The 1st Sussex Rifle Volunteers was a part-time unit of the British Army first raised from the county of Sussex in 1859. It later became the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. During World War I it served in home defence in Britain and Ireland, while its 2nd Line battalion served in India and Waziristan. It was not reformed after the war.
Volunteer Force An invasion scare in 1859 led to the emergence of the Volunteer Movement, and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) began to be organised throughout Great Britain.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–8. The 1st Sussex RVC was formed as two companies at Brighton on 23 November 1859, with Captains R. Moorsom (formerly of the Scots Fusilier Guards) and John Stuart Roupell as the company commanders. From April 1860 it was included in the 3rd Administrative Battalion of Sussex RVCs, but having attained a strength of six companies it became an independent unit in July 1863.Beckett, Appendix VII.Frederick, p. 210.Westlake, pp. 233–6.6th (Cyclist) Bn, Royal Sussex at Regiments.org.Army List, various dates.
Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Volunteers were brigaded with their local Regular and Militia battalions. This was in Sub-District No 43 in South Eastern District for the 1st Sussex RVC, grouped with the 35th (Royal Sussex) and 107th Regiments of Foot, the Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia and the 1st Cinque Ports and 1st Sussex Admin Battalions of RVCs.Spiers, pp. 195–6.
The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, the linked battalions becoming county regiments to which the Volunteers were formally affiliated. The 35th and 107th became the Royal Sussex Regiment on 1 July 1881, the 1st Sussex RVC becoming its 1st Volunteer Battalion (VB), but without changing its title.
The late Victorian era saw a craze for cycling and the Volunteer Force took a leading role in developing the new Safety bicycle for military use. In April 1885 the 1st Sussex RVC was the first to raise a scout section using bicycles.Beckett, pp. 200–1. The battalion raised its seventh and eighth companies in 1886, and officially changed its name to 1st Volunteer Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment in February 1887.
While Cardwell's sub-districts were often referred to as 'brigades', they were purely administrative organisations and the Volunteers were excluded from the 'mobilisation' part of the scheme. The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–6.Dunlop, pp. 60–1; Appendix A.Spiers, pp. 228–9. Under this scheme the 1st Sussex formed part of the Dover Brigade, later entitled the South Eastern Brigade, before the Royal Sussex VBs formed their own Sussex Brigade at the end of the 1890s. This became the Sussex and Kent Brigade in the early 1900s.
Second Boer War After Black Week in December 1899, the Volunteers were invited to send active service units to assist the Regulars in the Second Boer War. The War Office decided that one company 116 strong could be recruited from the volunteer battalions of any infantry regiment that had a regular battalion serving in South Africa. The Royal Sussex's VBs accordingly raised a service company that joined the 1st Battalion, replaced by a second contingent after a year, and earned the volunteer battalions their first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–02.Beckett, p. 213.
There was a general expansion of the Volunteers in 1900, and the 1st VB raised a ninth company. In addition, three school Cadet Corps were affiliated to the battalion: Brighton College in 1900, Christ's Hospital in 1904 and Cottesmore School (later Brighton College Preparatory School) in 1905.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Beckett, pp. 247–53.Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. it was proposed that the 1st Volunteer Bn should be converted into the 2nd Home Counties Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, and an Army Service Corps company.London Gazette 20 March 1908. However, the battalion's officers refused this unpopular conversion and were placed on the Unattached List; the artillery brigade was then organised from existing artillery volunteers. Brighton College and Christ's Hospital cadet corps joined the Officers' Training Corps and Brighton Prep School was affiliated to the 4th Bn Sussex Regiment.
What remained of the battalion was then converted on 21 November 1911 into the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Sussex, consisting of headquarters (HQ) and A-H Companies.Conrad. Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Clarke, VD, commanding officer (CO) of the 1st Sussex VB since 18 January 1899, was confirmed in command of this successor unit. A regular officer, Captain B.M. Hynes of the Royal Sussex, was appointed adjutant to assist in raising the new battalion.Anon, London Cyclists, p. 136. Its drill hall was at 18 Montpelier Place in Brighton.Brighton at Drill Hall Project.
The cyclist battalions were not included in the TF's main divisional structure but were instead given the role of using their mobility to defend vulnerable sectors of the coastline and to maintain communications between the static defence units.Anon, London Cyclists, p. 106. The 6th Bn Royal Sussex fulfilled this role in Eastern Command.
World War I
Mobilisation The battalion mobilised at Brighton on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, still under the command of Lt-Col Cecil Clarke.James, pp. 78–9. Shortly afterwards, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later 3rd Line units were created to train reinforcements for the 1st and 2nd lines.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.
1/6th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Sussex From August 1914 to the end of 1915 the battalion served in coast defence in Norfolk as 'Army Troops' attached to the 1st Mounted Division, with battalion HQ at Holt.Royal Sussex at Long, Long Trail.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 1–7.1st Mtd Division at Long, Long Trail. During this period the cyclist battalions with 1st Mtd Division operated as dispersed companies. In line with their pre-war training they prepared all the important road and rail bridges for demolition to impede an invading force, manned coastal lookout stations, and mounted guards on important infrastructure locations such as ports and oil tanks. In the prevailing mood of 'spy fever' they were also alert for possible espionage.Anon, London Cyclists, pp. 107–15. On 14 July 1915 the battalion's remaining Home Service men were sent to join the 9th Provisional Brigade (see below).
In July 1916 the Yeomanry of the 1st Mtd Division were converted to cyclists and the original cyclist battalions ceased to be attached. 1/6th Royal Sussex moved to St Leonards-on-Sea on the South Coast as part of the General Reserve. By March 1917 it was at Folkestone. In July 1917 it was at Wingham, Kent, attached to the reformed 1st Mtd Division.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 19–26.
Early in 1918 the battalion was sent to Tralee in Ireland, where it was attached to the 6th Cyclist Brigade. By August it was at Limerick, where it remained until the end of the war.
2/6th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Sussex The 2/6th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Sussex, was mobilised at Brighton on 26 October 1914 under the temporary command of Maj C.V. Johnson. It moved to its war station at Southwold, Suffolk, on 12 March 1915 and deployed in the Centre Sub Section, Coast Defences, with one company detached at Dunwich, one at Wrentham and one at Southwold Fish Market. It was attached to 1st Mounted Division for operations, coordinating with the infantry of 2nd Welsh Border Brigade, 2nd Welsh Division. The battalion began a routine of training, trench digging, and road and railway patrols.2/6th Bn War Diary at West Sussex Council.
On the night of 15/16 April Zeppelin L5 bombed Southwold and a patrol from the battalion opened fire on what they thought was spies signalling to it. Thereafter patrols frequently investigated reports of suspicious lights during a period of spy fever and occasional air raids.Morris, pp. 32, 178. Many 2nd Line TF units had to make do with .256-in Japanese Ariska rifles; when the battalion received its Lee-Enfields in June they were a mixture of Long and Short models and carbines, in poor condition. The battalion then went through a series of rapid changes, coming under First Army, Central Force, in May, then 2/1st London Division in June. On 1 July it moved from Southwold to Norfolk, first at Norwich, with HQ later at Stalham, and finally at Potter Heigham. It formally came under 2nd Welsh Division (redesignated 68th (2nd Welsh) Division the following month) and manned No 3 Section Norfolk Coast Defences, with detachments at Winterton-on-Sea, Stalham, and Sea Palling. Once again responsibilities were split, with the battalion coming under North Midland Mounted Brigade for operations. By November the battalion was attached to 1st Mtd Division again. It had relatively few home service or unfit men who had to be transferred to the provisional company (see below) but about 60 Canadians and Rhodesians had been recruited into the battalion, and in July 1915 they were transferred to the Canadian Expeditionary Force, being replaced by a draft from the 3/6th Bn.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 83–90.
In November 1915 the 2/6th Royal Sussex under Lt-Col F.W. Johnson, DSO, was sent to Chiseldon in Wiltshire where it was brigaded with three other cyclist battalions (1/9th Hampshire Regiment, 1/25th London and 1/1st Kent) and converted to infantry, dropping 'Cyclist' from their titles. The battalions were reinforced and reorganised on the infantry's four-company system, and there was a period of intensive training. The brigade was intended as reinforcements for the East African Campaign, and tropical uniforms and foreign service helmets were issued, while stores were marked '4th East African Brigade'. However, these were withdrawn before the end of the year. The brigade was then mobilised for the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, but instead was shipped to India. 2/6th Royal Sussex, with Capt Hynes promoted to major as battalion second-in-command, embarked on the White Star liner Ceramic at Devonport, and landed at Bombay on 25 February 1916. The brigade assembled at Bangalore (at the time it was the only all-English brigade east of Suez) and resumed training.Anon, London Cyclists, pp. 123–31.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 3.Bristow, p. 39.
India 2/6th Sussex were stationed at Cornwallis Barracks in Bangalore, two companies later exchanging with two companies from 1/1st Kents at Hebbal Camp outside the city. At the beginning of December 1916 the brigade entrained for a six-day journey to a camp at Burhan, north of Rawalpindi. Here it was broken up and its individual units joined different brigades of 16th Indian Division, which was being assembled there. 2/6th Royal Sussex and 1/1st Kents joined 44th (Ferozepore) Brigade in February 1917. The division began training for mountain warfare on the North-West Frontier. However, training was abruptly stopped on 4 March when 44th Bde was sent to join a field force in South Waziristan.Anon, London Cyclists, pp. 131–7.Bristow, pp. 45–55.Perry, pp. 137–40.
Waziristan 1917