[2][3] Under the mobilisation scheme proposed by the Stanhope Memorandum of 1888, they constituted the Essex Volunteer Infantry Brigade, which was to gather at Warley in case of invasion.

It was embodied in December 1899, disembodied in October the following year, and later re-embodied for service in South Africa during the Second Boer War.

[9] As a result of the Haldane Reforms, the regiment's militia component, which was renamed the Special Reserve, was reduced to one battalion on 1 April 1908.

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.

[21] During the summer months, 161st Brigade held the line without suffering serious casualties, and by the end of October was fully up to strength for the forthcoming Third Battle of Gaza (1–3 November 1917).

During the rapid pursuit after the fall of Gaza, 1/4th and 1/6th Essex assisted the Anzac Mounted Division, while 1/5th and 1/7th were left marching in the rear.

The brigade formed up before dawn on 19 September; covered by an overhead barrage from the machine gun companies, it took its objectives successfully.

[25] The four Second Line TF battalions (2/4th–2/7th) constituted the 206th (2/1st Essex) Brigade in 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division, which remained on Home Defence throughout the war.

Combining both intelligence and rapid response teams in mobile squads, Percival and his Essex veterans staged numerous operations to demoralise and defeat the IRA.

Both men were severely beaten during interrogation - Harte suffered brain damage and died insane at Broadmoor Hospital in 1925.

[36] However, the delay in tempo needed to carry out this move and a lack of communications between the RIC mobile teams and the Regulars, resulted in the pressure being taken off Barry's IRA men.

This allowed the IRA force to attack and overwhelm a number of isolated army positions, which appeared to create an opening out of the encirclement.

Foreseeing a break-out, Percival ordered his Essex and RIC mobile teams to regroup and lay an ambush outside the opening.

Meanwhile, believing his column had little chance of escaping, Barry ordered his IRA men to break out in small groups as best they could through the encirclement.

In Barry's book, Guerrilla Days in Ireland, written in 1949, he gives a first-hand account on the Essex's collision with his flying column.

The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and its transformation into the Turkish Republic coincided with the rise of Greek nationalism, resulting in the Greco-Turkish War.

The 2nd Battalion spent an additional year overseas in Sudan (1935–1936), before returning to Britain and the regimental depot at Warley near Brentwood in Essex.

[44] Of the Regular Army units, the 1st Battalion served in many different British and Indian Infantry Brigades in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Burma.

The battalion received large drafts of men to bring it up to strength and began training intensively for the Allied invasion of France.

The battalion and brigade landed on Gold Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944, from roughly 1:00 pm and immediately set off inland.

[52] Both regiments remained mainly in East Anglia and eastern England, defending from aerial attacks during the Battle of Britain and during The Blitz.

While the men donned the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps, they continued to wear their Essex Regiment cap badge as did all infantry units converted in this manner.

However, 153 RAC was disbanded on 28 August 1944, due to a severe shortage of manpower, to be used as replacements for other British tank units in the 21st Army Group.

After D-Day, they fought in the Battle of Normandy as normal infantrymen until the middle of August (see 6th Airborne Division advance to the River Seine).

The 9th Battalion, Parachute Regiment ended the war in May 1945 near the Baltic Sea and was later sent with the rest of the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine.

However, infantry recruits from Essex who wish to serve with others from their county are assigned to companies in the 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment.

[77] The chapel is near the Warley (Brentwood) Army Reserve drill hall, which is the headquarters of 124 Petroleum Squadron, part of the Royal Logistic Corps' 151 (London) Transport Regiment.

Most of the barracks have been demolished and only the chapel, the officer's mess (now the Marillac Nursing Home) and one of the regimental gyms (Keys Hall), remain.

[79] The Essex Regiment had inherited a unique facing colour from the 56th Foot: a shade of purple originally described as "deep crimson" and later "Pompadour".

In other respects the regiment followed the normal progression from red coats, to scarlet tunics, to khaki service dress and battledress, of the British line infantry.