 The 1st battalion embarked for the Mediterranean Sea in November 1805 and, after four years at Gibraltar, landed in Portugal for service in the Peninsula War in July 1809.The battalion fell back to the Lines of Torres Vedras in October 1810.The battalion earned the regiment its nickname of "the Die Hards" after their participation in the Battle of Albuera,(order of battle) one of the bloodiest battles of the war, in May 1811.