Royal Sussex Regiment, Gharial Punjab, India.
Blaster G. H. Harvey,
The Plume Vat was probably set up by the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment who served in the Punjab area, India for 10 years from 1926.
Murree was a hill station in Punjab founded by the British in 1851, 36 miles from Islamabad. There was a cantonment at Gharial 4 miles away. Murree was the summer capital of the Punjab during the British Raj which later moved to Simla. In the hot season it was also the headquarters of the Lieutenant General of the Northern Command.
During the Battle for Quebec on 13 September 1759, the steady fire of the British broke the French Regiment Royal Roussillon and tradition had it the men from Sussex picked up the frenchmen’s plumes and placed them in their own headdress. The quick-step of the Royal Sussex Regiment, officially known as “ The Royal Sussex”, is believed to be a French tune adopted in 1881 when the Roussillon plume was granted as a distinction after the Battle of Quebec and incorporated in the badge of the Royal Sussex Regiment. Follow the attached link to hear the Roussillon quick step march played by The Royal Sussex Regiment:
http://www.royalsussex.org.uk/RSLHG_Music/Roussillon.mp3
“Plume” would have been an appropriate name for this Vat.
