The 7th Battalion, Essex Regiment was a volunteer unit of Britain's Territorial Army. First formed in the eastern suburbs of London in 1860, it served as infantry at Gallipoli and in Palestine during World War I. It later became an anti-aircraft (AA) unit of the Royal Artillery (RA), serving in North Africa and Italy during World War II.
Origin An invasion scare in 1859 led to the creation of the Volunteer Force and huge enthusiasm for joining local Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs).Beckett. The 9th (Silvertown) Essex Rifle Volunteer Corps was one such unit, formed on 1 February 1860 at Silvertown, a new industrial suburb of London on the Essex bank of the River Thames. The unit was raised and equipped by Hugh Adams Silver (1825–1912), brother of the founder of Silvertown and head of the India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Cable Company.Hugh Adams Silver obituary at Grace's Guide The unit was included in the 2nd Administrative Battalion of Essex RVCs until 1866 when it was large enough to become independent. It was renumbered as the 4th Essex RVC in 1880, and designated the 4th Volunteer Battalion of the Essex Regiment in 1883 following the Childers Reforms. In 1900, the battalion was increased to a strength of 11 companies, with its HQ moved to Leyton. The uniform was Rifle green with facings of the same colour, changing to the scarlet with white facings of the Essex Regiment in 1902.Beckett, Appendix VII.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, p. 85.7th Bn Essex Rgt at Regiments.org.Burrows, p. 19.Frederick, p. 233.
Volunteer Reviews were popular events, and could be boisterous affairs. When trains carrying Volunteers for the Windsor Review in June 1868 were delayed at Datchet station there was considerable confusion and indiscipline. This resulted in Parliamentary questions and the 9th (Silvertown) Essex and 2nd (Watford) Herts RVCs were ordered to be disbanded, though this was later rescinded.Beckett, p. 177.
The battalion was assigned to Local Brigade No 6 in the short-lived mobilisation scheme of 1880. Then under the Stanhope Memorandum of 1888 the four Volunteer Battalions of the Essex Regiment were constituted as the Essex Brigade, with its headquarters at Warley Barracks, later at Epping Place, Epping. In wartime, it was intended that the brigade would mobilise at an entrenched camp at Warley. In peacetime the brigade provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–6.Army List, various dates. Finding suitable ranges for musketry training was a problem: the 4th Volunteer Battalion usually had to travel to a range at Wraysbury near Staines on the far side of London.
A detachment of 14 infantry and 6 mounted infantry from the 4th VB volunteered for service with the City Imperial Volunteers in the 2nd Boer War. In addition, the four Essex Volunteer Battalions together provided a 112-strong Special Service Company to serve alongside the Regulars of the 1st Battalion Essex Regiment in the first part of the war, replaced by a second company of 101 men in 1901–02. These volunteers (136 from the 4th Bn) gained the Battle Honour South Africa 1900–02 for the battalion.Burrows, pp. 12–14, 23.Leslie
Territorial Force On the formation of the Territorial Force (TF) in 1908 as part of the Haldane Reforms, the 4th Volunteer Battalion became the 7th Battalion, Essex Regiment, with headquarters at Cooks Terrace in Silvertown and three companies at Hackney, two each at Leyton and Walthamstow, and one at Silvertown. In 1912, it handed part of its recruiting area over to the newly formed 10th Battalion, London Regiment (Hackney Rifles) under its former commanding officer, Col G.T.B. Cobbett, and consolidated all its companies at a new HQ at Walthamstow Lodge, Walthamstow, with a detachment at Chingford.London Gazette 20 March 1908Burrows, pp. 21–4.James, p. 86.
The Essex Brigade now formed part of the TF's East Anglian Division, which trained together for the first time in 1911 at a camp near Thetford.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 125-31.Burrows, p. 26.Essex Regt at Long, Long Trail
World War I Mobilisation The East Anglian Division was a week into its fortnight's annual training at Clacton when the order to mobilise arrived on 4 August 1914. The units immediately proceeded to their designated war stations defending the East Anglian coast, with 7th Essex at Felixstowe. They were relieved on 9 August to return to Walthamstow to mobilise, and by 10 August the division was concentrated around Brentwood, Essex, with 7th Bn HQ at the Golden Fleece Inn. The 7th later moved to the cavalry barracks in Norwich, and then Costessey Hall.Burrows, pp. 30–4.
In August 1914, the Essex Brigade formed a Service Battalion of volunteers from all four battalions. This was put at 24 hours' notice for service in France, but was stood down in November and the men returned to their battalions.Burrows, pp. 34–5. Meanwhile, all TF units were forming '2nd Line' units composed of recruits and those men who had not volunteered for Overseas Service. The Essex recruits were only asked to volunteer for overseas service after they were attested, and many opted for Home Service only. Thus, the 2/7th Bn (as this reserve unit became known) was fully up to strength whereas the parent battalion (designated 1/7th) remained below establishment.Burrows, p. 33.
The East Anglian Division was designated the 54th (East Anglian) Division in May 1915, and its brigades were numbered, the Essex Brigade becoming 161st (Essex) Brigade. The 2nd Line units were assigned to duplicate formations, the 2/7th Essex joining 206th (2nd Essex) Brigade in 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 91-8. During the war, 161 Brigade adopted shoulder flashes coloured red and black, divided vertically, with the red worn to the front on each arm. Each battalion adopted a distinctive shape for this patch, the 1/7th Bn wearing a square.Burrows, illustration.
1/7th Battalion The 54th Division was part of Central Force, the mobile force organised for Home Defence, and was employed on coast defence with 1/7th Bn at Colchester until May 1915, when the division concentrated around St Albans to prepare for overseas service. On 8 July, it heard that it was to be employed at Gallipoli.Burrows, pp. 34, 41. 161st Brigade sailed from Devonport, Devon, with two companies of 1/7th Bn embarked in HMT Southland departing on 24 July and the remainder in the SS Braemar Castle on 26 July. The two vessels rendezvoused at Imbros on 10 August and the battalion landed on 'A' Beach at Suvla Bay after midnight on 11/12 August.Burrows, p. 41.Westlake, Gallipoli, pp. 167–8.
Gallipoli The Gallipoli Campaign had been in progress for several months and had reached stalemate. A fresh Landing at Suvla Bay on 6 August 1915 was intended to turn the flank of the Turkish positions on the Gallipoli Peninsula and drive inland. The operation was bungled, and 54th Division, as the last remaining reserve, was landed to drive through, but was used merely to shore up the position.North, pp. 145–73.Mortlock, pp. 85–96. The Essex battalions arrived still understrength, and armed with obsolete long Lee–Enfield rifles – many soldiers exchanged these for modern SMLE weapons picked up from casualties.Burrows, p. 35.
1/7th Essex went straight into the reserve line when 161 Bde relieved 163rd (Norfolk & Suffolk) Brigade for an attack. 161 Brigade's participation was cancelled; however, on the afternoon of 14 August, the brigade advanced over open ground to relieve the Norfolks and Suffolks after their disastrous attack.The Vanished Battalion. The Essex Brigade's historian records that 'Though they were met with a fusillade as they advanced steadily over the plain there was no hesitation'. They reached the line and spent all night consolidating the position, the 1/7th having suffered 25 casualties during the advance.Burrows, p. 48.North, pp. 175–6.
On 17/18 August, the brigade relieved the 10th (Irish) Division at Kiretch Tepe, the 1/7th Bn taking over 'Jephson's Post'. Intermittent shellfire on these positions caused considerable casualties before the battalion was relieved on 22 August. The brigade then moved to the Lala Baba sector, and from 1 to 10 September interchanged with parties of the 4th Australian Brigade. A Company of 1/7th was attached to Australian troops at 'Table Top', B Company went to 'Rhododendron Spur', and the remainder of the battalion worked on a new communication trench.Burrows, pp. 49–70, 1.
Next, the battalion moved to the Hill 60 sector, described by one of the officers as 'notoriously one of the most unpleasant spots on the peninsula'. It was attached to 163 Bde to prepare for an attack to capture the rest of the hill, where opposing trench lines were only 17 yards apart and sappers on both sides were digging mines. The operation was repeatedly postponed: even though the 1/7th Essex was the strongest battalion in 163 Bde, its battle casualties were running at about 50 a month and a much higher proportion were sick in hospital. 1/7th Battalion did receive a draft of 2 officers and 70 other ranks in early November, but it was not enough. The already debilitated brigade was too weak to mount even a smaller attack. The British mines were finally fired on 14 November and a 100-strong party of the 1/7th Bn was tasked with seizing the crater, but the trenches were obstructed by debris and the attack was called off. On 24 November, a Turkish mine exploded under 'Essex Barricade', killing 8 and wounding 10 of the battalion.Burrows, pp. 70–5, 91–97.
On the night of 26/27 November, the Essex were relieved by Gurkhas and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, the relief being delayed by a severe rainstorm that flooded the trenches. After a few days in the rest area, 54 Division marched down to the beach and embarked for Mudros on 4 December. It did not return to the peninsula, which was later evacuated, and instead the division sailed to Alexandria.Burrows, pp. 75, 99.
Egypt As soon as it arrived in Egypt, the battalion became involved in the Senussi Campaign when 161 Bde marched out on 28 December to replace the New Zealand Rifle Brigade guarding the coast railway from Alexandria to Da'aba. The Essex battalions were relieved from this duty on 4 March 1916 by the 2nd County of London Yeomanry and moved into the No 1 (Southern) Section of the Suez Canal Defences. In August, the battalion was moved northwards to counter a Turkish thrust at the canal, and was present at the Battle of Romani, though not engaged.Burrows, pp. 101–3, 109–10.
Sinai and Palestine During 1916, the units of 54th Division were steadily brought up to strength by the arrival of drafts, and in mid-January 1917 the division assembled for the opening of the Palestine Campaign. It took the whole of February for 161 Bde to cross the Sinai Desert in stages. It was then involved in all three Battles of Gaza, in March, April and November 1917.Burrows, pp. 112, 127–8, 133, 138.
At the First Battle of Gaza (26 March 1917), the main attack was made by 53rd (Welsh) Division with 161 Bde in support. Towards the end of the day the Essex Brigade was ordered to take Green Hill: despite heavy fighting the attack was a complete success and the brigade held the whole position by nightfall. However, confusion set in, and 53rd Division withdrew during the night. The men of 161 Bde were enraged by the order to withdraw. The following day patrols showed that the Turks had not reoccupied the position; 1/7th Bn was sent up to support the patrols, but a violent Turkish counter-attack finished the battle. The battalion's casualties at Green Hill were 228, of whom 68 were missing after the fighting withdrawal.Burrows, pp. 143–77.