John Granby Clay

Clay was appointed ensign on 6 Nov 1782, in a Scottish independent company, commanded by Captain, afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel James Abercrombie, then stationed in the north of England. He was placed on half-pay when the company was reduced some months later, but exchanged to full pay in the 45th Regiment of Foot in December 1784, and joining that regiment in Ireland, accompanied it to the West Indies in 1786. He obtained his lieutenancy on 30 April 1788. In 1794, he served with the 2nd provisional battalion of light infantry in the expedition against Martinique, and highly distinguished himself at St. Pierre on the windward side of the island, where he led the forlorn hope in the attack on Morne du Pin. His party consisted of a sergeant and twelve men. With a few of them he gained the summit in rear of the enemy's position just at daybreak. Finding themselves unexpectedly assailed from that quarter, the French precipitately retreated, leaving a brass field-gun in the captors' hands, but not until after the officer in command had been wounded by Clay.

After serving at the sieges of Forts Louis and Bourbon, and at the capture of St. Lucia, Clay returned home and purchased a company in the 105th Regiment of Foot, then raising at Leeds, in which, by priority of army service, he became senior captain, and, in 1795, major, but the regiment being drafted into others soon after, he was placed on half-pay. In 1797-9, he served on the staff as brigade-major to Major-General Cornelius Cuyler at Brighton, and to Major-General Samuel Hulse at Lewes, and elsewhere in Kent and Sussex, and during the same period was detached for a time with the brigade of guards sent to Ireland in 1798. In 1800, a number of line regiments formed second battalions from the militia, the men being enlisted for two years or the continuance of the war, among them being the 54th Regiment of Foot, in which Clay was appointed major on 19 May 1800.