These units were raised across Britain during a period of heightened Anglo-French tension resulting from the Second Italian War of Independence on the Continent.

Advancing over the Steenbeek towards the Langemarck Line, the battalion suffered increasingly heavy casualties from enemy machine-gun fire.

On reaching the enemy wire it was found to have been undamaged by the artillery bombardment and the battalion was forced to fall back under heavy fire and strong German counterattacks.

Following the start of the German Army's Spring Offensive with Operation Michael on the 21 March, the brigade was rushed into the line to support the 16th (Irish) Division.

The 39th Division was so depleted that it was reduced to a composite brigade, the Hertfordshires being amalgamated with 11th Royal Sussex Regiment to form a single battalion.

On 4 November 1918, in its final action of the war, the 1/1st Hertfordshire Regiment took part in forcing the enemy’s positions to advance into the Forêt de Mormal.

[17] A memorial to the regiment, overlooking the site of 1/1st Battalion's attack on 31 July 1917, was unveiled near St Julien on the hundredth anniversary of the action in 2017.

The single battalion establishment was maintained for much of the interwar period and in 1938 HM Queen Elizabeth was appointed honorary colonel.

[23] On 2 September it was relieved and moved up the main axis of the advance north of the city, codenamed ‘Arrow Route’, against an enemy withdrawing to the Gothic Line positions.

Following artillery preparation and smoke, two companies outflanked the German outpost line and pressed up the Poggio Prefetto, seizing the summit and holding it until relieved.

[24] In the subsequent fortnight, the advance continued and the battalion was involved in operations to clear the enemy from a series of positions in mountainous terrain, notably playing a part in the capture of Monte Gamberaldi.

[25] In November the 1st Infantry Division was moved to a sector south of Bologna and the Hertfordshires were involved in several actions against German Fallschirmjager Parachute troops as the onset of winter induced stalemate along the front.

It joined 162nd Infantry Brigade of the 54th (East Anglian) Division alongside the 1st Battalion and was employed in anti-invasion duties until the end of 1942.

Alongside the infantry, they comprised a number of specialist sections drawn from the technical branches, as well as balloon and anti-aircraft artillery detachments, the total force amounting to around 5,000 men.

[27] On D-Day, 6 June 1944, it was assigned to KING and LOVE sectors of Gold Beach, through which two brigades of the 50th Infantry Division would come ashore.

That night it cleared bypassed positions in the hamlet of Vaux that had been harassing movement on the beach, the assault being supported by one of the group’s Bofors guns.

Despite Harper’s hope that it would be redeployed as infantry upon the completion of this task, it was disbanded on 17 August and the soldiers dispatched in replacement drafts to other units.

[29] On 31 January 1945 the 1st battalion landed at Haifa and underwent a period of refitting and training, a process that was still ongoing when the war in Europe concluded.

Within Palestine itself, the internal security situation was deteriorating and the battalion became increasingly involved in combating the insurgency campaign waged by a number of Zionist paramilitary organisations.

The 1st Hertfordshires began conducting operations around Tiberias, designed both to interrupt enemy movements and defend the rail network against sabotage at night.

[30] It continued to be employed in internal security duties for much of 1946, and was involved in the rescue effort following the bombing of the King David Hotel.

The population was screened with the result that 787 suspects were detained, five arms dumps discovered and 176 small-arms weapons, 4 machine guns and 23 mortars confiscated.

[37] Also within the church is the regiment’s First World War memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Bloomfield, inscribed with the names of the fallen.