Middlesex Day is the 16th of May, the date of the Battle of Albuerra

in which the Middlesex Regiment,

ever since, known as the “Die-hards”, distinguished themselves. The Middlesex Regiment was part of the British forces fighting under the Duke of Wellington

against Napoleon

, entrusted to stop the advance of the French into Portugal to avoid being trapped at the village of Albuhera on the Spanish/Portuguese border. The commanding officer of the young Middlesaxon fighters reportedly yelled at the height of battle “Die hard my men , die hard”.The Middlesex men fought ferociously to keep the seemingly overwhelming French forces at bay and the regiment consequently became known as “the Diehards”.