Royal Sussex Society - 35th Regiment of Foot - Captain's Blog

Royal Sussex Society - 35th Regiment of Foot

35th Victorians March in '24 Christmas Parade

12/8/2024

Resuming the annual tradition of marching in the Hawthorne, NJ Christmas Parade, a contingent of our Victorian soldiers braved the freezing nocturnal temperatures to join with the community's holiday celebration. While last year's was rained out, where Lord Donegall's Regiment was planning to march, our victorious Victorians had a clear (but far from silent) night in which to strut their stuff. A new route doubled the length of the parade, which had been very short before, making more opportunities to see and be seen amid the Christmas revelers. Positioned behind the Girl Scouts and in front of the Columbia Bank, the Royal Sussex Society had three soldiers and one officer. The regiment kept perfect step throughout. Special thanks to the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce and the Borough for continuing and expanding the Christmas parade.

Pictures from L. A. Lopez Wei.

Italian Front Project Marches for Veterans Day NYC 2024

11/12/2024

The Royal Sussex Society's partner organization, the Italian Front Project, consists of many Royal Sussex Society members, representing Italian and British forces on the Italian front in the Great War. This year, the IFP made its debut at the NYC Veterans Day Parade in New York City, representing a variety of Italian forces, the Royal Sussex Regiment, our British Red Cross VAD, as well as being joined by a French colonial soldier and a civilian. The parade route took us from 24th Street and 6th Avenue onto 5th Ave, and up until 47th Street. This was about a mile and a third, and our international section marched behind the East Coast Doughboys. The ECD was led by the Doughboy Band, so we had a fantastic First World War historic representation at the parade which was started in 1919 to honor Great War veterans. God Save the King! Avanti Savoia!

Battle of White Plains Remembered 248 Years On

10/30/2024

The Battle of White Plains was commemorated at the Jacob Purdy House Sunday, with the names of the Americans who fell in the battle read aloud and remembered 248 years on. This year's commemoration, unlike last year's was blessed with nice weather. A large turnout of public and reenactors meant that there were ongoing activities throughout the day. The 35th was joined on the Crown side by the 42nd Highlanders, Marines, and Regiment von Knyphausen. Opposite us was the rebel horde, led by a one George Washington of Virginia.

In the encampments there were cooking demonstrations along with fiber crafts and a surgical display. At 2:30, a small skirmish was held to represent the Crown attack on Chatterton Hill, a successful assault that sent the Continental army into flight, with Washington once more escaping capture. The British and Hessians did not remain long in White Plains, however, and turned their attention southwards, to complete the conquest of the areas around New York City.

The 35th Regiment itself was present at the battle, October 28, 1776, part of the 2nd Brigade along with the 5th, 28th, and 49th Regiments of Foot.

The researcho f the White Plains Historical Society notes the presence and casualties of various officers, including those of the 35th. They are: Lt. Banns or Banks: WIA; Lt. Col. Robert Carr: mortally WIA; Maj. James Cockburn; Ensign Solomon Eagle, KIA; Capt. Hunt Fitzgerald, WIA; Lt. Gore: KIA; Lt. Jocelyn: KIA; Capt. Hugh Massey: WIA; with another 17 non-commissioned officers and men killed, 2 missing in action, and 38 wounded. Their names are lost to history, but their sacrifice in service to their king and country is not forgotten amid the struggle for American independence.

Lord Donegall's Regiment Marches Again!

10/23/2024

The Society was contacted by a well-known author of military history recently who was looking for photos of the War of Spanish Succession British Army. We were happy to accommodate, as this presented us with a wonderful opportunity not only to help with a publication on a much-overlooked aspect of military history, but also to crack out the Queen Annean uniforms again after a long time. Private Sentinel Thomas offered his property for the setting. The result was an autumnal photo collection of Her Majesty's finest at the turn of the 18th Century.

Harrison House Hosts Timeline for Its Bicentennial

10/14/2024

We returned to the Harrison House again following our first living history program there back in May. The staff had been interested in having a historical timeline event to help celebrate the 200th birthday of the house, built in 1824, and we were happy to oblige by calling upon some of our contacts to join us. The grounds were transformed into a display of 18th-20th Century living history stations and we enjoyed a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. We thank the staff, Erich and Sam, and the Roseland Historical Society, for taking good care of the reenactors by providing lunch and drinks. We interacted with people consistently, so there was relatively little downtime--a good thing, for sure, as this means there is interest and resonance with the public. We had the 35th and 23rd Regiments of Foot representing the Revolutionary War; Jack Sherry as Dr. Benjamin Franklin (complete with kite); Celeste Sherry doing 1820s wool spinning; Madison representing the 1830s; the 6th New Hampshire Regiment of the US Civil War; the 71st New York Volunteers of the Spanish-American War; our associate organization, the Italian Front Project, representing the Granatieri di Sardegna and Brigata Salerno in World War One; the Royal Flying Corps in World War One; the Tomsk Regiment in the Russian Civil War; Mick Burgess as his Orange lordship; and the Italian Divisione Casale in World War Two.

Royal Sussex Joins National WWI Monument Dedication

9/16/2024

The Royal Sussex Society was supremely honored to be a part of the grand illumination of the United States National World War One Memorial in Washington DC. Joined by our Royal Air Force and Royal Artillery friends, the Royal Sussex and our VADs added some European flavor to the East Coast Doughboys' displays during the weekend alongside the long-overdue monument to the Great War in the US capital. A 58' bronze statue, "A Soldier's Journey," was dedicated officially with its sculptor, Sabin Howard, to a large audience of donors and VIPs who financially contributed to making the sculpture a reality. The Monument, formerly looked after by the World War One Commission, is now in the care of the Doughboy Foundation, which provides a uniformed bugler to play "Taps" at 5pm each day, rain or shine. In honor of General John Pershing's birthday, we, along with the American contingents, left a bouquet of flowers at the statue of the American commanding general in the red and orange colors associated with the old 35th Regiment. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to be a part, and we were delighted for the chance.

Ringwood Timeline Canceled Due to Lightning Storms

8/3/2024

Much like the Memorial Day Parade, Mother Nature intervened and compelled us to cancel the 2024 Ringwood Living History Timeline event. This was unfortunate as we were expecting the biggest timeline at Ringwood ever, with over 70 reenactors signed up, covering 500 years of world history. The decision to call it off was made on Thursday morning to give those traveling from far away enough time. The last thing we wanted was to have people on the road with their cars all packed up for nothing. The decision was the right one, however, as lightning storms battered northern New Jersey the entire weekend, with high temperatures and high humidity as well. Hopefully 2025 will be more accommodating!

35th Royal Sussex Debuts at the Harrison House in Roseland

6/29/2024

The 35th Royal Sussex held its first event at a new venue for us, hosted by the Roseland Historical Society's Williams-Harrison House on Eagle Rock Road. This is a home built in 1824 and was a perfect venue for our early Victorian section. The redcoats and our ladies set up a small encampment on the front lawn of the house, affording a very good view of the streets below and attracting some attention from passers-by. The men carried out a number of drills during the day, mounted sentries, and conducted some foot patrols. It was a good opportunity for us to refine some of our practices and enjoy a pleasant, if humid, day at a new site. The staff were very friendly and accommodating and we look forward to future events in Roseland!

We are grateful to Ari Lopez Wei for the pictures he shared with us.

Memorial Day Washed Out

5/27/2024

Bad weather compelled the Borough of Hawthorne to cancel this year's Memorial Day Parade. The Royal Sussex was looking forward to marching with our American and Italian allies. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.

Great War Presentation Held at North Haledon Library

5/21/2024

The Royal Sussex was represented by our president and commanding officer at the North Haledon Free Public Library. This was the third Society presentation held there, with our first being on the American Revolution and then the Victorian period. The discussion covered the overall "big picture" of the causes and prosecution of the Great War, with an emphasis on the Western and Italian fronts. The room was full and the audience had excellent questions. We were also visited by the County Historian who came to listen and afterward share some of the local history as it pertained to World War One. We thank the library director, Susan Serico, for all her support and for having us again at the library just ahead of Memorial Day.