Description
Physical description
Single-breasted four-pocket service dress jacket of khaki serge with stand & fall collar. The jacket is closed by five brass crested GS buttons. Featuring shoulder patches and pleated breast pockets, the collar has been re-tailored, giving it a 'smart' appearance. To the epaulettes are fitted the unique 'CAMBS' over 'SUFFOLK' one-piece shoulder titles, fitted over single bars of yellow identification tape. To both upper sleeves are sewn small brigade identification badges in the form of triangles of mid-blue cloth, these being above conventional sergeant's chevrons. There are no overseas service chevrons or wound stripes present.
History note
Following Kitchener's appeal to recruit men for the army the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire pledged to raise a battalion of men raised from Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. Whilst The Cambridgeshire Regiment was already well-recruited (the only infantry regiment within the County), this new 'Service' battalion was later to form part of The Suffolk Regiment, and by January 1915 had reached the capacity of 1,350 other ranks. The 11th (Cambridge) Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment (known as the "Camb's Suffolks"), went overseas in January 1916 as part of 101 Brigade, 34th Division seeing its first actions around Armentieres before moving to the Somme in May. On 1st July the 34th Division were to attack toward Contalmaison south of the Albert-Bapaume road, their left of arc being La Boiselle, their right , Fricourt, their intention to sweep aside the defences of La Boiselle and open a path through to Pozieres.
Following the detonation of two mines at Lochnagar and Y Sap, the three brigades advanced but within ten minutes 80 per cent of the leading elements were cut down by machine gun fire. The Camb's Suffolks were in support of the Grimsby Chums (10th Lincolns) to the right, and both were caught by enfilade fire, tragically caught in the open. Whilst a few were able to get within the German lines the majority of survivors remained lying in the open, success to exploit any gains being blunted by subsequent enemy fire. Many of 11th Suffolk were finally silenced by a flame thrower. Whilst 34th Division suffered the most casualties for that day's fighting (6,380), the Camb's Suffolks lost 527, and the Grimsby Chums 441.
11th Suffolk remained on the Western Front seeing further action throughout the rest of the conflict at Arras, the Scarpe, the attack on the chemical works at Roeux, Malakhoff Farm (where Corporal Day won a Victoria Cross), the defensive action on the River Lys in 1918, and numerous subsequent actions until the Armistice. Though the 1st July was their worst day actual numbers killed were for 1916, 296; 317 in 1917; 336 in 1918.
This jacket displays the yellow identification tape that was in use from 1915, and the blue triangle that was adopted when they joined 183 Brigade (61st Division) in May, 1918.