The 24th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (The Queen's) was an auxiliary unit of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. Formed in 1908 from

Volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

units in the

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

suburbs of London that dated back to 1860, it was part of the

London Regiment London Regiment may refer to two infantry regiments in the British Army: * London Regiment (1908–1938) The London Regiment was an infantry regiment in the British Army, part of the Territorial Force (renamed the Territorial Army in 1921). Th ...

in the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...

(TF). Its battalions served on the Western Front at

Salonika Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

and in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. When the London Regiment was abolished the unit reverted to the

Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

and served in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

, in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, including the Battle of Alamein, and in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

North West Europe North West Europe may refer to: * Northwestern Europe, a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe * North-West Europe 1940, World War II campaign also known as the Battle of France * North West Europe campaign, ...

as part of the 7th Armoured Division (the 'Desert Rats'). Postwar it was converted to an anti-aircraft regiment of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

Volunteer Force

The invasion scare of 1859 led to the creation of the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...

and huge enthusiasm for joining Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs). Among the RVCs raised in the county of

at this time was the 19th Surrey (or Lambeth) Rifle Volunteers recruited from

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

in South London. It was formed on 13 March 1860 and soon reached a strength of eight companies under the command of Major-Commandant William Roupell. Roupell was Member of Parliament (MP) for

and an enthusiast for the Volunteer Movement. His brother Richard was one of the captains. The unit recruited artisans and mechanics from a wide variety of employers in South London.Beckett, pp. 33, 69, 144, Appendix VII.Frederick, p. 198.Westlake, pp. 230–3.7th Queen's at Queen's Royal Regiment.
/ref> William and Richard Roupell were convicted and imprisoned for perjury and forgery in 1862 and were obliged to resign, so a number of new officers were commissioned into the 19th Surrey Rifle Volunteers (referred to as a battalion) on 4 February 1862. Valentine Hicks Labrow, formerly of the 2nd West Yorkshire Light Infantry Militia, was appointed as Major on 2 June 1863 and promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 21 November 1864.''Army List'', various dates. The smaller 10th (Bermondsey) and 23rd (Rotherhithe) Surrey RVCs were attached to the 19th (Lambeth) for administrative purposes from 1863 until 10 October 1868 when they left to form the 4th Administrative Battalion, Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps. The 19th's headquarters (HQ) was at 71 New Street,

Kennington Park Kennington Park is a public park in Kennington, south London and lies between Kennington Park Road and St. Agnes Place. It was opened in 1854 on the site of what had been Kennington Common, where the Chartists gathered for their biggest " ...

from 1869. Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by 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 attentio ...

of 1872, Volunteers were grouped into county brigades with their local

Regular Regular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * "Regular" (Badfinger song) * Regular tunings of stringed instruments, tunings with equal intervals between the paired notes of successive open strings Other uses * Regular character, ...

and

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

battalions – Sub-District No 48 (County of Surrey) for the 19th Surrey RVC, grouped with the 2nd (Queen's) Regiment of Foot Volunteer corps were consolidated into larger units in 1880, when the 19th Surreys was redesignated the 7th on 7 September, corrected to 8th Surrey Rifle Volunteers four days later. 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 w ...

of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, and the Volunteers were formally affiliated to their local Regular regiment, the 8th Surrey RVC becoming a Volunteer Battalion (VB) of the

Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

on 1 July. The 8th Surrey RVC changed its designation to 4th Volunteer Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) on 1 March 1883. It was increased to 10 companies in 1890, and a cyclist company was added in 1901. While the sub-districts were later referred to as 'brigades', they were purely administrative organisations and the Volunteers were excluded from the 'mobilisation' part of the Cardwell system. The

Stanhope Memorandum The Stanhope Memorandum was a document written by Edward Stanhope, the Secretary of State for War of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on 8 December 1888. It set out the overall strategic aims of the British Empire, and the way the B ...

of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training. Under this scheme the Volunteer Battalions of the Queen's (West Surrey) and 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 ( ...

formed the Surrey Brigade. The brigade's assembly point was at

Caterham Barracks Caterham Barracks was a military installation in Caterham, Surrey. History The barracks were built as a depot for the Foot Guards regiments in 1877. The construction reflected a more humane style of barrack design in the aftermath of the Crimea ...

, the

Brigade of Guards The Brigade of Guards was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1856 to 1968. It was commanded by the Major-General commanding the Household Division, Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administ ...

' depot conveniently situated for the

London Defence Positions The London Defence Positions were a late 19th-century scheme of earthworks (engineering), earthwork fortifications in the southeast of England, designed to protect London from foreign invasion landing on the south coast. The positions were a care ...

along the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...

Cadet Battalions, Queen's

A cadet corps was formed at Mayall College, Herne Hill, in 1888 and affiliated to the 4th VB, but it transferred to the 22nd (Central London Rangers) Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1891. Another cadet corps was proposed in January 1889, with Maj Salmond of the 3rd (Derbyshire Militia) Bn, Sherwood Foresters being asked to take charge.

Viscount Wolseley Viscount Wolseley, of Wolseley in the County of Stafford, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created in 1885 for the Anglo-Irish military commander Garnet Wolseley, 1st Baron Wolseley. It became extinct upon the death of his dau ...

made a speech at Red Cross Hall in Southwark on 30 May that encouraged sufficient boys to come forward to form two companies. A third followed in 1889, then a fourth, which led to

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

to form it into a battalion as the 1st Cadet Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), the first independent battalion of its kind in London. By 1891 it had six companies, making it the strongest in England. Recruited from schools and boys' clubs, by 1904 the battalion was distributed as follows: * HQ – Union Street, Southwark * A & B Companies – Southwark * C Company –

Passmore Edwards Settlement The Mary Ward Centre is an adult education college in Stratford, London. History The centre was founded by Mary Augusta Ward, a Victorian novelist and founding president of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League, better known by her married ...

, St Pancras, and Marlborough Road Board School, Chelsea * D Company – Haileybury Club,

Stepney Stepney is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name was applied to ...

* E Company – St Andrew's Institute,

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

* F Company – St Peter's Institute,

Pimlico Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...

* G Company –

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

* H Company –

Eton Mission St. Mary of Eton is an Anglican church at Hackney Wick, London, and a Grade II* listed building. It was built 1890–92 in the medieval Gothic style to serve the Eton Mission, a mission to the East End organised and funded by Eton College. Hi ...

, Hackney A 2nd Cadet Bn, Queen's, of four companies was formed in November 1890. Its HQ was originally at Lambeth Polytechnic, later moving to Kirkdale in

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

, and then to Brockwell Hall in

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

. It was increased to six companies in 1891. In 1894 it was redesignated 1st Cadet Battalion,

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

and its HQ moved to

Finsbury Square Finsbury Square is a square in Finsbury in central London which includes a six-rink grass bowling green. It was developed in 1777 on the site of a previous area of green space to the north of the City of London known as Finsbury Fields, in the p ...

. A new 2nd Cadet Bn, Queen's, was raised in October 1901 from boys of 1st Peckham Lads' Brigade, first formed in 1894. It had six companies, with HQ at 53 Copeland Road,

Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...

Second Boer War

After

Black Week Black Week refers to the week of Sunday 10 December – Sunday 17 December 1899 during the Second Boer War, when the British Army suffered three devastating defeats by the Boer Republics at the battles of Stormberg on Sunday 10 December, Mage ...

in December 1899, the Volunteers were invited to send active service units to assist the Regulars in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. The War Office decided that one company 116 strong could be recruited from the volunteer battalions of any infantry regiment that had a regular battalion serving in South Africa. The Queen's VBs accordingly raised a service company that served in South Africa and earned the volunteer battalions their first

Battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or Military operation, operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In ...

: South Africa 1900–02. In the reorganisation after the end of the Boer War in 1902, the large Surrey Brigade was split into separate East and West Surrey Brigades, under command of the respective regimental districts.

Territorial Force

Under the

Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the e ...

of 1908 the

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

were subsumed into the new

(TF), administered by county Territorial Associations. The volunteers in rural Surrey came under the Surrey Territorial Association; however, because many of the North Surrey suburban parishes had been included in the new

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

since 1889, the battalions recruited in South London were included in a new all-TF

under the County of London TA. Consequently the 4th VB Queen's became 24th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen's).Money Barnes, Appendix IV.24th Londons at Stepping Forward London.
/ref> The four former Surrey battalions of the London Regiment (now 21st–24th Londons) comprised the 6th London Brigade in the TF's

2nd London Division The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. Formation The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Res ...

.James, pp. 113–7.London Regiment at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 69–75.47th (2nd London) Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>

World War I

The 23rd Londons served on the Western Front with the

47th (1/2nd London) Division The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. Formation The Territorial Force (TF) was formed on 1 April 1908 following the enactment of the Territorial and Res ...

. A 2/23rd Battalion was formed, which served at

and in

with

60th (2/2nd London) Division The 60th (2/2nd London) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army raised during World War I. It was the second line-formation of the 47th (1/2nd London) Division, and was the second of two such Territorial Force ...

before returning to the Western Front at the end of the war.

World War II

In 1937 the battalion reverted to the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey), as the 7th (Southwark) Battalion. The 1/7th and 2/7th Battalions served through

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Postwar

After the World War the battalion became the 622nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery.

Heritage & ceremonial

Traditions

The 19th (Lambeth) Surrey RVC claimed to be the lineal descendant of the Lambeth Volunteers, one of the Volunteer Associations raised in SouthLondon in 1798 during an earlier invasion scare.

Uniforms & insignia

The uniform of the 19th Surrey RVC and 4th VB, Queens, was

Rifle green Varieties of the color green may differ in hue, chroma (also called saturation or intensity) or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shades, a tin ...

with scarlet

facings A facing colour, also known as facings, is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Char ...

, similar to that of the

60th Rifles The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United Sta ...

. The battalion adopted the

Paschal Lamb Paschal Lamb may refer to: * Passover sacrifice (''Korban Pesach''), a Jewish animal sacrifice * Lamb of God, a title for Jesus in Christianity * Paschal lamb (heraldry), a charge used in heraldry See also *Sacrificial lamb A sacrificial lamb ...

badge of the Queen's Regiment. On conversion to the TF the battalion adopted the full dress of the Queen's (scarlet with blue facings), but khaki service dress was worn on most occasions.

Honorary colonels

The following served as Honorary Colonel of the battalion: * Heneage Charles Bagot-Chester, former captain,

29th Foot The 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, the Worcestershire ...

, appointed 28 March 1868 * Charles Ratcliff, appointed 2 May 1877 * C. Harding, appointed 21 November 1885 * James Charlton-Humphreys 21 July 1897 * A. Faunce-De Laune, appointed 1 April 1908 * Col W.G. Simpson, CMG, DSO, TD, appointed 31 July 1920

Battle Honours

The battalion was awarded the following

s: ''Second Boer War'':
South Arica 1900–02 ''World War I'':
Aubers, Festubert 1915, Loos, Somme 1916, '18, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Messines 1917, Ypres 1917,Cambrai 1917, St Quentin, Ancre 1918, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line, Épehy, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1915-18, Doiran 1917, Macedonia 1916-17, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jerusalem, Jericho, Jordan, Tell 'Asur, Palestine 1917-18
The honours listed in bold were inscribed on the colours. Battle honours for World War II were awarded as part of the Queen's Regiment, attributable as follows: ''1/7th Battalion'':
Villers Bocage, Mont Pinçon, Lower Maas, North West Europe 1940, '44–45, Deir el Munassib, El Alamein, Advance to Tripoli, Medenine, Tunis, North Africa 1940–43, Salerno, Monte Stella, Scafati Bridge, Volturno Crossing, Italy 1943–44
''2/7th Battalion'':
North West Europe 1940, Salerno, Monte Stella, Scafati Bridge, Volturno Crossing, Monte Camino, Garigliano Crossing, Damiano, Anzio, Gothic Line, Gerinano Ridge, Senio Pocket, Senio Floodbank, Casa Fabbri Rdge, Menate, Filo, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943–45

Memorials

The 24th Bn London Regiment is listed on the City and County of London Troops Memorial in front of the Royal Exchange, with architectural design by

Sir Aston Webb Sir Aston Webb, (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in par ...

and sculpture by

Alfred Drury Edward Alfred Briscoe Drury (11 November 1856 – 24 December 1944) was a British architectural sculptor and artist active in the New Sculpture movement. During a long career Drury created a great number of decorative figures such as busts an ...

. The right-hand (southern) bronze figure flanking this memorial depicts an infantryman representative of the various London infantry units. The battalion's own World War I memorial was unveiled at the entrance to Kennington Park in 1924, with an inscription to its World War II dead added later.Directory of unit memorials: Surrey units, at Stepping Forward London.
/ref> The Regimental Colours presented to the 24th Londons at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

on 19 June 1909 are laid up in St Mary's Church, Kennington Park Road.Laid up colours: City & County of London units, at Stepping Forward London.
/ref>

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8. * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''Riflemen Form: A Study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908'', Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982, ISBN 0 85936 271 X. * Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3. * Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: Samson Books, 1978/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-84342-197-9. * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, ISBN 0-582-48565-7. * Ray Westlake, ''Tracing the Rifle Volunteers'', Barnsley: Pen and Sword, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84884-211-3.

External sources

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

* ttp://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk Queen's Royal Surreys
Stepping Forward: A Tribute to the Volunteer Military Reservists and Supporting Auxiliaries of Greater London
{{LondonRegiment 24th Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Lambeth Military units and formations in Southwark Military units and formations established in 1908 Military units and formations disestablished in 1937