Surgeon 66th Foot 16th Dec., 1819. Out of said regt. in 1826.
14TH (OR THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE) REGIMENT OF FOOT.[H]
[1] Francis Skelly Tidy 10 Sept. 1807 │Lt.-Col., 4 June, │1813
[3] George Marlay 14 June, 1814 │Maj., 21 June, │1813
[4] Thos. Ramsay 18 Oct. 1810 │17 May, 1810
[10] Wm. Hewett 13 Apr. 1815 │24 Nov. 1814
[11] Wm. Akenside 6 Aug. 1807 │2 Jan. 1807
[19] Jas. Campbell Hartley 24 May, 1815 │
[32] Richard John Stacpoole 8 Nov. 1814 │
[34] Hon. George Thos. Keppel 4 Apr. 1815 │
At the close of the Par. War the British Army was reduced to a peace footing. The 3rd Batt. of the 14th Foot survived this general reduction until the spring of 1815, when the dreaded order for its disbanding arrived. Before this became an accomplished fact the escape of Napoleon from Elba, and the consequent war with France, put a stop to further reductions. The 3rd Batt. 14th was ordered to Belgium. Being composed chiefly of very young recruits, the 14th were ordered to Antwerp to join the garrison there, but through their colonel’s personal application to Gen. Lord Hill, this order was countermanded by Wellington himself, who inspected the regt. from the window of his hotel at Brussels. “They are a very pretty little battalion,” said he to Lord Hill; “tell them they may join the grand division as they wish.” And so it came to pass that the “peasants,” as the battalion of _young bucks_ were waggishly styled, took part in the “combat of giants.”
Youngest son of the Rev. Thomas Holmes Tidy, chaplain to H.M. 26th Foot, and afterwards rector of Red Marshall, co. Durham, by Henrietta Augusta, dau. of the Rev. Wm. Skelly, by Lady Betty Gordon, dau. of Alexander, Duke of Gordon. If “fighting blood” is hereditary, then must “Frank Tidy,” as he was always called, have had a good share, for he was maternally descended from Charles Mordaunt, the “fighting” Earl of Peterborough, and had for his uncle the gallant Francis Skelly, maj. in the 71st Highlanders, who gained renown at the siege of Seringapatam. Joined the 43rd Regt. in Ireland as a volunteer at the age of 16, and was soon gazetted an ensign. When serving with his regt. in the West Indies “a mortality of from ten to thirteen men a day reduced the 43rd to 96 rank and file, and Guadaloupe being disputed inch by inch, the 43rd, at the time of its capture at Berville, did not contain more than two officers and twenty men fit for duty.” Tidy was confined for 15 months on board a hulk, subject to the tyranny and cruelty of Victor Hughes, thence sent to France, and eventually allowed to return to England on parole. Appointed adjt. of the 43rd. Promoted capt. 1st West India Regt. 1798; in 1799 exchanged to the Royal Scots. A.D.C. to Sir George Beckwith in the West Indies. Maj. 8th W.I. Regt., and transferred to the 14th Foot 1807. Served in Spain in 1808; Walcheren expedition 1809. Horse shot at Waterloo. C.B. Served in Burmese War with 1st Batt. Lt.-col. 44th Regt. 1825. D. at Kingston, Canada, while in command of the 24th Regt., 9th October, 1835, leaving issue, several sons and daughters. An interesting memoir of Col. Tidy was published in 1849 (written by his dau., Mrs. Ward) entitled: _Recollections of an Old Soldier_.