SWITZERLAND. Vaud / Waadt.Plaque of Watteville infantry regiment (1801-1815). "MAIDA / WATTEWILLE REGt". MET. SUP
Of a great historical interest. This regiment was recruited by the British army after the Peace of Lunéville (April 9th, 1801) from remnants of mercenary regiments who served in the Austrian army. A part of the Officers first fought with the French Royalist army so-called "Armée de Condé" and then joined the new corp. This regiment took its name from its commandant, Louis de Watteville, who was appointed Colonel by the British Army: its strength was nine-hundred men. It was first stationed in Malta in 1801 where it took part in the invasion of Elba Island. After a short garrison in Egypt, the Watteville's regiment sailed again to Malta. It landed in southern Italy with British forces to defend the kingdom of the Two Sicilies from the French army led by Masséna. The regiment took part in the battle of Saint Euphemia where it defeated the French forces at Maïda (Calabria) in July 1806. We must note that the French forces who were defeated were led by general Veyrier, a citizen from the canton of Vaud (!). Nevertheless, after this victory, all English forces left the Italian peninsula to sail to Messina to defend the island of Sicily against the French army. The regiment was then involved in the Spanish Peninsula war under the command of Lord Wellington from 1811 to 1813. In 1813 all of Watteville's regiment was sent to Canada during the War of 1812 against the U.S.A. It took part in the battle of Fort Erie in 1814. The regiment was disbanded at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the British government gave all the formers soldiers some tracts of land in Canada.