Early History
In the form of the 31st Foot, the regiment saw service at the Battle of Dettingen, where it received the nickname "The Young Buffs". In the Napoleonic Wars it served in the West Indies and Spain, where it won 8 Battle Honours. It was fighting in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the Crimean War, in China at the Taku Forts.
The 70th Foot was in the Indian Mutiny, the Maori Wars in New Zealand, and the Second Afghan War
The Barracks in Kings Road, Kingston upon Thames, now called The Keep (51°25′10″N 0°17′39″W / 51.4194°N 0.2943°W / 51.4194; -0.2943 (Former East Surrey Regimental Barracks (The Keep))), were designed by Major Siddon of the Royal Engineers and completed in 1875. In 1881, when the 31st and 70th Regiments combined to become The East Surrey Regiment, the Kings Road Barracks became their Brigade Depot.
The 1st Battalion, after formation, was based in various garrisons around the British Empire but did not see major action until the First World War in 1914.
The 2nd Battalion on the other hand was in action soon after formation, being part of the British expedition to the Sudan in 1884. This battalion also took part in the Anglo-Boer War that started in 1899. They took part in the Relief of Ladysmith, the Battle of the Tugela Heights and Laing's Nek. After South Africa the battalion was shipped to India in 1903 where they remained until the outbreak of World War I.
Read more about this topic: East Surrey Regiment
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