The
Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the
Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry
regimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
of the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
. It was formed from the
9th (the East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot (formerly the
9th Regiment of FootThe 9th Regiment of Foot was a infantry line regiment of the British Army from 1751 to 1881. It became the Norfolk Regiment following the Army reforms of 1881.-Early history:...
) and covered the local
militiaThe term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
and volunteer
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
. It became the
Royal Norfolk Regiment on 3 June 1935. The Royal Norfolks were amalgamated with their neighbours, the
Suffolk RegimentThe Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated with the Royal Norfolk Regiment as the 1st East Anglian Regiment in 1959.-History:The "Duke of Norfolk's Regiment of Foot"...
{12th regiment of Foot}, to become part of the
1st East Anglian RegimentThe 1st East Anglian Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army.As a result of defence cuts implemented in the late 1950s, the 1st Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment and the 1st Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment amalgamated on 29 August 1959 to form the 1st Battalion, 1st East Anglian...
, which in turn became the
Royal Anglian RegimentThe Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed in 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the 1st Bn of the...
of which "A" company of the first battalion is known as the
Royal Norfolk.
The Norfolks entered the First World War with two regular, one reserve and three Territorial Force battalions (one of cyclists) but the regiment expanded to nineteen battalions.
The total number of men raised during the war amounted to 32,375 of whom 5,576 were killed
The 2nd Battalion of the Norfolks fought in the
Mesopotamian CampaignThe Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the Great War fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
.
The
Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the
Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry
regimentA regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. A regiment can be broken into two distinct categories, one being an administrative unit which is responsible for non-operational management of battalions , while the other being a deployable combat...
of the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
. It was formed from the
9th (the East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot (formerly the
9th Regiment of FootThe 9th Regiment of Foot was a infantry line regiment of the British Army from 1751 to 1881. It became the Norfolk Regiment following the Army reforms of 1881.-Early history:...
) and covered the local
militiaThe term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
and volunteer
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
. It became the
Royal Norfolk Regiment on 3 June 1935. The Royal Norfolks were amalgamated with their neighbours, the
Suffolk RegimentThe Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated with the Royal Norfolk Regiment as the 1st East Anglian Regiment in 1959.-History:The "Duke of Norfolk's Regiment of Foot"...
{12th regiment of Foot}, to become part of the
1st East Anglian RegimentThe 1st East Anglian Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army.As a result of defence cuts implemented in the late 1950s, the 1st Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment and the 1st Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment amalgamated on 29 August 1959 to form the 1st Battalion, 1st East Anglian...
, which in turn became the
Royal Anglian RegimentThe Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed in 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the 1st Bn of the...
of which "A" company of the first battalion is known as the
Royal Norfolk.
Service
First World War
The Norfolks entered the First World War with two regular, one reserve and three Territorial Force battalions (one of cyclists) but the regiment expanded to nineteen battalions.
The total number of men raised during the war amounted to 32,375 of whom 5,576 were killed
In the East
The 2nd Battalion of the Norfolks fought in the
Mesopotamian CampaignThe Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the Great War fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
. The treatment of prisoners after the
fall of Kut al AmaraThe Siege of Kut was a major battle of World War I. It was part of the Mesopotamian Campaign . The British Empire's Indian Expeditionary Force D was defeated by Ottoman forces and later surrendered....
mirrors that that would later befall the Royal Norfolks in the Far East during the Second World War.
The two territorial battalions served in
GallipoliThe Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east...
. The 1/5th included the "Sandringham Company" which recruited from the King's estate at
SandringhamSandringham House is a country house on of land near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England. The house is privately owned by the British Royal Family and is located on the royal Sandringham Estate, which lies within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History and current...
. On 12 August 1915, the Sandringham company suffered heavy losses at Gallipoli when it became isolated during an attack. A myth grew up after the War that they had advanced into a mist and simply disappeared.{See also
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=99190&st=0#entry932066}. A BBC TV drama,
All the King's Men (1999), starring
David JasonSir David John White, OBE, known by his stage name David Jason is an English actor. He first found fame on the popular sitcom Open All Hours as Granville, Ronnie Barker's corner shop delivery boy...
as Captain Frank Beck, was based upon their story.
In the
Second Battle of GazaThe Second Battle of Gaza, fought in southern Palestine during World War I, was the second attempt mounted by British Empire forces to break the Turkish defences along the Gaza-Beersheba line...
, the 4th and 5th Territorial battalions suffered 75% casualties, about 1,100 men
France
The 8th Battalion as part of the 18th (Eastern) Division was present on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. They got beyond their initial target and had by 5.00pm reached the German trenches known as "Montauban Alley". Over one hundred men and three officers had been killed.
During the war Lt-Col
Jack Sherwood KellyJohn Sherwood Kelly VC CMG DSO was a South African recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, a Norfolk regiment officer, won a Victoria Cross leading a trench assault by Irish troops during the battle of Cambrai in 1917.
Second World War
Five members of the Royal Norfolks won the
Victoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals...
in the Second World War:
- David Auldjo Jamieson
Major David Auldjo Jamieson VC, CVO was the last recipient of the Victoria Cross in Norfolk, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
- John Neil Randle
John Neil Randle VC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Biography:...
at the Battle of KohimaThe Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in World War II. It was fought from 4 April to 22 June, 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India.The battle took place in three stages...
, April 1944
- George Gristock
George Gristock VC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
WO II Battle of FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
21 May 1940
- Sidney Bates
Sidney Bates VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
- George Arthur Knowland
George Arthur Knowland VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross during the Second World War, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.He was born on 16 August 1922 in Catford, Kent and attended...
Le Paradis Incident
During the
Battle of FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
as part of the
Battle of DunkirkThe Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 24 May to 4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
in 1940, members of the Royal Norfolks were victims of a German
war crime.War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war"; including "murder, the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied territory to slave labor camps", "the murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war", the killing of hostages, "the wanton destruction of cities, towns...
at Le Paradis in the
Pas-de-CalaisPas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders.-History:Inhabited since prehistoric times, the Pas-de-Calais region was populated in turn by the Celtic Belgae, the Romans, the Germanic Franks and the Alemanni...
on May 26.
The 2nd Battalion was one of the units of the
4th Infantry Brigade4th Infantry Brigade may refer to:* 4th Infantry Brigade , a unit of the British 2nd Infantry Division in World War II* 4th Infantry Brigade , a unit of the 2nd Canadian Division in World War I...
covering the retreat to Dunkirk. They were holding the line of the La Bassée Canal. Units became separated from each other. Their HQ
companyA company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
had formed a defensive position based at the Duriez farmhouse. they carried on their defence until the afternoon by which point many were injured and the enemy were shelling the farm. Making a last stand in the open they were outnumbered and surrendered to a unit of the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the SS 'Totenkopf' (Death's Head) Division. The commander was SS Obersturmfuhrer
Fritz KnoechleinFritz Knöchlein was an SS-Obersturmbannführer during the Second World War who was subsequently convicted and executed for war crimes.-Biography:Fritz Knöchlein joined the SS in 1934...
. The 99 prisoners were marched to some farm buildings on another farm where they were lined up alongside a barn wall. They were then fired upon by two machine guns. 97 of them were killed and the bodies buried in shallow pit. Privates Albert Pooley and William O'Callaghan had hid in a pig-sty and were discovered later by the farm's owner, Mdme Creton, and her son. The two soldiers were later captured by a
WehrmachtWehrmacht was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe ....
unit and spent the rest of the war as
prisoners of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
The bodies were exhumed in 1942 by the French and reburied in the local churchyard which now forms part of the Le Paradis War Cemetery. The massacre was investigated by the War Crimes Investigation Unit and Knoechlein was traced and arrested. Tried in a court in
HamburgHamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and the sixth-largest city in the European Union...
, he was found guilty and hanged on January 28, 1949. A memorial plaque was placed on the barn wall in 1970.
Far East
The 4th, 5th and 6th Battalions served in the Far East, as part of the
18th Infantry DivisionFor the First World War unit, see British 18th Division.The 18th Infantry Division was a Division of the British Army in the Second World War, a duplicate of the 54th Division using mostly units with connections to East Anglia .-History:The 18th Infantry Division was landed at Singapore a few...
, in the defence of
SingaporeThe Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in South East Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
and
MalayaThe Battle of Malaya was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from December 8 1941 to January 31 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army...
against the
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese advance. The battalions ended up as prisoners-of war when
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
fell in February 1942 . They would remain so until August 1945 during which time they were used as forced labour on projects such as the
Death RailwayThe Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Thailand-Burma Railway and similar names, is a 415 km railway between Bangkok, Thailand and Rangoon, Burma , built by the Empire of Japan during World War II, to support its forces in the Burma campaign.Forced labour was used in its...
.
Normandy 1944
The 1st Battalion of the Royal Norfolks formed part of the initial landings on
D-DayD-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
. They were part of the 185th Brigade in the
3rd Infantry DivisionThe British 3rd Infantry Division, known at various times as the Iron Division, 3rd Division or as Iron Sides, was originally formed in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as the "Fighting 3rd" under Sir Thomas Picton during the...
alongside the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. The battalion landed on Red Queen Beach (on the left flank of
Sword BeachSword Beach was the codename of one of the five main landing beaches in Operation Neptune, which was the initial assault phase of Operation Overlord . Stretching 8 km from Ouistreham to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer it was the farthest east of the landing points and around 15 km from Caen...
)
at 07:25. On the 6 August 1944 at
SourdevalSourdeval is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Manche department...
,
Sidney BatesSidney Bates VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
won his Victoria Cross.
The 7th Battalion of the Royal Norfolks was part of the 59th (Staffordshire) Division, one of the follow-up units.
Post War
The Norfolks served in
CyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
in the fight against
EOKAEOKA but sometimes expanded as Ethnikí Orgánosis Kipriakoú Agónos was a Greek Cypriot nationalist military resistance organisation that fought for the end of British rule of the...
in the post war period.
Traditions
The Norfolk Regiment held an anniversary on 25 April for the Battle of Almanza which they inherited along with the regimental nickname of the "Holy Boys" from the 9th Regiment of Foot. The story of the nickname is that it was gained it from a misidentification of their
cap badgeA cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy...
of
BritanniaBritannia was the term used by the Romans to refer to the Roman province covering much of the island of Great Britain. The area beyond the Antonine Wall belonging to the Picts in the north was known as Caledonia. The name itself derives from Pretannia, Diodorus's rendering of the indigenous name...
by a Spanish soldier for the Virgin Mary.
The history of the Norfolk Regiment and its predecessors and successors is recorded at the Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum, at the Shirehall,
NorwichNorwich is a city in Norfolk, East Anglia which is in Eastern England. It is the regional administrative centre and county city of Norfolk...
having moved there from the regiment's former home, Britannia Barracks, now part of Norwich prison and at the Royal Anglian Regiment Museum based at the Land Warfare Hall of the
Imperial War Museum DuxfordImperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near the village of Duxford in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, which houses the museum's large exhibits. These include nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven main exhibitions buildings...
.
Battle honours
The following honours were inherited from the 9th Regiment of Foot.
18th Century
- French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
19th Century
- Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionized European armies and played...
- Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Busaco, Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw an Anglo-Hispano-Portuguese army under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22 1812 during the Peninsular War....
Vittoria, San SebastiánDonostia-San Sebastián is the capital city of the province of Guipuscoa, in the Basque Country, Spain. Locals call themselves donostiarras, both in Basque and Spanish...
, Nive, PeninsulaThe Peninsular War was a contest between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars...
- Cabool 1842, Moodkee, Ferozeshah, Sobraon, Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451...
, Kabul 1879, Afghanistan 1879-80
On top of these, the (Royal) Norfolk regiment gained the following battle honours before amalgamation:
20th Century
- Second Boer War
The Second Boer War , commonly referred to as The Boer War and also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog , or the Engelse oorlog was fought...
:
- Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modderrivier in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, South Africa (1900-02)The Second Boer War , commonly referred to as The Boer War and also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog , or the Engelse oorlog was fought...
- First World War
World War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
:
- Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I.-Prelude:Following the surrender of the Liège forts by the Belgian Army on 16 August 1914, the Germans continued advancing towards Paris in accordance with the Schlieffen Plan...
*, Le Cateau*, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914*, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Ypres 1914The First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was the last major battle of the first year of World War I ; actually a series of battles, starting on 19 October and ending, according to the various histories, on 13 November , 22 November or 30 November .This battle and the...
* '15 '17 '18| style="float: right; clear: right; background-color: transparent"|The Battle of the Lys was part of the 1918 German offensive in Flanders during the World War I , originally planned by...
, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, LoosThe Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of new army or "Kitchener's Army"...
, Somme 1916On the Western Front, French forces under General Joseph Joffre had born the brunt of the 1914 German offensive into Belgium and France, only managing to halt the wheeling advance well inside French territory...
* '18, Albert 1916The first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916, was the opening day of the Battle of Albert, which was the first phase of the British and French offensive that became known as the Battle of the Somme...
'18, Delville Wood, PozièresThe Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
, Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Thiepval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916 '18, Arras 1917• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Australia
• New Zealand
• |combatant2= German Empire
• Prussia
• Bavaria|combatant3=|commander1= Douglas Haig,
Edmund Allenby,
Hubert Gough,
Henry Horne...
, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, ArleuxArleux is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-References:*...
, OppyOppy may refer to:* the nickname of Opportunity rover, a Mars rover landed on planet Mars in 2004.* a nickname for J. Robert Oppenheimer , the Manhattan Project leader....
, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917Battle of Langemarck can refer to :* Battle of Langemarck : part of the First Battle of Ypres* Battle of Langemarck : part of the Third Battle of Ypres...
, Polygon WoodThe Battle of Polygon Wood was a successful attack in the Battle of Passchendaele. Using General Herbert Plumer's "bite and hold" tactic , the battle was part of a larger offensive in the area by the British Expeditionary Force.Polygon Wood was only stumps and broken trees by the time the battle took...
, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Lys, Bailleul, Kemmel, Scherpenberg, AmiensAmiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardie.-History:The Paleolithic culture named Acheulean was named for its first identified site, in Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens...
, Hindenburg LineThe Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17...
*, Épéhy, Canal du NordThe Canal du Nord is a canal connecting the Oise River and the Canal Dunkirk-Scheldt. The construction was started in 1913, but because of the two world wars, it was finished only in 1961....
, St. Quentin Canal, BeaurevoirBeaurevoir is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardie in northern France.-References:*...
, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
- Italy 1917-18
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol ,...
- Suvla
Suvla is a bay on the Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey, south of the Gulf of Saros.On 6 August, 1915 it was the site for the Landing at Suvla Bay by the British IX Corps as part of the August Offensive during the Battle of Gallipoli.In the English-speaking world, many...
, Landing at SuvlaThe landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious landing made at Suvla on the Aegean coast of Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey as part of the August Offensive, the final British attempt to break the deadlock of the Battle of Gallipoli...
*, Scimitar Hill,Gallipoli 1915The Gallipoli Campaign took place at Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, during the First World War. A joint British Empire and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman capital of Istanbul, and secure a sea route to Russia...
- Egypt 1915-17, Gaza
Battle of Gaza may refer to:* Battle of Gaza , fought between Ptolemy I of Egypt and Demetrius I of Macedon* Battle of Raphia, also known as Battle of Gaza, fought between Ptolemy IV of Egypt and Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom in 217 BC* Three World War I battles between British...
*, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, JerusalemJerusalem is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if disputed East Jerusalem is included...
, Jaffa, Tell 'Asur, MegiddoBattle of Megiddo refers to one of three major battles fought near the ancient site of Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel. Of these, the first is by far the most common allusion:...
, Sharon, Palestine 1917-18The Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I was a series of battles which took place in the Sinai Peninsula, Palestine, and Syria between 28 January, 1915 and 28 October, 1918...
- Shaiba*, Kut al Amara* 1915 '17, Ctesiphon
The Battle of Ctesiphon was fought in November 1915 by the British Empire and British India, against the Ottoman Empire, within the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I....
, Defence of Kut al AmaraThe Siege of Kut was a major battle of World War I. It was part of the Mesopotamian Campaign . The British Empire's Indian Expeditionary Force D was defeated by Ottoman forces and later surrendered....
, Mesopotamia 1914-18The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the Great War fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
- Second World War
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- St Omer-La Bassée, North-West Europe 1940
- Normandy Landing, Brieux Bridgehead, Venray
Venray is a municipality and a town in the southeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Castenray, Heide, Leunen, Merselo, Oirlo, Oostrum Lb, Smakt, Venray, Veulen, Vredepeel, Ysselsteyn....
(Operation Aintree), Rhineland, North-West Europe 1944-45,
- Singapore Island, Kohima
The Battle of Kohima was the turning point of the Japanese U Go offensive into India in 1944 in World War II. It was fought from 4 April to 22 June, 1944 around the town of Kohima in northeast India.The battle took place in three stages...
, Aradura (1944 -1945 ), Burma 1944-45The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, the Burmese Independence Army and the Indian National Army...
- Korean War
The Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
(1950-1953)
The Regimental colours do not have the full battle honours marked, those with a * are on it, leaving a further 43 unlisted.
See also
- List of British Army regiments (1881)
- 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot
The 54th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army.Originally formed in 1755 as the 56th Regiment of Foot it was renumbered as the54th when the 50th Regiment and 51st Regiment were disbanded....
(1782-1881)
- Norfolk Yeomanry
The Norfolk Yeomanry was a regiment of the British Army.In 1901, the Norfolk Yeomanry were raised at the express wish of King Edward VII, after a gap of 33 years, and titled the King's Own Royal Regiment with the Royal cipher as their badge.In September 1915, the regiment embarked on SS Olympic...
- West Runton War Memorial
- Sheringham War Memorial
External links