The Birkenhead 1852

On two occasions in its long history the 2nd Bn discipline of the Regiment has been tested in a peculiar way at sea.On the night of 26th February, 1852, the troopship Birkenhead, carrying drafts for the Kaffir War, was wrecked on the South African coast under conditions which evoked from those on board a display of steady discipline and serene courage in the face of danger.The men fell in and stood calmly on parade awaiting death while the ship was sinking. A detachment of the 2nd Battalion, forty-one all ranks, was reported to have perished.

The Warren Hastings 1897

On the the night of 14th January, 1897, the Royal Indian Marine troopship Warren Hastings, on her way from Capetown to Mauritius, struck the rocks off the island of Reunion. She was steaming at full speed and became a total wreck . The troops on board included the headquarters of the 1st Battalion and four companies under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. B. Forestier-Walker, together with four companies of the York and Lancaster Regiment, a small detachment of the Middlesex Regi­ ment, and women and children, numbering in all 995. They " at once fell in on the main deck in perfect order until 4 a.m. when the [Naval] Commander ordered disembarkation to commence by rope ladders from the bows. . . . At 4.20 a.m. the position of the vessel appeared so critical that he at once ordered the disembarkation of the men to cease, and the women, children and sick to be passed out. This order was promptly carried out; the men clung to the side as they stood, the ship lurching and bumping heavily, and passed out the women and children through the fore port; no man murmuring or moving from his post.

A few minutes later, as the ship was in imminent danger of heeling over and sinking, it became necessary to expedite the landing. Owing to the " remarkable courage and exemplary discipline " displayed, the whole ship's company, except two natives, were safely passed on to the rocks and saved. Lieutenant-Colonel Forestier-Walker was the last soldier to leave the ship.

The Commander-in-Chief ends the Special Army Order of 13th March, 1897, by declaring that he "is proud of the behaviour of the troops during this time. He regards it as a good example of the advantages of subordination and strict discipline, for it was by that alone, under God's Providence, that heavy loss of life was prevented."

In commemoration of this event the officers of the Regiment presented to the 1st Battalion an antique silver model of a ship which is now in the Regimental Museum. The ship's bell was brought away, and until recently was kept at the guard room of the Battalion for striking the time.