York Light Infantry Volunteers

[1] When the French Revolutionary Wars ended in March 1802 with the Peace of Amiens, Demerara and Essequibo were given back to Batavian control.

[2] When the Napoleonic Wars began in May 1803 the Dutch regular soldiers garrisoning Berbice mutinied against the republicans, hoisting the Union Jack.

[1] On 16 September a British force under Lieutenant-General William Grinfield arrived at Georgetown and offered terms of surrender to the colonies.

Having shown their disinterest in serving Batavia and with the likely alternative being starvation, over 1,000 Dutch soldiers, mostly from the Berbice garrison, chose to join the British Army.

[6] In April an expedition including the regiment was brought together to finally capture the remaining Batavian colony, Surinam, which was not expected to surrender easily as its neighbours had.

The gun battery there fought off two French ships of the line but the garrison had provisions for only one week, and so in the evening they retreated to St Rupert's Bay.

From there the garrisons of the island were brought together in strength around Fort Cabrit, which the French were unable to capture, choosing instead to sail to Guadeloupe.

[6] As the British West Indies campaign continued, 350 men of the unit fought in the 4th Brigade of Major-General Frederick Maitland's 2nd Division at the invasion of Martinique in 1809.

[14] Later in the year the regiment served onboard Royal Navy warships as part of the blockading fleet operating off Guadeloupe.

[6][16] Part of the 4th Brigade of Major-General Thomas Hislop's 1st Division, they left Dominica on 16 January and arrived at Capesterre-Belle-Eau two days later.

The division stayed there to assist with landing provisions until 2 February, when they occupied the Palmiste heights east of the capital of Basseterre.

[21] At dawn on 4 February the YLIV and the 1st West India Regiment's light company were sent to take the strategic Bridge of Voziere, over the Noire River, to the right of the French.

[6] The York Light Infantry Volunteers wore green uniforms with black facings and white crossbelts, based on that of the 95th Rifles.

[29][32] While the regiment was designated as light infantry, it carried drums rather than the more traditional bugle alongside its white accoutrements.