743, when it was present at Dettingen and Fontenoy.  The Jacobite rising of 1745 recalled it to England to assist in the siege of Carlisle and the battle of Culloden; but after Dettingen the next important battle was that of Minden, where "Kingsley's Regiment" lost 17 officers and 310 men killed and wounded; but, though released from duty because of this, they requested to resume their "portion of duty in the line".  As one of the six "unsurpassable" Minden regiments, therefore, the 20th wear the laurel-wreath on their colours.  They returned, says Thackeray in "The Virginians", "as covered with laurels as a Jack-a-Green on May Day".  The "Minden rose" on the colours was long believed to have been worked by Queen Anne; but the original colours were burnt at the surrender at Saratoga in 1771.  Their charging cheer is known as the "Minden yell", their march as the old 20th was the "Minden March" though now, like other Fusilier regiments, they use the "British Grenadiers".  On the 1st August, the anniversary of the great day, the toast after "The Queen" is that of "To those who fell at Minden", and is drunk in solemn silence.  The rose on the colours, and on the mess-table on Minden day, are traditionally believed to be a remembrance of the roses the men plucked and wore as they crushed through the gardens to the great fight.  At Warburg, Zierenberg, Wesel. Kirch-Denkern, Groebenstein, and Wilhelmsthal they displayed equal bravery, and after the conclusion of hostilities embarked for Canada to form part of Burgoyne's army, and to surrender at Saratoga.  

"Egmont-op-Zee" is the next name on the colours, and the regiments also bears the Sphinx and "Egypt" for its good service at Alexandria in 1801.  While on its way homeward it landed in Calabria, and helped materially to gain the victory of Maida by a brilliant flank attack when the issue was by no means certain.  For many years afterwards the men wore myrtle in their caps on each 4th of July, in remembrance of the myrtle clad slopes of Maida.  It served in the Peninsula in 1808, and was present at Vimiera and Corunna, sharing in the horrors of the retreat through snow and frost, when it was dreadful to see lying by the roadside the numbers of dead, consisting of men, and sometimes women and children; and in 1812-14 fighting at Vittoria, the Pyrenees, St Sebastian, Nivelle, Orthes and Toulouse.  It relieved the 66th in guarding Napoleon at St Helena, and twelve of its grenadiers carried the Emperor's body to its first resting place at Longwood.  Some relics of the Napoleonic wars are still retained in the regiment.  These are a black silk rosette - one of those made by the ladies of Toulouse for each officer - a lock of the Emperor's hair, a feather from his hat, and three volumes of Marlborough's Campaigns given by Napoleon, and containing his name on the title page, a name which Sir Hudson Lowe tried to insist on having erased!   A 2nd battalion had meanwhile been added.  It was first raised in 1756, but after two years became the 67th Regiment of the Line.  The next appeared in 1799, and was reduced in 1802; the third and last dates from 1842.

The regiment saw much service in the Crimea, embarking for that war in 1854, and fighting at the Alma and Inkerman, where they charged with the "Minden yell";  - in the siege of Sevastopol, notably at the assaults of the 10th June and 8th September 1855; and at the capture of Kinburn.  At Inkerman Assistant-Surgeon Wolseley was cut off by the advance of a Russian column, but, says the sergeant who describes the gallant story, "swe charged into a body of Russians without any support, and it's the greatest miracle in the world how we ever came out again.  The last words we heard from Sir George Cathcart were, "Nobly done, 20th!"  It was reported to be the only regiment that marched into the captured town with bands playing and colours flying.  Its last active service was during the Mutiny, when it was engaged at Chauda, Umeerpore, Sultanpore, the operations in Oude and the Trans-Gogra district, and for its services bears "Lucknow" on its colours.  Among its most distinguished officers may be noted Wolfe, the hero of Quebec, who, entering the service in "Wolfe's Regiment of Marines", was later on transferred to the 20th, which he commanded in 1758.  The 3rd and 4th battalions are composed of the former 7th Royal Lancashire Militia.  The Volunteer battalions are the 8th, 12th and 17th Lancashire, with headquarters at Bury, Rochdale, and Salford respectively.