Shield and Protect

Volunteer yeomanry cavalry came into existence in Essex in the late 1700s, and despite intermittent disbandment, the Essex Yeomanry went on to serve with distinction in both world wars. The regimental, county and national archives have revealed an enormous amount of unseen primary source material that has been used to tell the soldiers' story from the Edwardian era to the horrors of trench warfare in the First World War, including a rare example of a mounted charge. The story continues through the Second World War, featuring first-hand accounts of battles in the Western Desert, Italy, Burma, Normandy and Nazi Germany. The Essex yeoman was present in virtually every major engagement in both world wars. This book, written with the full co-operation of the Essex Yeomanry Association and illustrated with a vast array of unpublished photographs, tells his story.