THE 35th REGIMENT
OF
FOOT 1815-1966
Following the Napoleonic wars, like so many other
Regiments,
the 35th Regiment of Foot was reduced to one battalion -- that of the
1st
Battalion which was at that time in the Mediterranean. By 1818 the
Regiment
was back in England spending practically a year in Brighton before
shipping
to Ireland where it remained until Late November 1820, before once
again
setting off for the West Indies.
For the next twelve years The Regiment remained in the
West Indies and in consequence lost a considerable number of men due to
disease. Throughout this period though at "peace" the 35th Regiment
still
managed to add a great deal to its reputation thanks to a major
Hurricane
and the conduct of its men during the aftermath.
By 1832, The 35th Regiment of Foot, was back in
England
where it received the title ROYAL.This also meant a change in facing
colour,
from orange to "Royal" blue plus a change in Regimental lace. The
official
title for 35th Regiment of Foot was now
THE ROYAL SUSSEX
REGIMENT.
For the next 22 years the Royal Sussex Regiment was
to
spend in, tours of duty in the British Isles and as far flung
Mauritius.
But in 1854 it was on it way to Burma, from where it was transported at
the outbreak of the "Indian Mutiny". During the fighting that followed,
aside from adding more laurels to its reputation it became linked to
the
107th Bengal Infantry, a regiment of the Honourable East India Company.
This distinguished regiment of what was after all a "private army"
found
itself transferred following the Mutiny to full British Service as the
107th Regiment of Foot.
The 107th Foot saw action in the New Zealand
campaign
of 1864 where one of its men Lieutenant-Colonel John Carstairs McNeill
was, for gallantry, awarded the Regiment's first VICTORIA CROSS
By 1881 having shared the same depot at Chichester,
Sussex,
the two Regiments were reconstituted as the 1st and 2nd battalions The
Royal Sussex Regiment (But not before the original Regiment had endured
the delights of another West Indian tour).
During 1882 the 1st Battalion served in the
unsuccessful
attempt to rescue General Gordon in Khartoum while the 2nd Battalion
was
actively involved on the infamous North-West-Frontier. The 1st
Battalion
was amongst other regiments of the British army to be "blooded" in what
must be described at the first modern war, that against the Boers of
South
Africa but true horror was not so far in the future.
1914-1918
Despite protests from both officer
and
men the 1st Battalion remained on the North-West Frontier of India
throughout
this terrible conflict. Meanwhile the 2nd battalion crossed the English
Channel where it remained throughout the War loosing 1723 officer and
men
killed in action. (It was this Battalion which during the fighting
around
RICHEBOURG in the summer of 1916, stubbornly refused to give ground
despite
withering enemy fire, and was subsequently dubbed
THE IRON REGIMENT
by the German defenders.)
Meanwhile the Regiment itself had
been expanded, finally reaching the staggering size of 23 Battalions,
all
of which would see action in almost all theatres of the war. (Including
Russia following cessation of hostilities with Germany). In all, the
Royal
Sussex Regiment lost 6,800 men whose names are to be found not only on
memorials throughout the county of Sussex, but on memorial panels in
the
Regimental Chapel of St George, in Chichester Cathedral, Sussex. Four
soldiers
of the Regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross during this conflict,
they
were---
Sergeant Harry Wells of the 2nd Battalion. For
leading
his platoon forward after all of its officers and most of the men had
fallen
at the Battle of LOOS 25th September 1915.
POSTHUMOUS AWARD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lieutenant Eric Archibald McNair of the 9th
Battalion.
For gallant leadership in driving off an attack, after the Germans had
exploded a mine under his platoon position near Hooge in Belgium.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Company Sergeant Major Nelson Victor Carter, of the
12th
Battalion. For penetrating the enemy's defences in the face of intense
fire, for successful bombing and for rescuing wounded at Richebourg
l'Avoue
in France, 30th June 1916.
POSTHUMOUS AWARD
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL D.G. JOHNSON, DSO, MC of the 2nd
Battalion
(From the South Wales Borderers). For his Gallant leadership of the
Battalion
at the crossing of the Sambre Canal, East of Catillon, 4th of November
1918.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richebourg
JUNE 1916
"WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER
THEM"
Reproduced by kind permission of the EVENING
ARGUS reporter
PAUL HOLDEN
"At the going down of the sun
we will remember them."
Poignant words recited at war
memorials
all over Sussex on Rememberance Sunday.But to our shame, the vast
majority
of the people in the county have forgotten about one of the most
disaterous
battles in the county's long and distinguished history. Paul Holden
reports
from the Western Front on a wartime slaughter which sent shockwaves
through
every town and village in Sussex.
Not even the battlefield tour guides
have heard of Richebourg. It is an insignificant speck on the map of
france,
to the north-east of a town called Bethune.Most people from Sussex
disembark
from the ferry at Calais and drive straight past on the A26 motorway,
heading
for Paris or Provence. But only a few Kilometres from the motorway lie
the remains of hundreds of soldiers from Brighton, Hove, Worthing,
Battle,
Haywards Heath, Hastings, Eastbourne, Hailsham, Chichester, Steyning,
Poynings,
and Glynde.
Richebourg, a tiny village where
farming
is the mainstay of life is surrounded by small lonely cemeteries
maintained
by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Each one contains row upon row of
gravestones bearing the crest of the ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT. The
same chilling date is inscribed on every one of them, signifying what
became
known after the First World War as "The Day Sussex Died."
At 3.05am on June 30 1916,
three battalions of the Royal Sussex the 11th,12th and the13th went
over
the top following a 15-minute bombardment of German trenches. For many
of the young soldiers it was their first and last time in action.Within
several hours 366 officers and men including 12 sets of brothers, were
dead and more than 750 wounded. The Sussex lads bombed and bayoneted
their
way into the enemy lines and beat off repeated counter-attacks until
they
were forced to withdraw as casualties mounted and ammunition ran out.
BRAVERY
Sergeant-Major Nelson Victor Carter, 29 a cinema door
attendant
from Hailsham won a postumous Victoria Cross for exeptional bravery
under
fire. His citation read: "During an attack he was in command of the
forth
wave of the assault. Under intense shell and machine gun fire he
penetrated,
with afew men into the enemy's second line and inflicted casualties
with
bombs.When forced to retire to the enemy's first line he captured a
machine
gun and shot the gunner with his revolver. Finally after carrying
several
wounded men to safety, he was himself mortally wounded and died in a
few
minutes. His conduct throughout the day was magnificent."
The Argus (The newspaper from which
this original item is copied) visited his final resting place, in a
cemetary
near Richbourg and laid a wreath of poppies at the grave which bore a
carving
of the VC. underscored by the
words "For Valour."
The visitors book, protected from
the elements in a small vault revealed that several people from the
Eastbourne
area, including a relative of Sgt-Major Nelson Carter, had
visited
in the past year. It was comforting to know at
least
Sgt-Maj Carter was remembered but the visitors book at another cemetary
dominated by Royal Sussex graves painted a much gloomier picture.I
was the first person from Sussex to visit St. Vaast Post, Richbourg
L'Avoue
for at least a year.
Amongst those buried were Sgt J
French aged 24 from Storrington, L-Cpl E.W.Tester aged 30
from
Brickyard Cottage Ardingly, W.J Wickens aged 19 of Gladstone
terrace
Hastings, Pte E.G. Collins aged 20 of Simla Park Road,
Worthing,
Pte
H Mercer aged 18 of Steers green, Battle, Pte C.J.Brown aged
20
of
27 Norfolk Road, Littlehampton, Pte W.N Pumphrey of 3
Wakefield
Road, Brighton and Pte. John Henry Budgen aged 28 also of
Brighton.
Children
Walking among the graves I wondered
how
they died, what their last thoughts were and how many children they
left
behind. All around the land over which they advanced to their deaths 84
years ago was flat and featureless.
The German machine gunners must have
found it easy, cutting swathes through the advancing ranks of British
Tommies.
The carnage was so horrifying survivors later branded the battlefield
"a
butchers shop."
I called on the Mayor of Richbourg,
Ginette Delestrez, and presented her with a Royal Sussex Regimental
plaque
inscribed: "To the people of Richbourg, from the citizens of Sussex,
October
2000." We toasted each other with champagne but
she
was not aware of how many men from Sussex were slaughtered in the
fields
around her home. Richebourg was flatterned by shellfier during the war
leaving the surviving population destitute. After the Armistice
Worthing
launched an appeal to help rebuild the shattered houses and feed the
residents.
Dignitaries from Richbourg visited Worthing and vice-versa, but the
link
forged all those years ago has long since been severed.
Madam Delestrez showed me an oil
painting,
desperately in need of a clean after decades of exposure to cigarette
smoke,
on the wall of the community centre. It depicted the haunting scene of
a British Army Chaplain conducting a church service on the
battlefield.The
village historian flicked through a book on Richbourg but there was no
mention of The Royal Sussex. But this was no suprise as most books
about
the First World War are almost devoid of information on the battle.
But why have the three battalions,
nicknamed Lowther's Lambs after Hertsmonceux MP Claud Lowther, who
raised
them, been forgotten ?.---The following day, the battle of the Somme
began
and 20,000 British soldiers perished in a single day. In the great
scheme
of things, Richbourg was simply a "minor" diversionary attack. The
generals
effectively sacrificed the Royal Sussex for no strategic gain.
Now, as the First World War fades
from memory, surely as a county we should do more to remember the
victims
of Richebourg?. They may have died 84 years ago but they were
still
Sussex born and bred, And they are resting a long long way from
Home.
(The Argus travelled from Dover to Calais courtesy of
SeaFrance. From Calais it is just a short journey down the A26 to the
Battlefield.)
FOR VISITS TO SUCH POIGNANT
SITES
I RECOMMEND IN PARTICULAR
REMEMBRANCE TRAVEL
THE PILGRIMAGE DEPARTMENT
ROYAL BRITISH LEGION VILLAGE,
AYLESFORD,
KENT
ME20 7NX
TEL. (01622) 716729/716182
FAX (01622) 715768
1939-1945
At the outbreak of the second World War the 1st
Battalion
was in Egypt where it joined the 4th Indian Division with whom it would
serve throughout the War. It saw action in Eritrea, Abyssinia before
taking
part in the campaigns of the Western Desert serving with distinction at
Sidi Omar, November 1941. The 1st Battalion was involved in the pursuit
and final defeat of the Germans in North Africa before sailing to Italy
where it was involved in the bitter fighting at Monte Cassino. At the
end
of November 1944 the 1st Battalion was sent to Greece to aid the newly
restored government.
The second battalion was stationed in Ireland at the
outbreak
of hostilities but was soon in England where it joined the 4th and 5th
Battalions of a rapidly expanding Regiment. These three Battalions were
formed into a "Royal Sussex Brigade" which was in France in the Spring
of 1940 and therefore fought through the "Dunkirk" evacuation. After
Dunkirk
the Royal Sussex Brigade was sent to North Africa fighting at Alam
Halfa
and El Alamein. Following El Alamein the second Battalion was formed
into
the 10th Parachute Battalion ( and returned home) while a new 2nd
Battalion
was raised joined the 4th and 5th Battalions in a posting to Iraq and
Persia
(A forgotten theatre of the Second World War), where the Brigade
remained
until the end of the War.
During the Bitter fighting that was Arnhem one member
of the original 2nd Battalion was to gain the Victoria Cross he was---
Captain Lionel Ernest Queripel, Royal Sussex
Regiment
(attached to the Parachute Regiment). For outstanding gallantry at
Arnhem,
19th September 1944.
POSTHUMOUS AWARD
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The 9th Battalion fought at Arakan and from there
airlifted
to MYITKYINA in Burma fighting its way to Mandalay against bitter and
determined
Japanese resistance. It finally reached its destination in April 1945
where
it heard the news of the Japanese surrender.
1953-PRESENT DAY
In 1953 the Regiment Received the honour of having Her
Majesty
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands appointed as Colonel in-chief. This
link
with the house of Orange (The original Regiment raised under the reign
of William of Orange who also gave permission for the 35th Regiment to
wear orange facings, the only British Regiment to have this colour).
This
connection was to exist for some time, however on the 31st of
December
1966, The Royal Sussex Regiment, The Queens Royal Surrey Regiment, The
Queens own Buffs The Royal Kent Regiment and The Middlesex Regiment
were
formed into one Regiment---The Queen's Regiment with Her Majesty
Queen Juliana and His Majesty King Frederick of Denmark as joined
allied
Colonel-in Chief
On the 9th of September 1992 a further amalgamation
was
made by combining The QueensRegiment and The Royal Hampshire Regiment
into
one--- The Princess Of Wales's Royal Regiment and is the
senior
English infantry regiment. The Princess of Wales's Regiment is now the
county Regiment of London, Surrey, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Middlesex,
the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands
HRH The Princess of Wales was appointed Colonel in
Chief
when the Regiment was formed in 1992. But in 1996 the princess of wales
relinquished this post and HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was
appointed
as Colonel-in-Chief in february 1997.