Regimental History

Raising the Regiment

The regiment was one of seven additional regiments of infantry ordered raised in 1740 to augment the regular army during the "War of the Austrian Succession". In response to a letter of authority issued by the War Office, dated the 17th of January , 1741, Colonel James Long, of the 1st Foot Guards (Grenadier Guards) took charge to raise a regiment to be numbered the 55th Regiment of Foot. The regiment was to consist of ten companies, each with three sergeants; three corporals; two drummers; and 70 men. Also, the appropriate number of commissioned officers were to be recruited. At this time, for English regiments, there were no regional or county associations and the royal warrant, of January 3rd, 1741, gave authority for the men to be recruited from "any county or part of Great Britain". In the book "British Army", by Richard Trimen, it mentions that "the regiment was raised in the southern counties of England." Also, it was still practice, especially by Parliament, to refer to regiments by their Colonels' names, so the 55th was often called Long's Regiment. At this time, there was already a regiment of Marines bearing the 44th number. In 1743, Colonel Long was appointed to the 4th Marines and Lieutenant-Colonel John Lee, of the 4th Foot was promoted to the Colonelcy of the 55th Regiment.
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The Regiment is Bloodied

The newly raised 55th's baptism of fire came during the disastrous engagement of Jacobite rebels at Preston Pans. With the majority of the British army, and it's experienced regiments, away on the continent, Prince Charles Stuart chose the time to make a grab for the British throne. A small contingent under the command of Lieutenant-General Sir John Cope was dispatched to deal with the uprising. As the majority of the experienced regiments were over on the continent, most of the British soldiers at Preston Pans were inexperienced. They had received very little training and had no experience of battle, let alone faced the determined charge of Highlanders driven by passion. Of this force, the 55th regiment supplied five companies, totaling 291 men, including Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Halkett. Upon the first Jacobite assault, seeing they were heavily out-numbered, the two hundred soldiers guarding the artillery, fled. About half of the contingent of Dragoons attempted to charge, but too, under the weight of uneven numbers, fled the field. Seeing this, the majority of the infantry lost heart, and routed. There were pockets of resistance, however. Lieut.-Colonel Halkett kept his company of together. Using a ditch, in Tranent Meadow, as cover, they kept firing and held off the Jacobites. Eventually, even he was forced to surrender under terms.
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The 44th

On the 7th of October, 1748, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed, ending the hostilities with France. With the threat from Scotland also removed, the army was scaled down with the disbanding of several regiments. The regiments were renumbered and the 55th became the 44th Regiment of Foot.

From 1749 to 1754, the regiment was removed to Ireland, for garrison duty. During this period, upon the death of Colonel John Lee, Sir Peter Halkett was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment.
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To Canada

In the of January, 1755, under the command of Major-General Braddock, the 44th, along with the 48th Regiment, sailed from Cork for Virginia. As part of the plan to engage the French in America, Braddock's force was to attack the Fort du Quesne, on the Ohio, Pennsylvania. The army had to cross the Allegany mountains. The journey was long and hard, as much of it was through unmapped, road-less country. The men frequently had to cut their own path over steep inclines, rocky ground and contend with rivers and torrents. They also had no support from the local province. After arriving at Fort Cumberland, Braddock was informed that the French were apparently to be reinforced. With this news, he decided to force march the army to meet the French. Despite protests from the likes of Colonel Sir Peter Halkett of the 44th, Braddock camped his force within ten miles of the fort, over forty miles from any reserve and support. Even though they were now perilously exposed to the risk of ambush, Braddock also ignored advise to use Indian scouts and to proceed cautiously. Braddock marched on blindly. On the 9th of July, Braddock's army was hit by fire from the front and flank. The advanced guard, comprising of the Grenadier company of the 44th led by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable Thomas Gage, took the main brunt of the first volley. From one hundred Grenadiers, all but twenty-two men still stood. In the confusion caused by the thick smoke from the shooting and the total surprise of the attack, eleven more men fell, some to their own comrades guns. Three more Grenadiers later died of their wounds. Braddock's incompetence continued as he ordered a holding action, rather than a retreat. The Major-General was too shot, in the leg, and was carried from the battle field by Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable Thomas Gage of the 44th. Braddock died four days later. Throughout this action, of Braddock's aides, Colonel Washington was the only one to remain unscathed despite having two horses shot from under him and four bullets pass through his coat. It fell to Colonel Washington to withdraw the remaining men from the action to safety, which he did so with clam professionalism. Braddock's army lost seven hundred men, including Colonel Sir Peter Halkett, Bart., The regiment also lost Captains Charles Tatton and Henry Bromley, Captain-Lieutenant Richard Gethin; and Lieutenants James Allen and Robert Townsend. The Colonel's own son, Lieutenant James Halkett, also of the the 44th, was killed.

In the August of 1758, now with Major-General James Abercromby for the Colonel, the 44th was to relieve Oswego, on Lake Ontario, which had been taken by the French. Before they arrived, the French destroyed the fort and reinforced the army at Ticonderoga. The 44th then joined the 27th, 42nd, 46th and 55th Regiments to assail the French at Fort Ticonderoga. Whilst on route, the British came across and detachment of French. For a few losses, the British killed three hundred French and took one hundred and forty-eight prisoners. Arriving in the area, the 44th, along with six companies of the Royal Americans, took possession of the Saw-Mill, which was about two miles from the fort. The French, however managed to destroy the mill and bridge across the river. The next day, Abercromby decided to proceed to take the fort with haste, due to rumours of impending large French reinforcements. Also, due to the nature of the terrain, it was very difficult to bring up artillery, so Abercromby decide not to wait for that either. After four hours of fighting and without removing the French, the British lost five hundred and fifty-one men, with another one thousand and fifty-six wounded. No figures are given for individual regiments, but the 44th lost Ensign William Frasier in the fight. Ticonderoga would not fall until the next year during a major assault on all French positions in Canada.

In 1759, as part of the operation to push the French from Canada, the 44th were assigned to the force against Fort Niagara. Under Brigadier-General John Prideaux of the 55th, a portion of the assemble army included the New York provincials and forces from several Indian nations was commanded by Sir William Johnson. The 44th was attached to this force. The action commenced mid-July of that year. On the 20th of July, Brigadier-General John Prideaux was killed in an accident. The command was taken up by Sir William Johnson. In the ensuing action, the 44th under the command of Major John Beckwith were posted to the trenches to esnure that should the French attempt to break out, they would be met. After fierce fighting, the French finally surrendered the fort on the 25th of July.

The 44th's last action was in the May of 1760. Under Lieutenant-General Amhert, a large force was assembled at Oswego. The 44th regiment formed part of the rear-guard for the attack on Fort Levi, which surrendered on the 25th of August. The army promptly moved on to surround Montreal. The French Governor-General, the Marquis de Vandreuil was compelled to surrender the garrison on the 8th of September, 1760. Canada was now completely under British rule.

From 1761, the regiment's companies were engaged in guard duties in various locations, which the regiment being reassembled in 1765 at Quebec. There, the regiment embarked for Ireland, where it was to remain for the next ten years.
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Rebellion!

With trouble brewing the American colonies, in the May of 1775, the regiment returned to America. The regiment was now up against an army commanded by General Washington. The 44th fought at Long Island, White Plains, Forts Washington and Lee, Duabeny, Ridgefield, Brandywine; at the skirmish against General Wayne's ambuscade in 1777, Germanstown, Whitemarsh, and Monmouth Court House. The regiment then moved to Canada, returning to Britain in 1786.
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French West Indies and the Low Countries

The regiment spent the next few years in England, until 1789 when they moved to Scotland. Then, in 1790, four companies were removed to the Isle of Man, and in 1792 another four companies to Ireland. The rest of regiment was removed to Ireland in 1793. However, in the September of the year, the flank companies (Light & Grenadiers) were sent to Barbados.

By 1794, the British were in a forced retreat on the European continent. The 44th battalion companies moved from Ireland to England, and on to Oostende. They landed in Oostende on the 26th of June, under the command of General The Earl of Moira. The main aim was to cover the retreat of Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Wellesely's force, that was being pushed back the advancing French. Rather than just sit and defend Oostende, The Earl of Moira took a action to join Wellington's force, which was headed for Antwerpen. They joined up with 'Wellesley on the 6th of July. The 44th was then brigaded with the 12th, 33rd and 42nd regiments and joined the army of the Netherlands, under Major-General Nisbet Balfour. The British were pushed further back, until the middle of September, when the advance post at Boxtel was lost. On the morning of the 15th, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Wellesley, the 44th along with other regiments retook Boxtel. This was Wellesley's first experience of active warfare, of which the 44th had the honour of serving with him.

In 1794, the regiments flank companies fought the French on the islands of Martinique, St. Lucia, and Guadaloupe.

The battalion companies were moved from Holland to Germany in 1795, then back to England and on to the West Indies. During this voyage, the fleet suffered badly due to several major storms. In early December, the fleet was scattered and several transport ships was lost.

The 44th, as a complete regiment, took part in the 1796 recapture of St. Lucia. After the island officially surrendered, groups of French and Caribs continued to harass the British, with guerilla style actions. The British were forced to take fight into the dense forests of the mountains.

In 1797 regiment returned to England, arriving on the 31st of July. Their numbers had been greatly reduced, more by disease than battle.
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Egypt

Under the command of General Abercromby, as part of the 1801 expeditionary force to Egypt, the regiment saw action at Cairo and took part in the siege of Alexandria. As recognition of their victories earning the Sphinx and "Egypt" were added to the Regimental Colours. The regiment's officers fared better than the men, as they were also gifted with gold medals from the Sultan. However, the regiment paid a hefty price for these honours - the flank companies were reduced to just two sergeants between fit for service.
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2nd Bn of the 44th raised

As part of the increase mobilisation to counter the expansion of Napoleonic France, the "Army of Reserve Act", passed in July, 1803 and the "Additional Force Act, passed in July the following year, further battalions of many regiments, including the 44th were raised. The men were recruited for a limited period, and were from certain counties in Ireland. The battalion was comprised of ten companies, totalling thirty-one officers and ensigns, fifty-four sergeants, twenty-two drummers, and fifty corporals, nine-hundred and fifty privates. The battalion was placed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Nicoll.
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The Iberian Peninsular

In March of 1810, the second battalion embarked for Cadiz from the Channel Islands. Cadiz was under a long running siege by the French, and the 44th was part of the reinforcements to help bolster the defences. They arrived on the 4th of April, and were assigned to the fort at Matagorda, which had been under constant bombardment. After a few weeks, the fort was virtually reduced and the British troops were withdrawn. The battalion remained at Cadiz untilt he end of September, when they marched to Lisbon, Portugal, arriving on the 4th of October. At the end of the the year, under Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Bulkeley Egerton, the 44th joined the army holding out at the lines of Torres Vedras. There, they joined the Fifth division under Major-General James Leith, and were brigaded with the 4th regiment and 2nd battalion of the 30th regiment, to form the 2nd Brigade. On the 30th of March, 1811, Lieutenant William Peace took a contingent of the 44th's light company crossed the Coa river to engage the right flank of General Regnier's division. The entire light division of the army crossed the river at various places, taking the French, who were cooking their dinners, by surprise. The British then enjoyed the meal, courtesy of the French! After several days, the French fell back and were pushed across the border into Spain.

Part of the army advanced into Spain to counter Marshal Massena's relif of Almeida. Although the battalion joined the advance, only the light companies, under Captain Jessop, were engaged in the action at Fuentes d'Onor. In this action, Lieutenant Pearce, along with four rank and file were wounded. By May, the French has given up hope of rescue, destroyed the wroks and attempted to break out. The brigade engaged the rear of the column at Barba del Puerco, where the French were trying to descend a steep chasm. A large number of French were killed and wounded, and three hundred prisoners were taken. In the dead of night, light companies from the 44th and 30th pursued the remaining French troop. The number of French trying to cross the gorge was too much and number of men fell over the precipice. After surrendering, the French commander asked Captain Jessop of the 44th permission to rescue those left cling to the rocks. The battalion then followed the army as it progressed through Spain, but was not engaged in any action until the fifth division joined the siege at Badajoz.

After sitting out the taking of Ciudad Rodrigo, the second battalion of the 44th marched onto the Alemento. There Leith's fifth division rejoined the second brigade at Campo Mayor on the 24th of March. On the 4th of April, 1812, the division arrived at Badajoz. Badajoz had already been the scene of two sieges, both ending in bloody failure for the British. On the 6th of April, the regiments were split. The battalion companies launched a false attack on the Pardaleras, with the light companies making the real assault on the bastion of San Vincente. The Light companies broke through the palisade, but on entering the ditch, they had trouble fixing the ladders and were fired upon from both flanks with muskets and grape-shot. Nearly half of the assaulting troops fell under this murderous fire. After this was reported back, the 44th's Lieutenant Pearce brought up two more companies. They managed to take out the guns in the flank and the muskets on the ramparts. The rest of the ladders were raised and the bastion was stormed in earnest. Shortly after, the colours of the 44th were raised above the bastion, being the first regiment to do so. Then Muchian, a bugler of the 44th, sounded the advance; Lord Wellington himself explaimed "There is an English bugle in the tower!" The following morning saw but eighteen out of fifty men of the Light battalion at role call. Of the officers and NCOs, only Lieutenant Pearce and Sergeant Jenkins were left. Captain Jervoise, Lieutenant Unthank and two sergeants also fell the previous night. That morning, Lieutenant Unthank was found with a bullet in his side, he died that day. Captain Jervoisealso succumbed to his wounds on the 10th of July, 1812. After Badajoz fell, the regiment marched on with the army to Salamanca.

For most of the following July, the Wellington's army pursued the French to Salamanca. They arrived on the 18th, with most of the British occupying the heights of San Christoval. The 44th remained the other side other side of the Tormes river. The next few days saw both armies manoeuvring for a more favourable position. By the 21st, the British once again found themselves at San Christoval, but this time, the 44th had crossed the river and joined the rest of the army. The next day, the 44th was moved behind the village Arapiles. By the afternoon, Wellington was ready to strike.

As the army advanced, the fifth division, under Lieutenant-General James Leith, attacked the French front. The fifth division advanced in two lines, with the 44th at the right of the front line. The light companies filled the gap between the second and third brigades, maintain a skirmishing order. The east side of the hill was thickly covered with trees, so the light companies of the brigade had to bunch up with the 44th. As the line came around the woods, they came into contact with the French second grand division. Both sides were taken by surprise, but the French were midway between through redeploying. After a brief volley between the two sides, the British seized the initiative and charged. The French were thrown into disarray and tried to retreat.After two squadrons of the 5th Dragoon Guards charged straight through the French division, the French were called upon to surrender. They hesitated, but with the Dragoons forming for a second charge, the French then capitulated and laid down their arms.

Lieutenant W. Pearce saw the French officer who carried one of the French eagles try to hide it under his great-coat. When Pearce tried to remove the eagle from his possession, a French soldier attacked him with his bayonet. The French was shot dead by Private Bill Murray of the 44th's light company. Lieutenant Pearce rewarded the Privates helped out with the capture, Finley, Blackburn and Devine, also of the light company, by giving them all the money he had on him at the time - a total of twenty dollars. The eagle was of the 62dn Regiment of the Line.

The battle was a resounding victory for Wellington, the regiment lost Captain John Berwick, Ensign William Standley and four rank and file. Two sergeants, a drummer and twenty rank and file were wounded.

The British kept up the pursuit of the French, and entered Madrid on the 23rd of July, 1812. As the battalion no longer had an Ensign, Lieutenant Pearce carried the King's colours through the city.

Further action was seen during the siege of Burgos which lasted from September to October. During the retreat from Burgos, the 44th once again engaged the French at Villa Muriel.
However, the past few months had taken a heavy toll upon the battalion, and by the end of October, 1812, the strength of the 2nd Battalion had been reduced to just 42 men of all ranks. Despite a draft of 40 Officers and 373 men, only 130 were fit for duty. Therefore, in December 1812 Wellington ordered six companies to England. The remaining fit men formed a Provisional Battalion of four companies, which stayed on in Portugal, eventually returning to England on the 13th of July 13th 1813.

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The "War of 1812"

The long running antagonism between Great Britain and the United States of America flared up once more. The beginning of May 1814 saw the 1st Battalion and Light companies of the 44th, along with battalions from the 4th, 21st and 85th regiments, under Major-General Ross, embarked for North America. On arrival in the August, three brigades was formed. The first, or light brigade, consisted of the 85th, the light infantry companies of the 4th, 21st, and 44th regiments, and a company of marines, under the command of which Colonel Thornton, of the 85th regiment. The second brigade, composed of the 4th and 44th regiments, with Colonel Brooke, of the 44th in command. The third was made up of the 21st and the battalion of marines, commanded by Colonel Patterson, of the 21st.
On the 24th of August 1814, Ross's army reached the town Bladensburg, just under nine miles (14 km) from the capitol, Washington. With about 9,000 men, the Americans numbers were double that of the British. However, they were both ill prepared and poorly positioned. Assessing this, the British attacked with such speed, that the majority of the defenders broke and ran, giving the British a virtually unhindered crossing of the Potomac. Despite gallant resistance by a small contingent US Marines and sailors failed to hold the British, who were able to advance onto Washington that evening.
With no manpower to spare, Ross had no intention of holding the city. Instead, government and other important public buildings were razed to the ground. The most notable building destroyed was the Presidential mansion, but not until after the officers of the British army enjoyed a fine meal that had been prepared for the President.
The 1st battalion were part of the leading assault on the city of New Orleans on the 8th of January, 1815. Despite several determined advances, the defending fire of the Americans was overwhelming. The brigades suffered heavy losses, including many in command, and were forced to retreat. The "Treaty of Ghent", ending the war, was signed on the 24th of December 1815.
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Waterloo

In April 1815 Napoleon escaped from Elba. The 2ndBn 44th, which had been garrisoned at Ostende joined the 9th British Infantry Brigade under Sir Denis Pack. The 2nd Bn took part in the hard action at Quatre Bra, on the 16th of June, 1815, and at Waterloo, on the 18th, a French lancer made for the battalion's Regimental colour. Despite receiving a serious head-wound Ensign Chrisite managed to save the Colours and the lancer was shot dead. Indeed, the actions of the 44th were some of the first to be reported in the British press. Lieutenant Riddoch, who had been severely injured at Quatre Bra, was assaulted by a French lancer. However Riddoch got the upper hand and killed his assailant and rejoined the battalion riding the Frenchman's horse! During this brief campaign, the battalion lost over 160 men. Afterwards, the 44th marched on to Paris, and returned to England in January 1816.
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India

The regiment was then posted to do garrison duty, in the Bengal Presidency of India.
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Burma

In 1824, the British Empire expanded eastwards from India, into the Ava kingdom. Manipur, Tenassarim, and Arakan became provinces of British India. The 44th were at the taking of Arakan, in the March of 1825, and the subsequent clearing of enemy forces in the surrounding province. The regiment was awarded the battle honour "Ava" to its Regimental colour. The regiment suffered few casualties during the fighting, but in the ensuing rainy season, they were heavily struck by dysentery and other tropical fevers. Nearly the entire regiment, along with the 54th regiment, were rendered unfit for duty.
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The Last Stand at Gandamak

Retreating from Kabul during the First Afghan War, the British Army suffered its worst disaster in the nineteenth century. On the 6th of January 1842, the British pulled out of Kabul. Under the command of Major General Elphinstone, 4 500 British and Indian troops, along with 12 000 camp followers left for Jalalabad. Along the way, the Afghans, who had previously offered the British safe passage if they were to leave Afghanistan, harrassed the column with hit and run raids and sniper fire. The column suffered terrible losses until reaching Gandamak near the Jagdalak Pass, the last survivors, mainly from the 44th (East Essex), made a last stand. On the 13th of January 1842, the regiment was wiped out. However, during the battle, a small contingent of cavalry tried to break out. One man, Dr William Brydon, escaped to become the sole survivor from an original muster of over 15 000 people. Dr Brydon's arrival at Jalalabad became the subject of Lady Butler's "The Remnants of an Army" and W.B.Wollen's "Last stand at Gandamak".
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The Crimean War

During the Crimean, the regiment saw action at the Battle of the Alma, Inkerman, and the Siege of Sevastopol. The 44th took part in the successful attack on dockyard creek.
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The Second Opium War

The regiment participated in the bloody assault and capture of the North Taku entrenchments. Two members of the regiment were awarded Victoria Crosses, Lieutenant Robert Montresor Rogers, and Private John McDougall who was also awarded the Victoria Cross. The 44th lost fourteen men and forty-six men were wounded.
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The End of the "East Essex"

The Cardwell reforms of 1873 required the infantry regiments to be organised in Districts, usually corresponding to a single county, each with two regular infantry battalions. Most of the amalgamations took place in 1881, when the 44th became the 1st Battalion of the Essex Regiment, with the 56th "West Essex" forming the 2nd Battalion.
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The new badge and Regimental Colours
of the 1st Battalion Essex Regiment

For the list of references, please see the References section on the Credits page

A full family tree of the Royal Anglian Regiment can be found on the website of the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum.