1702-13



With the outbreak of war yet again with France and Spain, a Composite Battalion of Guards was sent to Spain in July 1702 and took part in engagements at Cadiz and Vigo. Although the troops fought valiantly, the campaign wasn’t a great success, and the Coldstream contingent was back in London in the November.
 
In September 1704, another Composite Battalion arrived in Lisbon, but was almost immediately re-embarked and sent to the Fortress of Gibraltar.
 
Gibraltar had been captured by Marines in July 1704 but had been besieged ever since. The Composite Battalion assisted in repelling several attacks and then remained as part of the garrison until the siege was lifted in April 1705.
 
The Battalion was then embarked to take part in the expedition against Barcelona, and once the city had been captured they remained as part of the garrison until the French siege was lifted in April 1706.
 
The Regiment’s next involvement in the campaign came in 1708 when it yet again formed a Composite Battalion with the Grenadiers and was sent to Flanders. Here it took part in the battle of Oudenard. A further detachment of Coldstreamers was sent in April 1709, and the Composite Battalion was disbanded and in its place a Guards Brigade was formed with a battalion each of Coldstreamers and Grenadiers.
 
In September they fought the battle of Malplaquet which turned out to be a bloody and vicious battle in which the Coldstream suffered heavy casualties.
 
The Regiment took no further part in the campaign which ended in 1713 with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, and the Battalion returned home.
 
 
 
Note – At this time the Grenadiers were known as the First Guards