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Pages from the diary of Captain Philip Townsend

A Soldier's Life

In Their Own Words: Captain Philip Townsend

Philip Townsend was an Irish gentleman. In 1756, he travelled to North America, where he fought against the French in the Seven Years War. His diary provides an insight into frontier warfare and the assault on Louisbourg.

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Glengarry badge, 32nd (Cornwall) Light Infantry, c1874

32nd (Cornwall Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot

This infantry regiment was raised in 1702. It served with the British Army until 1881, when it was merged into The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.

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Glengarry badge, 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment, c1874

46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot

This infantry regiment was raised in 1741. It served with the British Army until 1881, when it was merged into The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.

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The Queen’s Royal Surrey Regiment

This short-lived infantry regiment was formed in 1959. It served with the British Army until 1966, when it was merged into The Queen’s Regiment.

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Tribesmen from Kohistan, a region north-east of Kabul, c1842

First Afghan War

Between 1839 and 1842, British imperial forces fought a bitter war in Afghanistan. Initially successful, the British eventually withdrew having suffered one of the worst military disasters of the 19th century.

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The Gloucestershire Regiment

This infantry unit was raised in 1881. It served with the British Army until 1994, when it was merged into The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.

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Shako plate, 28th (The North Gloucestershire) Regiment, c1870

28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot

This infantry unit was originally raised in 1694. It served in many British Army campaigns until 1881, when it became part of The Gloucestershire Regiment.

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Women’s work?

Discover how women’s contributions to the British Army have helped bring about change over the past 100 years. And see how Army recruiters have adapted their messaging accordingly.

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61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot

This infantry unit was raised in 1758. It served in several British Army campaigns until 1881, when it became part of The Gloucestershire Regiment.

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The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment

This infantry unit was formed in 1994. It continued in British Army service until 2007, when it became part of The Rifles.

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Collar badge, The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, c1980

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire)

This infantry unit was formed in 1959. It continued in British Army service until 1994, when it became part of The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.

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The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s)

This infantry unit was formed in 1881. It continued in British Army service until 1959, when it was merged into The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire).

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Glengarry badge, 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) (or Hertfordshire) Regiment, c1874

49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot

This infantry unit was raised in 1743. It served until the 1881 Army reforms, when it was merged into The Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Berkshire Regiment).

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