The Bengal Tiger that fought tooth and claw at the 'Gibralter of the East'

A small octagonal wooden box, probably of Middle Eastern origin, with the emblem of the Royal Hampshire Regiment.

At the centre of the Royal Hampshire Regiment's crest is a Royal Bengal Tiger. It takes pride of place above the Tudor rose. The reason is simple: The Hampshires (then called the 67th Regiment of Foot) earned it fighting in Central India against the Marathas. A hard, bitter conflict that lasted from 1775 t0 1819. The last of their battles was at Asirgarh Fort ('Assighur' to the British). It was the Marathas' last stronghold. With steep sides that rise 750 feet, and a strategic command of the surrounding country beneath, it was called the 'Gibralter of the East.' The 1200 strong Indian garrison faced a British artillery barrage that lasted days. They finally surrendered the fort that would become the 'key to the Deccan' in the fight that would come in 1857.