- 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=44th Regiment of Foot
caption=44th Regiment of Foot cap badge
dates=1741-1881
country=UK
allegiance=
branch=Army
type=
role=Infantry
size=1-2battalion s
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=The Fighting Fours
motto=
colours=Old colours of the 44th are laid up at Essex Regiment Chapel.
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=James Long,Charles William Dunbar Staveley ,Robert Montresor Rogers
anniversaries=The 44th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in theBritish Army . After 1782 the regiment became known as the 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot. Thelineage of the 44th transferred to theEssex Regiment in 1881. Through the process of amalgamation and restructuring of the Army, the lineage now rests with the 1st Battalion of theRoyal Anglian Regiment .Origins: Long's Regiment
The regiment was raised in 1741 as James Long's Regiment of Foot (the tradition at the time to name regiments after their Commanding Officers, in this case Colonel James Long. Long's Regiment saw active service in the
Jacobite Rising (1745), including theBattle of Prestonpans , and served inFlanders (1748). Originally ranked as the 55th Regiment of the Line, the regiment was re-ranked as the 44th in 1748 following the disbandment of other regiments.ervice in North America
The regiment was renamed the 44th Regiment of Foot in 1751 when British regiments ceased to be named for their Colonels. The regiment saw active service overseas in North American and participated in the
French and Indian War and in theAmerican Revolution . Notably, the regiment fought at Braddock's defeat (1755), theBattle of Carillon (1758), theBattle of Brooklyn (1776), theBattle of Brandywine (1777), and theBattle of Monmouth (1778).In 1782, most British regiments of foot were given county designations, and the 44th became known as the 44th, or East Essex Regiment of Foot.
Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815)
1st Battalion, 44th Regiment of Foot
The regiment was increased in strength during the
Napoleonic Wars and the original regimental strength (a single battalion) was organised as 1st Battalion. The 1st Battalion saw active service in Spain (1814) and North America (1814-1815). Notably, the battalion fought at theBattle of Bladensburg (1814), theBattle of North Point (1814), and theBattle of New Orleans (1815). [http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/044-1.htm]2nd Battalion, 44th Regiment of Foot
The regiment increased in strength during the
Napoleonic Wars and a new battalion was organised as 2nd Battalion in 1803. The 2nd Battalion saw active service in thePeninsular War and theWaterloo Campaign . Notably, the battalion fought at theBattle of Fuentes de Onoro (1811), the Siege of Badajoz (1812), theBattle of Salamanca (1812), theBattle of Quatre Bras (1815), and theBattle of Waterloo (1815). The battalion was disbanded in 1816 at the conclusion of the wars. [http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/044-2.htm]Capture of French Imperial Eagle
The 2nd Battalion won great glory for the 44th at the Battle of Salamanca in 1812 when it captured the
French Imperial Eagle , the equivalent of a British Regiment's Colours, of the French 62nd Regiment. The Eagle was carried on parade by the Essex Regiment, a tradition inherited by the 3rd Battalion TheRoyal Anglian Regiment and now the 1st Battalion."The South Essex"
The capture of a
French Imperial Eagle by the fictional "South Essex Regiment " in the Sharpe novels ofBernard Cornwell is based upon the 2/44th's battle honour. The South Essex is depicted as having yellow coat facings like the 44th (East Essex).First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826)
The 44th Foot saw active service in the First Anglo-Burmese War. The 44th was serving as garrison in the
Bengal Presidency ,India and joined British andBritish East India Company regiments atChittagong in January 1825. The regiment fought atArakan on in March, capturing the city and then proceeding to clear the Arakan province of enemy forces. Relatively few casualties were incurred during the fighting, but with the onset of the rainy season the European regiments (the 44th and the 54th) suffered from virulent fevers and dysentery until scarcely a man remained fit for duty. The regiment was awarded the battle honour "Ava" to itsRegimental Colour . [http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/044-751.htm#bh] [http://www.ans.com.au/~rampais/genelogy/india/kamptee/54th.htm]First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842)
The 44th Foot fought in the
First Anglo-Afghan War and the regiment formed the rearguard on the retreat from Kabul. On13 January 1842 , the few survivors of the decimated regiment made a last stand against Afghan tribesmen on a rocky hill near to the village ofGandamak . The force reduced to fewer than forty men by the retreat from Kabul that had come to an end of a running battle through two feet of snow. The ground was frozen and icy. The men had no shelter and little food for weeks. Only a dozen of the men had working muskets, the officers their pistols and a few unbroken swords. When the Afghans surrounded them on the morning of the 13th the Afghans announced that a surrender could be arranged. "Not bloody likely!" was the bellowed answer of one British sergeant. It is believed that only two survived the massacre. Most notable was CaptainThomas Souter , who by wrapping the regimental colours around himself was taken prisoner, being mistaken by the Afghan as a high military official. The other was SurgeonWilliam Brydon who made it as far as the British garrison at Jalalabad after riding his exhausted horse to the limit for days. A vivid, if romanticised, depiction entitled "Last Stand of the 44th Regiment at Gundamuk" was painted by the artistWilliam Barnes Wollen in 1898 which now hangs in the Chelmsford and Essex museum in Oaklands Park, London Road, Chelmsford. This disaster to British arms served to encourage the Indian nationalists who were leaders in the great mutiny in India (1857).Crimean War (1853-1855)
The 44th Foot was reconstituted and saw active service in
Turkey andRussia during theCrimean War . The regiment was awarded three battled honours to itsRegimental Colour for service in the Crimea. [http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/044-751.htm#bh]The Alma
The 44th served at the
Battle of the Alma on20 September ,1854 as part of the 6th Brigade of 3rd Division, under command ofGeneral Sir Richard England .Inkerman
The 44th served at the
Battle of Inkerman on5 November ,1854 as part of the 2nd Brigade of 3rd Division, under command ofGeneral Sir Richard England . The division formed the British reserve during the battle. [http://www.xenophon-mil.org/crimea/war/inkerman/inkerman.htm]evastopol
The 44th served at the
Siege of Sevastopol from September, 1854 to September, 1855. The regiment formed part of Sir William Eyre's brigade in 3rd Division. The regiment served throughout the longsiege , and notably took part in the attack on dockyard creek on18 June ,1855 and the capture of the cemetery - the sole success achieved. [http://www.britishbattles.com/crimean-war/sevastopol.htm] [http://www.staveley-genealogy.com/cwd_staveley.htm]econd Opium War (1857-1862)
The 44th Foot saw active service in
China during theSecond Opium War .44th in China
The 44th were serving in
Madras ,India in 1860 as the garrison for Fort St George. Drafts of reinforcements arrived during 1859 and the regiment was composed of 35 officers and 1,176 organised in 10 companies. At the outbreak of war withChina , 5 companies of the regiment embarked on transports on31 January . The remainder of the regiment embarked on3 March . On arrival in China the commanding officer Colonel Charles William Dunbar Staveley was appointed to command the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division, and command of the 44th fell to Lieutenant Colonel MacMahon.Taku Forts
The regiment participated in the capture of the
Taku Forts on21 August ,1860 as part of the Anglo-French forces under command ofGeneral Sir James Hope Grant . The 44th were in the vanguard of the assault on the North Taku entrenchments. The attacking force crossed a series of ditches and bamboo-stake palisades under heavy Chinese musketry, and tried to force entrance by the main gate. When this effort was unsuccessful, an assault party climbed the wall to an embrasure and forced entry to the fort. The first British officer to enter the fort was Lieutenant Robert Montresor Rogers of the E Company, who was awarded theVictoria Cross for his conspicuous bravery. He was closely followed by Private John McDougall who was also awarded the VC. During the fighting the 44th had Captain George Ingham and Lieutenant Robert Montressor Rogers severely wounded, fourteen men killed, one drummer and forty-five men wounded. For this bloody action the Essex Regiment was awarded the battle honor "Taku Forts" to itsRegimental Colour . [http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clday/44hist.htm] [http://www.regiments.org/wars/19thcent/57china.htm]China Garrison Duty
On
25 August the 44th embarked forShanghai and landed at the city on10 September . The regiment garrisoned the city until15 November when it embarked forHong Kong , arriving27 November . Lieut.-Colonel MacMahon was appointed commandant of the island, and command of the regiment passed to Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Browne. One wing of the regiment garrisoned Hong Kong island, with the other quartered atKowloon on the mainland. The regiment left China in October 1861 and returned to India.The Essex Regiment (1881)
On
1 July 1881 , as part of theChilders Reforms which removed the numbering of Regiments, the 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot united with the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot to form theEssex Regiment . [http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/044-751.htm]External links
* [http://44thregiment.itgo.com/ 44th Regiment of Foot] Living History group recreating the 44th during the French & Indian War period.
* [http://www.44theastessex.com/ The 44th(East Essex) Regiment of Foot Living History] Napoleonic Living History and reenactment society.
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