The Royal Surrey Militia
1757 Militia re-established by Act of Parliament
1759 Surrey Militia divided into 1st and 2nd Battalions
1804 Title changed to 1st and 2nd Bns Royal Surrey Militia
1809 1st, 2nd and 3rd Regiments of Surrey Local Militia formed
1812 4th and 5th Regiments of Surrey Local Militia formed
1816 Surrey Local Militia disbanded
1833 Order of precedence drawn by lot. 1st Royal Surrey Militia became No 20 and the 2nd Royal Surrey Militia no 11
1853 3rd Bn Royal Surrey Militia raised
1855 3rd Royal Surrey Militia became 118th in order of precedence
1881 1st Royal surrey Militia became the 3rd Bn The East Surrey Regiment
  2nd Royal Surrey Militia became the 3rd Bn The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
  3rd Royal Surrey Militia became the 4th Bn The East Surrey Regiment
1908 All battalions assumed the additional title of 'Special Reserve'
1919 All battalions disbanded at the conclusion of the 1914 - 18 War

Royal Surrey Militia Colour.
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Sergeant H Young 2nd VB The Queen’s.
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Lt Pink with officers of the 2nd Royal Surrey Militia at Stoughton Barracks, c1879.
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Officer and Sergeant
Grenadier Company 3rd Royal Surrey Militia.

Originally instituted for home defence, the Militia, continuing the tradition of the feudal levies and later the trained bands, developed into a reserve for the Regular Army. Towards the end of the Napoleonic War, the Local Militia was established to augment the Regular Militia. The 4th and 5th Surrey Local Militia was formed in 1813 and disbanded in 1816.

Recruiting was by ballot or parish quotas until superseded by voluntary enlistment in 1852. In 1873 Militia battalions took their place in Regimental Districts, and eight years later became the 3rd (or 4th ) Battalions of their Line Regiment. The 3rd Bn and the 4th (Extra Reserve) Bn The East Surrey Regiment served in the South African War from 1901 to 1902.

The Militia battalions assumed the additional title of ‘Special Reserve’ in 1908. During the 1914 - 18 War the 3rd (Special Reserve) Bns of both Regiments were responsible for the training and drafting overseas of reinforcements for the battalions engaged in active operations. The Special Reserve battalions were disbanded in 1919.
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© The Queen's Royal Surrey Regimental Association.