Middlesex Day is celebrated each year on 16th May. This commemorates the actions of the 57th (West Middlesex Regiment) at the battle of Aluera (1811) during the Peninsula War. During the battle, Lieutenant-Colonel William Inglis, despite his injuries, refused to retire from the battle but remained with the regimental colours, encouraging his men with the words “Die hard 57th, die hard!”. The regiment held, the battle was won and the phrase Die Hard entered the language.
We present here some highlights from the day. Huge credit goes to our friends at Middlesex Heritage for making it happen. If you love Middlesex, then join their group. Our Portrait of Middlesex gives an overview of some of the highlights of our most populous county.
Middlesex Day even saw itself embroiled in some controversy this year when No. 10 Downing Street declined to fly the Middlesex flag as it has on Middlesex Day for the last few years. This is, of course, disappointing, though it isn’t entirely clear why the flag wasn’t flown – whether this was due to an oversight, a lack of interest or a specific decision. Recent correspondence from Angela Rayner, relating to the ongoing local government reorganisations, has confirmed the Government’s continued support for our historic counties. We’ll be returning to the local government changes in a future post.