Early years The regiment shipped to
Tangier where it remained until the port was evacuated in 1684, when it returned to England. It took part in the suppression of the
Monmouth Rebellion, fighting at the
Battle of Sedgemoor, where it earned a widespread (but probably exaggerated) reputation for brutality. After the
Glorious Revolution, it fought in Ireland for the new king,
William III, defending the
besieged Derry in 1689 and at the
Battle of the Boyne in 1690. From 1692 to 1696 it fought in
Flanders in the
Nine Years' War, at the
Battle of Landen and the
recapture of Namur in 1695. During the
War of Spanish Succession it served in the Iberian campaign, at
Cadiz,
Vigo, the sieges of
Valencia de Alcantara,
Alburquerque, Badajoz,
Alcantara and
Ciudad Rodrigo, and was virtually destroyed in the disastrous
Battle of Almansa. In the campaign in the
Low Countries in 1703, it defended
Tongres against overwhelming odds, giving
Lord Overkirk time to re-group his forces, until it was eventually captured. It was for this action that it was awarded its Royal title and its mottoes. It spent most of the remainder of the 18th century on garrison duty, being one of the regiments involved in putting down the
Gordon Riots.
French and Napoleonic Wars '' by
Mather Brown, 1794. Officers of the regiment are seen on the right. On the outbreak of the
French Revolutionary Wars, detachments were in the West Indies and acting as marines in the Channel Fleet, notably at the battle of the
Glorious First of June in 1794, where they served on Howe's flagship,
Queen Charlotte and also on board
Russell,
Defence,
Royal George and
Majestic. In recognition of the regiment's service, it was granted the distinction of wearing a
Naval Crown superscribed
1 June 1794 on its colours. The regiment was then reunited and sent to the West Indies where it took part in the
capture of Guadeloupe in 1794, although the occupation was short-lived owing to outbreaks of disease, particularly
yellow fever, among the troops, and the
capture of Trinidad in 1797. A second battalion was formed in 1795 and stationed in
Guernsey before being shipped to
Martinique, where it was disbanded in 1797, its personnel being absorbed by 1st Battalion. The regiment was transferred to
Ireland in 1798 where it helped put down the
Irish rebellion and then took part in the unsuccessful 1799
Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. In 1800, it was part of the abortive
expedition to Belle Isle, from which it sailed to
Egypt where it fought at the
Battle of Alexandria, the
Siege of Fort Julien and the
Siege of Alexandria. During the
Napoleonic Wars, the regiment first fought in the
Peninsular War at the battles of
Vimeiro and
Corunna. It then took part in the disastrous
Walcheren Campaign before returning to the Peninsula to fight at the
Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, the
second Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, the
Battle of Salamanca and the unsuccessful
Siege of Burgos. By the winter of 1812, the regiment was so depleted by casualties and disease that four companies were amalgamated with the equally weakened 2nd Battalion,
53rd Foot, to form the 2nd Provisional Battalion. Six cadre companies returned home to re-form. As part of the
4th Division, the Provisional Battalion took part in the
Wellington's triumph at the
Battle of Vittoria on 21 June 1813, followed by the
Siege of San Sebastián and, 1814, the battles of
Orthes and
Toulouse.
The Victorian era The regiment was on garrison duty in
Baluchistan when the
First Afghan War broke out in 1839. It formed part of the force that attacked the previously impregnable city of
Ghazni, taking the city by storm because the army lacked siege equipment, and opening the way to
Kabul. It returned to India in November 1839, storming the city of
Khelat en route, and avoiding destruction along with the
rest of Elphinstone's army. , playing the role of Scottish Highland infantry in the 1912 film
"The Relief of Lucknow" The regiment was shipped to the
Cape Colony during the
Eighth Xhosa War in 1851. On 25 February 1852 a detachment of 51 men under the command of Ensign Boyland were aboard
HMS Birkenhead travelling from
Simon's Town to
Port Elizabeth when the ship struck rocks. The troops were assembled on deck and remained at attention to afford the embarked women and children time to take their place in the lifeboats. Shortly after this the ship broke up and the vast majority of the troops on board were either drowned or fell victim to sharks. The bravery of the troops, made up of cadres from ten different regiments, led to the naming of the
Birkenhead Drill. It once again became the 1st Battalion when the 2nd Battalion was reformed in 1857, and went to China in 1860 at the time of the
Second Opium War, fighting at the
Third Battle of Taku Forts and the capture of
Beijing. It was stationed in the
Imperial fortress colony of
Bermuda from 1864 to 1866. Although too far North for
yellow fever to establish itself in perpetuity, the disease was introduced to Bermuda several times during the 19th century by mail boats from the West Indies, causing endemics that resulted in many deaths, most particularly among members of the armed forces. Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel F. L. O. Attye, the battalion arrived at the
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda (aboard
HMS Orontes from Gibraltar, via Madeira) on 15 July 1864, in the midst of one of these epidemics and its losses in Bermuda included Assistant Surgeon James Murray Chalk at
St. George's Garrison on 8 February 1865 and Douglas James Mounteny Rose, the five-year-old son of Lieutenant-Colonel Rose, who died the following day. The battalion lost fifty-two officers and men in the epidemic. The battalion departed Bermuda for Cork, Ireland, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Werge, aboard HMS
Orontes on 3 November 1866. The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the
Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at
Stoughton Barracks in
Guildford from 1873, or by the Childers reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment. Under the reforms it became '''The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment''' on 1 July 1881. In 1897–98, a battalion took part in the
Tirah Expedition on the
North-West Frontier. The 1st battalion was stationed at Malta from 1891, then in
India where it was posted at
Rawalpindi until late 1902 when it moved to
Peshawar near the historic
Khyber Pass on the border to Afghanistan. The 2nd Battalion fought in the
Third Anglo-Burmese War from 1886 to 1888 and in South Africa from 1899 to 1904 including during the
Second Boer War (1899–1902). From October 1910 until October 1912, it was stationed in the
Imperial fortress colony of
Gibraltar. From October 1912 through 1914 it was stationed in the Imperial fortress colony of
Bermuda, as the regular infantry battalion of the
Bermuda Garrison. While in Bermuda, the
Edison Studios filmed
The Relief of Lucknow and
For Valour there, and was provided extensive support from the garrison, with parts of
Prospect Camp providing sets, and personnel from the 2nd Battalion appearing as extras. A 3rd (
Militia) Battalion was formed from the former 2nd Royal Surrey Militia, with headquarters at Guildford. The Battalion was embodied in December 1899 to provide troops for the
Second Boer War, 550 men embarked for
South Africa in February 1900; and returned to the United Kingdom in May 1902, when it received a public welcome and reception at Guildford. Under the Childers Reforms, two battalions of the
Volunteer Force were attached to the regiment in 1883. These had originally been raised in 1859–60 in response to an invasion scare. The 1st Volunteer Battalion (VB) was formed from the
2nd Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC), at the
Old Barracks, Mitcham Road,
Croydon, while the 2nd VB was formed from the 4th Surrey RVC at
Reigate Both Volunteer Battalions contributed to service companies of volunteers who served alongside the regulars during the
Second Boer War, and received the battle honour for the campaign. Under the
Haldane Reforms of 1908 the Militia became the
Special Reserve and the Volunteers became part of the
Territorial Force (TF). The regiment now had the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the
4th Battalion (TF) at the
Old Barracks in
Croydon and the 5th Battalion (TF) at Sandfield Terrace in Guildford (since demolished). The battalion saw action at the
Battle of Mons, the
Battle of the Marne, the
Battle of the Aisne, the
Battle of Ypres, the
Battle of Aubers Ridge, the
Battle of Festubert,
Battle of Loos, The
Hindenburg Line, the Battle of Bellecourt, the
Battle of Broodseinde, the
Battle of Passchendaele and the
Battle of Arras. The 2nd Battalion was in
South Africa when war broke out and landed at
Zeebrugge as part of the
22nd Brigade in the
7th Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front. The 1/5th Battalion also went to India with the Home Counties Division, but then transferred to
Mesopotamia in December 1915. The
2/4th Battalion saw more varied service than any of the other Queen's TF battalions, in the
Gallipoli Campaign, in
Egypt, and
Palestine, all as part of the
53rd (Welsh) Division, before being sent back as reinforcements to the
Western Front where it served in
34th Division under French command before taking part in the final advance to victory in November 1918. The
3/4th Bn was sent to the Western Front as reinforcements in August 1917, where it joined
21st Division and fought at
Broodseinde and
Cambrai. It was broken up to provide drafts in February 1918. There were also 19th and 20th TF Battalions formed from the Home Service men of the regiment. • 7th (Service) Bn – served in
18th (Eastern) Division on the Western Front • 8th (Service) Bn – served in
24th Division on the Western Front • 9th (Reserve) Bn – served in the UK training recruits • 10th (Service) Bn (Battersea) – formed by the
Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and served in
41st Division on the Western Front • 11th (Service) Bn (Lambeth) – formed by the
Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth and also served in 41st Division • 12th (Reserve) Bn – served in the UK training recruits
Other battalions • 13th (Labour) Bn – served on the Western Front • 14th (Labour) Bn – served in
Salonika • 15th (Labour) Bn – served on the Western Front • 16th (Home Service) Bn – served in the UK • 17th (Labour) Bn – served in the UK • 18th (Labour) Bn – served in the UK Returning prisoners of war were awarded a "Welcome Home Medal" at a reception in Guildford in January 1919. The medal has the regimental badge on one side and the inscription, "Prisoners of War The Queens Regiment Welcome Home" on the reverse and is dated MCMXVIII.
Between the wars The 1st Battalion spent the inter-war years on garrison duty, both in Britain and overseas. The 2nd Battalion took part in the
Waziristan campaign of 1919–1920, attempting to pacify the tribal areas during the unrest following the
Third Afghan War. It was in
Palestine during the
Insurgency of 1936–1939. The 4th and 5th Battalions were both reformed in the
Territorial Army, assigned to the
131st (Surrey) Infantry Brigade, alongside the 5th and 6th battalions of the East Surrey Regiment. However, in the reorganisation of the Territorial Army's infantry in the late 1930s, the 4th Queen's was transferred to the
Royal Artillery and converted into the
63rd (Queen's) Searchlight Regiment. The regiment was also reassigned the
22nd and
24th (County of London) battalions of the
London Regiment, which disbanded in 1938. These battalions became the
6th (Bermondsey) and
7th (Southwark) battalions of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) and joined the 5th Battalion in
131st Brigade.
Second World War The 1st Battalion was serving in
British India on the outbreak of the
Second World War but did not see action until 1942 against the
Imperial Japanese Army. The 1st Queens fought in the
Burma Campaign throughout the war as part of the
33rd Indian Infantry Brigade,
7th Indian Infantry Division, of the
British Fourteenth Army under
Lieutenant General William "Bill" Slim. The 2nd Battalion, initially commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ross until April 1940, spent the early years of the war in the Middle East and
Syria before also going out to the
Far East. They were part of the
16th Brigade,
6th Infantry Division which was later redesignated as the
70th Infantry Division and were involved in
Operation Thursday, the second
Chindits campaign. part of
36th Infantry Division from May 1945 onwards. in Grazzanise, Italy, 12 October 1943. The 1/5th, 1/6th, and 1/7th were all 1st Line
Territorial Army battalions that were serving in the
131st Infantry Brigade, which was a part of the
44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division, a 1st Line Territorial Army division. The brigade was sent, along with the rest of the division, to France in 1940 to join the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and were quickly involved in the
Battle of France and subsequent
Dunkirk evacuation. They arrived in England and the division was led for a while by Major-General
Brian Horrocks. The division was later sent to
North Africa in mid-1942 to join the
British Eighth Army and fought in the
Battle of Alam el Halfa and later in the
Second Battle of El Alamein where the 131st Brigade was assigned to the
7th Armoured Division and would remain with them for the rest of the war. Meanwhile the 1/5th were detached from 131 Brigade to 22nd Armoured Brigade mounted in Kangaroos in April 1945 for the final weeks of the war and the fighting towards Hamburg. ,
Kent, 13 October 1941. The regiment also raised the 2/5th, 2/6th, and 2/7th which were all 2nd Line Territorial Army battalions serving in the
35th Infantry Brigade of the
12th (Eastern) Infantry Division, a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate of the 44th (Home Counties) Division. They were also sent to France in 1940 and were involved in the
Battle of Dunkirk where they suffered heavy casualties due to the men having very little training. The division was disbanded shortly after returning to England and the 35th Brigade was later redesignated the
169th Infantry Brigade. The 169th Brigade was to serve with the 56th Division for the rest of the war in the Italian Campaign in battles at
Salerno,
Anzio and in the final Allied offensive in Italy,
Operation Grapeshot. In January 1944
Lieutenant Alec George Horwood of the 1/6th Battalion was awarded the
Victoria Cross whilst fighting in the
Burma Campaign whilst attached to the 1st Battalion,
Northamptonshire Regiment. , 25 December 1943. 63rd (Queen's) Searchlight Regiment served in
Anti-Aircraft Command during the
Battle of Britain and
the Blitz, then converted into
127th (Queen's) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery and manned
Bofors guns to protect the
Mulberry harbour after
D-Day, and then defended
Antwerp late in the war. The regiment raised many other battalions during the war, mainly for home defence or as training units. None of these units saw active service, they remained in the United Kingdom for the duration of war. They fulfilled a role of supplying the battalions overseas with trained infantrymen or were converted into other roles. For example, the 13th Battalion, raised in 1940, was assigned–in an infantry capacity–to the
80th Infantry (Reserve) Division. The 14th Battalion was raised in
Dorchester in early July 1940 commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Wilkinson. and in October the battalion was assigned to the
201st Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) and commenced anti-invasion duties. On 1 December 1941 the battalion was converted into the
99th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, and it subsequently served in Italy.
Post-war service and amalgamation The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948 and its personnel transferred to 1st Battalion (which had previously been reduced to nil strength in 1947). The 1st Battalion served in Berlin during the blockade to 1949 then Iserlohn in BAOR (
British Army of the Rhine) part of
5th Infantry Brigade,
2nd Infantry Division (Crossed Keys) until 1953. The 1st Battalion fought the
Malayan National Liberation Army during the
Malayan Emergency from 1954 to 1957. In 1957, it returned to Germany, where, in 1959, it was amalgamated with 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, to form the 1st Battalion,
Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment (less Territorials). ==Regimental museum==