Revived Plan
Napoleon considered reviving his invasion plan in 1811, but the idea came to nothing.

After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, there was a 1ong period of peace.

Invasion threat of Napoleon III: 1858
Preparations to resist the invasion threatened took place:
1) A Volunteer Rye Corps in May 1859 was formed - to be called ‘The Rye District Rifle Company.’
2) This became a joint company with Tenterden in December 1859 - but was disbanded in 1860.
3) In 1861 the Government reorganised The 35th (Cinque Ports) Regiment of Rifle Volunteers into 2 Battalions and Rye sub-division became the 3rd Hastings Company in the 1st Cinque Ports Administrative Battalion.
4) This became the 9th Rye Rifles and lasted until 1876. At the same time, and rather as rivals: the 4th Cinque Ports (Hastings and Rye) Volunteer Artillery were formed in 1861 and they called themselves ”The Rye Marine Cinque Ports Volunteer Artillery”. They lasted until 1877 and continued meeting in Hastings but with only 2 Rye members until 1891.
Both groups had many prize-firings which helped them train for war.

Late Victorian and Twentieth Century - The Boer War and the First World War

1) Col. Brookfield became MP for the Borough of Rye in 1885 and took over
command of the Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers (1st Battalion) and he immediately
formed a Rye company - the E Company 1st Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers
(Brookfield’s Greys). This was commissioned in 1885 and about 20 members passed
into the Regular Army each year, from its annual intake of about 110 men. Some of
these (including Col. Brookfield), went to the Boer War in South Africa in 1899.

2) In 1909 (to implement the Act of Parliament of 1907) these were re-organised as
the ”Territorial” and served in World War 1. It was renamed E Company of the
5th Battalion (Cinque Ports) Royal Sussex Regiment, and became less ”volunteer”
in nature.

In 1901 The Sussex Imperial Yeomanry was formed and a Troop was raised in Rye and District by Boer War veteran Capt. Cory. It maintained very close connections with Rye until 1904 and some men saw service in the First World War. It then became the Sussex Yeomanry and was converted to the Field Artillery and served in World War II.

The 5th Battalion (Cinque Ports) Royal Sussex Regiment was interested in forming the Veteran Reserve in 1911 because of the threat from Germany. This later became the National Reserve, and was open to all Regular, Militia and Volunteer ex-servicemen, and 50 members joined the Rye branch. They were actually at camp at the Watlands Range on Udimore Road when the Great War broke out. They were recalled and sent to Dover Castle, and 40 men went to fight in World War 1. There were heavy losses from this Company in France and Italy.

Many volunteers went to fight from Rye, including the whole of the football team and most of the cricketers. The older men formed ‘Supernumerary Company of the Veteran Reserve’ and they defended many sites alone the coast from Dover to Hastings and in 1915, when some of these were sent to fight in India. Others went to defend the north Kent coast.

Hospitals were established in the Upper Room of the Monastery and at the convent in East Street. In March 1915 three bombs were dropped by the Germans at Rye Harbour. The Armistice was signed at 11am on 11th November 1918 and once more the Invasion Coast was quiet. Many local families lost men who were killed in the First World War.