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| The East Surrey Regiment |  | 1702 - 1959
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| | | | | | Titles | | pre 1881 | post 1881 | | 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot | 1st Battalion, The East Surrey Regiment | | 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot | 2nd Battalion, The East Surrey Regiment | | | | Earliest recognised formation: | 31st Regiment: 1702, when raised as Villiers' Regiment of Marines. | | 70th Regiment: 1758 when the 2nd battalion of the 31st was redesignated the 70th (Glasgow Lowland) Regiment of Foot. | | | | Motto: | ?? | | | | Regimental Journal: | The Journal of the East Surrey Regiment. | | | | WWI: | Battle Honours; 62 | Victoria Crosses; 7 | Died; 6750 | | WWII: | Battle Honours; 21 | Victoria Crosses; 1 | Died; ??? | | | | Amalgamated: | 1959 with The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) to form The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment | | |
| | | | | Peninsula War 1808 - 1814 31st Regiment: two battalions operational 1804-1814, 2nd battalion only present. | Military General Service Medal. 1793 - 1814 clasps: | | Total Medals | Max clasps | | | | | | | | | | | 184 | 9 | 121 | 68 | 116 | 122 | 97 | 52 | 53 | 55 | 83 | | | The Battalion suffered heavy casualties at Talavera and Albuhera resulting in a temporary amalgamation with the 66th Regiment to form the 1st Provisional Battalion. | An Egypt clasp and a Badajos clasp are noted to officers for service with other regiments. | | | Battle Honours: Talavera; Albuhera; Vittoria; Pyrenees; Nivelle; Nive; Orthes; Peninsula. |
| | | | | | | Capture of Martinique and Guadaloupe 1809-10 70th Regiment | Military General Service Medal. 1793 - 1814 clasps: | | Total Medals | Max clasps | | | | 9 | 1 | 1* | 8 | | | * William Daunt M.D., Assistant Surgeon. | | Battle Honour: Guadaloupe. |
| | | | | | | First Afghan War 1839-1842 31st Regiment | Cabul Medal 1842 | | number: | 826 | | | Battle Honour: Cabool 1842. |
| | | | | | | The First Sikh War 1845 - 1846. 31st Regiment | The Sutlej Medal 1845 -46 | Battle
Date | Moodkee 1845
18/12/1845 | 21-22/12/1845 | 28/01/1846 | 10/02/1846 | | numbers: | 877 | 721 | 524 | 503 | | | A recipients first battle corresponds to the medal reverse type, followed by clasp(s) for subsequent battles. | Battle Honours: Moodkee, Ferozeshah, Aliwal, Sobraon |
| | | | | | | Crimean War 1854 - 1856 31st Regiment | Crimea Medal 1854 -56 | | | | Clasp: → | ..none... | | Total Medals | | Number: → | 107? | 924 | 1031 | | | | | | Battle Casualties; | | Action. | Killed | Died of Wounds | 'Wounded' | Dangerously
Wounded | Severely
Wounded | Slightly
Wounded | Missing | Total | | 1st Attack on the Redan | - | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | 5 | | 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Bombardments of Sebastopol and Minor Actions. | 18 | - | - | 6 | 24 | 63 | - | 111 | | | | | | | | | | | grand total | 116 | | | Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for: | Turkish Crimea Medal 1855 | | | Battle Honour: Sevastopol. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Second China War 1856-60 31st Regiment | Second China War Medal 1856-60 | | | | clasp: | ..none... | | | total medals | | | number: | 29 | 1014 | 53 | 1043 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Entitled to a Medal with: | Officers | Warrant Officers | NCOs & Men | Total | | | One clasp Taku: | 29 | 3 | 929 | 961 | | | Two clasps Taku and Pekin: | 2 | 0 | 51 | 53 | | | | | | | | | Medal Only = 29 | | | | | | | Disposition (6th Dec 1861?) | | | Depot 31st Regiment Chatham | On Leave to England | With The Regiment | In India | | | Officers | 1 | 3 | 27 | - | Total Officers=31 | | Warrant Officers | - | - | - | 3 | Total Warrant Officers = 3 | | | | | | Non Commissioned Officers and Men | | Dead | Depot 31st Chatham | Cape of Good Hope | India | Deserted | Transferred to 2/60 Rifles | Hong Kong | Shanghai | With the Regiment | Total NCOs & Men | | | 44 | 52 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 892 | 1009 | | | | Total Officers, Warrant Officers, NCOs and men = 1043 | (data in blue extracted from tables at the end of the original roll) | | | | | Battle Honour: Taku Forts |
| | | | | | | 3rd Maori War, New Zealand 1863-1866 70th Regiment | New Zealand Medal 1845-1866 | | | | reverse | 1863 | 1863-1864 | 1863-1865 | 1864-65 | 1865 | total medals | | number | 3* | 66 | 766 | 64 | 2** | 901 | | | * 388 Pte. Alex Ferguson, 3229 Pte. Patk. O'Neill, 3406 Cpl. Stephn. Wildgoose | ** Capt. Chas. Roger & 326 Pte. B. Griffiths | | | Battle Honour: New Zealand |
| | | | | | | Afghan War 1878 70th Regiment | Afghanistan Medal 1878 -1880 | | clasp: | ...none... | | numbers: | 862 +/- 2 | | | | | Battle Honour: Afghanistan 1878-9 |
| | | | 1881: The Regiments now become 1st & 2nd Battalions, The East Surrey Regiment. | | |
The Nile Expedition 1884-5 2nd Battalion | Egypt and Sudan Medal 1882-89 | | | | clasp: | ...none... | | | Total medals | | number: |
1* | 3** |
792 | 796 | | | |
*Pte G Moreton - medal claimed 1929 | |
** 1 officer and two privates | | | |
Figures are provided by OMRS 6718 S. Brandwood from his own
studies. Mr Brandwood is always interested in purchasing medals to this regiment
for the Egypt & Sudan Campaigns and medals to the 70th Foot generally.
contact:
 | | Recipients also entitled to a Khedive's Star dated 1884-6 | | Battle Honour: Suakin 1885 |
| | | | | | | Relief of Chitral 1895 ? | India Medal 1895 | | clasp: | | | number: | 21 | | |
| | | | | | | South African War 1899 - 1902 or "Boer War" 2nd Battalion. (Nov 1899- end ) | Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902 | Common clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902; also: | | | | clasp: | | | | | | number: | ? | ? | ? | | | | | Casualties: | | Officers | NCOs and Men | | KIA & DOW | Wounded | Missing / POW | KIA & DOW | Death from disease | Wounded | Missing / POW | | | | 1 | 10 | - | 50 | 61 | 206 | - | | | VCs: 1  Albert Edward Curtis | Battle Honours: Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902 |
| | | | | | | The Great War 1914 - 1918 ( 18 battalions; 9 served overseas:- ) | Generally awarded the British War Medal & Victory Medal, most men overseas prior to 1/1/1916 also a 1914 or 1914-15 Star. | | Battalion → | 1 | 2* | 1/5 | 1/6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 13 | date of first overseas service.
(first theatre red x ) | 15/8
1914 | 19/1
1915 | 2/12
1914 | 2/12
1914 | 2/6
1915 | 28/7
1915 | 1/9
1915 | 2/5
1916 | 4/6
1916 | | France & Flanders | x | x | | | x | x | x | x | x | | Gallipoli | | | | | | | | | | | Egypt & Palestine | | x | | | | | | | | | Mesopotamia | | | x | | | | | | | | Macedonia | | x | | | | | | | | | Italy | x | | | | | | | x | | | Aden | | | | x | | | | | | | India | | | x | x | | | | | | Star
possible ? | 1914 or 1914-15 | x | | | | | | | | | | or 1914-15 only | | x | | | x | x | x | | | | VCs at a glance |  | | | |  | | | | | died
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate - in addition 151 officers are recorded with 'battalion not shown' or with battalions not show here) | 1339 | 675 | 58 | 86 | 724 | 1122 | 858 | 713 | 332 | | | | | * The second battalion were in India when war broke out and returned first to the UK | Regular | Territorial Force | New Armies | Garrison. |
| VCs: 7; Roupell Geary Dwyer Fleming-Sandes "Tiny" Foster Cator McNamara (off site links) | Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
815 officers and men of the East Surrey Regiment also qualified for this medal. | Battle Honours: Mons; Marne 1914; Somme 1916, 1918; Albert 1916, 1918; Cambrai 1917, 1918; Macedonia 1915-18. Le Cateau; Retreat from Mons; Aisne 1914; Armentières 1914; Hill 60; Gravenstafel; St Julien; Frezenberg; Bellewaarde; Bazentin; Delville Wood; Pozières; Guillemont; FlersCourcelette; Morval; Thiepval; Le Transloy; Ancre Heights; Ancre 1916; Arras 1917, 1918; Vimy 1917; Scarpe 1917; Messines 1917; Pilckem; Langemarck 1917; Menin Road; Polygon Wood; Broodseinde; Poelcapelle; Passchendaele; St Quentin; Bapaume 1918; Rosières; Avre; Lys; Estaires; Hazebrouck; Amiens; Hindenburg Line; Epéhy; Canal du Nord; St Quentin Canal; Courtrai; Sambre; France and Flanders 1914-18; Italy 1917-18; Struma; Macedonia 1915-18; Egypt 1915; Aden; Mesopotamia 1917-18; Murman 1919 |
| | | | | | | WW2 1939 - 1945 | | Battalion → | 1st | 2nd | 1/6th | 2/6th | | campaign ↓ | | | | | France and
Belgium 1940.
(Dunkirk ) | x | | x | x | | North Africa & Middle East | x | | x | | | Far East | | x | | | | Sicily / Italy | x | | x | | | N.W. Europe | | | | | | | Notes. | | | 11th Infantry Brigade for the Duration | 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade, Singapore Fortress.
19/12/41 amalgamated with the 1st Leicesters to form the British Battalion. N | 10th Infantry Brigade
4/5/40-31/8/45 | 37th Infantry Brigade 26/10/39-18/5/40, 18/6/40-29/7/44, & 12/9/44-31/8/45 | | | | | | | WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star )
Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B = Burma, I = Italy, F&G = France and Germany | | | A, I. | P | A, I. | - | | | | | | | | | Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal | | VCs: 1 Wilson attached Somaliland Camel Corps (off site link) | Battle Honours: Dunkirk 1940; Longstop Hill; Sicily 1943; Sangro; Cassino; Italy 1943-5. Defence of Escaut; Tebourba; Fort McGregor; Djebel Ang; Djebel Djaffa Pass; Medjez Plain; Tunis; Montarnaud; Adrano; Centuripe; Trigno; Capture of Forli; Argenta Gap; Greece 1944-5; Kampar. |
| | | | | | | | | | | Regulars reduced to a single battalion (the 1st) 1948 | | | | | | © This website and its contents are copyright. Images are digitally watermarked. © North East Medals, All Rights Reserved |
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Selected Links | The Regimental Museum. (Located in ) | | | | | | | Selected Bibliography; | | | | Author | Title | Publisher | | Richard Cannon, Esq | Historical Record of The Thirty-First, or, The Huntingdonshire Regiment of Foot; containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1702, and of its subsequent Services to 1850; to which is appended An Account of the Services of the Marine Corps, from 1664 to 1748; The Thirtieth, Thirty-First, and Thirty-Second Regiments having been formed in 1702 as Marine Corps, and retained from 1714 on the Establishment of the Army as Regiments of Regular Infantry. | London: Parker, Furnivall & Parker, 1850. | | Richard Cannon, Esq. | Historical Record of The Seventieth, or The Surrey Regiment of Foot; containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1758, and of its subsequent Services to 1848. 21 pp. | London: Parker, Furnivall, & Parker, 1849. | | | | | | Col. Hugh W. Pearse. | History of the 31st Foot, Huntingdonshire Regt.--70th Foot, Surrey Regt., subsequently 1st & 2nd Battalions The East Surrey Regiment. Vol. 1. 1702-1914. | London: Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co. Ltd., 1916. | | Col. H. W. Pearse and Brig.-Gen. H. S. Sloman | Vols. 2, 3 [1914-1919] | London: The Medici Society Ltd., 1933-34. | | David Scott Daniell. | Vol. 4. 1920-1952. 283 pp. Honours & Awards. | London: Ernest Benn Ltd., 1957. | | John Aston, and L. M. Duggan. | The History of the 12th (Bermondsey) Battalion East Surrey Regiment. (With Letters from Lieut.-Gen. Sir Sydney T. B. Lawford and Brig.-Gen. F. W. Towsey. ) 331 pp. | London: The Union Press, 1936. | | Michael Langley. | The East Surrey Regiment. 117 pp. | London: Leo Cooper, 1972. | | Additional Bibliography for this Page. | | | | Author/Compiler | Title | Publisher | | Officers of the Regiment. | Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc. | - | | Stiles, Richard G.M.L. | Mayhem in the Med (Cyprus Emergency) | Savannah Pub. London. 2005 | | | | | | | Additional bibliography same as Northumberland Fusiliers page | | | | | | | | | | | |
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The British Battalion
