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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 Cardwell 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 Territoral 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 . 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 recieved orders to hold their position along the line of Mary Redan - New Trench - Regent Street. {Link without Title} 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 West 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 300. The British Army failed to subdue the IRA flying column, and Barry's tactics made West Cork ungovernable for the British. {Link without Title} 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 garrision was withdrawn in 1923 . {Link without Title} 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). [http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/044-1.htm 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 . {Link without Title} SECOND WORLD WAR (1939-1945) Under construction. POST-1945 The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948 . 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 (a.k.a. '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. 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. 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 James Henderson. 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 {Link without Title} :
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 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, heraldy, 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 . {Link without Title} 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. EXTERNAL LINKS
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