In very good condition with both lugs to the back. Nice piece to complete a Glengarry or a missing space in a badge collection. Pre-1881.

Origins (1755–1783)

• Raised in Leeds in 1755 as the 53rd Regiment of Foot; renumbered 51st the following year when other units were disbanded .

• First saw action in the Seven Years’ War, including the failed Rochefort raid (1757) and major battles such as Minden (1759) and Warburg (1760) .

• Served long periods in Ireland and Minorca, where it was captured by Franco‑Spanish forces in 1782 before being repatriated to Britain .

• Its formal link to the West Riding of Yorkshire was established in 1782–83 .

  
  

French Revolutionary & Napoleonic Wars (1793–1815)

• Fought at Toulon (1793), then served in Corsica, Elba, Portugal, and later the Cape of Good Hope before deploying to India and Ceylon (1798–1807) .

• Raised a 2nd Battalion in 1804, mainly for home service.

• Joined the Peninsular War in 1808, fighting at Corunna, Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Vitoria, Nivelle, Nive, and more between 1809–1814 .

• Earned the title “Light Infantry” in honour of Sir John Moore, who had served in the regiment .

• Fought at Waterloo (1815) after returning to Europe from England .

• Granted the title “The King’s Own” in 1821 and posted to the Ionian Islands .

  
  

Victorian Era Service (1837–1881)

• Escorted convict ships to Australia (1837–1846) before moving to India.

• Served in the Second Burma War (1852–53) and later in the Indian Mutiny (1857–59) .

• Took part in frontier campaigns including the Umbeyla Expedition (1863) and Jowaki Expedition (1877).

• Fought in the Second Afghan War, notably at Ali Masjid (1878) in the Khyber Pass .

  
  

End of the Regiment (1881)

• In the Childers Reforms of 1881, the 51st merged with the 105th Regiment of Foot (Madras Light Infantry) to form the King’s Own Light Infantry (South Yorkshire Regiment), becoming its senior battalion .