Regimental Timeline

The East Surrey Regiment

The Great War: 1914

1914
	The East Surrey Regiment
	1st Battalion
5th August	Mobilisation begins. Battalion moves to France with BEF; Joins 5th Division.
23rd August	Battle of Mons.
24th August - 5th September	Retreat from Mons.
26th August	Battle of Le Cateau.
6th September	Battle of the Marne.
September	Pursuit to the Aisne.
October	Battle of La Bassée.
	2nd Battalion
September	Jhansi, India.
November	Embarks for Europe.
Special Reserve
	3rd Battalion (1st Royal Surrey Militia)
	Home service.
	4th Battalion (3rd Royal Surrey Militia)
	Home service.
Territorial Force
	5th Battalion
4th August	Battalion embodied.
October	Battalion split into 1st/5th and 2nd/5th.
	2nd/5th Battalion
October	Battalion formed at Kingston.
	6th Battalion
4th August	Battalion embodied.
October	Battalion split into 1st/6th and 2nd/6th.
	2nd/6th Battalion
October	Battalion formed at Kingston.
	21st (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (1st Surrey Rifles)
4th August	Battalion formed.
	23rd (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
4th August	Battalion embodied.
	2nd/23rd (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment
31st August	Battalion formed at Clapham.
Service Battalions
	7th Battalion
22nd August	Battalion raised at Kingston.
	8th Battalion
19th September	Battalion raised at Purfleet.
	9th Battalion
22nd September	Battalion raised at Kingston.
	10th Battalion
26th October	Battalion raised at Dover.
	11th Battalion
24th October	Battalion raised at Devonport.

 

The following examples were wore by The Queen's Royal (West Surrey) Regiment and The East Surrey Regiment:-
2nd Division	5th Division	7th Division
12th Eastern Division (New Army)	18th Eastern Division (New Army)	33rd Division
40th Division (New Army)	41st Division (New Army)	47th (2nd London) Division

Formation signs were first worn during the 1914 - 1918 war. Their introduction was brought about by the necessity for some form of distinguishing mark or sign to aid recognition of Corps and Divisional vehicles and personnel.

Prior to their appearance, the troops tended to think only of their own particular regiment or Corps and were not always aware of the part it was playing against the vast background of the operations on the Western and other Fronts. When signs were adopted, around the middle of 1916, the men began to take a certain pride in belonging to the formation to which their regiment were a part. Signs were thought to be a new kind of heraldry. The "Battle Patch", as they became known, taken into use for practical military reasons had, by the later stages of the war, engendered a strong Esprit de Corps. The signs took the form of "Heraldic", "Symbolic", "Animal", or "Geometric". The design was left to each formation and many reflected the choice of the Corps or Divisional Commander. During the Great War, the signs were worn, either on the sleeve, just below the shoulder, or on the back of the tunic, immediately below the collar. Home based units did not wear formation signs. The signs were also used on vehicles.

 

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