The Essex Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army raised in 1797. The regiment recruited volunteers from the county of Essex in the East of England. The Essex Yeomanary is currently a troop within the Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry (ICCEY) Signal Squadron.
| The Essex Yeomanry | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1797-present |
| Country | Britain |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Yeomanry |
| Role | Signals |
| Size | Troop |
| Garrison/HQ | Chelmsford |
| Motto | Decus Et Tutamen (Honour and Protection) |
| Engagements | Battle of Ypres, Battle of Frezenberg, Battle of Loos, Battle of Arras, Battle of the Hindenburg Line, Battle of the St Quentin Canal, Pursuit to Mons |
Contents |
The Essex Yeomanry was raised in 1797 during the Napoleonic Wars as a number of independent troops. Its Band was formed in 1809. The regiment was brought together as the "Essex Yeomanry Cavalry" in 1814. The regiment was disbanded in 1828, but with the expansion of the volunteer movement in the 1850s the regiment was re-raised as the "West Essex Yeomanry Cavalry" in 1857. The regiment was disbanded again in 1877, but an "Essex Troop" continued to serve under command of the "Loyal Suffolk Hussars".
In 1902 the "Essex Imperial Yeomanry" was raised with 4 sabre squadrons, 1 machine gun section, and its regimental headquarters at Colchester. In 1908, the regiment was renamed the "Essex Yeomanry" and transferred to the Territorial Force.
The Essex Yeomanry Cavalry Regiment was mobilised at the outbreak of war. The regiment joined the Royal Horse Guards and the 10th Royal Hussars in France in November 1914 as part of 8th Cavalry Brigade. [1] During the war, 2nd and 3rd line regiments were raised at Colchester to reinforce the 1st line. The 2nd Essex Yeomanry served as garrison troops in Ireland during the war, and the 3rd Essex Yeomanry was absorbed into the 4th Reserve Cavalry Regiment in 1917. In addition, 1/1st (Essex Yeomanry) Battery, RHA was mobilised at Colchester in 1914. The battery was a reserve Royal Horse Artillery formation aligned to the Essex Yeomanry. The battery served attached to 8th Cavalry Brigade in France from 1914-1918. [2] In April 1918, the 1st Essex Yeomanry was broken up as reinforcements for three other cavalry regiments. Lieutenant Colonel Whitmore of the EY was appointed to command the 10th Royal Hussars, the only Territorial officer without previous regular service to command a regular cavalry regiment. Other officers included members of the Towers family, whose descendants subsequently hung portraits of their menfolk in uniform at Ashridge, where they can still be seen today.
The regiment was reconstituted in 1920 as part of the Territorial Army with regimental headquarters at Colchester. In 1921, the regiment was converted from cavalry to artillery. The regiment became "104th (Essex Yeomanry) Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.
In 1932, with regimental headquarters and 413 Battery transferred to Chelmsford, the regiment gained a third battery in form of 339 (Essex Royal Horse Artillery) Battery based at Colchester. In 1938, the regiment was renamed "104th (Essex Yeomanry) Regiment, RHA".
At the outbreak of the Second World War 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).
The first line regiment went to the Middle East in 1940 and served in most of the Western Desert battles, notably Battle of El Alamein and the Siege of Tobruk. The regiment went on to fight in the Italian Campaign and was stood-down in Austria in 1946.
The new regiment landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, 1944. The regiment fought with the British 8th Armoured Brigade as a spearhead unit through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and into Germany. The regiment stood-down in 1946.
The Essex Yeomanry was reraised on 1 June 1947 as 304th (EY) Field Regiment RA with HQ at Chelmsford and batteries at Colchester (P), Southend (Q), and Harlow (R). The title RHA was restored in February 1955 and shoulder chains were added to the green No 1 dress. [3]
The Essex Yeomanry tradition was continued through the men and women of the Territorial Army who served as members of 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron, which formed part of 71 Yeomanry Signal Regiment in the Royal Corps of Signals. The squadron headquarters and 881 Troop were located in Chelmsford with 882 Troop based in Harlow. Members of the squadron wore the Green Beret of the Essex Yeomanry and were liable for active duty under the Reserve Forces Act 1996, soldiers from the Squadron contributed to operations in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq.
On the 25th April 2009 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron was awarded the freedom of Harlow.
Following the announcement on Tuesday 28 April 2009 in the Houses of Parliament of Royal Signals Territorial Army restructuring:
Harlow TA Centre was closed on 1 October 2009
70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron amalgamated with 68 (Inns of Court & City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron to form 68 (Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron. The official parade where the two Squadron fell out and then fell back in as one Squadron occurred on Saturday 26 June 2010.
With the closure of Harlow TA Centre on 1 October 2009, and the Squadron's amalgamation, 907 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Troop was reformed at Chelmsford TA Centre as part of Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry with TA Centres at Chelmsford, Lincoln's Inn and Whipps Cross. Soldiers from the Squadron continue to contribute to operations in Afghanistan & Cyprus.
The Essex Yeomanry Band was founded around 1809 and continues to this day. [4]