Essex Eagles Cricket 44th Foot East Essex Regiment connection

The 2nd battalion, 44th East Essex regiment captured an Eagle at Salamanca in 1812, and today, the Essex County Cricket team is known as the Essex Eagles, and their one day strip is yellow - the same colour as the 44th's tunic facings. They play most of their matches at the county ground in Chelmsford, across the road from the Essex Regiment museum.

The capture of a French Imperial Eagle by the fictional "South Essex Regiment" in the Sharpe novels of Bernard Cornwell is based upon the 2/44th's battle honour. The South Essex is depicted as having yellow coat facings like the 44th (East Essex). Sharpe's Waterloo again uses a historical incident involving the 44th as a backdrop for an action by the "South Essex", the back-to-back stand against French cavalry at the Battle of Quatre Bras. This was the only recorded incident of a unit receiving a cavalry charge in Line Formation. (They did not have the time to form a Square, but they made the best of it)!

Subject: 44th foot (East Essex) Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:39 am

Hi tasker.

Did you know that the 44th foot also hold a record, however, it's not axactly one to be proud of.

They are the most massacred regiment in the British Army.

Salute

Most massacred - sounds like the Essex Eagles, Martin! :p;:

But yes, we think of iSandlwana as being a humiliating massacre, but Gundamak was worse in terme of numbers.
There were also the usual failings in leadership that have always screwed the British Army. LIONS, LEAD BY DONKEYS I think is the expression.
The British were considered to be unconquerable and omnipotent. The Afghan War severely undermined this view. The retreat from Kabul in January 1842 and the annihilation of Elphinstone’s Kabul garrison dealt a mortal blow to British prestige in the East only rivaled by the fall of Singapore 100 years later.
The causes of the disaster are easily stated: the difficulties of campaigning in Afghanistan’s inhospitable mountainous terrain with its extremes of weather, the turbulent politics of the country and its armed and refractory population and finally the failure of the British authorities to appoint senior officers capable of conducting the campaign competently and decisively.

The entire force of 690 British soldiers, 2,840 Indian soldiers and 12,000 followers were killed or in a few cases taken prisoner. The 44th Foot lost 22 officers and 645 soldiers, mostly killed.

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