Essex Yeomanry

Essex Yeomanry
Essex Yeomanry cap badge (1940s)[1]
Active	1797–1828 10 February 1831 – 31 March 1877 13 February 1902–present
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain (1797–1800)  United Kingdom (1801–Present)
Branch	Army Reserve
Type	Yeomanry
Role	Signals
Size	Squadron
Garrison/HQ	Colchester
Motto(s)	Decus et Tutamen (Shield and Protection) – 1831–77; 1909 onwards Audacter et Sincere (Gallant and Loyal) – 1901–09
March	The Coggeshall Man's Wedding
Engagements	World War I Battle of Frezenberg Battle of Arras Hundred Days Offensive World War II North African Campaign Italian Campaign Burma Campaign North West Europe Campaign
Commanders
Honorary Colonel	Colonel Timothy J.S. Allen, OBE George Palmer Richard Colvin Reginald Hobbs

The Essex Yeomanry was a

In 1803, when the shortlived Peace of Amiens broke down and the Napoleonic Wars began, there was a resurgence in recruiting for the Yeomanry, and by December that year there were 23 Troops in Essex, with a strength of 1251 men. The largest was the 5th Troop raised at Harlow by Montagu Burgoyne, which had 160 men.^[5] By 1813 the threat from France had disappeared and the Yeomanry were in decline: the number of Troops in Essex had fallen to 12. The government suggested that the independent Troops should be regimented, and in February seven of the Essex Troops became the 1st Essex Yeomanry Cavalry under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Archer-Houblon.^[5][6][7] The remaining Troops continued as parts of independent units:^[5]

• 1st Squadron of Essex Yeomanry Cavalry (Captain Conyers)
• Essex Union Legion Cavalry (Lt-Col Burgoyne)
• Havering Yeomanry Cavalry (Major Crosse)
• 1st East Essex Cavalry (Capt Bawtree)

19th Century

After the

• A Troop (Capt Jessopp) at Waltham Abbey
• B Troop (Maj J.W.P. Watlington) at Harlow
• C Troop (Capt the Hon Francis Petre) from the estates of Lord Petre
• D Troop (Light Artillery) (Capt S. Bolton Edenborough of Thrift Hall) at Waltham Abbey
• E Troop (Light Artillery)

Lieutenant-Col Palmer retired from the command in 1868 and was followed by a series of commanding officers (COs) in quick succession. In 1871 the declining unit reverted to its old title of Essex Yeomanry Cavalry. The government ordered the disbandment of the artillery troops in 1876, and when there were only 46 men on parade in September that year it ordered the CO, Lt-Col T. Duff Cater, to wind up the whole unit. It was disbanded on 31 March 1877.^[6][7][8]

Yeomanry activity in the county did not entirely disappear: Captain

The Imperial Yeomanry concept was considered a success and before the war ended the existing Yeomanry regiments at home were converted into Imperial Yeomanry, and new regiments raised, including the Essex Imperial Yeomanry. The Lord Lieutenant of Essex, the Earl of Warwick (who became the unit's Honorary Colonel), appointed Lt-Col Colvin to raise and command the new regiment.^[10][22] Colvin arranged the squadrons on the basis of fox hunts in the county, giving the following organisation:^{[6][9][10][23][24]}

• Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) (Maj John Patterson, DSO, former captain in the IY, as adjutant) at 17 Sir Isaac's Walk, Colchester^[25]
• A Squadron (Maj Henry Lermitte, retired captain in the Royal Scots Fusiliers) at Colchester, with detachments at High Street, Harwich,^[26] Marine Hall, Old Pier Street, Walton-on-the-Naze,^[27] Ardleigh and Clacton-on-Sea (No 4 Trp HQ at Warwick Castle Hotel, drill hall at Osborne Hotel)^[28] – from the Essex and Suffolk Hunt
• B Squadron (Maj Edmund Deacon, retired
  King's Dragoon Guards (KDG)) at Drill Hall, Victoria Street, Braintree,^[29] with detachments at Queen's Hall, 47 New Street, Halstead,^[30] Chelmsford and Tiptree
  – from the East Essex Hunt
• C Squadron (Maj Leonard Pelly, former lieutenant in the 20th (Rough Riders) Bn, IY) at Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey,[31] with detachments at Forest Road, Loughton,^[32] Bishop's Stortford (Hertfordshire)^[33] and Great Dunmow – from the Essex Hunt
• D Squadron (Maj Francis Whitmore of Orsett Hall, formerly of the 1st Essex Artillery Volunteers) at Drill Hall, East Street, Southend-on-Sea,^[34] with detachments at Drill Hall, Ongar Road, Brentwood,^[35] Artillery Drill Hall, Brook Road, Grays,^[36] Stratford and Orsett – from the Essex Union Hunt
• Machine Gun Section
• Honorary
  1st Royal Dragoons
  )

The Boer War was still going on, and further volunteers went out to South Africa with the second contingent of the IY. Major J.H. Patterson, DSO, of the Essex IY, was appointed Temporary Lt-Col to command the 33rd Battalion on 17 January 1902.^[37][38]

Territorial Force

The Imperial Yeomanry were subsumed into the new

The 1st Line regiment was mobilized at Colchester on the outbreak of war and, with the Eastern Mounted Brigade, joined the 1st Mounted Division in the Ipswich area. By the end of August 1914 it was in the Woodbridge area.^[24] After mobilisation the Essex Yeomanry reorganised on a three-squadron basis:^[45]

• RHQ: 6 officers and 34 men, commanded by Lt-Col Deacon
• A Sqn: Colchester, Ardleigh Harwich, Clacton and Walton-on-the-Naze Trps, with the Southend Trp from D Sqn – 6 officers and 136 men commanded by Maj Eustace Hill
• B Sqn: Braintree and
  Maldon
  , Halstead and Chelmsford Trps, with the Orsett Trp from D Sqn – 6 officers and 138 men commanded by Maj Guy Gold
• C Sqn: Waltham Abbey, Epping, Dunmow and Bishop's Stortford Trps, with the Brentwood and Stratford Trp from D Sqn – 6 officers and 135 men commanded by Maj Andrew Roddick
• Machine Gun Section – 25 men commanded by Lt Tom Buxton

The CO reported that the men were all medically fit, fully trained, and aged 19 years or older, and the regiment was accepted for overseas service. However, delays in obtaining replacement kit and new saddles delayed the regiment's departure for the

The regiment landed at Le Havre on 1 December^[24][46] and joined the Royal Horse Guards (RHG) and the 10th Royal Hussars in France on 12 December 1914 as part of 8th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division near Hazebrouck.^[47][48][a] It remained on the Western Front for the rest of the war.^[24][52]

Frezenberg Ridge

The regiment saw its first action at the

The surviving 149 Yeoman under the command of Maj Tony Buxton went into reserve at Hooge. A Regular Army officer, Lt-Col Wickham of the KDG, was brought in as CO to train and integrate the replacement drafts into the regiment. Major Whitmore, who had been wounded on the morning of 13 May and thus missed the afternoon assault on Frezenberg Ridge, returned in September and took command with the rank of Lt-Col. Popularly known as 'Brasso' he remained in command until 1918.^[45] The regiment was present with the rest of 3rd Cavalry Division defending Loos during the Battle of Loos (26–8 September 1915), but did not see serious action again until 1917.^[47] The regimental machine gun section was combined with those of the other regiments to form the 8th Brigade Machine Gun Squadron, Machine Gun Corps (MGC), on 29 February 1916.^[47]

Monchy-le-Preux

On 11 April, the second day of the Battle of the Scarpe that launched the Arras Offensive, 8th Cavalry Bde was ordered to advance mounted, over open country, to occupy high ground east and northeast of Monchy-le-Preux, a key position between the rivers Scarpe and Sensée. The Essex Yeomanry led the movement, with the 10th Hussars on its left and the RHG in reserve. C Squadron, leading, came under heavy machine gun fire while crossing a bridge and the Stortford and Dunmow Trps were almost annihilated. The Yeomanry and Hussars pressed on and occupied Monchy, where they dug in. The CO of the 10th Hussars having become a casualty, Lt-Col Whitmore commanded all the troops in Monchy. The two regiments and machine gun sqn held their positions in and around the town against determined German attacks for 18 hours before being relieved by infantry. The Essex Yeomanry suffered 135 casualties ad almost all their horses were killed. Lance-Corporal Mugford of the MG Sqn won a Victoria Cross in this action.^[45]

On 14 March 1918, the 1/1st Essex Yeomanry left the brigade to become a

After the regiment was broken up, Lt-Col Whitmore commanded the 10th Hussars until 1919, the only TF officer without previous regular service to command a regular cavalry regiment during the war.[45]

2/1st Essex Yeomanry

The 2nd Line regiment was formed at Colchester in 1914. In October, it moved to

One Essex Yeoman was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) during World War I. Harold Sandford Mugford, a shipping clerk born in Bermondsey in 1894 and brought up in East Ham, had joined the Essex Yeomanry in 1912. Mobilised in August 1914, he had served with the regiment at Frezenberg Ridge and Loos. In March 1916, as a member of the regiment's machine gun section he was transferred to the 8th Squadron, MGC, which supported 8th Cavalry Brigade. After the brigade had taken Monchy on 11 April 1917, L/Cpl Mugford placed his machine gun in an exposed forward position and drove off the enemy who were massing for a counter-attack. His No 2 was killed almost immediately and Mugford was severely wounded, but he refused to go to the dressing-station and continued to operate his gun, inflicting further losses on the enemy. A short time later a shell broke both his legs, but he remained at his gun, urging his comrades to take cover. He was then removed to the dressing-station, where he was also wounded in the arm. Mugford survived, despite the los of both legs, and was awarded the VC for his conspicuous bravery.^[45][54]

Between the wars

The regiment was reconstituted in 1920 as part of the

• Regimental Headquarters was at Colchester
• 413 (Essex Yeomanry) Battery was based at Colchester
• 414 (Essex Yeomanry) Battery was based at Harlow

In 1932, with regimental headquarters and 413 Battery transferred to Chelmsford, the regiment gained 339 (Essex Royal Horse Artillery) Battery based at Colchester, transferred from 85th (East Anglian) Field Brigade. In 1938, the regiment was renamed 104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (RHA).^[6][55]

World War II

At the outbreak of the World War II in 1939, the "104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, RHA" formed a duplicate regiment as part of the increase in British military manpower. The second Essex Yeomanry regiment was designated 147 Regiment RHA (Essex Yeomanry),^[6] and reclassified as a field regiment in 1941.^[56][57] In 1942 both 147th (Essex Yeomanry) and 86th (East Anglian) (Herts Yeomanry) Field Regiments supplied cadres to help form 191st (Hertfordshire and Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.^[58]

104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, RHA

The first line regiment went to the Middle East in 1940 and served in most of the Western Desert battles, notably the

The new regiment landed on the beaches of

The regiment was re-raised on 1 June 1947 as 304th (Essex Yeomanry) Field Regiment RA with headquarters at Chelmsford and batteries at Colchester (P), Southend (Q), and Harlow (R). The Royal Horse Artillery designation was restored in February 1955.[6]^[55] Following the defence cuts of 1967, the unit was reduced to squadron status as 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron, part of 71 Yeomanry Signal Regiment, Royal Corps of Signals.^[6][55] On 25 April 2009, 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron was awarded the freedom of Harlow.^[62]

Following the reorganisation of the Royal Signals Reserves in 2009, 68 (Inns of Court & City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron merged with 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron to form 68 (Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron.^[63]

Under

The Essex Imperial Yeomanry adopted the same colours for its full dress uniform as the neighbouring Loyal Sussex Hussars: green with scarlet facings. The Khaki service dress had green facings from 1901 to 1905, the red facings until 1908.

On becoming Royal Artillery the regiment retained its Yeomanry cap and collar badges and buttons, which were worn by all ranks until 1975.[1]^[55] When the Essex RHA joined in 1933, the whole regiment adopted RHA-style ball buttons, but they bore the Yeomanry badge. In 1943, 147th Field Rgt adopted an embroidered regimental badge worn on both arms, consisting of three seaxes with green blades and yellow hilts on a red diamond. This was adopted by the whole regiment from 1947 to 1965. While attached to 8th Armoured Brigade, 1944–46, 147th Field Rgt wore a black Royal Armoured Corps beret.^[55]

Post World War II, all ranks wore

Essex Yeomanry Band

The Essex Yeomanry Band is one of the oldest established Military bands in the East of England, being originally formed in 1809.^[68] In 1830, the Commanding Officer of the West Essex Yeomanry was financially supporting the Band out of his own pocket. An 1846 engraving shows a black drummer mounted on a white horse, sporting a plumed turban. The other mounted bandsmen wore the Yeomanry uniform of the period.^[68] In 1877, the West Essex Yeomanry was disbanded, but later reformed to become the Waltham Abbey Town Band. However, this newly formed band proudly continued to wear the Yeomanry uniform.^[68] The Essex Yeomanry became gunners in 1921, but still retained the Band.^[68] By 1937, the band was in the full dress uniform of the Regiment, complete with plumed brass helmets.^[68] During the Second World War, the Essex Yeomanry Band was disbanded, but reformed in 1947.^[68] This was a difficult time for the players, as all the uniforms had been destroyed with the bombing of Chelmsford in 1943. In 1952, official recognition of the band was given by the War Office, but like the Regiment, it was withdrawn in 1968.^[68]

Regimental marches

The regimental march before World War I was Hoch Habsburg ('Hail Habsburg'), which was probably discontinued as inappropriate once war broke out with Austria-Hungary. In 1962 the CO, Col Hugh Hunter Jones, introduced The Coggeshall Man's Wedding as the regimental march. The regimental slow march is the Slow March of the Royal Artillery, but Duke of York may have been used ca 1959.^[69]

Battle honours

The Essex Yeomanry was awarded the following battle honours:^[6]

First World War

Second World War

The Royal Artillery was present in nearly all battles and would have earned most of the honours awarded to cavalry and infantry regiments. In 1833,

The regimental war memorials to the Essex Yeomen who died in the two world wars are in St Peter's Chapel in Chelmsford Cathedral,^[69][71][72] together with individual memorials to L/Cpl Harold Mugford, VC, (unveiled in June 2006)^[54][69] to Brig-Gen Sir Richard Colvin^[73] and to Col Sir Francis Whitmore.^[74] There is also a memorial window to Sir Richard Colvin in the Lady Chapel of Waltham Abbey Church. A memorial to the men of 3 Troop, D Sqn, Essex Yeomanry, and other local Territorials who died in World War I was at the Army Reserve Centre at Romford.^[75] In May 2009 a memorial was dedicated in Saint George's Memorial Church, Ypres, to commemorate Essex Yeomen who died in the Ypres Salient,^[69] most of whom have no known grave and are listed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing.^[45] The regimental memorial in Normandy is at Asnelles on Gold Beach.^[69]

Honorary colonels

The following served as honorary colonel of the unit:^[9]

• Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick, appointed 16 November 1901^[22]
• Brig-Gen Sir Richard Colvin, former CO, 1922 to 1935^[43]
• Col Sir Francis Whitmore, 1st Baronet, former CO, 1936 to 1950^[45][74]
• Maj-Gen Reginald Hobbs, CB, DSO, OBE, former CO, appointed 1961^[76]
• Col G.R. Judd, TD, former CO, from ? to ?; reappointed to the Essex Yeomanry (RHA), 1 April 1967^[6]

See also

• Imperial Yeomanry
• List of Yeomanry Regiments 1908
• Yeomanry
• Yeomanry order of precedence
• British yeomanry during the First World War
• Second line yeomanry regiments of the British Army
• List of British Army Yeomanry Regiments converted to Royal Artillery

Notes

Bibliography

• Anon, Regimental Badges and Service Caps, London: George Philip & Sons, 1941.
• Maj R. Money Barnes, The Soldiers of London, London: Seeley Service, 1963.
• Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1: The Regular British Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1934/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007,
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• Col John K. Dunlop, The Development of the British Army 1899–1914, London: Methuen, 1938.
• ISBN 1-85753-080-2
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• Foakes, Colonel S.P.; McKenzie-Bell, Major M. (2012). Essex Yeomanry: A Short History. Essex: Temperley Media/Essex Yeomanry Association.
  ISBN 978-0-9572333-0-0
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• Frederick, J.B.M. (1984). Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978. Wakefield, Yorkshire: Microform Academic Publishers.
  ISBN 1-85117-009-X
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• James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited.
  ISBN 0-906304-03-2
  .
• Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992,
  ISBN 0-9508205-2-0
  .
• Mileham, Patrick (1994). The Yeomanry Regiments; 200 Years of Tradition. Edinburgh: Canongate Academic.
  ISBN 1-898410-36-4
  .
• Perry, F.W. (1993). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 5B. Indian Army Divisions. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books.
  ISBN 1-871167-23-X
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• Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle of the British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye.
  ISBN 978-0-9776072-8-0
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• Col H.C.B. Rogers, The Mounted Troops of the British Army 1066–1945, London: Seeley Service, 1959.
• Edward M. Spiers, The Army and Society 1815–1914, London: Longmans, 1980,
  ISBN 0-582-48565-7
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Essex Yeomanry.

• Anglo Boer War
• "British Army". MOD. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• The Drill Hall Project
• "Essex Yeomanry Association". Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• "Essex Yeomanry Regimental Information". Essex Regiment & Essex Militia History. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• "71st (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment". MOD. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• "36 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron Colchester and Chelmsford". MOD. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• "68 (Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron". MOD. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• 907 (Essex Yeomanary) Signal Troop
• "Essex Yeomanry Band". Retrieved 8 May 2015.
• Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register
• The Long, Long Trail
• Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth – Regiments.org (archive site)
• Roll of Honour
• Western Front Association.