The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.
| The Essex Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1881-1958 |
| Country | Britain |
| Branch | Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Nickname | The Pompadours |
| Motto | Montis insignia calpe |
| Anniversaries | Battle of Arras, Battle of Gallipoli, Battle of Salamanca, Battle of Gaza |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Edward Bulfin |
Origins
The Essex Regiment was formed in 1881 following the union of the 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot and the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot. The merger was part of the under the Childers Reforms of the British Army.
The new regiment was designated The Essex Regiment. The Old 44th became the 1st Battalion of the new regiment and the Old 56th became the 2nd Battalion.
For history of the regiment prior to 1881 see:
Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)
The 1st Battalion and the 2nd Battalion both served in South Africa during the Second Anglo-Boer War. Notably, the regiment participated in the Relief of Kimberley and the Battle of Paardeberg.
First World War (1914-1918)
During the First World War the Essex Regiment provided 30 infantry battalions to the British Army (3 Regular Army, 18 Territorial Force, 6 Kitchener Army, 3 Garrison). The regiment's battle honors for the First World War include Le Cateau, Ypres, Loos, Somme, Cambrai, Gallipoli and Gaza.
Battle of the Somme
1st Battalion took part in the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. The battalion (comprising W, X, Y, and Z companies) took up position in the British trenches at 3:30am. At 8:40am the battalion received orders to advance and clear the German first-line trenches. The battalion was delayed by heavy enemy fire and congestion in the communication trenches. The Newfoundland Regiment advancing to the left of the Essex battalion was almost entirely wiped out as they advanced towards German lines. At 10:50am the Essex companies were in position and received orders to go "over the top". Companies came under heavy artillery and MG barrage immediately they appeared over the parapet, causing heavy losses. The attack became bogged down in no man's land. The battalion received orders from 88th Brigade headquarters to recommence the attack for 12:30pm, but at 12:20pm the battalion commander advised brigade HQ that "owing to casualties and disorganisation" it was impossible to renew the attack. The survivors of the battalion received orders to hold their position along the line of Mary Redan - New Trench - Regent Street. [1]
Thiepval Memorial
The names of 949 members of the Essex Regiment are recorded on the Thiepval Memorial, commemorating the officers and men of the regiment who died on the Somme and have no known grave.
Irish War of Independence(1919-1921)
1st Battalion was stationed in Kinsale in County Cork during the Irish War of Independence.
Major Percival
Major Arthur Ernest Percival (later a Lieutenant General) served as the battalion's intelligence officer. Regarded by the British as an efficient counter-terrorist officer, Percival was regarded as a torturer by Irish Republicans. The men under Percival's command were referred to by Republicans as the "Essex Torture Squad". In July 1920 the Essex Regiment captured Tom Hales, commander of the IRA 3rd Cork Brigade, and Patrick Harte, quartermaster of the West Cork Brigade. Both men were severely beaten during interrogation - with Harte later dying as the result of his injuries. The IRA placed a £1000 bounty on Percival's head - a significant sum of money for the period - but attempts to assassinate Percival failed.
Crossbarry
In March 1921 at Crossbarry in County Cork the regiment encircled the IRA "West Cork Flying Column" with 1,200 troops. The IRA flying column, under the command of Tom Barry, numbered 104 volunteers. In a successful guerilla operation, the IRA column split into seven small groups and escaped through the encirclement. In total, the British Army stationed 12,500 troops in County Cork during the conflict, while Barry's men numbered no more than 110. The British Army failed to subdue the IRA flying column, and Barry's tactics made West Cork ungovernable for the British. In Tom Barry's book "Guerilla Days In Ireland" written in 1949, Tom Barry gives first hand account on the Essex collision with his flying column. In the first ambushes of the Irish War of Independence, captured Essex men were granted their lives and told to leave the Republicans be. The warnings were not met by the "ill-disciplined" Essex and Tom Barry gave a general order to shoot any Essex on the spot, while other garrison's soldiers were treated fine. [2][not in citation given]
Turkey (1922)
At the conclusion of the First World War Britain maintained a garrison at Constantinople to ensure free passage of the sea lanes between Aegean and Black Sea. The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and its transformation into the Turkish Republic coincided with the rise of Greek nationalism, resulting in the Greco-Turkish War. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George increased the size of the British garrison - which included 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment. The garrison was withdrawn in 1923. [3]
Saar Plebiscite (1935)
As part of the Treaty of Versailles, the Saarland province, on the border of France and Germany, was put under French control. In 1935, by the terms of the treaty, the people of the Saarland were to determine whether to remain as part of France, or to become German. The British government sent 13th Brigade as a supervisory force to the Saarland, which comprised 1st Battalion Essex Regiment, 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, and 16th/5th Lancers. The result of the plebiscite was 90.3% voting to join Germany (then under Nazi government). [4] [5]
Palestine (1936-1939)
Under construction.
India (1922-1935)
The 2nd Battalion spent the 13-year period 1922 to 1935 as part of the British garrison in India. During this lengthy period of overseas service the 2nd Battalion was stationed at Ambala (1922-1927), Landi Kotal (1927-1929), Nowshera (1929-1931), Nasirabad (1931-1933), and Bombay (1933-1935). The 2nd Battalion spent an additional year overseas in Sudan (1935-1936), before finally returning to Britain and the regimental depot at Warley. [6]
Second World War (1939-1945)
 |
This section requires expansion. |
Post-1945
The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948. In 1951-53 the Regiment was stationed in Luneburg, Germany, as part of the B.A.O.R. In mid 1953 the regiment sailed on the Troopship "Asturias" for a year in Korea. The next move was in 1954 to be part of the Hong Kong Garrison. The 1st Battalion merged with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment in 1958 to form the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot). In 1964 the regiments of the East Anglian Brigade formed the new Royal Anglian Regiment. The Essex heritage continued in the regiment's 3rd Battalion (also known as 'The Pompadours'). In 1992, the 3rd Battalion was disbanded and the old Essex connection ceased. However, infantry recruits from Essex county are assigned to companies in the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment if they wish to serve with others from their county. C (Essex) Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment continues the Essex link.
Territorial Army
The "Essex" tradition also continues in the Territorial Army. The Essex infantry reservists are represented by E (Essex and Hertford) Company, The East of England Regiment. Under recent changes the East of England Regiment was retitled 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment.
The drums of the former 4/5th Battalion are still carried by the Corps of Drums of King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford. who also wear the Regiment's full dress of scarlet tunic and Pompadour purple facings. The King Edward VI Grammar School Corps of Drums is currently led by Drum Major Charles Aldridge. The Corps has approximately 25 members with the older drummers passing on the skills to the junior drummers and new recruits. Every year the Corps of Drums plays at Warley Barracks, Brentwood to the veterans of the Essex Regiment at the Essex Regiment Reunion.
Recipients of the Victoria Cross
The following members of the Essex Regiment have been awarded the Victoria Cross The Essex Regiment Museum:
- McDougal, John - ribbon and bar held at Essex Regiment Museum
- McWheeney, William - medal held at Essex Regiment Museum
- Newman, Augustus Charles - Ashcroft Collection
- Parsons, Francis Newton - medal held at Essex Regiment Museum
- Rogers, Robert Montresor - not publicly held
- Wearne, Frank Bernard - Ashcroft Collection
Essex Regiment Chapel
The Essex Regiment Chapel is located in Eagle Way, Warley, in Essex. The chapel was built in 1857 and is a Grade II listed building. It was originally built for the British East India Company but with the establishment of the Essex Regiment Depot at Warley, the chapel became the regiment's "home" church. The chapel's interior contains displays of regimental history, memorials, heraldry, and old regimental colours. The chapel is open by appointment, and on regimental heritage days.
The chapel is nearby to the Warley (Brentwood) Territorial Army drill hall, which is the headquarters of 124 Petroleum Squadron, part of 151 Logistic Support Regiment of the Royal Logistics Corps. [7]
The site of the old Essex Regiment depot and barracks at Warley is now the headquarters of the Ford Motor Company in the UK. The barracks have been demolished and only the chapel remains.
Museum
The Essex Regiment Museum is in Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street on the same site as the Chelmsford Museum. It is currently closed for redevlopment and is expected to reopen in January 2010.
External links
- Royal Anglian Regiment website (official)
- UK Ministry of Defence (official)
- Essex Regiment Museum
- The Essex Regiment in 1914-18
- Essex Regiment at regiments.org
- Charles Holman, Essex Regiment veteran (1916-1919)
- Personnel lists of the Essex Regiment up to 1914
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