The Queen's Regiment formed in 1966 by the amalgamation of Queen's Royal West Surrey, East Surrey, Royal East Kent, Royal West Kent, Sussex and Middlesex Regiments, in military uniform art prints by Harry Payne.

MIDDLESEX REG. Raised as the 59th Foot in 1775, Becoming the 57th of Foot in 1757.  In 1887 became the 77th of Foot.  In 1881, both he 57th and the 77th became the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Duke of Cambridge's own Middlesex Regiment.

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  The East Surrey Regiment-Regimental District No.31-is composed of the 31^st and 70^th regiments.  The 31^st were originally Marines, and were formed into a regiment of foot in 1715.  Their first important fighting was at Dettingen, where they gained the approbation of George II., and at the same time as a consequence the sobriquet of the young Buff’s, the king having mistaken them for the famous 3^rd Regiment.  Fierce fighting, too, did they have at Fontenoy, where it is recorded, only eleven men of the grenadier company came out of action.  Four years later they served at Minorca, then, after a short sojourn at home, in Florida, and the Carib War in St. Vincent, where they did good service.  In 1776 they were quartered in Canada, some garrisoning Quebec, others participating in the misfortunes which attended General Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga.  In 1794 the flank companies served at Martinique, Guadaloupe and St. Lucia, and returned home in 1797, “reduced to a mere company.”  Soon after a 2^nd battalion was formed, which obtained, for the East Surrey the Peninsular distinctions on their colours.

           They fought at Talavera; at Albuhera the 31^st alone of the splendid regiments that charged against the advancing column of the enemy “being formed in column, stood their ground,” and escaped the disastrous onset of the French cavalry.  Yet their loss was very heavy, and-as had been recorded in connection with the “Die Hards,”-“at the close of the action the dead and wounded men of our gallant 31^st and 57^th Regiments were found lying in two distinct lines on the very ground they occupied when fighting.”  In his account of the action, Lord Wellesley wrote: “This little battalion alone held its ground against all the Colonnes en masse.”  The story of “Vittoria” and “The Pyrenees,” of “Nivelle” and the “Nive,” has before been told, and the 31^st bear these names on their colours.  At St. Pierre they formed part of the right wing under General Byng, and the important part they played in that most brilliant victory may be gauged by the fact that when their gallant leader was elevated to the percentage as Earl of Stafford, the regimental colours of the regiment formed a portion of his coat-of-arms.  They fought at Orthes, and bear that name as well as the “Peninsula” on their colours.  Like many other 2^nd battalions they were disbanded at the Peace, leaving a record of services of which any corps might be proud.  The 1^st battalion meanwhile had been serving in Sicily, Egypt, Spain, Genoa, and various other places, all of them witnesses to the courage and discipline of the regiment, though the names of none of them are found amongst the distinctions.  In 1824 they were ordered to India under Colonel Pearson and Major McGregor, and wee on the ill-fated Kent East Indiaman when she foundered.  As the official record expresses it: “In the midst of dangers against which it seemed hopeless to struggle-at a time when no aid appeared, and passively to die was all that remained-each man displayed the manly resignation, the ready obedience, and the unfailing discipline characteristics of a good soldier.”  Fortunately the great majority were saved, only seventy-six out of a total of nearly five hundred being lost.  During their stay in India they took part in the Afghan and Sikh Wars, and were with Pollock’s avenging army after the massacre of Cabul.  They fought at moodkee; at Ferozeshah fell Major Baldwin of the regiment; at Ailwal they were remarked as being “emulous for the front;” “Sobraon” gives the final gleam to the lustre of their Indian achievements.  Then followed a period of comparative peace till, in May 1855, they arrived in the Crimea.  In this war they took part in the assaults on the Redan of the 18^th of June and 8^th of September, and bare “Sevastopol” in commemoration of their gallant conduct.  After peace was declared they were dispatched to the Cape and in 1858 to Bombay, their next service of note being the China Campaign of 1860.  Here they were in the First Division, and after the fall of the Taku Forts marched to Tientsin, detachments being subsequently stationed at Ho-see-woo and Yung-tsan to keep the road clear between that city and our camp.  The regiment returned home in 1863, since which date they have not been engaged in any operations, which call for notice.