Authors and Contributors this page: Graham Watson, T.F. Mills
Page created 1 July 2002. Corrected and updated 25.03.2005
1st Battalion,
44th Regiment of Foot
1741-1881
1st Battalion,
The Essex Regiment
1881-1958
United Kingdom  
Note:This is a battalion history of the Regular Army. See the main regimental page for full lineage and other information.
Colour Key
Lineage
War service
Overseas service
Home service
 
   
  1741.01.07 James Long's Regiment of Foot
raised in English southern counties
  1741 England
  1743 England
  1745 Scotland: Jacobite war
  1746 Scotland
1748 Flanders  
  1749 Ireland
  1751.07.01 44th Regiment of Foot
  1755.01 at sea (embarked at Cork)  
  1755.02 Virginia: Hampton Roads
  1756 French and Indian war
  1761 Canada: Trois Rivieres, Chambly
  1762 Montreal
  1763 Canada: Quebec
  1765 Ireland
  1775.06 Massachusetts: Boston
  1775 American revolution
  1779.09 at sea (lost many men in storms)
  1780.06 Lower Canada: Quebec
  1783 Canada
  1786 England
  1787 Channel Islands: Guernsey
  1788 England
  1792 Ireland
  1793 West Indies (flank coys)
  1794 West Indies (flank coys) Flanders (bn coys)
  1795 West Indies (flank coys) England
  1795 West Indies (regt reunited)
  1797 England
  1798 Gibraltar
  1800 Malta
  1801 Egypt
  1801 Malta
  1801 England
  1802 Ireland
  1803 England
  1803.07.09 1st Battalion, 44th Regiment of Foot
redesignated on formation of 2nd Battalion
  1805 Malta
  1808 Sicily
  1809 Naples
  1809 Ionian Islands
  1810 Ionian Islands
  1811 Malta
  1812 Sicily
  1813 Minorca
  1813 Peninsular war: east coast
  1814 France
  1814 North America
  1814 American war: Atlantic coast
  1815 American war: New Orleans campaign
1815 Ireland
  1816 44th Regiment of Foot
redesignated upon disbandment of 2nd Battalion (absorbed some of its personnel)
  1822 England: Chatham
  1822 India
  1825 Burma
  1826? India
  1842 Afghanistan
  1842.01.12 annihilated at Gandamak Hill
1843 England: Chatham & Deal  
  1843 Canterbury
  1843 Gosport  
  1844 Winchester  
  1844 Devonport  
  1845 Plymouth  
  1845 Ireland: Dublin
  1846 Newry  
  1847 four companies separated to form Reserve Battalion
  1848.01 Malta
  1850 absorbed Reserve Battalion
  1851 Gibraltar
  1854 Crimea
  1856 England
1857.08.26 at sea
  1857 India: Madras (Fort St. George)  
  1857 Sepoy rebellion  
  1858 India: Madras
  1860.01.31 at sea (embarked at Madras)
  1860 China: Hong Kong
  1860 China
  1861 embarked at Hong Kong
  1861 India: Madras
  1866 England
  1868 Ireland
  1871 India: Kamptee
  1877 Burma: Thyetmo
  1881.07.01 1st Battalion, The Essex Regiment
  1881 India
  1884 Aden
  1885 England: Colchester
  1888 Bradford
  1891 Ireland: Buttevant
  1893 Fermoy
  1896 England: Warley
  1899.12 South Africa 18 Bde
  1902 India: Bangalore
  1906 Burma: Thayetmyo
  1909 India: Quetta
  1913 Mauritius
  1913 South Africa
  1914 England
  1915.01 29 Div
  1915.03 Gallipoli
  1916.03 France and Flanders
  1918.02 France and Flanders 37 Div
  1919 Ireland: Kinsale
  1922 England: Bordon 3 Bde
  1925 Colchester
  1929 Wales: Pembroke Dock
  1932 England: Catterick 13 Bde
  1934.12 Germany: Saar International Force supervising plebiscite (13 Bde)
  1935.01 England: Catterick 13 Bde
  1936 Palestine
  1938 Egypt
  1939.09 Egypt
  1940.07.24 Abyssinia: Sudan 21 Bde
  1940.10.12 Abyssinia: Sudan 29 Ind Inf Bde
  1940.10.30 Abyssinia: Sudan 10 Ind Inf Bde
  1940.12.22 Egypt
  1941.04 Iraq Habforce
  1941.08.01 Syria 5 Ind Inf Bde
  1941.10 Middle East 70 Inf Div
  1942.03 India 23 Inf Bde
  1945.05 Burma 36 Inf Div
  1945 India
  1947 UK
  1948 reduced to cadre
  1948.11.03 amalgamated at Colchester with 2nd Battalion without change of title
  1948 UK depot  
  1951 Germany: Minden 61 Inf Bde
  1953.08 Korea 28 Commonwealth Bde
  1954.08 Korea Commonwealth Contingent
  1954.10 Hong Kong  
  1957 Germany: Dortmund 5 Bde
  1958.06.02 amalgamated with 1st Bn, The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, to form
1st Bn, 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot)