 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Albuera Memorial
Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Myers commanded the British Fusilier Brigade at the Battle of Albuera on 16 May 1811. The brigade was composed of two battalions of the 7th Foot (Royal Fusiliers) and one battalion of the 23rd Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers).
Sir William Myers said of 16 May 1811: 'this will be a proud day for the Fusiliers'.
Soult wrote to Napoleon: 'the day was mine yet they did not know and would not run.'
William James Myers, born on 27 November 27 1783, was the son of Lieutenant-General Sir William Myers, Bt. who died in 1803 while in command of the British Forces in the West Indies.
Sir William Myers was mortally wounded by a musket-ball while on horseback at the head of the Fusilier Brigade and died of his wounds at Valverde on 17 May 1811.
In a letter written from Elvas, on May 20th 1811, the Duke of Wellington expressed his grief over the British losses to Lady Myers:
"It will be some satisfaction to you to know that your son fell in the action, in which, if possible, the British troops surpassed all their former deeds; and, at the head of the Fusilier Brigade, to
which a greater part of the final success of the day was to be attributed. As an officer he had already been highly distinguished, and, if Providence had prolonged his life, he promised to become one of the brightest ornaments to his profession, and an honour to his country."
Lady Myers erected the Albuera Memorial in St. Mary's Church, Cheltenham, in memory of her son.
A memorial in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, bears the inscription: “Erected at the public expense to the memory of Lieutenant-Colonel SIR WILLIAM MYERS, Bart., who gloriously fell in the battle of Albuera, May 16th, 1811, aged 27 years.”
Sir William Myers said of 16 May 1811: 'this will be a proud day for the Fusiliers'.
Soult wrote to Napoleon: 'the day was mine yet they did not know and would not run.'
William James Myers, born on 27 November 27 1783, was the son of Lieutenant-General Sir William Myers, Bt. who died in 1803 while in command of the British Forces in the West Indies.
Sir William Myers was mortally wounded by a musket-ball while on horseback at the head of the Fusilier Brigade and died of his wounds at Valverde on 17 May 1811.
In a letter written from Elvas, on May 20th 1811, the Duke of Wellington expressed his grief over the British losses to Lady Myers:
"It will be some satisfaction to you to know that your son fell in the action, in which, if possible, the British troops surpassed all their former deeds; and, at the head of the Fusilier Brigade, to
which a greater part of the final success of the day was to be attributed. As an officer he had already been highly distinguished, and, if Providence had prolonged his life, he promised to become one of the brightest ornaments to his profession, and an honour to his country."
Lady Myers erected the Albuera Memorial in St. Mary's Church, Cheltenham, in memory of her son.
A memorial in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, bears the inscription: “Erected at the public expense to the memory of Lieutenant-Colonel SIR WILLIAM MYERS, Bart., who gloriously fell in the battle of Albuera, May 16th, 1811, aged 27 years.”
|
|
Click on each photo to enlarge
Photos courtesy of John Checketts and St. Mary's Church
|
Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called a fusil. The word was first used around 1680 and has later developed into a regimental designation. The general adoption of the flintlock musket and the suppression of the pike in the armies of Europe put an end to the original special duties of fusiliers and they were subsequently employed in light infantry work.
Attached to the various types of fusilier headdress, including the modern beret, is the hackle. This is a short cut feather plume, the colour or colours of which vary according to the regiment. White was worn by both the Royal Fusiliers and the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
Attached to the various types of fusilier headdress, including the modern beret, is the hackle. This is a short cut feather plume, the colour or colours of which vary according to the regiment. White was worn by both the Royal Fusiliers and the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
Image courtesy www.artandarchitecture.org.uk
© Courtauld Institute of Art
© Courtauld Institute of Art