The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment's Cadets

The Senior Cadet Battalion In The Service

The Army Cadet Force

The Queen’s Royal Surrey Regiment had four affiliated ACF battalions which had been previously affiliated to either The Queen’s or the Surreys: the 1^st, 2^nd, 5^th and 1^st (London) Cadet Battalions.

The Colour Unit (Lieut. K. Beard)

The 1^st Battalion was formerly The 1^st Cadet Battalion The Queen’s, with its Companies at Selhurst GS, Redhill and Reigate, Dorking, Wallington, John Ruskin GS, and Croydon. The 2^nd Cadet Battalion was the descendant of the other four Cadet Battalions of The Queen’s, and had its detachments at Woking, Bagshot, Farncombe, Yorktown, Haslemere, Guildford and Sheerwater. It also contained that famous old unit, The Frimley and Camberley Cadet Corps.

The 5^th Cadet Battalion was renamed from the 4^th/5^th Cadet Battalion The East Surrey Regiment, which was the only remnant of five East Surrey Cadet units. Its Companies were located at Surbiton GS, Chessington, Cobham, Walton, Chertsey, Kingston, Leatherhead, Sutton and St Paul’s School Addlestone.

The 1^st (London) Cadet Battalion, was descended from the old 1^st London Cadet Battalion of The Queen’s, which was one of the oldest Cadet Battalions in England. It was based principally on Bermondsey, Lambeth and Southwark. In addition it received a number of independent units with Regimental links, such as the Cadet Company of The 23^rd London Regiment and P,Q and R Cadet Batteries of 570 LAA Regiment RA (TA).

Other units now outside the Regiment, such as the RA Cadets at Farnham and Coulsden, the RASC at Caterham and the Parachute Regiment at Royal Russell School, had recently been rebadged under reorganisations of the ACF during the late 1950s. Like parts of the Territorial Army, some of these were to return to the Regimental fold in later years.

It is noteworthy that 1960 marked the centenary of the Surrey ACF, while 1965 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1^st Cadet Battalion and the 75^th of the 1^st (London) Battalion. In 1965 the 1^st Cadet Battalion was unique in holding a pair of Banners presented by the Ladies of Croydon. To mark the Golden Jubilee, new Banners were presented on 10^th October at John Ruskin GS by the Colonel of the Regiment. The old Banners were later laid up in Croydon Parish Church, on 1^st December 1965, next to the old Colours of the 4^th Bn The Queen’s Royal Regiment (TA).

The Combined Cadet Force

The origins of the CCF units of the Regiment are at least as old as those of the ACF, although their role is different. Over the years, many future Officers began their Military education in these Corps.

The first units were raised as Rifle Volunteer Corps at Charterhouse (1870); Whitgift School (1874 - for many years attached to 1^st VB The Queen’s and 4^th Queen’s TA); Dulwich College (1877); Epsom College (1890); Cranleigh School (1900); Beaumont College (1906); Reigate School (1907) and The Royal Grammar School Guildford. In 1908 all these units were affiliated to the junior division of the Officers’ Training Corps.

Renamed the Combined Cadet Force in 1946, these units were joined by several contingents which had been Companies of Cadet or Territorial Battalions since their earliest years. These included Rutlish School (1935); Sutton County School, Kingston School and Farnham School (1949); Reeds School (1957); Gordon Boys School (1958); Ottershaw, raised in 1963; and the contingents at Trinity School, Croydon, Royal Russell School and John Ruskin School. Lastly Caterham School, which was raised in 1980.
(GS - Grammar School)

Gallery

(Click to enlarge)

           

           

 

« Back