St Saviour's Chapel

Norwich Cathedral

      

Click photographs to enlarge

St Saviour's Chapel is the Regimental Chapel of The Royal Norfolk Regiment and its successor Regiment, the Royal Anglian Regiment.

History surrounds us. Under our feet are foundations of a pre-Conquest chapel and indications of a Saxon cemetery are nearby.
The cathedral has a Norman ground plan and walls with medieval Perpendicular roof and spire. The spire is second only in England to Salisbury and is 315 feet high. White stone from Caen in Normandy gives the cathedral its distinctive clarity and lightness. Founded in 1096 by Herbert de Losinga, the Cathedral took 50 years to build and was a Benedictine Monastery for its first 442 years until Dissolution in 1538.

Another 400 years later, in 1930, on the site of the Lady Chapel, demolished during the Reformation, St Saviour's Chapel was built as a War Memorial for the 1914-18 war, retaining the name of the former Norman Chapel.

The windows show four East Anglian saints: Edmund, Julian, Felix and Fursey. The splendid altar rails and screen-gates are the work of a Norfolk craftsman, Eric Stevenson.
Behind the altar the reredos panels, below, are 15th century paintings by Norwich artists and depict an archbishop, the annunciation and visitation, the resurrection, the crucifixion and St Erasmus.

 

 

 

The desk contains the Norfolk Rolls of Honour for 1914-18 and 1939-45. The 18th century organ is by Snetzler.
Above the Chapel gates is a splendid pair of Early English arches with the typical dog-tooth ornament set on Perpendicular pillars (from a later period!).

The collegiate stalls were erected by the Regiment in 1963 as a memorial to the officers, men and achievements of the Regiment. Honours are inscribed around the walls and on old colours which hang above. The oldest pair, above the entrance, were carried in the Netherlands during the Napoleonic Wars.

First known as Cornwall's Regiment of Foot, the Regiment was raised by King James II in 1685 to quell the rampage of the Duke of Monmouth.


Britannia Journal
cover

The Badge of Britannia.
At Almanza, on 25 April 1707, as Steuart’s Regiment of Foot, the Regiment distinguished itself in being the only regiment that did not lay down its arms.
It fought to the last, covering the retreat of its General, the Earl of Galway.
When the Regiment returned to England a year later it was barely 100 strong, such were the casualties at Almanza.
Tradition states that for this memorable feat of arms Queen Anne awarded the Badge of Britannia, to be worn on the Colours and accoutrements.
In April a service is held in the Norwich Regimental chapel to commemorate Almanza.
Click here for more on Almanza.

Click photographs toenlarge

Carving of Britannia on a pew - the IX indicates the 9th of Foot
Carving on a pew in
The Chapel

Officers of the Regiment, named 9th Regiment of Foot in 1751, wore the badge from 1759. Renamed the 9th or East Norfolk Regiment of Foot in 1782, the wearing of the Badge of Britannia was confirmed in 1799 by Horse Guards, predecessors of the War Office, now the Ministry of Defence.

In the Peninsula War, the GOC (General Officer Commanding) of the British Army in Portugal, Sir John Moore, was killed during the Battle of Corunna on 16 Jan 1809. The honour of burying him was given to the 9th Foot and in recognition of this, in 1881, on the founding of The Norfolk Regiment, officers were authorised to wear a black line in the gold lace in the full dress uniform.

The poem by Charles Wolfe 'The Burial of Sir John Moore at Corunna' starts :

'Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
As his corse to the rampart we hurried;
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot
O'er the grave where our hero we buried.'

Click here for a photograph of the tomb of Sir John Moore at Corunna, Spain, taken in 2001 by Capt William Gaymer and here for another tomb photograph taken in 2002 by Martin Housego.

From 1884 to 1902 the buckle of the officers’ belt bore 'Britannia over a Castle'.
The Castle and key refer to the Norfolks at the siege of Gibraltar.

Now amalgamated into The Royal Anglian Regiment these emblems of heritage remain: Britannia on the collar badge, a black background to the cap badge, a black surround to officers' 'pips' and The Royal Anglian Regimental march incorporates 'Rule Britannia' with 'Speed The Plough', the Regimental march of the Suffolk Regt.
THE CHILIANWALA TABLE
The origins of the Chilianwala Table are obscure but it is now in the Officers’ Mess, TA Centre, Aylsham Road, Norwich.
'After the Battle of Chilianwala the bodies of 12 officers of the Regiment and the RSM of the 24th Foot (The South Wales Borderers and latterly The Royal Regiment of Wales. Ed) were laid out on it. It has 20 leaves each on four folding legs and is 39ft 8in (13m in new money!) long.'
(From 'Officers Mess - Life and Customs in the Regiments' by Lt Col RJ Dickinson)
At the outbreak of war in 1939 the table was with the 1st Bn in India. It was decided to pack the table away and Paul Boxall was one of the packing party.

NORFOLK REGIMENT TO ROYAL NORFOLK REGIMENT
Army Order 110 of June 1935 stated: "On the occasion of His Majesty's Birthday, and in commemoration of the completion of the 25th year of His Majesty's reign, the King has been graciously pleased to approve that the following Regiment shall, in future, enjoy the distinction of 'Royal' - 'The Norfolk Regiment', which will henceforth be designated 'The Royal Norfolk Regiment'. 1935 was also the 250th Anniversary of the raising of the Regiment."
The rare pair of pre-1935 Norfolk Regiment Cufflinks, right, were given to the webmaster by a family friend, Bert Murphy, whose brother had been a Norfolk soldier.
They are always worn whenever the Webmaster is at a Military Function wearing 'Mess Kit' or a Dinner Jacket.

THE REGIMENTAL MARCH of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, 'Rule Britannia', written by James Thomson, was first introduced into 'The Masque of Alfred' the earliest performance of which took place at Clevenden in 1740. Dr Arne composed the music.
The old Regimental march was 'Young May Moon', formerly used for marching past in Quarter Column on Ceremonial Parades.
'Rule Britannia' was first taken into use in about 1881 when the Regiment was first named The Norfolk Regiment.'
The Regimental march of the Royal Anglian Regiment incorporates 'Rule Britannia' with 'Speed The Plough', the Regimental march of the Suffolk Regt.

BRITANNIA BARRACKS - Norwich Click for a 2000 view

Acknowledgements:

Cathedral notes collated by JL Raybould from texts by The Very Rev AGG Thurlow, (amended by the Very Rev JP Burbridge), E Sansbury and The Very Rev A Webster.

Regimental notes by Major JL Raybould TD

Chapel notes originally prepared to accompany the Order of Service for the Wedding of Elfrida Raybould to Daniel Bourne on 4 Sep 93 in this Chapel.

And see: Almanza   Jerusalem Statue Norwich   Norwich Cathedral   Regimental Chapel 2001

THE BURIAL OF SIR JOHN MOORE AT CORUNNA

Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
As his corse to the rampart we hurried;
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot
O'er the grave where our hero we buried.

We buried him darkly at dead of night,
The sods with our bayonets turning;
By the struggling moonbeam's misty light,
And the lantern dimly burning.

No useless coffin enclosed his breast,
Not in sheet nor in shroud we wound him,
But he lay like a warrior taking his rest
With his martial cloak around him.

Few and short were the prayers we said,
And we spoke not a word of sorrow;
But we steadfastly gazed on the face that was dead,
And we bitterly thought of the morrow.

We thought as we hollowed his narrow bed,
And smoothed down his lonely pillow,
That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head,
And we far away on the billow!

Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone,
And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him,
But little he'll reek, if they let him sleep on
In the grave where a Briton has laid him.

But half of our heavy task was done
When the clock struck the hour for retiring;
And we heard the distant and random gun
That the foe was sullenly firing.

Slowly and sadly we laid him down,
From the field of his fame fresh and gory;
We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone
But we left him alone in his glory.

Charles Wolfe

See: Tomb of Sir John Moore at Corunna and Britannia on a Cross

Editorial Rule
 To qualify for inclusion in the B&C there is only one rule - something described must have been said to have happened. 
The authority is the Editor, British Army Review No 114 Dec 96, `If the facts don`t fit the legend, print the legend’.

However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied.

Rule Britannia!

Site edited and maintained by Major JL Raybould TD
Editor, Norfolk Section, The Britannia and Castle
 B&C Norfolk Editor