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2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment    2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment was in Chatham serving with 12th Brigade, 4th Division when war broke out in August 1914. 4th Division was held back from the original British Expeditionary Force by a last minute decision to defend England against a possible German landing and the 2nd Essex were sent to Cromer and Norwich in a defensive role. The fate of the BEF in France and the lack of any move by the Enemy to cross the channel, reversed this decision and they were recalled to Harrow then proceeded to France, landing at Le Harve on the 28th of August. They arrived in time to provide infantry reinforcements at the Battle of Le Cateau, the Divisional Artillery, Engineers, Field Ambulances and mounted troops being still en-route at this time. They were in action at the The Battle of the Marne, The Battle of the Aisne and at The Battle of Messines in 1914. In 1915 they fought in The Second Battle of Ypres. Between the 5th of November 1915 and 3 February 1916, 12th Brigade were attached to 36th (Ulster) Division, providing instruction to the newly arrived Division. In 1916 the 2nd Essex were in action during the Battles of the Somme. In 1917 they were at Arras, in action during the The First and Third Battles of the Scarpe, before heading north for the Third Battle of Ypres, where they fought in The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle and The First Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918 they were in action on The Somme, then returned to Flanders fighting in the Defence of Hinges Ridge during The Battle of Hazebrouck and in The Battle of Bethune, The Advance in Flanders The Second Battles of Arras, the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy. The 4th Division was demobilised in Belgium in early 1919. 18th Aug 1914 Concentration 19th Aug 1914 Concentration 26th Aug 1914  26th Aug 1914 Shellfire 27th Aug 1914 Enemy Advance 27th August 1914 On the Move 28th Aug 1914 Enemy Advance 28th Aug 1914 On the March 29th Aug 1914 In Action 29th Aug 1914 On the March 30th Aug 1914 Rear Guard 30th of August 1914 A Hot March 30th Aug 1914 On the March 31st August 1914 Outpost positions 31st Aug 1914 Rear Guard 31st August 1914 Continued withdrawals 31st Aug 1914 On the March 1st Sep 1914 Rear Guard 1st Sep 1914 On the March 1st Sep 1914 On the March 2nd Sep 1914 Rear Guard 2nd Sep 1914 On the March 3rd Sep 1914 Rear Guard 3rd of September 1914 Across the Marne 3rd Sep 1914 On the March 4th Sep 1914 Rear Guard 4th Sep 1914 At Rest 5th Sep 1914 Rear Guard 6th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 6th Sep 1914 On the March 7th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 8th Sep 1914 Advance Guard 9th Sep 1914 Bridging 10th of September 1914 Marching 17th September 1914  17th Sep 1914 Entrenching 18th Sep 1914 Trench Work 24th Sep 1914 Shelters Constructed 28th Sep 1914 Hard at Work 29th Sep 1914 Attack Imminent 13th Oct 1914 On the March 14th Oct 1914 On the March 18th October 1914 Relief action 19th Oct 1914 Entrenching 21st October 1914 Ongoing Action 21st Oct 1914 In Action   22nd Oct 1914 Shelling   23rd Oct 1914 Reliefs   30th Oct 1914 Under Shellfire 17th Nov 1914 Trench Difficulties 18th Nov 1914 Bridges and Trenches 19th Nov 1914 Snow 5th December 1914 Quiet 9th December 1914 Uniforms 19th May 1915 Working Parties and Attachments   19th May 1915 Working Parties and Attachments  At 9.10am 12th Brigade requested 149th Brigade to say when and where the 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers should report. 10am 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers arrived Hopital Ferme and bivouacked. Fourth Division informed that 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers had been detailed for a period of attachment to 12th Brigade. Brigadier General Feilding DSO granted four days leave of absence to proceed to England. At 12.30pm Brigadier General Feilding left HQ for England. Command of the Brigade devolved to Col. A.H. Coles CMG DSO 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers. 2pm Orders for following working parties received: 200 men to parade at their bivouacs at 7pm to work under Lt Bretherton RE on Divisional second line. 200 men to parade at their bivouacs at 8.30pm to work under Lt Green RE on French Switch line. At 2.15pm Orders issued to 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers to furnish first party and to 4th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers to furnish second party. At 3pm Instructions received from 12th Brigade that 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers were to be attached as under. Companies to report at 11.30am. 20th inst: 1 Coy signals MO 2nd Essex Regiment HQ road in A21 a995. 1 Coy 1st Kings Own HQ South of road A23 G22 1 Coy 1 machine gun 1st/2nd Monmouths HQ Vlamertinghe Church 1 company 1 machine gun 2nd Royal Irish HQ A16 Central HQ to 1/2nd Monmouths 3.15pm Orders issued to 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers in accordance with above instructions and 4th Division informed. At 5.30pm Instruction received by Fourth Division that a relief of 11th Brigade by 12th Brigade the 6th Northumberland Fusiliers attached to the former should return to the brigade and go to the dugout in B27 or to Hopital Ferme as GOC 149th may direct. 149th Brigade war diary 21st of May 1915 Awards 1st of November 1915 Marching Orders 6th of November 1915 Brigade Movements 7th of November 1915 Present Stations 29th of November 1915 Moves Completed 4th of January 1916 More Moves 8th of January 1916 Moves   26th Apr 1916 Trench Work   1st July 1916 Bombardment   2nd July 1916 Trenches in Poor State   3rd July 1916 Repairs   9th Oct 1917 2nd Essex & 2nd Lancs in action  2nd Essex & 2nd Lancs are in action at Poelcapple, with 12 Brigade. If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment? There are:5298 items tagged 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War. Those known to have served with 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment during the Great War 1914-1918. Aldis Stanley Simeon. Pte (d.24th March 1917) Baker Arthur. Pte. (d.3rd May 1917) Baldwin William Benjamin. Pte. (d.5th March 1917) Billingham Arthur. Pte. (d.8th August 1918) Bishop Frederick Bertram Walter. Pte. (d.10th Aug 1918 ) Bishop Frederick Bertram Walter. Pte. (d.10th Aug 1918) Boosey Bertie. Pte. (d.15th Apr 1915) Boyer Percy. Pte. (d.2nd May 1918) Boyle Henry. L/Cpl. (d.13th May 1915) Bradley George. Pte. (d.18th Dec 1916) Brown Stephen. Pte. (d.8 Jan 1915) Brown Thomas Henry. Pte. (d.11th Oct 1918) Browne Archibald. Pte. (d.19th Dec 1914) Bullman Oliver. Pte. (d.10 Oct 1917) Butler Isaac Frank. Pte. (d.1st Jan 1915) Claxton John Robert. Cpl. (d.3rd May 1917) Clowrey John. Pte. (d.23rd Apr 1918) Clowrey John. Pte. (d.23rd April 1918) Cresswell William. L/Cpl. (d.1st Jul 1916) Cresswell William. L/Cpl. (d.1st July 1916) Dagless Alfred. Fawbert Edward. Pte. (d.3rd May 1918) Fisher Joseph Frederick. Pte. Frieslaar Albert Alfred. Pte. (d.2nd May 1915) Gibbs William Walter. Sgt. (d.3rd May 1917) Giddings Leonard Morton Kitchener. Pte. (d.2nd July 1916) Guy Henry James. Pte. Harrington Robert. Pte. (d.27th Oct 1918) Holloway Henry Francis. Pte. (d.3rd May 1917) Hunt MM. Arthur Elias William. Pte. (d.28th March 1918) Jepson MM. James. Pte. Johnson Herbert William . Pte. (d.23rd March 1918) Jones Harold. Pte. (d.1st July 1916) Linge Arthur James. Pte. (d.24th Nov 1914) Linge Ernest Henry. Pte (d.29th Jan 1915 ) Mason Albert George. Pte. (d.10th July 1919) Mendham Harry Christmas. L/Cpl. (d.3rd May 1917) Miller Jack Sydney. Pte. (d.28th Aug 1914) Parker George Leonard. Cpt. (d.1st September 1918) Parry Vincent Jones. Pte. (d. 21st Apr 1918) Price George David. Pte. Rawlings Charles William. Pte. Reed Edward George. Pte. (d.20th April 1918) Ricketts Bernard. Pte. (d.10th November 1917) Riley Thomas William. Pte. (d.2nd Sep 1918) Roat Clifton Harold. Pte. Shead George. L/Cpl. (d.28th March 1918) Smith Harry Leonard. L/Cpl. Smith Walter Andrew. Pte. (d.10th Oct 1917) Sneath Richard Earl. Pte. (d.10th October 1917) Sowman James Henry. Pte. (d.1st July 1916) Steward Mark. Pte. (d.17th December 1914) Thompson Walter Lincoln. 2nd Lt. (d.9th Oct 1917) Thompson Walter Lincoln. 2/Lt. (d.9th October 1917) White John Joseph Henry. Pte. Willis Harry. L/Cpl. (d.23rd Nov 1914) Yates William George Frederick. All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. 1st of September 2023 marks 24 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Looking for help with Family History Research?    Please see Family History FAQ's Please note: We are unable to provide individual research. Can you help? The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Announcements 22nd April 2024     Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates, add a comment or ask a question. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.   Cpt. George Leonard Parker 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.1st September 1918) George Leonard Parker was killed in action 1st September 1918, aged 23 and is buried in the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery in France. He was the son of Thomas and Mary Parker, of 105 Wellington Rd., Ashton, Preston. s flynn Add to this record.   Pte. Henry James Guy 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment Henry Guy was my grandfather, a real salty character. He made his attestation on 4th October 1906, served with 2nd Essex, qualified in mounted infantry duties at Longmoor on 5th January 1909, went to France on 22nd August 1914, and subsequently was taken prisoner. This information is confirmed from family knowledge, the Essex Regiment museum, and attestation papers. He had brothers who also served in the Essex Regiment: William Patrick Guy DCM, 4th Essex, who served in France (Expeditionary Force) twice and the Mediterranean, he transferred to the Lincolns. Charles Guy, 1st Essex, served in Quetta (Pakistan) and then landed at Gallipoli 25th April 1915. He was killed in action there on 6th June 1915 and is buried at Hellas Memorial. John Guy served with 69 Battery, Field Artillery during the Boer War. I served with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Beds, Herts, Essex) Pompadours from 1978 to 1981. David Mansfield Add to this record.   Pte. Jack Sydney Miller 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.28th Aug 1914) I have had Jack Miller's war medals since 1976 when clearing out my grandfather's house. Miller is not a family name at all. Now going through a pile of family history documents I inherited from my father I found the attached cutting from the Great Eastern Railway Magazine of July 1915. He must have been something to my family but I have no idea what that is at the moment. Andrew Pickess Add to this record.   Pte. George Bradley 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.18th Dec 1916) George Bradley is buried at Cologne Southern Cemetery. Andrew Cubberley Add to this record.   Pte. Arthur Baker 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.3rd May 1917) Arthur Baker served with the 2nd Essex Regiment. I understand he was lost without trace. He worked with horses and animals, which he hated! He had a nephew named after him in 1925. Beryl Attwood Add to this record.   Pte. Richard Earl Sneath 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment (d.10th October 1917) Richard Sneath was my grandfather. He served with the 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment. Add to this record.   Pte. Arthur Elias William Hunt MM. 2nd Battalion, D Coy. Essex Regiment (d.28th March 1918) Willy Hunt was the eldest child of Arthur and Matilda Hunt. He was my paternal grandfather Sydney's oldest brother. Willy earned the Military Medal on January 28th 1918 for conspicuous bravery, whilst fighting in France. He died when he was killed in action on 28th of March 1918 aged 20 on the Western Front, France. This was during the first Battle of Arras. He is remembered with honour at the Arras memorial. Michelle Briggs Add to this record.   Pte. Charles William Rawlings 9th Battalion Essex Regiment Charles Rawlings was my Grandfather. Born in January 1888 he and his two brothers all enlisted for the start WWI with the Essex Regiment. Both his brothers were sadly killed in action, one in 1917 the other in 1918. Charlie was taken prisoner and thankfully survived until a ripe old age, passing away in 1974. He would never have anything bad spoken about the German soldiers and in fact I have a letter from one that befriended him at the camp, sent after the end of the war. Anne Earl Add to this record.   Pte. John Joseph Henry "Topper" White 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment My Grandfather, John White joined the Army at Stratford on the 25th July 1901 at the age of 18 years, 8 months old. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment, as a Bandsman Drummer. His Regimental number was 6503 and he carried this number within the 2nd Boer War, where he gained the Queens South Africa Medal and 2 clasps- Cape Colony and Orange Free State to when the numbers were changed in 1920, when it was changed to 5998017. On return from the Boer War, John was posted to India. He served throughout the 1st World War in the 2nd Battalion and was gassed on the Somme gaining all three medals. He earned 2 good conduct chevrons and was awarded a marksman's badge too. Family stories have been told that John was also a stretcher bearer, as Drummers were reported to have been and he also played the cornet, as again, Drummers would have had to do. John was discharged from his career in the army on the 5th July 1922 as being no longer fit for war service, due to his chest problems resulting from being gassed on the Somme. However, John did not let this stop him becoming a Special Constable for over 10 years, where he lived in Brentwood, Essex. At the outbreak of WW2 he joined the Home Guard and won the WW2 Defence Medal. John married and had 4 Sons. John died from complications after being gassed on the Somme resulting in his death in 1950, aged 67 his death certificate stating that his cause of death was (1) emphysema, (2) chronic Bronchitis (3) Gassed on the Somme. Add to this record.   2/Lt. Walter Lincoln Thompson 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.9th October 1917) Walter Thompson volunteered at the outbreak of war and served for two years in the ranks of The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment. He was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion, Essex Regiment on 30th of April 1917 and reported for duty with the 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment (as a BCR) on 15th of August 1917. He was killed on 9th of October 1917 during the attack on Poelcappelle. He had been an officer for five months and a platoon commander for only seven weeks. He has no identifiable grave and perhaps is one of the 6,321 unidentified buried in Poelcappelle British Cemetery. He is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. PPJ Coulter Add to this record.   L/Cpl. Harry Willis 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.23rd Nov 1914) Harry Willis was my Great Uncle. He was killed on the 23rd of November 1914 by a sniper whilst protecting the railway and canal near Warnave and Commenes. My Father, sister and I traveled to the area in 2014 it being the 100th anniversary of Harry's death. He is commemorated on the Ploegstreet Memorial. We visited a small cemetery in Le Toque which was the first cemetery used at the beginning of the war. We found an unmarked grave next to marked graves of people that we had traced who died on the same day as Harry. We felt and believed that we had actually found where he was buried. We are going back in October and hope to trace the trenches where he was guarding the rail tracks and canal when he died. Jenny Harvey Add to this record.   L/Cpl. William Cresswell 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.1st July 1916) My great uncle William Cresswell was one of 58 Essex soldiers who were gassed in May 1915 in the 2nd Battle of Ypres. He returned home wounded. Maurice Cresswell Add to this record.   Pte. Clifton Harold "Lou" Roat 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment Clifton Roat joined the 1st Essex Regiment at the age of 22 years old. His first posting, on the 9th of October 1915 was to the Balkans, with the 2nd Battalion. On the 13th of January 1916 the Essex Regiment was evacuated from Gallipoli and moved to Egypt, where they stayed for 2 months. Later he was sent to France, where he was badly wounded, after he recovered in a military hospital he was sent back to the front line. Then in April 1917 Clifton and his Battalion moved to Arras, where they were ordered to relieve the 87th Brigade at Monchy le Preux. On the 14th of April 1917, 208 men from the 1st Essex, including Clifton, were captured and taken prisoner. He then spent the rest of the war in a Prisoner of War camp at Gustrow in North East Germany. On the 28th of March 1919 he was discharged as a class Z Reservist. James Roat Add to this record.   Pte. Herbert William Johnson 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.23rd March 1918) Herbert Johnson is one of my relatives who lost their lives in the Great War. I am a history teacher originally from Essex, now living in Pembrokeshire; and I am researching my relatives who served in the world wars for my grandparents. All information shared comes from things they have kept such as marriage, death certificates and old photos etc. He was the son of Emily and William Johnson, and he married Annie Elizabeth Johnson around 1903. They lived in Lindens cottage, Fyfield, Ongar, Essex. Herbert was a private in the 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment. He served in France and was sent home from the war injured, but was nursed back to health in England and was sent back to France, where he is reported to have died missing in action. He was 37 when he died on 23rd March 1918, and was reported missing in action, but his body was reportedly never found. My grandparents have letters Herbert sent to his wife and letters that Annie sent to Herbert in return. In these letters is a document from the headquarters sent to Annie explaining that any possessions of Herbert's found would be sent to her, but nothing of his was ever found. After brief research on Herbert, I have discovered that he is remembered on the Arras memorial cemetery in France, which I strive to visit one day. I have medals of his and also photos of him and Annie and letters sent between them. I thank him and all other men and women who served and lost their lives in the wars for fighting for our country. Rest in peace. Jessica Bailey Add to this record.   Pte. Henry Francis Holloway 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.3rd May 1917) Henry Holloway was my Uncle and Aunt's father, found while researching our family tree. Brian J Holloway Add to this record.   Pte. Bernard Ricketts 2nd Garrison Bn. Essex Regiment (d.10th November 1917) Private Ricketts is buried in the Nagpur (Takli) Cemetery in India, Plot O. Row D. Grave 4. s flynn Add to this record.   Pte. Albert George Mason 2nd Garrison Btn. Essex Regiment (d.10th July 1919) Private Mason is buried in the Kamptee Roman Catholic Cemetery in India, Grave 34. S Flynn Add to this record.   Pte Ernest Henry Linge 2nd Btn Essex Regiment (d.29th Jan 1915 ) Ernest Henry Linge born 1889 in Althorne Essex. Son William Linge and Alice Copsey, brother of Arthur James Linge also served in 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment. Entered France on 12th January 1915 dying from wounds on the 29th January 1915. Left a widow Isabella Amelia Harvey and two daughters, Dora Mary and Ivy May both under 3 years old at his time of death. He is buried at Strand Military Cemetery, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium, about eight miles south of Ypres near the village of Ploegsteert. Along with his brother Arthur James Linge who died as a result of his wounds on 24th November 1914 the Great War also claimed his brother-in-law Edward George Harvey 10th (service) battalion Essex Regiment killed in action 5th May 1917. Kathy Leslie Add to this record.   Pte. James Henry Sowman 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment (d.1st July 1916) Harry Sowman served with the 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment. Darren Russell Add to this record.   Pte. Stephen Brown 2nd Btn. Essex Regiment (d.8 Jan 1915) My great uncle. Amanda Rowarth Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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