Red military jacket raised in Nottingham's Old Market Square

6 April 2019

Engraving marking the storming of of Badajoz, Spain, during the Napoleonic Wars, 1812

Hulton Archive The British Army beseige the French in the city of Badajoz, Spain, during the Napoleonic Wars, 1812. Engraved by T. Fielding from a drawing by R. Westall, RA — Engraving marking the storming of of Badajoz, Spain, during the Napoleonic Wars, 1812

A red jacket has been raised in Nottingham to commemorate the bravery of an army regiment over 200 years ago.

The scarlet coatee is hoisted each year to reflect the storming of a fortress in Badajoz, Spain, in a battle with the French army, on 6 April 1812.

A Nottinghamshire soldier raised his own jacket as he did not have a union flag following the battle.

The Badajoz Day tradition took place at the Council House, in Old Market Square.

John Cotterill, who served in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, which later became the Mercian Regiment, said the raising of the coatee "commemorates the bravery of our forbears".

He said: "It gives us a standard of behaviour to maintain and reminds us both who we are as a regiment and what our strong, historic ties to the city and county are."

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The 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment gained entry to the fortress following a fierce bombardment, in 1812.

"The first officer to enter the fortress was Lieutenant Macpherson who had already been wounded and fallen 30 feet into a ditch, but had climbed up again," said Mr Cotterill.

"He made his way to the highest tower [and] hauled down the tricolour and lacking a union flag to signal the capture of the fortress, he raised his own scarlet coatee instead."

Former soldier John Cotterill at a previous event

John Cotterill Red jacket being raised — Former soldier John Cotterill at a previous event

The event commemorating this moment has previously been held at Nottingham Castle, but it is currently undergoing renovation work.

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