The 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot

Date: 1756 [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: British Army, 63rd Regiment, West Suffolk Regiment Regiment_Tree 63rd_Regiment

The 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot, History and Regiment Movements

The 63rd Regiment of Foot was initially raised as one battalion in 1756 and was amalgamated with the 96th Regiment of Foot to form the Manchester Regiment, under the Childers Reform in 1881. The formation of the Regiment was prompted by the commencement of the Seven Years’ War.

Originally the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment of Foot, it was renumbered as the 63rd Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. In 1782, the regiment was redesignated the 63rd (the West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot in 1782. A second battalion was raised in 1804. In 1881 the 63rd united with 96th Regiment of Foot to become 1st Battalion The Manchester Regiment.

In 1958 the Manchester Regiment was amalgamated with the King's Regiment (Liverpool) to form the King's Regiment.

In 2006, the King’s Regiment was amalgamated with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment to form the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border).

Regiment movements over time:

• 1758: West Indies
• 1759: Martinique; Guadeloupe
• 1764: Ireland
• 1775: North America (War of Independence)
• 1794: Europe (Flanders Campaign)
• 1795: Netherlands
• 1801: Gibraltar
• 1803: Ireland
• 1807: Maderia (1st Battalion)
• 1803: Barbados (1st Battalion)
• 1809: Netherlands (2nd Battalion)
• 1820: Ireland
• 1829: Convict Transportation to Australia & Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania)
• 1829: Perth Western Australia (2nd Company)
• 1833: India
• 1838: Moulamein (Burma)
• 1842: India
• 1847: England
• 1854: Crimea
• 1855: Sebastopol
• 1856: Nova Scotia
• 1865: England
• 1870: India

During the years 1829-1833, the 63rd Regiment of Foot served in Australia

Date of Event	Detail of Movement	Information Source
1828 9 May	Order to proceed in detachments to NSW	Wylly
1828 14 May	HQ of Regiment disembarks from Portugal
1828 20 May	Small advance party already left for NSW	Wylly
1828 21 May	Regiment marched to Chatham	(-)
1828 21 May	Lt Col Bourke and Detachment of 63rd departs for NSW in “Melville”	Slack
1828 8 Sep	Convict ship “Countess of Harcourt” arrives Sydney with Detachment of 63rd Major W. Harrison sailed 3 May 1928 London	Sydney Gazette
1829 16 Jan	Convict ship “Governor Ready” arrives Sydney with Detachment of 63rd	Sydney Gazette
1829 17 Jan	Convict ship “Vittoria” arrives Sydney with Detachment of 63rd	Sydney Gazette
1829 17 Jan	Convict ship “Roslyn Castle” arrives Hobart with Detachment of 63rd	Sydney Gazette
1829 20 Jan	Convict ship “Wave” arrives Hobart with Detachment of 63rd	Sydney Gazette
1829 8 Feb	HMS Sulphur sailed from England for Swan River with Detachment of 63rd	Admiralty
1829 25 Mar	Convict ship “Governor Ready” arrives Hobart with Detachment of 63rd	Colonial Times
1829 26 Mar	Convict ship “Ferguson” arrives Sydney with Detachment of 63rd	Sydney Gazette
1829 26 Mar	Convict ship “Lang” arrives Hobart with Detachment of 63rd	Colonial Times
1829 17 Apr	Convict ship “Tigress” arrives Hobart with Detachment of 63rd	Colonial Times
1829 2 May	HMS Sulphur arrives Perth with Detachment of 63rd (2 Coy)	(-)
1829 30 May	Transport “Alice” departs Sydney for Hobart with 2 officers, 56 men of 63rd and 22 members of their families (arrives Hobart 19 June)	Colonial Times
1829 Jun	Parmelia arrives Perth with Detachment of 63rd (2 Coy)	Various
1829 5 Jun	Ship “Georgia” departs Hobart for Sydney with Capt. Wentworth and Lady of 63rd on ‘Government business’	Colonial Times
1829 14 Oct	Regimental headquarters leaves Portsmouth England aboard “Catherine Stewart Forbes” for NSW	Wylly
1830 18 Feb	“Catherine Stewart Forbes” arrives Sydney	Burgess / Colonial Times
1830 22 Mar	Headquarters arrives in Hobart	Wylly

This information is of interest as my 3rd-Great-Grandfather, Edward Mackay (abt.1800-1840), was a non-commissioned soldier in the 63rd Regiment, and was stationed in VDM in 1830-1833. Edward died on the way home on board ship from the 63rd's station in Madras (now Chennai) in February 1840.

Sources

References:

• Slack, James (1884). The History of the Late 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment. London: Army and Navy Cooperative Society.
• A Short History of the Manchester Regiment ... by Colonel H. C. Wylly 1922 (28 pages). Available at the British Library, UIN: BLL01001096848
• History of the Manchester Regiment (late the 63rd and 96th Foot) compiled by H. C. Wylly ; with illustrations by Gerald C. Hudson. 1923-1925. Contents: v. 1. 1758-1883 -- v. 2. 1883-1922. Available at the BL, UIN: BLL01012836883
• Regiment.org – archived website https://web.archive.org/web/20071217114921/http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/063-1.htm
• Australia's Red Coat Settlers – archived website - Barry Chapman’s Military Website https://web.archive.org/web/20070610004729/http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~garter1/63rdfoot.htm1st / 63rd Foot (West Suffolk) Regiment - 1829 – 1833 [1] - bmchapman@iprimus.com.au - Eagleby (QLD) Australia 1997-2003 - Last revised: May 20, 2007.
• Badges Mottoes and Badges of the British Army, by H.M. Chichester and G. Burgess, pub 1895.