South Essex Regiment
Encyclopedia
The South Essex Regiment, later the Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers, is a fictional infantry line regiment in the British Army
that was created by Bernard Cornwell
in the Sharpe
series of books.
, commanded by Colonel Sir Henry Simmerson. Sharpe was transferred to the South Essex when his previous regiment, the 95th Rifles, was withdrawn back to England, and made a captain shortly after the battle of Valdelacasa in which the South Essex and the Spanish Regimenta de Santa Maria were badly mauled by French cavalry
. In this action, both the South Essex and the Regimenta de Santa Maria lost their Colours. Simmerson tried to ruin Sharpe's career (and save himself) by blaming the loss of the Colours on Sharpe. However, Sharpe then captures a imperial eagle, in doing so, recovered some honour and the South Essex's pride.
After Simmerson showed ill judgement and cowardice at the Battle of Talavera (where Sharpe captured a French Imperial Eagle
, which then went on to be displayed on the regiment's Colours
), Colonel William Lawford, an old friend of Sharpe's, took command. Lawford was wounded soon after and the South Essex went through a string of colonels.
In Sharpe's Regiment
, the South Essex is renamed the Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers (in reality, the Prince of Wales' Volunteers was (or is) the South Lancashire Regiment). When the regiment returns to Spain it is commanded by Colonel Bartholomew Girdwood, who suffers a breakdown during an attack into French soil. Sharpe leaves the regiment soon after, and Colonel Joseph Ford takes command. The regiment does not appear again until the Battle of Waterloo
, where Sharpe and Sergeant Patrick Harper save the regiment from the advance of Napoleon's Old Guard
at the end of the battle, where Sharpe is finally given command of the regiment by the Duke of Wellington
.
would have gained during the Sharpe Series:
The regiment's fate after Waterloo is unknown. It is likely to have been disbanded due to its high regimental number (this is stated in the Sharpe Companion) but it could have been merged with the 44th Regiment of Foot
or the East Essex which lost many men at Quatre Bras. In the latter case it would have become the Essex Regiment
under the Cardwell
Reforms and the battalion carrying its traditions would have been disbanded and the honours continued. This is of course speculation, but there are several similarities between the East and South Essex - both captured French Imperial Eagle
s, both have yellow coat facings, and they share a county
designation.
, later George IV was the colonel in chief and added his patronage in 1813.
Sir Henry Simmerson (1809) was the first Colonel, raised the regiment and led it on its first campaign. Relieved from command by the next colonel, William Lawford (1809–1812) who commanded the regiment during the Portugal campaign before being wounded at Ciudad Rodrigo. The regiment would then be commanded by a former staff officer of General Sir Thomas Picton
, Colonel Windham from the siege and storming of Badajoz until his death shortly before the Battle of Salamanca (1812). It is then commanded by the American expatriate Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Leroy until his death at the Battle of Vitoria (1813). Lieutenant Colonel Bartholomew Girdwood would then assume command of the now renamed Prince of Wales Own Volunteers until his mental breakdown at the Battle of the Nivelle (1813). Sharpe would be in effective command until the French capitulation at the Battle of Toulouse (1814). The regiment is reformed after Napoleon's escape from Elba and the resumption of hostilities and is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Ford until his mental collapse under fire at Waterloo, where Wellington gives command of the regiment to Sharpe where they assist in defeating the Old Guard.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
that was created by Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
in the Sharpe
Richard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
series of books.
Fictional history
It first appeared in Sharpe's EagleSharpe's Eagle (novel)
Sharpe's Eagle is an historical novel by Bernard Cornwell. Set in July 1809 during the Peninsular War and featuring the Battle of Talavera it is the 8th in the Richard Sharpe Series...
, commanded by Colonel Sir Henry Simmerson. Sharpe was transferred to the South Essex when his previous regiment, the 95th Rifles, was withdrawn back to England, and made a captain shortly after the battle of Valdelacasa in which the South Essex and the Spanish Regimenta de Santa Maria were badly mauled by French cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
. In this action, both the South Essex and the Regimenta de Santa Maria lost their Colours. Simmerson tried to ruin Sharpe's career (and save himself) by blaming the loss of the Colours on Sharpe. However, Sharpe then captures a imperial eagle, in doing so, recovered some honour and the South Essex's pride.
After Simmerson showed ill judgement and cowardice at the Battle of Talavera (where Sharpe captured a French Imperial Eagle
French Imperial Eagle
French Imperial Eagle refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the Grande Armée of Napoleon I during the Napoleonic Wars....
, which then went on to be displayed on the regiment's Colours
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
), Colonel William Lawford, an old friend of Sharpe's, took command. Lawford was wounded soon after and the South Essex went through a string of colonels.
In Sharpe's Regiment
Sharpe's Regiment (novel)
Sharpe's Regiment is a historical novel, part of series about the fictional Richard Sharpe by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot introduction:In this book set during the Napoleonic Wars, Sharpe repeatedly runs into problems caused by his lower social class and his officer standing...
, the South Essex is renamed the Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers (in reality, the Prince of Wales' Volunteers was (or is) the South Lancashire Regiment). When the regiment returns to Spain it is commanded by Colonel Bartholomew Girdwood, who suffers a breakdown during an attack into French soil. Sharpe leaves the regiment soon after, and Colonel Joseph Ford takes command. The regiment does not appear again until the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, where Sharpe and Sergeant Patrick Harper save the regiment from the advance of Napoleon's Old Guard
Imperial Guard
The Imperial Guard was originally a small group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. It acted as his bodyguard and tactical reserve, and he was careful of its use in battle...
at the end of the battle, where Sharpe is finally given command of the regiment by the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
.
Battle honours
This is a rough list of battle honours that it is likely the regimentRegiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
would have gained during the Sharpe Series:
- Talavera, 1809,
- BusacoBattle of BuçacoThe Battle of Bussaco resulted in the defeat of French forces by Lord Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army, in Portugal during the Peninsular War....
, 1810, - Ciudad RodrigoCiudad RodrigoCiudad Rodrigo is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population of about 14,000. It is the seat of a judicial district as well....
, 1812, - BadajozBadajozBadajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
, 1812, - SalamancaSalamancaSalamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, 1812, - VittoriaVittoriaVittoria may refer to:* Vittoria Coffee, Australia's largest coffee company, founded in 1947* Vittoria, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada* Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain* Vitória, Brazil* Battle of Vitoria, an 1813 battle in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars...
, 1813, - PyreneesPyreneesThe Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, 1813, - ToulouseToulouseToulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, 1814, - PeninsulaPeninsulaA peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, 1808-1814, - WaterlooBattle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, 1815.
The regiment's fate after Waterloo is unknown. It is likely to have been disbanded due to its high regimental number (this is stated in the Sharpe Companion) but it could have been merged with the 44th Regiment of Foot
44th Regiment of Foot
The 44th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army. After 1782 the regiment became known as the 44th Regiment of Foot. The lineage of the 44th transferred to the Essex Regiment in 1881...
or the East Essex which lost many men at Quatre Bras. In the latter case it would have become the Essex Regiment
Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
under the Cardwell
Cardwell
Cardwell can refer to:Places:*Cardwell, Queensland, Australia*Cardwell, Missouri, USA*Cardwell, Montana, USA*Cardwell Hall, Kansas State University, USAPeople:*Dale Cardwell, American consumer advocate and journalist...
Reforms and the battalion carrying its traditions would have been disbanded and the honours continued. This is of course speculation, but there are several similarities between the East and South Essex - both captured French Imperial Eagle
French Imperial Eagle
French Imperial Eagle refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the Grande Armée of Napoleon I during the Napoleonic Wars....
s, both have yellow coat facings, and they share a county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
designation.
Regimental Colonels
This is a rough list of the colonels of the regiment described in the books and the period they served as colonel. There are gaps where colonels are not known in the books. The Prince RegentGeorge IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, later George IV was the colonel in chief and added his patronage in 1813.
Sir Henry Simmerson (1809) was the first Colonel, raised the regiment and led it on its first campaign. Relieved from command by the next colonel, William Lawford (1809–1812) who commanded the regiment during the Portugal campaign before being wounded at Ciudad Rodrigo. The regiment would then be commanded by a former staff officer of General Sir Thomas Picton
Thomas Picton
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
, Colonel Windham from the siege and storming of Badajoz until his death shortly before the Battle of Salamanca (1812). It is then commanded by the American expatriate Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Leroy until his death at the Battle of Vitoria (1813). Lieutenant Colonel Bartholomew Girdwood would then assume command of the now renamed Prince of Wales Own Volunteers until his mental breakdown at the Battle of the Nivelle (1813). Sharpe would be in effective command until the French capitulation at the Battle of Toulouse (1814). The regiment is reformed after Napoleon's escape from Elba and the resumption of hostilities and is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Ford until his mental collapse under fire at Waterloo, where Wellington gives command of the regiment to Sharpe where they assist in defeating the Old Guard.