The British Militia was the principal military reserve force of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Militia units were repeatedly raised in Great Britain during the Victorian and Edwardian eras for internal security duties and to defend against external invasions . The British Militia was transformed into the Special Reserve under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 , which integrated all militia formations into the British Army .
109-549: Two Militia battalions, later one Special Reserve battalion Four Volunteer and Territorial Battalions Gallipoli , 25 April Salamanca , 22 July The Essex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment served in many conflicts such as the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II , serving with distinction in all three. It
218-647: A Turkish thrust at the canal, and was present at the Battle of Romani , though only 161st Brigade Machine Gun Company was engaged. In early 1917, 161st Brigade crossed the Sinai Desert to take part in the Palestine Campaign . It was engaged at all three Battles of Gaza. At the First Battle (26 March 1917), the main attack was made by 53rd (Welsh) Division with 161st Brigade in support. Towards
327-630: A bill was introduced to Parliament to allow Militia volunteers to serve in Europe. In the event only three battalions were raised, and these were sent to serve under Henry Bayly . On 12 April 1814 they arrived in Bordeaux , where they were attached to the 7th Division . After the Napoleonic Wars, the Militia fell into disuse, although regimental colonels and adjutants continued to appear in
436-592: A break-out, Percival ordered his Essex and RIC mobile teams to regroup and lay an ambush outside the opening. Simultaneously, the larger regular force misunderstood Percival's objective and thought it saw an opportunity to destroy the entire IRA force in Cork. Consequently, it abandoned most of its encircling positions and regrouped the regulars for a single large attack on the ambush site. Meanwhile, believing his column had little chance of escaping, Barry ordered his IRA men to break out in small groups as best they could through
545-430: A county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the militia ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). It was intended to be seen as an alternative to the army. Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then the recruits would return to civilian life but report for 21–28 days training per year. The full army pay during training and a financial retainer thereafter made
654-582: A severe shortage of manpower in the 21st Army Group fighting in North-western Europe, particularly in the infantry. Militia (United Kingdom) A separate voluntary Local Militia was created in 1808 before being disbanded in 1816. By 1813 the British Army was experiencing a shortage of manpower to maintain their battalions at full strength. Some consideration was given to recruiting foreign nationals; however, on 4 November 1813
763-662: A significant sum of money for the period. Although other Essex officers were assassinated by the IRA, all attempts to assassinate Percival failed. In July 1920, the Essex Regiment captured Tom Hales , commander of the IRA's 3rd Cork Brigade , and Patrick Harte, quartermaster of the West Cork Brigade. Both men were severely beaten during interrogation - Harte suffered brain damage and died insane at Broadmoor Hospital in 1925. In March 1921, at Crossbarry, County Cork ,
872-637: A uniform), and after six months full-time training would be discharged into the reserve. The first intake was called up, but the Second World War was declared soon afterwards, and the militiamen lost their identity in the rapidly expanding army. Two units still maintain their militia designation in the British Army , in the Army Reserve . These are the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (formed in 1539) and
981-489: A useful addition to the men's civilian wage. Of course, many saw the annual camp as the equivalent of a paid holiday. The militia thus appealed to agricultural labourers, colliers and the like, men in casual occupations , who could leave their civilian job and pick it up again. The militia was also a significant source of recruits for the Regular Army, where men had received a taste of army life. An officer's commission in
1090-565: The 101st Brigade in 34th Division in January 1916 also for action on the Western Front. Corporal Sidney James Day won the VC for his actions at Hargicourt on 26 August 1917. The battalion ended the war as part of 61st (2nd South Midland) Division . The 12th (Service) Battalion (East Anglia) was a Bantam battalion formed at Bury St Edmunds in 1915. It landed at Le Havre as part of
1199-730: The 121st Brigade in 40th Division in June 1916. In 1918 it was reduced to a cadre and returned to England to be reformed by absorbing the newly-formed 16th Battalion. It went back to the Western Front and ended the war as part of 43rd Brigade in 14th (Light) Division . 13th (Reserve) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (Cambridgeshire) was formed in 1915 from the reserve companies of the 11th Battalion; in 1916 it became 108th Training Reserve Battalion. 1st (Reserve) Garrison and 2nd (Home Service) Garrison Battalions were also formed in 1916 and served in England. The 1st battalion saw action in
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#17327721229041308-604: The 13th (Service) Battalion (West Ham) , was raised by the Mayor and Borough of West Ham . Reserve battalions were created as the war progressed, including the 14th (from the depot companies of the 13th), the 15th, 16th and 17th (from provisional battalions), the 18th (Home Service) and 1st and 2nd Garrison Battalions. The 1st Battalion took part in the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. The battalion, which comprised W, X, Y, and Z companies, took up position in
1417-800: The 23rd Infantry Brigade , 6th Division , for a few months at the beginning of the war. Rejoining in October 1941, it remained with the brigade until mid-1945, when it joined the 29th Infantry Brigade , part of the 36th British Infantry Division . It served in Tobruk, then in the Anglo-Iraqi War as part Habforce and Kingcol , then in Operation Exporter in the Syria-Lebanon campaign , before moving to India with 23rd Infantry Brigade , part of 70th Infantry Division , previously
1526-663: The 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire) and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment to form the Royal Anglian Regiment . The lineage of the Essex Regiment is continued by 'C' Company of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment. The Essex Regiment was formed in 1881 by the union of the 44th (East Essex) and 56th (West Essex) Regiments of Foot, which became
1635-465: The 5th Indian Infantry Brigade , part of 4th Indian Infantry Division , throughout the war; the 1/5th and 2/5th battalions, which merged to form the 5th Battalion and, served with the 18th Indian Infantry Brigade , part of the 8th Indian Infantry Division . Both battalions saw service in Palestine , North Africa and Italy ; and the 1/4th Battalion served with the 4th Indian Division in action at
1744-692: The 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot . During the 1756 to 1763 Seven Years' War , it fought at the battles of Minden , Villinghausen and Wilhelmsthal , as well as the Siege of Cassel . In 1782, it was given a county association as the 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot . The regiment embarked for the West Indies in 1793 and took part in the capture of Martinique , Saint Lucia and Guadeloupe in 1794. It returned to England in 1795 and then embarked for India in 1796 where it took part in operations against Tipu Sultan including
1853-634: The 6th Battalion duplicated, forming the 1/6th and 2/6th battalions, both of which were equipped with searchlights. On 1 August 1940, both battalions were transferred to the Royal Artillery, becoming the 64th and 65th (Essex Regiment) Searchlight Regiments, Royal Artillery. Of the Regular Army units, the 1st Battalion served in many different British and Indian Infantry Brigades in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Burma. The battalion served in
1962-652: The 6th Infantry Division , which became the core of Brigadier Orde Wingate 's Special Force . The brigade's role changed to Long Range Penetration in September 1943; the 1st Battalion formed 44 and 56 Columns of the Chindits and operated in the Japanese rear during the battles of Imphal and Kohima , two battles that turned the tide of the war against Japan in the Far East . The 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment,
2071-517: The Andaman Islands ( Burma ) 1896 to 1899, Quetta ( North West Frontier ) 1899 to 1902, Karachi and Hyderabad (Northern India, now Pakistan) 1902 to 1905, Madras (India) 1905 to 1907, Aden 1907, returning to England in 1908. During its service in India the 2nd Battalion became known as a "well officered battalion that compared favourably with the best battalion in the service having
2180-620: The Army List . Whilst muster rolls were still prepared during the 1820s, the element of compulsion was abandoned. For example, the City Of York Militia & Muster Rolls run to 1829. They used a pre-printed form with a printer's date of Sept 1828. The Militia was revived by the Militia Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. 50), enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on
2289-517: The Battle for Caen serving again with the 50th Division and briefly with 59th Division . The 56th Infantry Brigade were eventually assigned to the 49th (West Riding) Division , after the 70th Brigade of that division was disbanded due to an Army-wide shortage of trained infantrymen. The battalion and brigade would remain with the 49th Division for the rest of the war, serving mainly with the First Canadian Army . In 1945 they fought in
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#17327721229042398-814: The Battle of Medjez-el Bab in the Tunisia Campaign in April 1943. After the end of the fighting in North Africa the regiment remained there until April 1944 when, with the rest of the brigade, it landed at Naples , Italy , destined for service in the Italian campaign , where they fought in Operation Diadem , where the Allies finally broke out of the Gustav Line . 142 RAC was present when
2507-543: The First and Second World Wars , before being amalgamated with the Royal Norfolk Regiment to form the 1st East Anglian Regiment (Royal Norfolk and Suffolk) in 1959 which, in 1964, was further amalgamated with the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire) , the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot) and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment to create
2616-488: The First World War , but their rank and file did not, since the object of the special reserve was to supply drafts of replacements for the overseas units of the regiment. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to Supplementary Reserve in 1924, though the units were effectively placed in "suspended animation" until disbanded in 1953. The term militiaman was briefly revived in 1939. In
2725-710: The Hillman Fortress on D-Day itself. They served with the 3rd Infantry Division throughout the entire North West Europe Campaign from D-Day to Victory in Europe Day in 1945. By the end of the war the 1st Battalion had lost 215 men killed in action. The 2nd Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment was serving in India at the outbreak of the Second World War, spending the early years of the war mainly deployed on internal security duties. In 1943
2834-495: The Jersey Field Squadron (The Royal Militia Island of Jersey) (formed in 1337). Suffolk Regiment 1–2 Militia and Special Reserve battalions 1–4 Territorial and Volunteer battalions The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including
2943-765: 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 the 2nd Battalion of the Essex Regiment. The garrison was withdrawn in 1923. As part of the Treaty of Versailles , the Saarland province, on
3052-478: The Second Battle of Arnhem . By the end of the war the 2nd Battalion had suffered over 804 men killed, wounded or missing, with 183 of them paying the ultimate price. At the onset of war, the two remaining Territorial Army (TA) battalions once again raised duplicate units; all four (1/4th, 1/5th, 2/4th and 2/5th) began the war in the 161st Infantry Brigade , but the 2/4th Battalion, a 2nd Line duplicate of
3161-819: The Second Battle of El Alamein and in the Italian Campaign before being sent to Greece to help calm the Greek Civil War . The 5th Battalion was transferred, in August 1944, to the 13th Infantry Brigade , part of the British 5th Infantry Division and was sent to participate in the final stages of the North West Europe Campaign with the British Second Army and invaded Germany itself . The 2/4th Battalion remained in
3270-891: The Siege of Seringapatam in April 1799 during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War . It also took part in the Invasion of Île Bonaparte in July 1810 and the Invasion of Isle de France in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars . While garrisoning the Australian Colony of Victoria in 1854, detachments from the regiment, the 40th Regiment of Foot and colonial police, suppressed the Eureka Rebellion , by gold prospectors at Ballarat . There
3379-466: The Suffolk Regiment . The depot was the 32nd Brigade Depot from 1873 to 1881, and the 12th Regimental District depot thereafter. Under the reforms the regiment became the Suffolk Regiment on 1 July 1881. As the county regiment of Suffolk, it also gained the county's militia and rifle volunteer battalions, which were integrated into the regiment as numbered battalions. After these reforms,
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3488-697: The War of the Spanish Succession in Jamaica . Returning to Flanders in 1742 during the War of the Austrian Succession , it fought at Dettingen in June 1743 and Fontenoy in May 1745, where it suffered 322 casualties, the largest of any British unit involved. As a result of the 1751 army reforms, it was renamed the 12th Regiment of Foot and in 1758, the second battalion was detached to form
3597-529: The Western Front and then transferred to Egypt on 24 October 1915. It suffered some 400 casualties at the Second Battle of Ypres in May 1915. The 2nd Battalion landed at landed at Le Havre as part of the 14th Brigade in 5th Division in August 1914. The value of the 2nd Battalion's 20 years of peacetime training was exemplified at the Battle of Le Cateau on 26 August 1914, a mere 23 days since Britain had declared war on Germany. In this action
3706-603: The Western Front , but in the end was not sent. The 54th Division returned to the offensive for the Battle of Megiddo (19–25 September 1918), which finally broke the Turkish resistance. To support the breakthrough, 161st Brigade was to secure the Ez Zakur line and then form a defensive flank. The brigade formed up before dawn on 19 September; covered by an overhead barrage from the machine gun companies, it took its objectives successfully. The main assault completely broke through
3815-691: The 1/4th Battalion, was immediately detached to help form the duplicate 163rd Infantry Brigade . Both brigades were initially part of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division , but in January 1941, 161st Brigade was sent by sea to Sierra Leone in West Africa . In June 1941, it was sent the 'long' way around Africa by sea to join Middle East Command , where it was transferred to the British Indian Army and became 161st Indian Infantry Brigade . The 1/4th Battalion served with
3924-618: The 1/4th, 1/5th, 1/6th and 1/7th battalions and now numbered the 161st (Essex) Brigade in 54th (East Anglian) Division ) landed at Suvla Bay in August 1915 in an attempt to restart the stalled Gallipoli Campaign . The four Essex battalions saw some hard fighting, but lost even more men to sickness. They were withdrawn to Egypt in December before the Gallipoli Peninsula was finally abandoned. As soon as it arrived in Egypt,
4033-426: The 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland , including the Battle of the Boyne , the Capture of Waterford and the Siege of Limerick in 1690. After the October 1691 Treaty of Limerick , it returned to England before being transferred to Flanders . When the Nine Years' War ended with the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick , the regiment was saved from disbandment by becoming part of the Irish establishment , then spent
4142-406: The 1st Battalion and were also awarded the battle honour South Africa 1900–02 . After the war ended in June 1902, the 1st battalion was transferred to Bangalore , as part of the Madras command . 966 officers and men left Natal for India in the SS Ionian that August. The 570 men of the 2nd battalion returned home on the SS Pinemore in October 1902. The 3rd ( Militia ) battalion, formed from
4251-399: The 1st Battalion served in the New Zealand Wars between 1860 and 1867. The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at Gibraltar Barracks in Bury St Edmunds from 1873, or by the Childers reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment and it became simply
4360-457: The 1st and 2nd battalions respectively of the new regiment. This merger was part of the Childers Reforms of the British Army, which also saw the East Essex Militia and West Essex Militia joining the Essex Regiment as its 3rd and 4th battalions. A large number of small Rifle Volunteer Corps had been formed in the county as a result of an invasion scare in 1859. In 1880, they were consolidated into four battalions, and in 1883 they were designated as
4469-507: The 1st–4th Volunteer Battalions of the Essex Regiment. Under the mobilisation scheme proposed by the Stanhope Memorandum of 1888, they constituted the Essex Volunteer Infantry Brigade , which was to gather at Warley in case of invasion. The 1st and 2nd battalions both served in South Africa during the Second Boer War . Notably, the regiment participated in the Relief of Kimberley and the Battle of Paardeberg . The four Volunteer Battalions contributed two Special Service Companies to assist
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4578-401: The 2nd Battalion undertook a fierce rear-guard defence out-manned and out-gunned by superior numbers of enemy. The 2nd Battalion held their defensive position despite losing their commanding officer, Lt. Col. C.A.H. Brett DSO, at the commencement of the action and their second in command, Maj. E.C. Doughty, who was severely wounded after six hours of battle as he went forward to take ammunition to
4687-524: The 3/4th and 3/5th amalgamated as 4th Reserve Battalion, and then absorbed the reserve battalion of the Cambridgeshire Regiment to form the Cambridge and Suffolk (Reserve) Battalion. Members of the TF who had not volunteered for overseas service were formed into Provisional Battalions, 4th and 5th Suffolks forming 64th Provisional Battalion. The Military Service Act 1916 swept away the home/foreign service distinction, and all TF soldiers became liable for overseas service, if medically fit. On 1 January 1917
4796-435: The 4th and 5th battalions fought briefly in the defence of Singapore against the Japanese , with the 18th Division, before British Commonwealth forces on that island surrendered on 15 February 1942 under the orders of Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival . Men from the two battalions suffered great hardship as POWs and were forced to participate in the construction of the Burma Railway . The 7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
4905-620: The 8th (Cyclist) Battalion, Essex Regiment. During the First World War , the Essex Regiment provided 30 infantry battalions to the British Army. The 3rd (Special Reserve) (formerly Militia) battalion was mobilised to supply drafts to the two Regular battalions. On the outbreak of war, the Territorial battalions (4th-7th, and 8th (Cyclist) battalions), all formed second line (2/4-2/8th) and eventually third line (3/4th-3/8th) battalions. Three service battalions (9th, 10th and 11th) and one reserve battalion (12th), were formed from volunteers in 1914 as part of Kitchener's Army . A further service battalion,
5014-404: The Allies overcame the Hitler Line and the Gothic Line in late 1944. However, due to a shortage of manpower, the regiment was disbanded in January 1945 while in northern Italy. The 50th (Holding) Battalion was created in late May 1940, around the time of the Dunkirk evacuation , and was originally intended temporarily to 'hold' men who were medically unfit, awaiting orders, or, as this was at
5123-431: The British Cease Fire and gesticulating for the men of the 2nd to lay down their arms. At length an overwhelming force rushed the 2nd Battalion from the rear, bringing down all resistance and the 2nd's defence of Le Cateau was at an end. Those remaining alive were taken captive by the Germans, spending the next four years as prisoners of war and not returning home until Christmas Day 1918. As an example of their valour and
5232-449: The British trenches at 3:30 am. At 8:40 am, the battalion received orders to advance and clear the German first-line trenches. It 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 it advanced towards the German lines. At 10:50 am, the Essex companies were in position and received orders to go "over
5341-424: The Essex Regiment again had five territorial battalions. However, this was short-lived, as the 8th (Cyclist) Battalion was soon disbanded. On 15 December 1935, the 7th Battalion was converted into the 59th (Essex Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade , Royal Artillery , which was retitled as an AA (Anti-Aircraft) Regiment on 1 January 1939 and as a HAA (Heavy Anti-Aircraft) Regiment on 1 June 1940. On 1 November 1938,
5450-402: The Essex Regiment encircled the IRA's "West Cork Flying Column" with 1,200 troops and soon managed to expose a company-sized element of the IRA. The IRA flying column , under the command of Tom Barry , numbered 104 'volunteers'. However, rather than attempting to immediately destroy this IRA element, which had been met in contact, Percival, the RIC and the Essex Regiment were ordered to link with
5559-415: The Essex Rifles in 1881, was a reserve battalion. It was embodied in December 1899, disembodied in October the following year, and later re-embodied for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War. 17 officers and 532 men returned aboard Cestrian , arriving in Southampton on 5 October 1902. As a result of the Haldane Reforms , the regiment's militia component, which was renamed the Special Reserve,
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#17327721229045668-409: The IRA detachment disrupted the British column and then melted away. In Barry's book, Guerrilla Days in Ireland , written in 1949, he gives a first-hand account on the Essex's collision with his flying column. At the conclusion of the First World War, Britain maintained a garrison at Constantinople to ensure the free passage of the sea lanes between the Aegean and Black Seas. The dissolution of
5777-483: The IRA. Consequently, he and his fellow Essex men were regarded by Irish loyalists as an efficient force. This opinion of their effectiveness appears to have been seconded by the Republicans, who came to regard Percival and the Essex men as one of its primary foes. As the IRA guerrilla war intensified and IRA assassinations were met with reprisals, a large bounty was placed on Percival's and the Essex men's death. The IRA eventually increased its bounty on Percival to £1,000,
5886-403: The Regular battalions serving overseas. It also spun off the 10th (Reserve) Battalion, which carried out the same task for the 7th, 8th and 9th (Service) Battalions until it became 26th Training Reserve Battalion in 1916. The 1/4th Battalion landed at Le Havre and joined the Jullundur Brigade of the 3rd (Lahore) Division in November 1914 for service on the Western Front. It ended the war as
5995-424: The SR at Gibraltar Barracks and the 4th (at Portman Road in Ipswich ) and 5th (at Gibraltar Barracks) TF battalions. In 1910 the regiment gained another Territorial unit, the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion (at Woodbridge Road in Ipswich ), after the breakup of the Essex and Suffolk Cyclist Battalion. The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 84th Brigade in the 28th Division in January 1915 for service on
6104-410: The Saarland. The result of the plebiscite was 90.3% voting to join Germany (then under Nazi government). From Germany, the 1st Battalion moved to Catterick in 1935 and thence to Palestine in 1936 where it took part in putting down an Arab revolt . The 2nd Battalion spent the 13-year period from 1922 to 1935 as part of the British garrison in India . During this lengthy time, the 2nd Battalion
6213-437: The Suffolk Regiment was deployed to the Malayan Emergency . During the Malayan Emergency in April 1952, soldiers of the Suffolk Regiment killed and decapitated a socialist revolutionary and an important guerrilla of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) called Hen Yan. After the war, a former member of the Suffolk Regiment wrote a book titled The Suffolks in Malaya which described the killing but omitted any reference to
6322-418: The Territorial Army being doubled as another conflict had, by this time, seemed inevitable. Both battalions were assigned to the 54th Infantry Brigade , which included the 4th Royal Norfolk Regiment , assigned to the 18th Infantry Division , a 2nd Line duplicate of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division . Despite being a 2nd Line formation, the 18th Division contained many 1st Line units. The division spent
6431-457: The Turkish lines and opened the way for the cavalry to pursue the defeated enemy. 161st Brigade was left behind for a week on battlefield clearance before joining the pursuit. By the time the Armistice with Turkey was signed on 30 October 1918, 54th Division had reached Beirut . The four Second Line TF battalions (2/4th–2/7th) constituted the 206th (2/1st Essex) Brigade in 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division, which remained on Home Defence throughout
6540-627: The United Kingdom throughout the war, with the 206th Brigade and later the 140th Brigade and 7th Brigade , supplying drafts and replacements to other units of the regiment serving abroad as well as other infantry regiments. The 64th (Essex Regiment) Searchlight Regiment and 65th (Essex Regiment) Searchlight Regiment were both transferred to the Royal Artillery in August 1940, being renamed 64th (Essex Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery and 65th (Essex Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery, respectively. However, they still maintained their own Essex Regiment capbadges and buttons. On
6649-471: The War Office from that time onwards. Under the reforms introduced by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, the remaining militia infantry regiments were redesignated as numbered battalions of regiments of the line, ranking after the two regular battalions. Typically, an English, Welsh or Scottish regiment would have two militia battalions (the 3rd and 4th) and Irish regiments three (numbered 3rd – 5th). The militia must not be confused with
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#17327721229046758-429: The Western Front. The 7th (S) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 35th Brigade in 12th (Eastern) Division in May 1915. The 8th (Service) Battalion landed in France as part of the 53rd Brigade in 18th (Eastern) Division in July 1915 and served until it was disbanded in February 1918. The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne as part of 71st Brigade in 24th Division in August 1915. It
6867-428: The aftermath of the Munich Crisis Leslie Hore-Belisha , Secretary of State for War , wished to introduce a limited form of conscription , an unheard of concept in peacetime. It was thought that calling the conscripts 'militiamen' would make this more acceptable, as it would render them distinct from the rest of the army. Only single men aged 20–22 were to be conscripted (given a free suit of civilian clothes as well as
6976-563: The battalion remained with the 25th Brigade until February 1944 when it became part of the 56th Independent Infantry Brigade , alongside the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers and 2nd Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment , where it was to remain for the rest of the war. The battalion received large drafts of men to bring it up to strength and began training intensively for the Allied invasion of France . The battalion and brigade landed on Gold Beach on D-Day , 6 June 1944, from roughly 1:00 pm and immediately set off inland. They fought through
7085-405: The battalion transferred to the 123rd Indian Infantry Brigade , part of the 5th Indian Infantry Division and served with them in the Burma Campaign . In 1944 the battalion was flown to Imphal to clear Japanese positions. The 4th/5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment was a Territorial Army unit and was split to help re-create the 5th Battalion, which had been disbanded in the 1920s, in 1939 due to
7194-402: The battalion was converted to a regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps , becoming 142nd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (142 RAC) and joined 25th Army Tank Brigade . They continued to wear their Suffolk Regiment cap badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps as did all infantry units converted this way. Equipped with Churchill tanks the regiment landed at Algiers in 1943, fighting at
7303-401: The battalion's intelligence officer. During the First World War, Percival became renowned for his "power of command and knowledge of tactics". As such, he and his fellow Essex regimental colleagues were trained in counter-insurgency tactics. Combining both intelligence and rapid response teams in mobile squads, Percival and his Essex veterans staged numerous operations to demoralise and defeat
7412-401: 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 the 13th Brigade, which comprised 1st Battalion, the Essex Regiment, 1st Battalion, the East Lancashire Regiment , and the 16th/5th Lancers , as a supervisory force to
7521-405: The brigade became involved in the Senussi Campaign , marching out to replace the New Zealand Rifle Brigade guarding the coast railway from Alexandria to Da'aba. The Essex battalions were relieved from this duty on 4 March 1916 by the 2nd County of London Yeomanry and moved into the No 1 (Southern) Section of the Suez Canal Defences. In August, part of the brigade was moved northwards to counter
7630-406: The campaign against the Moplahs in Malabar in 1922 while the 2nd battalion was deployed to Shanghai in 1927 before moving to India in 1929. The 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment was a Regular Army unit stationed in Devonport as part of the 8th Infantry Brigade , 3rd Infantry Division and served with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France from late 1939 to May 1940. The division
7739-452: The casualties sustained, was transferred to GHQ Troops before, on 25 October, transferring to the 8th Brigade of the 3rd Division and, almost a year later, transferred to 76th Brigade of the same division, where they were to remain for the rest of the year. The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion went to its war station in the Harwich Garrison, where it spent the war carrying out is twin roles of home defence and preparing reinforcement drafts for
7848-407: The early years of the war in the defence of England and guarding against a possible German invasion after the bulk of the British Army was evacuated at Dunkirk . In late 1941 the 18th Division, the 4th and 5th Suffolks included, were originally to be sent to Egypt but instead were sent to Singapore to help strengthen the garrison there after Japan entered the war in December 1941. In early 1942, both
7957-463: The encirclement. Thus, in a stroke of luck, most of Barry's IRA column simply passed through the abandoned encircling army posts. A small IRA detachment did attempt to break out through the British ambush site. However, as the RIC and Essex group were about to spring their ambush, an Irish regular force racing to the ambush site ran into the IRA detachment and was quickly engaged. In the resulting firefight,
8066-464: The end of the day the 161st Brigade was ordered to take Green Hill: despite heavy fighting the attack was a complete success and the brigade held the whole position by nightfall. However, confusion set in, and 53rd Division withdrew during the night. The men of 161st Brigade were enraged by the order to withdraw. The following day patrols showed that the Turks had not reoccupied the position; 1/7th Battalion
8175-406: The end of the war in late 1944 and early 1945, both regiments were selected to be converted to infantry. The 64th Searchlight Regiment was subsequently redesignated 639th (Essex Regiment) Infantry Regiment, Royal Artillery and joined the 305th Infantry Brigade . The 65th Searchlight Regiment became 607th (Essex Regiment) Infantry Regiment, Royal Artillery. Both were converted to infantry due mainly to
8284-512: The hard-pressed battalion machine gunners. Almost totally decimated as a fighting unit after over eight hours of incessant fighting, the 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment was gradually outflanked but would still not surrender. This was despite the fact that the German Army , knowing the 2nd Battalion had no hope of survival, entreated them to surrender, even ordering the German buglers to sound
8393-476: The larger regular forces in an attempt to encircle the IRA force. However, the delay in tempo needed to carry out this move and a lack of communications between the RIC mobile teams and the Regulars, resulted in the pressure being taken off Barry's IRA men. This allowed the IRA force to attack and overwhelm a number of isolated army positions, which appeared to create an opening out of the encirclement. Foreseeing
8502-420: The level of training they had been subject to as a peacetime unit, it is noted that 720 men of 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment total roll call of some 1,000, many of whom had been with the battalion since the 1899 posting to Quetta, were killed, wounded or captured. This fight-to-the-last-man defence at Le Cateau was later recognised as a key factor in preventing the German occupation of Paris. The battalion, due to
8611-544: The men under arms for over 12 hours a day conducting a wide selection of military manoeuvres, including bridge building, retreats under fire, forced marches and defending ground and fixed fortifications. In 1908, the Militia and Volunteers were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Special Reserve (SR) and the latter the Territorial Force (TF). The regiment now had the 3rd (Reserve) of
8720-401: The militia was often a 'back door' route to a Regular Army commission for young men who could not obtain one through purchase or gain entry to Sandhurst . Under the act, Militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time service in three circumstances: Until 1852 the militia were an entirely infantry force, but the 1852 Act introduced Militia Artillery units whose role
8829-519: The necessary physical requirements.' A further contrast was the replacement of several weeks of preliminary training with six months of full time training upon enlisting in the Special Reserve. Upon mobilisation, the special reserve units would be formed at the depot and continue training while guarding vulnerable points in Britain. The special reserve units remained in Britain throughout
8938-539: The nicest possible feeling amongst all ranks". The 2nd was also regarded as a good shooting battalion with high level of musketry skills. The spirit of independence and self-reliance exhibited by officers and non-commissioned officers led to the 2nd Battalion taking first place in the Quetta Division of the British Army of India , from a military effectiveness point of view, in a six-day test. This test saw
9047-493: The outbreak of war, both were originally assigned to the 41st (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade , part of the 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division until November 1940 when the 64th was transferred to the 40th Anti-Aircraft Brigade and the 65th remained with the 41st AA Brigade. Both regiments remained mainly in East Anglia and eastern England, defending from aerial attacks during the Battle of Britain and during The Blitz . Towards
9156-567: The pioneer battalion of the 58th (2/1st London) Division . The 1/5th Battalion landed at Suvla Bay as part of the 163rd (1/1st Norfolk and Suffolk) Brigade in the 54th (East Anglian) Division in August 1915; it was evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915 and moved to Egypt and saw action again at First Battle of Gaza in March 1917 and through the Sinai and Palestine campaign . The 1/6th (Cyclist) Battalion served in home defence throughout
9265-639: The present Royal Anglian Regiment . In 1685, the Duke of Norfolk's Regiment of Foot was recruited in Norfolk and Suffolk by the Duke of Norfolk . Raised to suppress the Monmouth Rebellion , it became part of the Royal Army and its Colonel Lord Lichfield remained loyal to James II after the 1688 Glorious Revolution . He was replaced by Henry Wharton and the regiment fought throughout
9374-680: The provisional units became numbered battalions of their parent regiments, with 64th Provisional Bn, becoming 14th Suffolks, serving in bhome defence. 15th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Battalion was formed in Egypt in 1917 from the dismounted Suffolk Yeomanry . It served as infantry in Palestine until the end of the war. A number of battalions were raised in 1914–15 as part of the New Armies (' Kitchener's Army '). The 7th, 8th and 9th (Service) Battalions were formed at Bury St Edmunds and all served on
9483-505: The rapid pursuit after the fall of Gaza, 1/4th and 1/6th Essex assisted the Anzac Mounted Division , while 1/5th and 1/7th were left marching in the rear. As well as battle casualties, the whole brigade suffered considerably from influenza during November–December 1917 and throughout 1918. The weakened brigade was mainly engaged in line-holding until September 1918. 54th Division was held in readiness to move to reinforce
9592-492: The regiment now included: Regulars Militia Volunteer Force The 1st Battalion served in the Second Boer War : it assaulted a hill near Colesberg in January 1900 and suffered many casualties including the commanding officer. By contrast between 1895 and 1914, the 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment was not involved in hostilities. It was stationed for the majority of the time in India. Garrison postings during this period include; Secunderabad (India) 1895, Rangoon and
9701-535: The regular forces. Volunteer Corps required recruits to fund their own equipment, however, effectively barring those with low incomes. The militia was transformed into the Special Reserve by the military reforms of Haldane in the reforming post 1906 Liberal government. In 1908 the militia infantry battalions were redesignated as "reserve" and a number were amalgamated or disbanded. Altogether, 101 infantry battalions, 33 artillery regiments and two engineer regiments of special reservists were formed. In contrast with
9810-485: The rest of the brigade was in divisional reserve and most of its casualties were due to shellfire. During the summer months, 161st Brigade held the line without suffering serious casualties, and by the end of October was fully up to strength for the forthcoming Third Battle of Gaza (1–3 November 1917). On the morning of 2 November, the 54th Division put in a holding attack at the El Arish Redoubt. The fighting
9919-404: The soldier serving in the militia, those who served under Special Reserve terms of service had an obligation to serve overseas, as stipulated in paragraph 54. The standards of medical fitness were lower than for recruits to the regular infantry. The possibility of enlisting in the army under Regular terms of service were facilitated under paragraph 38, one precondition was that the recruit 'fulfils
10028-422: The time of Dunkirk, returning from overseas service. However, in October, the battalion was re-designated as the 8th Battalion. In addition, the 6th, 9th, 30th, 31st and 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalions were also formed, although none of these saw service overseas. The regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Norfolk Regiment to form the 1st East Anglian Regiment (Royal Norfolk and Suffolk) in 1959. In 1949
10137-414: The top". The companies came under heavy artillery and machine gun fire almost as soon as 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 at 12:30 pm, but at 12:20 pm the battalion commander advised brigade HQ that "owing to casualties and disorganisation", it
10246-501: The volunteer units created in a wave of enthusiasm in the second half of the nineteenth century. In contrast with the Volunteer Force , and the similar Yeomanry Cavalry, they were considered rather plebeian. Volunteer units appealed to better-off recruits as, unlike the Militia which engaged a recruit for a term of service, a volunteer could quit his corps with fourteen days notice, except while embodied for war or training with
10355-458: The war. Soon after the outbreak of war the TF formed 2nd Line battalions, initially to supply reinforcements to the 1st Line serving overseas, then as service battalions in their own right. The 2/4th, 2/5th and 2/6th (Cyclist) Battalions served in home defence throughout the war. The 3rd Line battalions were formed in 1915 to supply reinforcements. The 3/6th (Cyclist) Battalion was disbanded in 1916,
10464-591: The war. The Third Line battalions (3/4th–3/7th) were formed as reserve battalions to provide drafts to the TF units overseas. By September 1916, they had been merged into 4th Reserve Battalion. The 1st Battalion was stationed in Kinsale in County Cork during the Irish War of Independence . From 1920, Major Arthur Ernest Percival (later a Lieutenant-General ) served first as a company commander , then as
10573-668: Was a clash, where a drummer boy, John Egan and several other members of the convoy were attacked by a mob looking to loot the wagons. Tradition variously had it that Egan either was killed there and then or was the first casualty of the fighting on the day of the battle. However, his grave in Old Ballarat Cemetery was removed in 2001 after research carried out by Dorothy Wickham showed that Egan had survived and died in Sydney in 1860. While still in Australia, elements of
10682-486: Was a skirmish involving the 12th regiment and a mob of rebellious miners. Foot police reinforcements had already reached the Ballarat government outpost on 19 October 1854. A further detachment of the 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot arrived a few days behind. On 28 November, the 12th Regiment arrived to reinforce the local government camp. As they moved near where the rebels ultimately made their last stand, there
10791-477: Was a war-formed unit raised in June 1940, shortly after Dunkirk, and, on 10 October, was assigned to the 210th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) alongside other hostilities-only battalions. With the brigade, the battalion alternated between home defence duties and training to repel an expected invasion of the United Kingdom. In November 1941, with the threat of invasion reduced due to the oncoming winter,
10900-728: Was also disbanded in February 1918. Sergeant Arthur Frederick Saunders of the 9th Battalion was awarded the Victoria Cross while serving with the battalion during the Battle of Loos , the largest British Army offensive of 1915. The Cambridge Service Battalion was a Kitchener's Army unit formed by the Cambridge TF Association and later assigned to the Suffolk Regiment as the [[11th (Service) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment (Cambridgeshire) |11th (Service) Battalion (Cambridgeshire)]]. It landed at Boulogne as part of
11009-511: Was commanded by Major-General Bernard Montgomery . With the rest of the BEF, it was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. The next four years were spent training in the United Kingdom for the invasion of Normandy in 1944, otherwise known as D-Day . The 1st Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Richard E. Goodwin , landed on Sword beach and was involved in attacking and taking
11118-431: Was confused, but the division took all its objectives. However, the 1/7th Bn found that the fourth objective, 'John Trench', was a mere scrape in the ground and could not be held. The brigade commander considered that this battalion had the hardest time of all that day. At 04.00 on 3 November, 1/7th made a renewed attempt to take their objective, but were again held up by Turkish machine-gun fire, with heavy casualties. During
11227-579: Was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot and the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot . In 1958, the Essex Regiment was amalgamated with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment to form the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot) . However, the existence was short-lived and, in 1964, was amalgamated again with the 1st East Anglian Regiment (Royal Norfolk and Suffolk) ,
11336-551: 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'. The names of 959 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. After serving in home defence, the Essex Brigade (containing
11445-576: Was originally part of the 25th Infantry Brigade (containing the 1/7th Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) and 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers ) attached to the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and served with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France in 1940. The battalion was evacuated from Dunkirk after the short but fierce Battle of Dunkirk , part of the larger Battle of France . After Dunkirk
11554-620: Was reduced to one battalion on 1 April 1908. In addition, the four volunteer battalions transferred to the Territorial Force and were redesignated as battalions of the Essex Regiment: The Essex Brigade joined the East Anglian Division of the TF. In 1910, the Essex and Suffolk Cyclist Battalion, which had been raised in 1908, divided to become the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment and
11663-470: Was sent up to support the patrols, but a violent Turkish counter-attack finished the battle. Casualties were heavy, including many men missing after the fighting withdrawal. The brigade was not heavily engaged during the Second Battle of Gaza (17–19 April 1917:) 1/7th Bn was detached and assigned to the Imperial Camel Corps (ICC), which was protecting the left flank of 54th Division, while
11772-521: 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 returning to Britain and the regimental depot at Warley near Brentwood in Essex. In 1920, when the Territorial Force was reformed (and was renamed the Territorial Army ),
11881-647: Was to man coastal defences and fortifications, relieving the Royal Artillery for active service. Some of these units were converted from existing infantry militia regiments, others were newly raised. In 1877 the militia of Anglesey and Monmouthshire were converted to Royal Engineers . Up to 1855, the Home Office administered the Militia and Yeomanry, until such time as they were Embodied. The resultant ‘confusion and inconvenience’ it caused, from 1854 to 1855, resulted in being administered exclusively by
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