The King's Abyssinian Regiment
| The King's Abyssinian Regiment | |
|---|---|
 The King's Abyssinian Regiment soldiers in the Mahdist War | |
| Active | 1869 - 1889 |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 1,000 |
| Garrison/HQ | Edinburgh |
| Nickname(s) | "The Kingsman", "The Regiment", "Abyssinian Regiment", "Britain's Old Guards" or "British Janissaries" |
| Motto(s) | Without fear, we prevail |
| Colors | Red |
| March | The March to Magdala |
| Engagements | British Expedition to Abyssinia |
| Commanders | |
| Ceremonial chief | William V |
| Notable commanders | |
The King's Abyssinian Regiment or The Abyssinian Regiment is an elite infantry unit of the British Army. Famed for its general consistency and capability in the battlefield, it was personally founded and later officially disbanded by William V himself.
History
In 1868, the British government had sent a number of troops from British India led by Sir Robert Napier to free the hostages held captive by the Ethiopian emperor, Tewodros II, who had done so with the intention to pressure Britain into agreeing with his demands.
While Napier's army set sailed for Zula, William V himself used his unquestionable authority by enlisting a number of men of his own, numbering around 3,500 soldiers. With permission from the Khedive of Egypt, the army of the king soon marched in a grueling phase through the Ethiopian highlands, encountering and subduing bandits and local defenders, often of small and negligible numbers while several men of the opposing side defected to the British cause.
In the deciding Battle of Magdala, William V's band of 3,500 soldiers arrived precisely to assist the ongoing bombardment and sieging of the Ethiopian capital city. Following a heated battle and an ensuing devastating charge against local defenders, defences around the northern area were soon dismembered, causing much panic and disarray among the enemy ranks. According to a few claims, the Ethiopian emperor reportedly personally confronted the king and was slain afterwards, while other claims alleged that the former was shot to death by one of William's men or had otherwise committed suicide to avoid capture.
Formation
Having believed in a specific regiment of soldiers that would be neccessarily both vital and deadly in the battlefield, William soon took the effort to pick among the surviving ranks of his 3,500 men to form a regiment of its own, named as The King's Abyssinian Regiment.
Engagements
Throughout its 20 year long period of service, the Abyssinian regiment continuously fought alongside the king during the entirety of his military campaigns, from the British Expedition to Abyssinia until the Mahdist War in modern-day Sudan.
Doctrine & Tactics
The regiment's doctrine was mostly based on the French Old Guards unit and partly from the Ottoman Janissaries in terms of loyalty, discipline and credibility. Evidently, like the Old Guards under Napoleon, soldiers of the Abyssinian regiment exclusively saw the king as more of a leader and a friend than a formal king, as quoted by Sir Garnet Wolseley, "Even in the harshest sands of the Sinai to the plains of Africa, our leader was more than a king overseeing his subjects".
The regiment's tactics, while not being entirely exclusive was mostly based on the reformed Prussian model, which had by then became the reference for every European armies. Crucial elements such as the rate of fire, formations and the speed of army movements were generally taken into account, and proved vital in most of their engagements, most notably against the army of Urabi' Pasha in the Battle of the Sinai.
Uniform
Despite their elite and revered status, William himself dictated that their outer appearance would be no different than those of their own regular fellow soldiers, which led them to officially adopt the standard red coat uniform. However, since 1872, they were easily distinguished with an Ethiopian lion symbol embedded on their hats, signifying their identity.
Disbandment
Despite a successful career and a promising reputation and praise among the British and international public, the regiment was then unilaterally disbanded just 3 months after the conclusion of the Mahdist War in Sudan. By this time, the king had found himself physically and mentally limited in his performance on the battlefield while his unofficial deputy, Sir Garnet Wolseley was subsequently appointed as Commander-In-Chief which then led the overall command to be delegated to the regiment's most hopeful commander, Sir James Pott who had shown much valour and talent during the Ashanti campaign.
Regardless, by Pott's own discretion, the regiment was formally disbanded with both its dead and living members be awarded with various military awards and decorations. While a small percentage of the remaining members then retired for personal reasons, the remainder were gradually incorporated into other regiments and continued their service in the British Army.
Legacy
Its undisputed legacy was majorly profound in British history. Subsequently, its achievements drew large comparison with those of the French Old Guard itself and the Ottoman Janissaries. According to British historian Alistair Horne, "the regiment's outstanding credibility and performance in the battlefield left a sense of achievement and pride in the well known strength of the British Army, which during its time had been mostly overshadowed and obscured by the well known reputation of the Royal Navy".