The 44th in Square - Quatre Bras June 1815

In 1740, As Britain and France became embroiled in what was to become known as the “War of Austrian Succession” the British Government increased the size of the regular army by a further seven  regiments to be numbered 54^th to 60^th.  Colonel James Long of the Grenadier Guards was   commissioned as Colonel of the 55^th Regiment of Foot on 7^th January 1741 and commanded to raise a Regiment.

This regiment kept the number 55th until the

conclusion of the war with the treaty of

Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, where upon cessation of

 hostilities the ten marine regiments numbered

44th to 53rd were disbanded and the regimental

 numbers assigned to those regiments next in line.

 Thus in 1748, the 55th Foot became the 44th

Foot, a designation it was to have until the

territorial re-organisation of the army in 1881.

It was to America that the regiment sailed again

in 1776 to participate in the American War of Independence. 

Private of the 44th 1758

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