How long was a British troop's deployment?

Question

How long was a British troop's deployment? Back when the colonies that became the US were still part of Britain, were British troops considered "stationed" in the colonies or "deployed" there? If they were deployed, how long was a deployment?

Answer 1

It all depends on the particular century you are on about.

Many British Regiments were dispatched to the Colonies of America and India for years, as the Regiment suffered natural wastage of manpower through disease and war, it was topped up from new recruit drafts from the Regimental Depots back in the UK or Ireland.

Some colonial drafts suffering from as much as 95% loss due to these conditions, there were no rights granted the troops as for a fixed period of duty in the colonies, you were sent where the War Office decided you needed to serve.