Thursday 19 October 2023

French Infantry In Canada Project: Flags of French Infantry Regiment Berry

Updating the flags of French regiments which served in Canada reminded me I had not done the flags of Berry and Cambis so here are the first of those.

Berry first raised 2nd September 1684 out of garrison companies. Ranked 71st in the SYW and consisted of 3 battalions.

Flags of this pattern were carried from 1684-1762.



Service history:

1688-9: Conquest of the Palatinate
1690-1: Coastal defence
1692: Army of the Alps
1693: Defence of Pignerol and battle of Marsaglia
1694: Garrison of Suze
1696: Army of the Meuse
1697: Army of Flanders

1702-4: Occupation of the Kingdom of Naples for the King of Spain
1704: The colonel of the regiment, who was seriously wounded at Castelnuovo de Bormia where he fought as a volunteer, was replaced in February by Auguste-Nicolas Magon, Marquis of La Gervasais.
1705: Army of Italy; battle of Cassano
1706: Siege and battle of Turin
1707-10: Army of Dauphiné
1711: Army of the Rhine
1713: Sieges of Landau and Fribourg

1733: Army of the Rhine; siege of Kehl
1734: Siege of Philipsbourg

1741: Army of Bohemia; combat of Sahay
1742: Defence of Prague; the colonel of the regiment killed at Prague
1743: In garrison at Thionville
1744-6: Army of the Rhine
1747: Army of Flanders; conquest of Dutch Flanders; battle of Lawfeld
1748: Siege of Maastricht

1753: Camp of Saarlouis


During the Seven Years War the 1st battalion served on the coasts of France and the 2nd and 3rd battalions in Canada.

On the journey to Canada in 1757 the two battalions suffered greatly from an epidemic. In Canada the two battalions were at the victorious battle of Carillon on July 7th. In 1760 they were part of the expedition against Quebec, and fought in the battle of Sainte-Foy on April 28th. The 2nd battalion of Berry was captured at the capitulation of Montréal in September. Both battalions of the regiment were repatriated to France by December of that year. [There is much more detail on the service of the regiment in Canada on the Kronoskaf website.]

In April 1761 the regiment was reduced to two battalions after the return of the two depleted Canadian battalions.

1762: The regiment was incorporated in that of Aquitaine.

And this was the uniform in the Seven Years War, both in Europe and Canada: