Author: Reginald Hodder
NICKNAMES OF THE REGIMENTS AND HOW THEY WERE WON
"The Havercake Lads."
The West Riding Regiment (The Duke of Wellington's) is said to have
derived its nickname from the fact that the recruiting sergeants in the
old days carried an oat cake on the points of their swords. There is a
joke among "The Havercakes" as old as their first recruiting sergeant.
This enterprising man was in the habit of addressing the Yorkshire crowd
as follows: "Come, my lads; don't lose your time listening to what them
foot sojers says about their ridgements. List in /my/ ridgement and
you'll be all right. Their ridgements are obliged to march on foot, but
my ridgement is the gallant 33rd, the First Yorkshire West Riding
Ridgement, and when ye join headquarters ye'll be all mounted on horses."
The 2nd Battalion is known as "The Immortals," from the fact that in the
Indian wars under Lord Lake every man bore the marks of wounds. They
were also called "The Seven and Sixpennies" from their number (76th) and
from the fact that seven and sixpence represented a lieutenant's pay.
