Duke of Buckingham's Light Infantry ("The Sky Blues")

The Duke of Buckingham's Light Infantry is a fictional regiment of the British Army depicted in a series of historical novels by John Mackenzie.

The Colonel of the regiment is Sir Ambrose Villiers, a nephew of the eighth Duke of Buckingham. He has been with the regiment since he was a young Ensign at the Battle of Malplaquet (1709). He commanded a company of the regiment (indicating at least Captain's rank) during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715.

They are known as Villiers’ Regiment of Foot (after its Colonel), or “The Sky Blues” (from their sky-blue facings). They bear the chained-and-collared Swan badge of the Mandeville family superimposed over the Bugle badge of the Light Infantry as their cap badge.

References

• Volume One: ?
• Volume Two: Gideon's Sword Bearers - Covers the Battle of Dettingen (1743) and Battle of Fontenoy (1745) against the French and the Battle of Falkirk (1745) and Battle of Culloden (1746) against Bonnie Prince Charlie's Scottish Jacobite Army.

Historical Errors

• George Villiers was the 2nd (and last) Duke of Buckingham in the Villiers line (and was 5th to hold the title overall), not the 8th Duke as stated. He might have meant John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, who would have been alive during the novel's timeframe.