"The Brigade of Scotch and Irish in the French service fought desperately, and would have taken the Duke of Cumberland prisoner, had not Sir John Ligonier come up with a party of cavalry and thereby saved His Royal Highness.
"The Allies took five standards and seven pair of Colours. In this Battle the Regiment suffered severely. The allies passed to the eastern side of the Meuse immediately after the Battle of 2nd of July. Encamped at Gronfelt. The French laid siege to Bergen Op Zoom:
"Several sallies and skirmishes. In August the Allies moved nearer to Liege. The French had their left towards Tongress and their right towards Liege.
"Bergen Op Zoom taken by the French 16th September.
"In October the troops went into winter quarters on the Dutch Frontier in the neighbourhood of Breda.
"The Duke of Cumberland and General Ligonier arrived in England 13th November.
"20th November five regiments of Foot embarked at Gravesend for Flanders."
[The latter part of the foregoing extract is curiously worded; but I have made no alterations.--E. A.]
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed on October 7th, 1748, and the Greys returned to England, and were stationed at Leicester, Coventry, and Warwick. By the usual mean and miserable policy, or want of any policy, the Regiment was at once reduced to 285 officers and men! (In time of peace, always take care not to be prepared for war.) In December, 1749, the Regiment went into quarters in Kent, and was employed on revenue duty on the coast. In 1750 they were in Sussex and Devon, and in 1751 in Dorsetshire. The Regiment marched into Lancashire in the spring of 1753; with detached troops in Somersetshire, where it was stationed during the following year; and in the spring of 1755 proceeded to Northampton and other towns in that part of the kingdom. Complications now coming to a point about British and French possessions in North America, the Regiment's establishment was made up to 357 of all ranks, and very soon a light troop was added, in the same way as light companies had been added to regiments of infantry.
In the summer of 1755 the Greys occupied quarters in Herefordshire and in the winter months were dispersed in cantonments in Kent. In the next spring they marched into Surrey, and afterwards into Dorsetshire, and in June encamped with several other corps near Blandford.