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136-614: The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot , the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot , the 1st Royal Surrey Militia and the 3rd Royal Surrey Militia . In 1959, after service in the Second Boer War and both World War I and World War II ,

272-468: A 14-mile (23 km) stretch of coast at Climping until October. It was then sent to Northern Ireland, initially guarding the naval base at Derry and new bomber airfield at Limavady . It finally moved to Belfast in early February 1943 where it remained until disbanded in June 1943. The 10th Battalion was formed at Kingston on 4 July 1940 comprising seven officers and about 150 men. In a few days it moved to

408-899: A camp at Ilfracombe where its numbers were increased by about 800 new recruits all immediately engaged on guard duties. The 10th remained in Devon, in and around Plymouth until moving to Helston , Cornwall, in June 1941 and Tiverton, Devon in July. Here they were able to train with 48th Division until returning to coastal defence at Crownhill , Devonport from August 1941 until undertaking more divisional training at Whitchurch Down , Devon, in June 1942 before returning to Crownhill. They moved to Dovercourt , Essex in January 1943 joining 45th Division for three weeks before being deployed to Cookstown and Portglenone in Northern Ireland until returning to England at

544-573: A company commander. The battalion sent out its first reinforcement draft (250 ORs for the 2nd Bn) in February 1915, and supplied 34 officers and 1131 ORs to the two Regular battalions in the first year of the war. Among the new officers commissioned into the Special Reserve was Benjamin Handley Geary who was sent from 4th Bn to join 1st Bn as a reinforcement. He won a Victoria Cross (VC) in

680-511: A company of voltigeurs , who were expected to act as skirmishers as well being able to deploy into line. In the Russian Empire, light infantry was forming at a very fast pace; by the end of the 18th century, regiments of light infantry totaled 40,000 soldiers ( Jaeger ). The armament of light infantry was very different from the armament of linear infantry. They were armed with high-quality muskets, as well as pistols (for close combat). After

816-456: A company of Cape Volunteers the 4th East Surreys made a forced march through an enemy-held district to secure an important railway viaduct at Klipfontein , where it arrived on 20 April. The column then moved out on 28 April to attack a position at Steinkopf , where the Boers were strongly positioned on rugged Kopjes over a front of at least 2.5 miles (4.0 km). The engagement lasted all day, with

952-479: A composite company based at 'Courtlands', West Worthing where they were engaged in coastal defence. The rest of the battalion were deployed as part of the BEF and a force of 23 officers and 603 other ranks sailed from Southampton, arriving in and stationed at Le Havre from 22 April 1940. Initially intended as a line of communications unit and expected to undertake further training they almost immediately became involved in

1088-536: A long march to Bailleul on the Belgian border. During the journey, Voisin was posted elsewhere and command was transferred to Lt Col, later Brigadier, C D Armstrong , formerly with the 1st Battalion. The battalion was exchanged in 132nd Brigade for the 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment , making that brigade an all-West Kent formation, and the 1/6th transferred to the 10th Infantry Brigade , 4th Infantry Division , as part of official BEF policy to integrate

1224-492: A pied (light infantry), one of Grenadiers and one of Carabiniers . Similar differentiations were made in the majority of European armies of the period, although English-speaking authors sometimes use the designation "line infantry" when referring to the ordinary infantry of some other countries where the exact term was not in use. The term was also used by US units during the Second World War, as shown by this quote from

1360-557: A report of the 782nd Tank Battalion in late April 1945: On the 22nd of April, the Battalion moved from Oberkotzau, Germany to Wunsiedel , Germany. Here the attachment of the line companies to the Regimental Combat Teams of the 97th Division was completed. We separated, not coming together again until the war was over. Company "A" joined the 303rd at Rehau, Germany: Company "B" joined the 386th at Arzburg, Germany: and Company "C"

1496-553: A separate entity. The 70th, comprising six companies, spent the winter of 1940–41 on airfield guard duties based at Gravesend , at Capel Beare Green the following summer and Byfleet from October 1941 to July 1942. They then went to a camp at Charlton but the battalion, along with sixteen other Young Soldiers Battalions, was disbanded by the end of August 1942. The 9th Battalion was formed at Romford in May 1940 guarding vulnerable points until July when, as part of Brocforce , it guarded

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1632-740: A short distance. In some cases, it was possible to defeat the enemy with just one volley at close range. The line was considered the fundamental battle formation as it allowed for the largest deployment of firepower. Against surrounding enemy cavalry, line infantry could swiftly adopt square formations to provide protection. Such squares were hollow (consisting of four lines), unlike the pikemen's and old-style musketeers' square. Troops in skirmish formation, though able to take cover and use initiative, were highly vulnerable to cavalry and could not hold ground against advancing infantry columns. Line infantry provided an "anchor" for skirmishers and cavalry to retreat behind if threatened. Movement in line formation

1768-563: A small number, separated from the main battalion, escaped to the west via Saint Nazaire and other ports. The captured troops were force-marched through France and Belgium to the Rhine in Holland, then taken by barge and rail to imprisonment in Poland at Stalag XX-A , XX-B and XX1-D . After St. Valery, the remainder of the battalion reassembled at Haltwhistle , Northumberland, where they were re-joined by

1904-435: A small part of the infantry branch of most armies, because of their vulnerability to hostile cavalry. Pikemen formed the majority of infantrymen and were known as heavy infantry. A significant part of infantry consisted of old-style musketeers, who did not use the linear tactics, instead skirmishing in open formation. However, by the middle of the 17th century, musketeers deployed in line formation already provided about half of

2040-609: A strength of 21 officers and 637 other ranks, under the command of Lt-Col Ernest Sulivan, a retired regular major. On arrival in South Africa on 10 April half the battalion went to the Sterkstroom district for blockhouse duty, while the remainder sailed up the coast to land at Port Nolloth . Here it joined the Namaqualand Field Force, which was dealing with an incursion of Boers into the copper mining district. Together with

2176-481: A way of instilling discipline and unit cohesion . Members of the US Army utilize the term "line company" (informally) in light infantry battalions to differentiate those companies (generally A–D) that perform the traditional infantry role from the support companies (generally F and HHC) charged with supporting the "line companies". The Marine Corps does the same for all its infantry units. In this vein, officers assigned to

2312-768: The 11th Division . Winter 1941 was spent at Henley-on-Thames after which they returned to Norfolk, this time at Thetford in June 1942. They moved to Durham in August, remaining there for seven months during which time Brading accepted a posting to be replaced briefly by W. M. Knatchbull until succeeded by D.C. Campbell-Miles MBE in September. In March 1943 they moved to Malton, North Yorkshire followed by Uckfield from 4 July where P.H. Macklin took command. In early October they returned to Norfolk, this time to Hunstanton where they participated in Exercise Sugar Beet , helping with

2448-563: The 120th Brigade in the 40th Division in June 1916 also for service on the Western Front. The battalion saw action at the Battle of the Somme , the Battle of Cambrai and the Battle of Arras . The 14th (Reserve) Battalion was formed at Wimbledon in 1915 to supply reinforcements to the 12th and 13th battalions. A short-lived 15th (Service) Battalion was formed in 1918, and was used to reconstitute

2584-460: The 12th (Eastern) Division in June 1915 for service on the Western Front. The battalion fought at the battles of Loos , the Somme , Albert and Arras . The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 55th Brigade in the 18th (Eastern) Division in July 1915 also for service on the Western Front. The battalion fought at the Battle of Loos and the Battle of the Somme . One particular incident will always be remembered. On

2720-492: The 2nd Volunteer Battalion and adopted that as its title in 1887. The 5th Surrey Rifle Volunteers at Kingston became the 3rd Volunteer Battalion and was also redesignated in 1887. The 7th Surrey Rifle Volunteers at Southwark became the 4th Volunteer Battalion at Clapham Junction , it later became 23rd (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment . In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with

2856-628: The 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot , while the 70th became the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot . They stayed with these titles until 1881 when they became the 1st & 2nd battalions of the East Surrey Regiment. Following amalgamation, The Barracks, Kingston upon Thames became the regimental depot. The 1st Battalion , on formation, was in England, moving to India in 1884. It remained in India until 1903, its last posting being at Lucknow . It

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2992-489: The American Civil War . The Austro-Prussian War in 1866 showed that breech-loading rifles , which gave the individual shooter a greatly increased rate of fire as well as the capability to reload from a prone position, were greatly superior to muzzle loaded rifles. In the 1860s, most German states and Russia converted their line infantry and riflemen into 'united' infantry, which used rifles and skirmish tactics. After

3128-744: The Battle Honour South Africa 1902 and the participants received the Queen's South Africa Medal with the clasps for 'Cape Colony' and 'South Africa 1902'. After the Boer War, the future of the militia was called into question. There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by the Secretary of State for War , St John Brodrick . However, little of Brodrick's scheme

3264-514: The Battle of France and the defence of the Channel ports. On 15 May they were reassigned as motorised infantry, incorporated into Beauforce and sent north to join the rest of the BEF. With their route blocked by the Battle of Abbeville , they were ordered to take up a defensive position west of the River Béthune between Saint-Aubin-le-Cauf and Arques-la-Bataille and undertake patrols as part of

3400-626: The Franco-Prussian War , both the German Empire and the French Third Republic did the same. However, Great Britain retained the name "line infantry", although it used rifled muskets from 1853 and breech loading rifles from 1867, and switched from closed lines to extended order during the Boer wars . The growing accuracy, range, and rate of fire of rifles, together with the invention of

3536-626: The Maxim machine gun in 1883, meant that close order line infantry would suffer heavy losses before being able to close with the enemy, while the defensive advantages given to line infantry against cavalry became irrelevant with the effective removal of offensive cavalry from the battlefield in the face of the improved weaponry. With the turn of the 20th century, this slowly led to infantry increasingly adopting skirmish style light infantry tactics in battle, while retaining line infantry drill for training. Although linear battle tactics had become obsolete by

3672-689: The Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force in December 1917 and took part in the operations on the Tigris, while the 1/6th Battalion left India in February 1917 for a twelve-month tour of duty with the Aden Field Force. After the outbreak of war the East surreys formed nine 'New Army' or ' Kitchener's Army ' battalions: The 7th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 37th Brigade in

3808-480: The Risquons-Tout area followed with the 1/6 suffering five of the fifteen related fatalities and many casualties. Ordered to withdraw on 27 May, they marched 10 miles (16 km) and re-captured the village of Voormezele with further casualties. The following evening they marched overnight towards Dunkirk. After resting at Poperinghe they were transported to Furnes where they were quickly deployed to help defend

3944-666: The River Bresle between Forges-les-Eaux and Aumale , relieving the 4th Borders protecting anti-tank guns of the 1st Armoured Division. Lightly armed and spread very thinly, they were over-run in places by the rapidly advancing 7th Panzer Division . On 8 June they were ordered to withdraw north to the Eu Forest . They then proceeded via the Eawy Forest , skirting Bellencombre which had fallen, reaching Beaunay on 10 June, Cailleville on 11th and into Saint-Valery-en-Caux joining with

4080-481: The Second Boer War , and trained thousands of reinforcements during World War I , one of its new officers winning a Victoria Cross . After a shadowy postwar existence the battalion was formally disbanded in 1953. The universal obligation to military service in the Shire levy was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two acts of 1557 ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. cc. 2 and 3), which placed selected men,

4216-561: The War Office rather than their county lords lieutenant. Although often referred to as brigades, the sub-districts were purely administrative organisations, but in a continuation of the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned regular and militia units to places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for

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4352-601: The first day of the Battle of the Somme , 1 July 1916, B Company of the 8th Battalion went into the attack dribbling two footballs which the company commander, Captain Wilfred Nevill , had bought for his platoons to kick across no man's land . Captain Nevill and many of his men were killed during the advance, but the 8th East Surreys were one of the few battalions to reach and hold their objective on this day. The "Football Attack" caught

4488-408: The matchlock muskets of some line infantry were equipped with bayonets . Bayonets were attached to the muzzles and were used when line troops entered melee combat. They also helped to defend against cavalry. At the end of the 17th century, a solution was sought to a flaw within the design of matchlock muskets. Since the matchlock musket used a slow burning piece of twine known as a slow match ,

4624-542: The sugar beet harvest. In January 1944 they moved back to Durham for three weeks and then to Felton, Northumberland where it became clear that the battalion would not see action in the Invasion of France as 270 men were transferred out to units of 21 Army Group in April. Instead the battalion was sent to East Hornsey to organise and man a marshalling sub-area until July. It then moved to Lowestoft under command of D.C. Coates and

4760-567: The ' trained bands ', under the command of Lords Lieutenant appointed by the monarch. This is seen as the starting date for the organised county militia in England. The Surrey Trained Bands formed part of the army at Tilbury during the Armada campaign of 1588, and some elements saw active service during the English Civil War . The Militia was re-established in 1661 after the Restoration of

4896-447: The 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd RSM were assigned to 2nd Brigade of 2nd Division, III Corps . The brigade would have mustered at Redhill in time of war. The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, with the linked regiments becoming two-battalion regiments and the militia formally joining. The 31st and 70th Foot became

5032-481: The 'black spots' in recruitment for the Supplementary Militia, so although the 1st Surrey Supplementary Militia was successfully raised (and became the permanent 2nd Surrey Militia the following year) the 2nd regiment (intended to be the 3rd Surrey Militia) never reached establishment and was disbanded. The two regiments of Surrey Militia received the designation 'Royal' in 1804. Volunteers from

5168-857: The 11th Brigade, part of the newly raised 78th Infantry Division (nicknamed the battleaxe division), with which it remained for the rest of the war. It took part in Operation Torch in November 1942, landing in North Africa at Algiers with the British First Army . Following this the battalion fought with the division in Tunisia until the end of the Tunisian Campaign in May 1943. During this time it took part in notable actions such as Ochsenkopf offensive , Longstop Hill and Tebourba . After North Africa

5304-568: The 1st Battalion whilst soldiers under 20 years of age were transferred out to the 2/6th. After a period of intense training at Lyme Regis the battalion of 28 officers and 643 other ranks embarked for France from Southampton on 5 April 1940 arriving at Cherbourg. The 1/6th were deployed with the 132nd Infantry Brigade , part of the 44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division , becoming part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). They billeted at Conlie then travelled by road, train and

5440-613: The 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment was in Dublin . Eleven days later, mobilization completed and at full war establishment, the 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre in France, and before the end of the month was in action against the Germans. The battalion was assigned to the 14th Brigade , 5th Division , part of the original British Expeditionary Force (BEF). During the Retreat from Mons and afterwards,

5576-533: The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the East Surrey Regiment and the 1st and 3rd RSM became the 3rd and 4th Battalions on 1 July 1881 (the 2nd RSM became 3rd Bn Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) ). Militia battalions now had a large cadre of permanent staff (about 30). Around a third of the recruits and many young officers went on to join the Regular Army. After the disasters of Black Week at

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5712-709: The 2nd Battalion was moved from Colchester to the British Concession of the International Settlement in Shanghai. In August 1940 the battalion was posted from China to Malaya where it was attached to 11th Indian Infantry Division based in North West Malaya. In December 1941 the Japanese Army invaded Malaya after landing in southern Thailand . The 2nd East Surreys suffered tremendous casualties during

5848-577: The 2nd Battalion was reformed in the United Kingdom from the re-designation of the 11th Battalion, a hostilities-only battalion raised in 1940 that joined the 184th Infantry Brigade , 61st Division . It did not see further action in World War II. The 6th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment was a Territorial Army (TA) unit until 1939, when each unit was ordered to form a 2nd Line duplicate. It was therefore split in two with Kingston and Hersham companies and

5984-602: The 387th at Waldsassen, Germany. The British Army retains the traditional distinction between "Guards", "Line Infantry" and "the Rifles" on ceremonial occasions for historical reasons. It is linked to the order of precedence within the British Army and regimental pride, so for example Colonel Patrick Crowley states in the "introduction" in A Brief History of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (2015): The examples of valour, adherence to duty, and fortitude, continue to inspire

6120-438: The 51st Highland Division defences and anticipated Operation Cycle evacuation. Finally, surrounded and unable to escape, the division and supporting troops were forced to surrender to Rommel on 12 June 1940. Fifteen officers and 251 other ranks of the 2/6th were taken prisoners of war including commanding officer Major D G Adams. About 120 of the 2/6th were able to escape via the evacuations from nearby Veules-les-Roses and

6256-546: The American Civil War, both Union and Confederate armies had only a few line regiments equipped with the old-style smooth-bore muskets. However, France, due to Napoleon III, who admired Napoleon I, had 300 line battalions (comprising an overwhelming majority) even in 1870. Although the French line infantry received Chassepot rifles in 1866, it was still being trained in the use of close formations (line, column and square), which

6392-682: The Americans' allies, France and Spain. In 1780 the Surrey Militia was deployed on the streets of London against the Gordon Rioters . The French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars from 1792 to 1815 saw a new phase for the English militia: they were embodied for a whole generation, and became regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service within the British Isles ), which

6528-441: The Austrian army abandoned their pikes. In 1703, the French army did the same, in 1704 the British and 1708 the Dutch. In 1699–1721, Peter I converted almost all Russian foot-regiments to line infantry. The abandonment of the pike, together with the faster firing rate made possible by the introduction of the new flintlock musket and paper cartridge , resulted in the replacement of the deeper formations of troops more suitable for

6664-443: The Band used to form the 1/6th and the Chertsey and Richmond companies and the Drums to form the 2/6th. Both were embodied on 24 August 1939 whilst at camp in Lympne and were fully mobilised and guarding vulnerable points at the outbreak of war on 3 September. A further five other, hostilities-only, territorial battalions were formed in 1940: the 8th, 9th, 10th, the 50th (Holding) and the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalions. An army camp

6800-462: The British First Army was disbanded and 78th Division became part of the British Eighth Army . The battalion then fought in Sicily during the invasion before moving to Italy for the Italian campaign where it had notable involvement in the Battle of Termoli and the fighting on the Barbara Line and River Sangro during the autumn of 1943. In February 1944 78th Division was switched to the Cassino sector. The battalion initially held positions on

6936-424: The East Surrey Regiment was amalgamated with the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) to form the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment , which was, in 1966, merged with the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment , the Royal Sussex Regiment and the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) to form the Queen's Regiment . The Queen's Regiment was subsequently amalgamated with the Royal Hampshire Regiment to form

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7072-399: The East Surreys battalions overseas. On 1 September 1916 the 2nd Reserve battalions were transferred to the Training Reserve (TR) and the battalion was amalgamated with 9th (R) Bn, Queen's to form 21st Training Reserve Battalion , though the training staff retained their regimental badges. This was in turn designated 241st (Infantry) Bn, Training Reserve, on 4 July 1917. On 24 October 1917 it

7208-401: The East Surreys were assigned two of these: The 12th (Service) Battalion (Bermondsey) landed at Le Havre as part of the 122nd Brigade in the 41st Division in May 1916 also for service on the Western Front. The battalion saw action at the Battle of the Somme , the Battle of Messines and the Third Battle of Ypres . The 13th (Service) Battalion (Wandsworth) landed at Le Havre as part of

7344-576: The First World War but in 1920 the 5th and 6th Battalions of the East Surreys were re-formed. In 1938 the 5th Battalion was converted to an Anti-Tank Regiment to form the 57th (East Surrey) Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA) , with headquarters at Wimbledon. In 1939 a duplicate unit was formed as the 67th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA) , with headquarters at Sutton. The 6th Battalion comprised five companies based at drill halls with A Company at Chertsey , B and C at Park Road, Richmond , D at Orchard Road, Kingston and HQ at Surbiton . By

7480-437: The Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, militia regiments were brigaded with their local regular and Volunteer battalions – for the 1st and 3rd RSM this was with the 31st (Huntingdonshire) and 70th (Surrey) Regiments of Foot in Sub-District No 47 (County of Surrey) with a shared depot at Kingston. The Barracks, Kingston upon Thames , was built for the brigade depot in 1874–5. The Militia now came under

7616-604: The German Jäger ), armed with rifled carbines and trained in aimed shooting and use of defilades . In Britain, much of the light infantry was armed with smooth-bore muskets, only a few regiments used rifled muskets. In France, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , the division into the Guard, line infantry and light infantry formally continued to exist, line and "light" regiments had identical weaponry (smooth-bore fusils) and tactics. (Napoleon preferred smooth-bore weaponry for their faster reload speeds.) However, each battalion in both line and "light" regiments included

7752-422: The K4 battalions into 2nd Reserve units, to provide drafts for the K1–K3 battalions in the same way that the SR was doing for the Regular battalions. The battalion became 11th (Reserve) Bn, East Surreys , and shortly afterwards it moved to Colchester , where it joined 93rd Bde, which became 5th Reserve Bde . About 15 September the brigade moved to Shoreham-by-Sea , where 11th (R) Bn carried on producing drafts for

7888-427: The Monarchy , and was popularly seen as the 'Constitutional Force' in contrast to the 'Standing Army' that was tainted by association with the New Model Army that had supported the military dictatorship of the Protectorate. However, the Militia declined in the years after the Peace of Utrecht in 1713. Under threat of French invasion during the Seven Years' War a series of Militia Acts from 1757 reorganised

8024-428: The Regular and Territorial Armies. By 15 May the battalion were moved to positions on the River Dyle , coming under attack from the air on the way as they reached the River Senne to the north-east of Brussels. When it became clear the line would not hold, 10 Brigade were ordered to withdraw behind the River Dendre . By 19 May they were in position at Avelghem on the River Escaut defending and eventually overseeing

8160-442: The River Rapido south of Cassino but by March had been moved into bleak and exposed positions in the mountains north of the town. In late April they were relieved and after a brief rest took part in the fourth and final battle of Monte Cassino in May 1944. They were then involved in the pursuit after the Allied breakthrough. They fought a hard engagement at Lake Trasimeno on the Trasimene Line in June 1944 before being withdrawn with

8296-400: The Russian light infantry were equipped with the M1854 rifle, the remainder retaining smoothbore percussion muskets. In the second half of the 19th century, the development of mass production and new technologies, such as the Minié ball , allowed European armies to gradually equip all their infantrymen with rifled weapons, and the percentage of line infantry equipped with muskets fell. In

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8432-448: The SS Tagus in October 1902, following the end of the war, and was disbanded at the Kingston barracks. Under the 1881 reforms the regiment was also assigned four Volunteer Battalions: The 1st Surrey Rifles was based at Camberwell ; it did not change its title when affiliated to the East Surreys, and in 1908 it became the 21st (County of London) Battalion in the London Regiment . The 3rd Surrey Rifle Volunteers at Wimbledon became

8568-403: The Sixth Coalition , the training of regular French line infantry recruits was limited due to the relentless attack of the Coalition Forces. A recruit was trained by firing only two cartridges and four blanks. There was also light training of forming several formations. However, training large quantities of elite line infantry was generally a complicated process. In the middle of the 16th century,

8704-538: The Sudan and India. Returning to the Sudan in 1938, forty members of the battalion were employed as extras in the filming of The Four Feathers , set during the reconquest of the Sudan in 1898. The 1st Battalion returned to England in February 1939. In 1920, the 2nd Battalion served in Egypt and Turkey, then Ireland, returning to England in 1921. Apart from a posting at Gibraltar, the 2nd Battalion remained at home until September 1938, when they moved to Shanghai. The service and Territorial battalions were disbanded after

8840-414: The Surreys losing 4 killed, 4 wounded, and 8 prisoners. Next day the Boers had gone, and the column pushed on to relieve Okiep , where a garrison including a detachment of the 3rd Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) (the former 2nd RSM) and a large number of miners, both white and Coloured , had been besieged for a month. The 4th East Surreys moved into Okiep on 13 May. The Treaty of Vereeniging brought

8976-405: The Western Front. The battalion saw action at the Battle of the Somme . The 10th and 11th Battalions were formed as service battalions but converted to reserve battalions, training and preparing reinforcement drafts for the battalions overseas. When the regimental depots were overwhelmed by volunteers, so-called ' Pals battalions ' were formed by mayors and corporations up and down the country;

9112-406: The battalion had sent 4732 ORs to the fighting battalions of the East Surreys and other units of the expeditionary forces. It returned to Kingston in January 1919, where demobilisation was completed by 25 May. After Lord Kitchener issued his call for volunteers in August 1914, the battalions of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd New Armies ('K1', 'K2' and 'K3' of ' Kitchener's Army ') were quickly formed at

9248-442: The battalion received large numbers of recruits responding and in October the SR battalions were ordered to use their surplus to form service battalions. 4th (ER) Battalion provided large drafts to form 10th and 11th Battalions' ( see below ), leaving it with a strength of about 1500 men. It also received large numbers of young officers from the Officers' Training Corps . Colonel Ernest Sulivan returned from retirement, initially as

9384-408: The battalion took part in the great battles of 1914, Le Cateau , the Marne and the Aisne . In 1915, after the Battle of La Bassée , the 1st East Surreys withstood a most determined attack on Hill 60 , near Ypres . In the desperate fighting which ensued, the battalion won three Victoria Crosses and seven Distinguished Conduct Medals. Among the VCs was Lieutenant George Roupell , who later became

9520-444: The battalion. The Militia was formally disbanded in April 1953. The following officers commanded the regiment: The following served as Honorary Colonel : When the 3rd RSM was raised in 1853 it wore the old style uniform of coatee and Albert shako , but in 1857 the more modern tunic and smaller felt shako were issued. As a Royal regiment the facings on the scarlet uniform were blue, but these changed to white when

9656-478: The best shooting soldiers fight in loose ranks and cover their battalions from the enemy skirmishers. The total number of light infantry reached 40% of the entire field infantry. The sharp increase in the number of light infantry greatly influenced their quality of training and equipment. The Russian infantry of 1854 comprised 108 regiments, of which 42 were line infantry. The remainder were specialized or elite units such as Guards, Grenadiers and Jägers. Only part of

9792-493: The canal to the east of Nieuport . Fighting over the next few days was fierce with the battalion also coming under fire from aircraft and an observation balloon . On 31 May they were joined by the 1st Battalion and fought side by side into the night when 1/6 were ordered to withdraw. They reached the beach at La Panne but on learning that no further boats would be landing there moved into Dunkirk. Despite coming under fire again they mostly managed to remain together and were amongst

9928-491: The command of Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner , a Surrey landowner and former officer in the 1st Dragoon Guards . War having broken out with Russia in 1854 and an expeditionary force sent to the Crimea , the militia began to be called out for home defence. The 1st and 2nd RSM were both embodied, but the newly raised 3rd RSM was not utilised at this time. Thereafter the regiments were called out for their annual training. In

10064-594: The command of Lt-Col R.F. Peel, a retired regular captain who had been commanding officer since 2 March 1913. War was declared the next day and the battalion was ordered to mobilise. It then proceeded to its war station at Plymouth on 9 August, where after a week in billets it took over the South Raglan Barracks from a regular unit proceeding overseas to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). 4th (ER) Battalion furnished garrisons for Tregantle Fort and other forts, and guarded wireless and cable stations along

10200-400: The command of officers, but in practice this happened only in the first minutes of the battle. After one or two volleys, each soldier charged his musket and fired at his own discretion, without hearing the commands of the officers. This disrupted the system, while the gunsmoke prevented accurate shooting. Such a shootout in clouds of smoke could occur for an extended period of time and the result

10336-471: The county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. Surrey's regiment was formed at Richmond-upon-Thames on 18 April 1759, and served until it was disembodied at the end of the war in 1762. The militia was called out again during the War of American Independence from 1778 to 1783 while the country was threatened with invasion by

10472-527: The current officers and soldiers of the modern Regiment, who are proud to belong to the most senior English Regiment of the Line. The Canadian Army also retained these traditional distinctions, and its infantry regiments were organized, titled, and uniformed in full dress as foot guards , fusiliers , light infantry, line infantry, rifles, and kilted infantry regiments. The infantry of most 21st-century armies are still trained in formation manoeuvre and drill , as

10608-463: The defence and retreat from this part of Malaya. The battalion was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment (in 1946 re-titled Royal Leicestershire Regiment ) to form the British Battalion (Malaya 1941) on 19 December 1941. This unit fought gallantly throughout the rest of the short campaign until the surrender of the British Army at Singapore in February 1942. In May 1942

10744-435: The destruction of the bridge at Rugge and subsequently conducting patrols in the area until withdrawn, on 19 May, just north of the town. On 21 May they relieved 2 DCLI and continued excursions at Rugge suffering many casualties and some fatalities. Ordered to withdraw to Neuville-en-Ferrain , they marched overnight, re-entering France at Mouscron , taking up positions near the border early on 23 May. Three days of fighting in

10880-435: The end of the war, and was disbanded at Kingston barracks after having received their service medals. The 4th (Militia) Battalion , formed from the 3rd Royal Surrey Militia in 1881 was also a reserve battalion. It was embodied for service on 4 December 1899, disembodied on 12 July 1901, and re-embodied again for service during Second Boer War in South Africa. Eight hundred and fifty officers and men returned to Southampton by

11016-510: The end of the year at Hassocks , West Sussex. During this period many men were transferred out for service in the Middle East and in 21st Army Group . The 10th's final task was to prepare and run a camp marshalling sub-area in Hambledon, Hampshire , for Operation Overlord until disbanded in August 1944. Line infantry Line infantry mainly used three formations in its battles: the line,

11152-510: The excess personnel of the 4th (ER) Bn. Lieutenant-Col E.F. Sulivan temporarily commanded the battalion until he took over the 10th Bn on 18 November.; he was succeeded by Lt-Col C.G. Carnegy, MVO , from the Indian Army . In mid-December the battalion moved to Dartmouth , where it continued training for service with 100th Brigade of 33rd Division. On 10 April 1915 the War Office decided to convert

11288-703: The fighting at Hill 60 on 20–21 April 1915. In April 1915 the battalion moved to Saltash in Cornwall , still part of the Plymouth Garrison. At the end of September 1917 it moved to Felixstowe in Suffolk , where it was distributed across a wide area of the Harwich Garrison. The demobilisation orde for the battalion was received on 9 November 1918, two days before the Armistice with Germany came into effect. By then

11424-569: The first World War, the hostilities-only battalions raised during World War II were all territorials and deployed on home defence duties. The 8th Battalion was raised at Rochester, Kent in March 1940 and, after moving to nearby Aylesford in August, transferred its young soldiers out to form the 70th in October 1940. On 27 August the following year the 8th merged with and was absorbed by the similarly affected 8th Royal West Kent Regiment and ceased to exist as

11560-448: The foot troops in most Western European armies. Maurice of Nassau was noted as the first large scale user of linear tactic in Europe, introducing the 'counter-march' to enable his formations of musketeers to maintain a continuous fire. After the invention of the bayonet, musketeers could finally defend themselves from the enemy's horsemen, and the percentage of pikemen fell gradually. In 1699,

11696-659: The former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve ; the regiment now had two Special Reserve and two Territorial battalions: the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion and the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion , both at Kingston Barracks, with the 5th Battalion (TF) at St George's Road in Wimbledon (since demolished) and the 6th Battalion (TF) at Orchard Road in Kingston upon Thames (since demolished). On 4 August 1914,

11832-595: The great battles of 1917, such as Arras , the Third Battle of Ypres . After a four-month tour on the Italian Front , the battalion was back in France in March 1918, and was engaged in the Battles of Albert and Bapaume , and the subsequent advance to victory. The 2nd Battalion returned from India at the outbreak of war, but it was not until January 1915 that it arrived in France with the 85th Brigade , 28th Division . It

11968-475: The home country, line infantry forces were often raised from the local population, with the British East India Company 's sepoys perhaps being the most historically significant example. Line tactics required strict discipline and simple movements practiced to the point where they became second-nature. During training, the drill and corporal punishments were widely used. During 1814, in the War of

12104-480: The imagination of the country, and illustrations of it are shown in the Regimental Museum, which also contains one of the footballs used. On that day, the 8th Battalion won two DSOs , two MCs , two DCMs and nine MMs , but 446 officers and men were killed or wounded. The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 72nd Brigade in the 24th Division in September 1915 also for service on

12240-458: The last Colonel of the East Surrey Regiment. On 30 December 1915, the 14th Brigade was transferred to the 32nd Division , shortly before the 1st Battalion was transferred to the 95th Brigade , 5th Division , on 12 January 1916. In 1916, the 1st Battalion took part in the great battles of the River Somme , and distinguished itself notably at Morval in September. The battalion took part in many of

12376-415: The last to be evacuated. Armstrong remained in command until April 1942 when he was posted to command the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion. Lt Col H.A.B. Bruno took command in April 1942 and led the battalion in action in North Africa in March, but was killed in action during the attack on Djebel Djaffa in April. He was succeeded by Lt Col R O V Thompson, who had served with the 1st and 2nd Battalions before

12512-408: The later 1860s this began to be held at Aldershot in conjunction with the regular division stationed there. In 1871 the militia training was combined with that year's extensive Autumn Manoeuvres, and all three Surrey regiments were involved. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war. Under the 'Localisation of

12648-537: The main objectives of which were fast deployment of a line, rapid shooting, and manoeuvre. Line infantry quickly became the most common type of infantry in European countries. Musketeers and grenadiers , formerly elite troops , gradually became part of the line infantry, switching to linear tactics. Over time the use of line infantry tactics spread outside of Europe, often as a result of European imperialism. In European colonies and settlements with small populations from

12784-497: The melee-oriented pikemen with shallower lines that maximized the firepower of an infantry formation. Besides regular line infantry, there were elite troops (royal guards and other designated elite regiments) and the light infantry . Light infantry operated in extended order (also known as skirmish formation) as opposed to the close order (tight formations) used by line infantry. Since the late 18th century, light infantry in most European countries mostly consisted of riflemen (such as

12920-477: The militia ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which the men received full army pay. Under the Act, militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time home defence service in three circumstances: A new 3rd Royal Surrey Militia (3rd RSM) was formed at Kingston upon Thames on 26 March 1853 under

13056-467: The movement of units. In Russia, Great Britain, France, Prussia, and some other states, linear tactics and formation discipline were maintained into the late 19th century. With the invention of new weaponry, the concept of line infantry began to wane. The Minié ball , an improved rifle ammunition, allowed individual infantrymen to shoot more accurately and over greatly increased range. Men walking in formation line-abreast became easy targets, as evidenced in

13192-470: The name of their colonel ). In 1715 the regiment was removed from the marines and became the 31st Regiment of Infantry, and in 1751 the designation was changed to the 31st Regiment of Foot. Five years later a second battalion was raised in Scotland, the 2/31st Foot, which was re-designated in 1758, the 70th Regiment of Foot (Glasgow Lowland Regiment). Further changes were made in 1782. The 31st became known as

13328-412: The new fusils retained the name "musket". Both muskets and fusils were smoothbore , which lessened their accuracy and range, but made for faster loading, lesser amount of bore fouling and more robust, less complicated firearms. The accuracy of smooth-bore muskets was in the range of 300–400 yd (270–370 m) against a line of infantry or cavalry. Against a single enemy, however, the effective range

13464-669: The offensive planned for the spring. By late March the whole division was in place on the banks of the Senio river ready for the start of the spring 1945 offensive which started on 6 April. The battalion fought in the intense action at the Argenta Gap before advancing with the rest of the division to the north of the Gulf of Venice and crossing the Italian border to finish the war in Austria . In September 1938

13600-541: The outbreak of the First World War. The 3rd (Militia) Battalion , which was formed from the 1st Royal Surrey Militia in 1881, was a reserve battalion. It was embodied for service during the Second Boer War in South Africa on 3 May 1900, disembodied on 15 October 1900, re-embodied on 6 May 1901 and disembodied on 26 July 1902. More than 600 officers and men returned to Southampton by the SS Gaika in July 1902, following

13736-642: The present Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires). In 1702 a regiment of marines was raised in the West Country by George Villier (not related to the Villiers that became the Duke of Buckingham ). It was named Villier's Marines. Villier was drowned in 1703, and the regiment was taken over by Alexander Luttrell. After Luttrell's death in 1705, the command went to Joshua Churchill until 1711 when it became Goring's Regiment (at this time regiments took

13872-673: The regiment became part of the East Surreys. The badge was the star of the Order of the Garter (awarded to the 2nd RSM in 1803) within an oak wreath. The buttons had the Royal cypher 'VR' within a crowned garter inscribed 'Third Royal Surrey'. The officers' waistbelt plate of 1855–81 had the Royal cypher and crown within a circle inscribed '3rd Royal Surrey Militia'. The officers had 'a very handsome Garter Star' as

14008-479: The regimental depots. The SR battalions also swelled with new recruits and were soon well above their establishment strength. On 8 October 1914 each SR battalion was ordered to use the surplus to form a service battalion of the 4th New Army ('K4'). Accordingly, the 4th (ER) Bn formed the 11th (Service) Battalion of the East Surreys at Devonport in the Plymouth defences on 1 November 1914. The men (750 ORs) were drawn from

14144-565: The regiments saw service in Ireland and in France at the end of the war. But after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 the militia was allowed to decline, and training was suspended after 1831. The Militia of the United Kingdom was revived by the Militia Act 1852 , enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of

14280-509: The regular army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, and for internal security. In 1797, to release regulars for overseas service, the strength of the militia was increased by the creation of the Supplementary Militia, also raised by means of the ballot. The intention was to form two supplementary regiments in Surrey. Surrey has been described as one of

14416-711: The regular battalions. The 1/5th and 1/6th Battalions, East Surrey Regiment were not to see service on the Western Front . Both battalions were part of the Surrey Brigade , alongside the 4th and 5th West Surreys , and attached to the Home Counties Division . They embarked for India in October 1914 and were employed on garrison duties in the United Provinces and the Punjab for two years. The 1/5th Battalion then joined

14552-527: The rest of the division in July to Egypt for rest and training. The 1st East Surreys returned with 78th Division to Italy in September 1944 in time to take part in Operation Olive and the fighting in the Apennine Mountains during the winter of 1944 and occupying positions on Monte Spaduro when the front became static. In February 1945 the battalion came out of the front line to prepare and train for

14688-528: The rifle companies are referred to as "line officers" while billeted to positions such as Platoon Leaders and Commanding and Executive Officers. 3rd Royal Surrey Militia The 3rd Royal Surrey Militia , later the 4th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment was an auxiliary regiment raised 1853 in Surrey in the Home counties of England. The regiment's role was to serve in home defence, but it saw active service during

14824-574: The second half of the nineteenth century, regiments in several European armies retained the "line infantry" (or cavalry) title. This designation had come to mean an army's regular or numbered regiments, as opposed to specialist or elite formations. Accordingly, the distinction had become a traditional title or classification without significance regarding armament or tactics. For example, the Belgian Army order of battle in 1914 comprised 14 regiments of Infanterie de Ligne (line infantry), three of Chasseurs

14960-714: The shattered 13th (Wandsworth) Battalion. Between August and October 1919 the First Battalion were in the Murmansk area of North Russia to help cover the evacuation of the expedition sent to support the White Russian forces against the Bolsheviks. On their return, they served in Ireland in 1920 during the troubles . They were then abroad for the next 18 years, serving in Egypt, Hong Kong,

15096-417: The silver embroidered ornament on the skirts of the short-lived coatee. The officers' embroidered Forage cap badge of 1874–81 had the numeral 'III" between the letters 'RS' on one side, reversed on the other, the whole within a crowned oak wreath, while the men's brass badge had the garter star within a garter inscribed 'Third Royal Surrey Militia'. After 1881 the battalion adopted the uniforms and insignia of

15232-414: The south coast. As well as its defence responsibilities, the battalion's role was to train and form drafts of reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the regular battalions: the 1st Bn served with the BEF on the Western Front for the whole war; the 2nd Bn also went to the Western Front after its arrival from India , but it spent most of the war at Salonika . During September 1914

15368-448: The square, and the column. With the universal adoption of small arms (firearms that could be carried by hand, as opposed to cannon) in infantry units from the mid-17th century, the battlefield was dominated by linear tactics , according to which the infantry was aligned into long thin lines, shoulder to shoulder, and fired volleys . A line consisted of two, three, or four ranks of soldiers. The soldiers were expected to fire volleys at

15504-433: The start of the Second Boer War in December 1899, most of the Regular Army was sent to South Africa, and many militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and to garrison certain overseas stations. The 4th East Surreys was embodied on 4 December 1899 and disembodied on 12 July 1901 It was embodied again on 24 February 1902 and volunteered for overseas service. The battalion embarked for South Africa with

15640-460: The summer of 1939 the 6th battalion, commanded by Lt Col M.D.Hicks since 1936, numbered over 1,200. The 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment was a Regular Army unit based in England at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. The battalion was part of the 11th Infantry Brigade , which also included the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers and 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks Light Infantry , and

15776-403: The support group for the 1st Armoured Division . Here they were rejoined by D Company from detachment at Fécamp and remained until relieved by a battalion of Sherwood Foresters . After a few days' rest at Rouen , where Major D G Adams assumed command on 3 June, they were assigned to provide flank and rear-guard cover for the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and ordered to hold a line east of

15912-451: The twine sometimes would accidentally set fire to the gunpowder reservoir in the musket prematurely setting off the gunpowder, resulting in serious injury or death to the operator. For this reason and others, matchlock muskets began to be replaced by lighter and cheaper infantry fusils with flintlocks , weighing 5 kg (11 lb) with a caliber of 17.5 mm (0.69 in), first in France and then in other countries. In many countries,

16048-472: The unsuccessful army reforms of Paul I, the number of light infantry in the Russian army was significantly reduced and made up only 8% of the entire field infantry. However, the Russian army soon returned to the trend of increasing the number of light infantry, begun in the 18th century. By 1811, 50 light infantry regiments were formed in the Russian army. In addition, each linear battalion was required to have 100 of

16184-471: The war to an end on 31 May and the Namaqualand Field Force was broken up. The half battalion then returned to Cape Town where it guarded Prisoner-of-war camps at Greens Point and Simon's Town . After returning home the battalion was disembodied on 25 September 1902. During its service in South Africa the battalion had lost 22 other ranks (ORs) killed or died from disease. It was awarded

16320-620: The war, appointed from a posting in the RAF to command the 1/6th for the final phase of the Tunisian Campaign. He subsequently led the battalion into action in Italy in the crossing of the River Rapido and the capture of Cassino . He, too was killed in action when his Jeep was blown up by a mine near Tivoli on 7 June 1944. Colonel C G S McAlester took command until February 1945. For the final months of

16456-450: The war, until August 1945, the battalion was led by Lt Col A G H Culverhouse, who had previously served with the 1/6th and had been wounded at Dunkirk. The 2/6th Battalion was formed in 1939 under the command of Lt. Col. H.S. Burgess. The battalion was assigned to the 37th Infantry Brigade , alongside the 6th and 7th Royal Sussex , part of 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division . All soldiers under 20 years of age in 37 Brigade were assigned to

16592-520: The young contingent from 'Courtlands'. The battalion was reformed under Norman Brading at Swaffham , Norfolk, but did not see further active service, spending the remainder of the war principally as a defence and training battalion. During the Battle of Britain they were deployed to home defence duties including airfield defence in Norfolk and, after winter in Bedford , coastal defence at Kessingland as part of

16728-459: Was attached to the 4th Infantry Division and was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in October. After returning to the United Kingdom after the Battle of Dunkirk and evacuation from Dunkirk in May–June 1940 the 1st Battalion was re-formed and spent the next two years on home defence expecting a German invasion . In June 1942 the battalion was reassigned, with the rest of

16864-532: Was carried out. Under the more sweeping Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve (SR), a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for regular units serving overseas in wartime, rather like the earlier Militia Reserve. The battalion became the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment , on 6 September 1908. The battalion had assembled at Kingston on 3 August 1914 for its annual training under

17000-460: Was changed only after the dethronement of Napoleon III. This was common practice in all conventional Western armies until the late 19th century, as infantry tactics and military thinking had yet to catch up with technological developments. In the years after the Napoleonic Wars, line infantry continued to be deployed as the main battle force, while light infantry provided fire support and covered

17136-461: Was dedicated as a training battalion, taking drafts of new recruits, putting them through basic training prior to being sent to Europe as reinforcements. Still in this role, the battalion moved again to Shorncliffe at the end of September 1944 and Whittlesford 15 November 1944. J.G.M.G Gough took command in January 1945 and was succeeded by R.W.M. Wetherell in September 1945. The battalion was placed in ' suspended animation ' on 28 July 1946. Unlike

17272-627: Was established in Richmond Park to add capacity to the Regimental Depot at Kingston in its role as an Infantry Training Centre. It operated there from early 1940 until August 1941 when the ITC transferred to Canterbury , a facility shared with the Buffs . The 1/6th was initially commanded by Lt Col Hicks until he transferred out in December 1939 to be replaced by Lt Col F O Voisin. A draft transferred in from

17408-582: Was in the Second Boer War in South Africa, where it took part in the Battle of Colenso in December 1899, the Relief of Ladysmith in February 1900, and the Battle of the Tugela Heights in February 1900. After the end of the war in South Africa, the battalion was shipped from Point Natal to Bombay on the SS Syria in January 1903, where it replaced the 1st battalion at Lucknow. The battalion remained in India until

17544-751: Was later awarded the Victoria Cross . The following month the battalion was transferred to the Salonika Expeditionary Force , and spent the remainder of the War on the Struma Valley Front and east of Lake Doiran . The battalion saw action at the Battle of Doiran in January 1918. The 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions remained in England with the dual role of home defence and of training and preparing reinforcement drafts of reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for

17680-468: Was no more than 50–100 yd (46–91 m). It should be borne in mind that ordinary linear infantrymen were poorly trained in aimed shooting, due to the expense of gunpowder and lead (modern reenactors achieve much better results by firing smooth-bore muskets). Line infantrymen were trained in rapid reloading. The recruit was expected to load 3 rounds a minute, while an experienced soldier could load 4–6 rounds per minute. In battle conditions, this number

17816-485: Was reduced and after the first few minutes of combat, no more than 2 rounds per minute could be expected even from well trained troops. The bulk of the line infantry had no protective equipment, as armor that could provide protection from musket fire were considered too expensive and heavy. Only the former elite troops could keep by tradition some elements of protection, for example, the copper mitre caps of grenadiers. Initially, soldiers equipped with firearms formed only

17952-419: Was slow, and unless the battalion was superbly trained, a breakdown in cohesion was assured, especially in uneven or wooded terrain. As a result, the line was mostly used as a firing formation, with troops moving in column formations and then deploying to the line at their destination. Usually, columns would be adopted for movement and melee attacks. Line infantry was trained in the manual of arms evolutions,

18088-483: Was soon in action to the south of Ypres where it lost many men, some by poison gas: the battalion lost some 800 troops out of about 1,000. The 2nd Battalion took part in the Battle of Loos in September 1915, and fought valiantly in the defence of the Hohenzollern Redoubt . At a vital stage in this battle, Lieutenant Arthur Fleming-Sandes , though wounded, displayed exceptional courage and leadership, for which he

18224-625: Was then recalled to England and was posted at Aldershot , before moving to Jersey in 1905 and to Plymouth in 1909. The 2nd Battalion was in India when formed, moving to Suez in 1884. It then joined the Suakin Expedition in the Sudan in February 1885, where it saw fighting against the forces of the Mahdist State . The battalion left Suakin when the expedition was withdrawn in May 1885, returning to England. The battalion's next overseas service

18360-510: Was transferred to the Rifle Brigade as 52nd (Graduated) Bn. After the war it was converted into a service battalion on 8 February 1919 and sent to join the British Army of the Rhine , where it was disbanded on 4 March 1920. The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 but like most militia battalions the 3rd East Surreys remained in abeyance after World War I. By the outbreak of World War II in 1939, no officers remained listed for

18496-439: Was unpredictable. In addition, at the time of the “hot” shootout, the soldiers were so engaged and focused on shooting that they were not watching out for an attack of cavalry from the flank. For these reasons, experienced officers tried to avoid such uncertain exchanges and restrained their soldiers from premature firing in order to get as close to the enemy’s line as possible so that they could deliver several devastating volleys at

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