Within the Bankfield Museum, there is a small Museum that represents the history of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, which was the county regiment for the West Riding of Yorkshire for over 250 years. The timeline stretches from the Regiment's formation in 1702 as the 33rd Foot, to becoming part of the Yorkshire Regiment in 2006.
The first Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) was the Colonel of the 33rd from 1806-1812. After his death the Regiment was renamed by Queen Victoria in his honour. It’s the only Regiment to be named after a person who was not royalty. The Museum includes displays relating both to the Duke and the long and distinguished history of the Regiment.
There are some interesting exhibits, including the Duke of Wellington's famous bicorne hat, and his riding boots that gave rise to our 'wellington boots'. I was somewhat amused by the saucepan, reputedly the one in which Wellington's breakfast was cooked on the morning of the Battle of Waterloo (1815) which marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
I wonder what the Duke would have made of my baby-blue rubber wellies from Aldi, bought two or three years ago!
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