List of battalions of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
This is a list of battalions of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey), which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1661 to 1959.
Original composition
[edit]When the 2nd (The Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot became The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces,[1] it became the county regiment of West Surrey, and one pre-existent militia and four volunteer battalions of West Surrey were integrated into the structure of the Queen's Royal Regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class.
| Battalion | Formed | Formerly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1661 | |||
| 2nd | 1663 | |||
| Militia | ||||
| 3rd (Militia) | 1797 | 2nd Royal Surrey Militia[2] | ||
| Volunteers[3] | ||||
| 1st Volunteer | Croydon, 1859 | 2nd Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps[4] | ||
| 2nd Volunteer | Dorking, 1859 | 4th Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps | ||
| 3rd Volunteer | Bermondsey, 1860 | 6th Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps | ||
| 4th Volunteer | Southwark, 1859 | 8th Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps | ||
Reorganisation
[edit]The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order.
| Battalion | Formerly |
|---|---|
| 4th | 1st Volunteer Battalion |
| 5th | 2nd Volunteer Battalion[5] |
First World War
[edit]The Queen's Royal Regiment fielded 28 battalions during the course of the war. The regiment's two territorial battalions formed duplicate second, third and fourth line battalions. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 4th King's were numbered as the 1/4th, 2/4th, 3/4th, and 4/4th respectively. Many battalions of the Queen's Royals were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. The 10th to 12th Queen's Royals, New Army "Service" battalions, were referred to as "Pals" because they were predominantly composed of colleagues. The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[6]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular[7][8] | ||||
| 1st | 1661 | Western Front | ||
| 2nd | 1663 | Western Front, Italy | ||
| Special Reserve[7][8] | ||||
| 3rd (Reserve) | Britain | |||
| Territorial Force[7][8] | ||||
| 1/4th | 1859 | India | See Inter-War | |
| 1/5th | 1859 | India, Mesopotamian | ||
| 2/4th | Croydon, August 1914 | Gallipoli, Palestine, Western Front, Germany | Disbanded February 1919 | |
| 2/5th | Guildford, September 1914 | Britain | Disbanded September 1917 | |
| 3/4th | Windsor, June 1915 | Western Front | Disbanded 11 February 1918 | |
| 3/5th | Guildford, June 1915 | Britain | Became 5th (Reserve) Battalion, 8 April 1916 | |
| 4/4th | Croydon, July 1915 | Britain | Became 4th (Reserve) Battalion | |
| 4th (Reserve) Battalion | 8 April 1916 | Britain | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 5th (Reserve) Battalion | 8 April 1916 | Britain | Absorbed by 4th (Reserve) Battalion, 1 September 1916 | |
| 19th | Lowestoft, 1 January 1917 from 69th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) | Britain | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 20th | Cromer, 1 June 1918 | Britain | Absorbed by 21st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, 3 July 1918 | |
| New Army[7][8] | ||||
| 6th (Service) | Guildford, August 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 7th (Service) | Guildford, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 8th (Service) | Guildford, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 9th (Reserve) | Gravesend, October 1914 | Britain | Amalgamated with 11th (R) Bn East Surreys to form 21st Training Reserve Battalion, 1 September 1916 | |
| 10th (Service) (Battersea) | Battersea, 3 June 1915 | Western Front, Italy, Germany | Disbanded 1920 | |
| 11th (Service) (Lambeth) | Lambeth, 16 June 1915 | Western Front, Italy, Germany | Disbanded 1920 | |
| 12th (Reserve) | Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, October 1915 | Britain | Became the 97th Training Reserve Battalion, 1 September 1916 | |
| Others[7][8] | ||||
| 13th (Labour) | Balmer, 1916 | France | Transferred to the Labour Corps, 1 June 1917 | |
| 14th (Labour) | Crawley, 1916 | Salonika | Transferred to the Labour Corps, 1 June 1917 | |
| 15th (Labour) | Crawley, 1916 | France | Transferred to the Labour Corps, 1 June 1917 | |
| 16th (Home Service) | Farnham, 11 November 1916 | Britain | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 17th (Labour) | Crawley, November 1916 | Britain | Transferred to the Labour Corps, and became Eastern Command Labour Centre along with 18th (Labour) Battalion, June 1917 | |
| 18th (Labour) | Crawley, November 1916 | Britain | Transferred to the Labour Corps, and became Eastern Command Labour Centre along with 17th (Labour) Battalion, June 1917 | |
| 51st (Graduated) | Thoresby, 27 October 1917 from 245th (Infantry) Battalion, Training Reserve | Britain, Germany | Became a service battalion 8 February 1919; absorbed into 10th (Battersea) Bn 1 April 1919 | |
| 52nd (Graduated) | Colchester, 27 October 1917 from 255th (Infantry) Battalion, Training Reserve | Britain, Germany | Became a service battalion 8 February 1919; absorbed into 11th (Lambeth) Bn 17 April 1919 | |
| 53rd (Young Soldier) | St Albans, 27 October 1917 | Britain, Germany | Became a service battalion 8 February 1919; absorbed into 2/4th Bn April 1919 | |
| Volunteer Training Corps[9] | ||||
| 1st Battalion Surrey Volunteer Regiment later the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) |
Croydon | Disbanded post war | ||
| 4th Battalion Surrey Volunteer Regiment later the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) |
Reigate | Disbanded post war | ||
| 6th Battalion Surrey Volunteer Regiment later the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) |
Guildford | Disbanded post war | ||
Inter-War
[edit]By 1920, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft. The regiment was also reassigned 22nd (County of London) and 24th battalions of the London Regiment, which disbanded in 1938; these became the 6th (Bermondsey) and 7th (Southwark) battalions of the regiment.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 4th | Became 4th Battalion, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) (63rd Searchlight Regiment), 1 November 1938; transferred to Royal Artillery 1 August 1940 |
Second World War
[edit]The Queen's Royal's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914–1918. Existing battalions formed duplicates as in the First World War, while National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion. In addition to this 19 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. By 1944 one anti-aircraft was also part of the regiment.[10] A Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) troop was formed from the Southern Railways battalion to defend railways around Guildford and Woking.[11] Due to the daytime (or shift working) occupations of these men, the batteries required eight times the manpower of an equivalent regular battery.[12]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | |||||
| 1st | 1661 | India (NWF), Burma | See Post-World War II | ||
| 2nd | 1663 | Egypt, Syria, Ceylon, Burma | See Post-World War II | ||
| Supplementary Reserve | |||||
| 3rd | Not Reformed | ||||
| Territorial Army | |||||
| 1/5th | 1859 | France, Dunkirk, North Africa, Tunisia, Italy, North West Europe | See Post-World War II | ||
| 1/6th (Bermondsey) | 1937 | France, Dunkirk, North Africa, Tunisia, Italy, North West Europe | See Post-World War II | ||
| 1/7th (Southwark) | 1937 | France, Dunkirk, North Africa, Tunisia, Italy, North West Europe | See Post-World War II | ||
| 2/5th | 1939 | France, Dunkirk, Italy | Absorbed by 1/5th, and reconstituted as 5th battalion, 1 January 1947 | ||
| 2/6th (Bermondsey) | 1939 | France, Dunkirk, Italy | Absorbed by 1/6th (Bermondsey), and reconstituted as 6th (Bermondsey) Battalion, 1 April 1947 | ||
| 2/7th (Southwark) | 1939 | France, Dunkirk, Italy | Absorbed by 1/7th (Southwark), 1 April 1947 | ||
| Hostilities only | |||||
| 11th (Home Defence) | 1939 | Britain | Redesignated as 30th Battalion, August 1943 | ||
| 12th (Home Defence) | 1939 | Britain | Amalgamated with 10th (Home Defence) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, forming 30th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment, 24 July 1941 | ||
| 14th | Dorchester, 4 July 1940 | Britain | Converted into 99th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 1 December 1941 | ||
| 15th | 9 October 1940, redesignation of 50th (Holding) Battalion | Britain | Disbanded, 4 December 1943 | ||
| 20th | Aldershot, 27 May 1940, from 5th Battalion Scots Guards | Britain | Disbanded, 3 May 1940 | ||
| 30th | August 1943, redesignation of 11th Battalion | Britain | Absorbed into 30th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment, October 1945 | ||
| 31st | Aldershot | Britain | Disbanded, 15 May 1946 | ||
| 50th (Holding) | Caterham, May 1940 | Britain | Redesignated as 15th Battalion, 9 October 1940 | ||
| 70th (Young Soldiers) | 16 September 1940, from two companies of 11th (Home Service) Battalion | Britain | Converted to 17th PTC, 1942 | ||
| Home Guard[13] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) |
| Surrey | |||||
| 1st | Camberley | SY 1 | 2nd | Farnham | SY 2 |
| 4th | Weybridge | SY 4 | 5th | Bramley | SY 5 |
| 7th | Dorking | SY 7 | 8th | Reigate | SY 8 |
| 9th | Oxted | SY 9 | 11th | Woking | SY 11 |
| 12th (3rd Bn Southern Railway) | Woking | SY 12 | 13th (Admiralty Signals Establishment) | Haslemere | SY 13 |
| 32nd | Croydon | SY 32 | 33rd | County Borough of Croydon | SY 33 |
| 58th | Purley | SY 58 | 59th | Addington | SY 59 |
| 60th | Croydon | SY 60 | 61st | Norwood | SY 61 |
| 62nd | Norbury | SY 62 | |||
| County of London | |||||
| 29th | Battersea | COL 29 | 56th | Balham | COL 56 |
| Home Guard Anti-Aircraft units[10][11] | |||||
| Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) |
Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) |
Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation |
| COL 71 | Croydon | 71st Battery, 16th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (HAA) | SY 12 | Guildford and Woking, (Southern Railways) |
A Troop LAA |
Post-World War II
[edit]In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded. A defence review by Duncan Sandys in 1957 decided that the Queen's Royal Regiment would be amalgamated with the East Surrey Regiment, to form the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment. They united as the 1st Battalion on 14 October 1959.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 1st | Amalgamated with 1st East Surreys to form the 1st Battalion, Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment, 1959 |
| 2nd | Disbanded, 1948 |
| 3rd | Disbanded, 1953 |
| 5th | Amalgamated with 565 (Surrey) LAA Regiment, Royal Artillery, and 6th (Bermondsey) Battalion, forming 3rd Battalion, The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment, 1 May 1961 |
| 6th (Bermondsey) | Amalgamated with 565 LAA Regiment, Royal Artillery, and 5th Battalion, forming 3rd Battalion, The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment, 1 May 1961 |
| 7th (Southwark) | Transferred to the Royal Artillery, as 622nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (7th Battalion The Queen's Royal Regiment), 1 April 1947 |
References
[edit]- ^ "No. 24992". London Gazette. p. 3300. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Colours of The Royal Surrey Regiments of Militia". Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "The Surrey Rifle Volunteers". Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "Militia And Volunteers". Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "5th Bn The Queen's Royal Regiment". Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ Westlake, Ray (2020). Guide to the Volunteer Training Corps 1914-1918. Uckfield: Naval and Military Press. pp. 4–7. ISBN 9781783315390.
- ^ a b c d e "Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)". Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Unit History: Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)". Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ Westlake pp. 128-129
- ^ a b Whittaker p. 106
- ^ a b Whittaker p. 113
- ^ Whittaker p. 23
- ^ "History of the Home Guard". Retrieved 2 July 2022.