The 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, raised in 1756. Under the

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation was ...

it amalgamated with the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the East Surrey Regiment in 1881.

History

Formation

The formation of the regiment was prompted by the expansion of the army as a result of the commencement of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

. On 25 August 1756 it was ordered that a number of existing regiments should raise a second

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

; among those chosen was the

31st Regiment of Foot The 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot to form the East Surrey Regiment in 1881. History Origins ...

. The 2nd Battalion of the 31st Regiment of Foot was formed on 10 December 1756 and renumbered as the 70th (Glasgow Lowland) Regiment of Foot on 21 April 1758. The regiment was sent to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1763 and on to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

in 1764 where it suffered serious losses due to illness before returning home in 1774.Cannon, p. 3 It embarked for

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

in 1775 for service in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It was involved in the

Battle of Sullivan's Island The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from American ...

in June 1776 and the attack on

Fort Lafayette Fort Lafayette was an island coastal fortification in the Narrows of New York Harbor, built offshore from Fort Hamilton at the southern tip of what is now Bay Ridge in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The fort was built on a natural island ...

in June 1779. The regiment acquired a county designation as the 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot in 1782 before returning home in 1784.

Napoleonic Wars

The regiment embarked for the West Indies again in 1793 for service in the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

.Cannon, p. 4 It took part in the Battle of Martinique in February 1794 and the Invasion of Guadeloupe in April 1794. The regiment then returned to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

landing at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in May 1795.Cannon, p. 5 It embarked for the West Indies again in February 1800 and based itself in

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

before arriving back in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

in May 1801.Cannon, p. 6 It embarked for the West Indies yet again in autumn 1803 and based itself in

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

before moving to

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

in June 1806 and to Saint Thomas in December 1807. It then saw action during the Invasion of Guadeloupe in January 1810.Cannon, p. 7 The regiment embarked for home in June 1810 and, after moving into Ayr Barracks, reverted to the old title of 70th (Glasgow Lowland) Regiment of Foot in October 1812. The regiment was tasked with suppressing riots in Montrose in January 1813 and, after guarding French

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

for four months, embarked for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in August 1813.Cannon, p. 8 It was garrisoned in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and then

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

on the Canadian frontier during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. It moved to Fort George in April 1817, to Kingston in June 1819 and to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in May 1821.Cannon, p. 9 The regiment regained its English county designation as the 70th (The Surrey) Regiment in December 1825 before returning home in September 1827.Cannon, p. 10

The Victorian era

The regiment moved to Gibraltar in April 1834 and to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in July 1836. It returned to the West Indies in January 1838 and took up residence in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

before moving on to Montreal in Canada in June 1841Cannon, p. 12 and embarking for home in May 1843.Cannon, p. 13 It departed for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1849 and helped to suppress the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

in 1857. The regiment moved to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 1861 for service in the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...

and took part in a skirmish at Rangiaohia in February 1864 during the

Invasion of the Waikato The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

. It returned to England in 1866 and then moved to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in 1878 for service in the

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

; it fought in Afghanistan with the Kandahar column. As part of the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention ...

of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 70th was linked with the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 47 at

The Barracks, Kingston upon Thames The Barracks was a military installation in Kingston upon Thames. History The barracks were built on agricultural land between 1874 and 1875. Their creation took place as part of the Cardwell Reforms which encouraged the localisation of British ...

. On 1 July 1881 the

came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot to become the 2nd Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment.

Battle Honours

Battle honours gained by the regiment were: *

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

1810 *

1863–66 *

1878-79

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the regiment were:

70th (Glasgow Lowland) Regiment of Foot - (1758)

*1758-1760: Gen.

John Parslow John Leonard Frederick Parslow (1935–2015) was an English ornithologist and author. Parslow was born on 10 July 1935 in London, and, after wartime evacuation to Cornwall, was educated at Chingford Grammar School. He undertook National Serv ...

*1760-1778: Gen.

Cyrus Trapaud General Cyrus Trapaud (18 August 1715 – 3 May 1801) was a British Army officer. Trapaud was born in Dublin, the son of a Huguenot refugee family, and a relative of Marshal Turenne. He served in the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), accompan ...

*1778-1783: Lt-Gen.

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot - (1782)

*1783-1814: Gen.

John Howard, 15th Earl of Suffolk General John Howard, 15th Earl of Suffolk, 8th Earl of Berkshire, FSA (7 March 1739 – 23 January 1820) was a British soldier and nobleman. Howard was the third (but second surviving) son of Capt. Philip Howard of the Royal Marines, grandson ...

70th (Glasgow Lowland) Regiment of Foot - (1812)

*1814-1816: Gen. Hon. Sir Galbraith

Lowry Cole Hon. Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, (1 May 1772 – 4 October 1842) was an Anglo-Irish British Army general and politician. Early life Cole was the second son of an Irish peer, William Willoughby Cole, 1st Earl of Enniskillen (1 March 1736&ndas ...

, GCB *1816: Lt-Gen. Forbes Champagné *1816-1832: Gen. Kenneth Alexander Howard, 1st Earl of Effingham, GCB

70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot - (1825)

*1832-1854: Gen. Gage John Hall *1854-1868: Gen. Sir George William Paty, KCB, KH *1868-1870: Gen. Sir

Charles Hastings Doyle Sir Charles Hastings Doyle (10 April 1803 – 19 March 1883) was a British military officer and he was the second Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia post Confederation and the first Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. Military career Bo ...

, KCMG *1870-1874: Lt-Gen. Sir

Henry Knight Storks Lieutenant General Sir Henry Knight Storks (5 April 1811 – 6 September 1874) was a British soldier and colonial governor. Military career Educated at Charterhouse School, he entered the Army on 10 January 1828 as an ensign of the 61st Regime ...

, GCB, GCMG *1874-1881: Gen.

Thomas James Galloway General Thomas James Galloway (c. 1806 – 1881) was a senior officer in the British Army. He joined the Army as an ensign in 1821 and was promoted lieutenant (1825) and then captain (1827). In command of a detachment of the 33rd Foot he was act ...

''(to East Surrey Regiment)'' *''1881: Regiment amalgamated with the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot to form

The East Surrey Regiment 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 ( ...

References

Sources

* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 East Surrey Regiment 70 Military units and formations established in 1756 Military units and formations disestablished in 1881 Military units and formations in Surrey