The regiment was sent to the West Indies in 1795 for service in the French Revolutionary Wars and took part in the recapture of Martinique and Saint Lucia which, following the peace treaty of 1763, had been returned to France, and the attack on Guadeloupe.[16] After returning to England, it took part in the expedition to Egypt in 1800 and fought at the Battle of Alexandria in March 1801[17] the siege of Cairo in May 1801[17] and the siege of Alexandria in September 1801.[18] It returned home at the end of the year.[19] The regiment was increased in strength to two battalions in 1803.[1]
Arakan, Burma, captured by the regiment in March 1825
The regiment embarked for India in 1822[33] and was deployed to Burma for service in the First Anglo-Burmese War in early 1825. It formed part of an army which advanced up the River Irrawaddy to the Kingdom of Ava[34] and then, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Shelton, captured the city of Arakan in March 1825.[35] After suffering many casualties from fever the regiment was withdrawn and returned to India in 1826.[36]
First Anglo-Afghan War
The 44th at Gandamak; Captain Thomas Souter centre, colours around his waist
The regiment was posted to Kabul in 1840 during the First Anglo-Afghan War and was part of the advance-guard during the January 1842 retreat.[37] Viewed as one of the worst British military disasters of the 19th century, by breaking the myth of the army's invincibility it also allegedly facilitated the 1857 Indian Rebellion.[38] The regiment was engaged in a continuous running battle in thick snow, suffering heavy casualties, among them Captain Thomas Leighton, killed on 10 January and commemorated in All Saints' Church, Northallerton.[39]
On the evening of the 12th, a small group on horseback broke out in an attempt to reach the British garrison at Jalalabad but only Surgeon William Brydon managed to do so, arriving late on the afternoon of the next day.[40] This left an estimated 20 officers and 45 other ranks surrounded by the Ghilji on a hill outside the village of Gandamak; they refused an offer to surrender and were over-run.[41] The only survivors were a few wounded privates and Captain Thomas Souter, who had wrapped the regimental colours around his waist; the attackers assumed this meant he was a high-ranking officer.[42] Traces of weapons and equipment from the battle could be seen in the 1970s and as late as 2010, the bones of the dead still covered the hillside.[43]
Interior of Angle of North Fort Immediately after Its Capture, 21 August 1860
The regiment embarked for China in 1860 for service in the Second Opium War.[49] It took in the capture of the Taku Forts on 21 August 1860 as part of the Anglo-French forces under command of General Sir James Hope Grant.[50] The regiment was in the vanguard of the assault on the North Taku entrenchments. The attacking force crossed a series of ditches and bamboo-stake palisades under heavy Chinese musketry, and tried to force entrance by the main gate. When this effort was unsuccessful, an assault party climbed the wall to an embrasure and forced entry to the fort. The first British officer to enter the fort was Lieutenant Robert Montresor Rogers who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his conspicuous bravery. He was closely followed by Private John McDougall who was also awarded the VC.[51] The regiment left China in October 1861 and returned to India.[52]
Amalgamation
As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 44th was linked with the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 44 at Warley Barracks near Brentwood.[53] On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot to form the Essex Regiment.[1]
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