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The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
. It had a history dating back to 1572 and was one of the oldest regiment
Regiment

A regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organization, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers ....
s in the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
 being third in order of precedence (3rd Regiment of Foot). It provided distinguished service over a period of almost four hundred years acumulating one hundred and sixteen battle honours, however, following a reorganisation of British regiments in the 1960s, it was amalgamated with three other regiments to form The Queen's Regiment
The Queen's Regiment

The Queen's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Division....
, which maintains a number of its parent regiment's traditions today.

origins of the regiment lay in Thomas Morgan's Company of Foot, The London Trained Bands which was in existence from 1572 to 1648.






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The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
. It had a history dating back to 1572 and was one of the oldest regiment
Regiment

A regiment is a military unit, composed of variable numbers of battalions, commanded by a Colonel. Depending on the nation, military branch, mission, and organization, a modern regiment resembles a brigade, in that both range in size from a few hundred to 5,000 soldiers ....
s in the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
 being third in order of precedence (3rd Regiment of Foot). It provided distinguished service over a period of almost four hundred years acumulating one hundred and sixteen battle honours, however, following a reorganisation of British regiments in the 1960s, it was amalgamated with three other regiments to form The Queen's Regiment
The Queen's Regiment

The Queen's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Division....
, which maintains a number of its parent regiment's traditions today.

History

The origins of the regiment lay in Thomas Morgan's Company of Foot, The London Trained Bands which was in existence from 1572 to 1648. In 1665 it was known as the 4th (The Holland Maritime) Regiment and by 1668 as the 4th (The Holland) Regiment. In 1688-1689 it was "4th The Lord High Admiral's Regiment" until 1751 it was named as other regiments after the Colonel Commanding being the 3rd (Howard's) Regiment of Foot from 1737-1743 at which point it became the 3rd Regiment of Foot, "Howard's Buffs".
  • 1751-1782 3rd (Kent) Regiment of Foot, "The Buffs"
  • 1782-1881 3rd (East Kent
    Kent

    Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
    ) Regiment of Foot ("The Buffs")
  • 1881-1935 The Buffs, (East Kent Regiment)
  • 1935-1961 The Buffs, (Royal East Kent Regiment)


Origin of "The Buffs"

The 3rd Regiment received its nickname of "The Buffs" because it had been issued buff coats - armour made of soft leather
Leather

Leather is a material created through the tanning of rawhides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses....
 - first when it served abroad in Holland
Holland

Holland is a name in common usage given to two regions in the western part of Netherlands. The name 'Holland' is also often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of The Netherlands....
 and later when it was a Maritime Regiment of Foot. It was later given buff-coloured facings and waistcoats to distinguish itself from those of other regiments and had their leather equipment in buff rather than dyed the traditional white.

It received the title of "The Old Buffs" during the Battle of Dettingen
Battle of Dettingen

The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Karlstein am Main in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch, George II of Great Britain, personally led his troops into battle....
 in 1743, when the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot
31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot

The 31st Regiment of Foot was a Line Regiment of the British Army first formed in 1694. In 1881 it was amalgamated with the 70th Regiment of Foot to form The East Surrey Regiment ....
 marched past King George II
George II of Great Britain

George II was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-L?neburg and Prince-elector#High Offices and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death....
 and onto the battlefield with great spirit. Mistaking them for the 3rd due to their buff facings, the sovereign called out, "Bravo, Buffs! Bravo!". When one of his aides, an officer of the 3rd regiment, corrected His Majesty, he then cheered non-plussed, "Bravo, Young Buffs! Bravo!", thus granting the 31st the honour of being nicknamed the "Young Buffs". The 3rd Regiment then took to calling themselves the "Old Buffs" to keep themselves distinct from the 31st.

The Two Howards

The Buffs obtained the name of "The Buffs" officially in 1744 while on campaign in the Low Countries
Low Countries

The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the country on low-lying land around the river delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse River rivers....
. The 3rd Regiment was then under the command of Lieutenant-General Thomas Howard. At the same time, the 19th Regiment of Foot
The Green Howards

The Green Howards was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. The Green Howards were amalgamated with The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and The Duke of Wellington's Regiment, all Yorkshire-based regiments in the King's Division, to form The Yorkshire Regiment on the ....
 were commanded by their colonel, the Honourable Sir Charles Howard. In order to avoid confusion (because regiments were then named after their colonels, which would have made them both Howard's Regiment of Foot), the regiments took the colours of their facings as part of their names - the 19th Foot became the Green Howards, while the 3rd Foot became Howard's Buffs, eventually being shortened to simply The Buffs.

Australian Service

In between the campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars and India, "The Buff's" had a tour of service from 1821 until 1827 in the British colony of New South Wales
New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
. For the duration of their service, The Buff's were divided into four detachments. The first was based in Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
 from 1821. The second arrived in Hobart in 1822. The third, entitled "The Buff's Headquarters", arrived in Sydney
Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
 in 1823. The fourth arrived in Sydney in 1824, but variously saw service throughout the colonies, being stationed at Port Dalrymple, Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales

Parramatta is a suburb in the Greater Western Sydney of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It sits on the bank of the Parramatta River, west of the Sydney central business district, approximately at the geographical centre of its metropolitan area....
, Liverpool
Liverpool, New South Wales

Liverpool is a suburb in South-western Sydney Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the Local Government Areas in Australia of the City of Liverpool, New South Wales....
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales

The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the state of New South Wales and includes most of the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas of Australia....
, Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie, New South Wales

Port Macquarie is a large town on the mid-North Coast, New South Wales, Australia, located about 390 km north of Sydney, and 570 km south of Brisbane....
 and Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales

Bathurst is a regional centre in the state of New South Wales, Australia approximately 200km west of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council Local Government Areas in Australia....
. The Regiment reunited and was transferred to Calcutta in 1827. During their service in New South Wales
New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
, The Buff's were commanded by Lieut. Colonel W. Stewart and Lieut Colonel C. Cameron.

"Steady, The Buffs!"

This famous cry has been rumoured by many to have been uttered on the field of battle, but it was actually born on the parade grounds of a garrison.

It comes from when the 2nd Battalion was stationed at Malta
Malta

Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
 in 1858 and were quartered with the 21st Royal (North British) Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers

The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a Regiment of the British Army....
. Adjutant Cotter of The Buffs was a Scot who had formerly served in the 21st Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers

The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a Regiment of the British Army....
 as a Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major

A Sergeant Major is a rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth of Nations countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers....
. Adjutant Cotter would not brook any disarray on the parade ground from his raw recruits, shouting "Steady, The Buffs! The Fusiliers are watching you!"

This greatly amused the Fusiliers and they called out “Steady, The Buffs!” on the slightest provocation, first in Malta and later whenever the two regiments met from then on. The phrase caught on and was soon shouted whenever The Buffs marched by. It then passed into common usage, even appearing in Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English author and poet. Born in Mumbai, British India , he is best known for his works of fiction The Jungle Book , Kim , many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King ; and his poems, including Mandalay , Gunga Din , and If? ....
's novel Soldiers Three
Soldiers Three

The first publication of a collection of seven stories called Soldiers Three was as No 1 of A.H. Wheeler & Co.?s Indian Railway Library, a slim volume of 97 pages printed at the ?Pioneer? Press, Allahabad in 1888 called Soldiers Three: a collection of stories setting forth certain passages in the lives and adventures of Private...
 (1888) and his play Pity Poor Mama.

Reorganisations and Amalgamations


  • From 1595 to 1665, the four regiments of the English Brigade served under Dutch command. In 1665, with the coming of the Second Anglo-Dutch War
    Second Anglo-Dutch War

    The Second Anglo-Dutch War was fought between England and the Dutch Republic from 4 March, 1665 until 31 July, 1667. England tried to end the Dutch domination of world trade....
     the British and Scotch Brigades were ordered to swear loyalty to the Stadtholder. Those who obeyed would be allowed to continue in Dutch service and those who disobeyed would be cashiered. Using his own funds, Sir George Downing
    Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet

    Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish soldier and diplomat, son of Emmanuel Downing, barrister, and of Lucy, sister of Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop....
    , the English ambassador to the Netherlands, raised the Holland Regiment from the starving remnants of those who refused to sign. It was designated as the 4th Regiment of Foot.


  • In 1689 the Glorious Revolution
    Glorious Revolution

    The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of British monarchy James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliament of England with an invading army led by the Dutch Republic stadtholder William III of England , who as a result ascended the English throne as William III of England....
     deposed James II Stuart and seated William Henry, Prince of Orange-Nassau
    William III of England

    William III was a Prince of Orange by birth. From 1672 onwards, he governed as List_of_stadtholders_for_the_Low_Countries_provinces William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic....
     and Stadtholder
    Stadtholder

    A Stadtholder in the Low Countries was a medieval function which during the 18th century developed into a rare type of de facto hereditary head of state of the thus "crowned" Dutch Republic....
     of the United Netherlands, on the throne of Great Britain
    Great Britain

    Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
     as William III of England. To reduce confusion between the Regent's Dutch Blue Guards
    Dutch Blue Guards

    The Dutch Blue Guards were an elite infantry unit of the army of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Notable campaigns where they fought included the Nine Years' War , where they distinguished themselves at the battle of the Boyne, Battle of Fleurus and the siege of Limerick ....
     regiment and the Stuart-era "Holland Regiment", the latter was renumbered the 3rd Regiment and had its title changed to The Lord Admiral's Regiment. Since Prince George of Denmark was Lord Admiral (and thus was its Honorary Colonel), it was also known as Prince George of Denmark's Regiment until his death in 1708.


  • The 1st (Regular) Battalion existed continuously from 1572-1961.


  • The 2nd (Regular) Battalion was intermittently raised in 1678-1679, 1756-1758, 1803-1815, and 1857-1949.


  • In 1758, the 2nd Battalion raised in 1756-1758 was converted into the 1st Battalion, 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment. In 1881, it was converted into the 2nd Battalion, 28th/61st The Gloucestershire Regiment
    The Gloucestershire Regiment

    The Gloucestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", the regiment carried more battle honours on their Regimental colours than any other British Army Line infantry....
    , whose battalions were later amalgamated together in 1948. In 1994 The Gloucestershire Regiment was amalgamated with The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Regiment to form The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
    Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment

    The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.It was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of two English regiments....
    . In 2004 the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was amalgamated with the Devon and Dorset Light Infantry
    Devonshire and Dorset Regiment

    The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, usually just known as the Devon and Dorsets, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments:...
     to form 1st (Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire) Battalion, The Light Infantry
    The Light Infantry

    The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
    . In 2005 the The Light Infantry amalgamated with the Royal Green Jackets
    Royal Green Jackets

    The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two large regiment within the Light Division . It was formed in 1966 by the amalgamation of the three separate regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade:...
     to form The Rifles
    The Rifles

    The Rifles is a regiment of the British Army. It consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, making the regiment the largest in the infantry....
    . The 1st (Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire) Battalion, The Light Infantry
    The Light Infantry

    The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
     will be renamed the 1st (Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry) Battalion, The Rifles.


  • In the Cardwell reforms
    Cardwell Reforms

    The Cardwell Reforms refer to a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell between 1868 and 1874....
     of 1881 the East Kent Militia became the regiment's 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion [1881-1953] and its short-lived 4th (Special Reserve) Battalion [1881-1888].


  • From 1881-1908 the Territorial Army
    Territorial Army

    The Territorial Army is the volunteer Military reserve force of the British Army, the army of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents....
    's 1st (Kent) Volunteers and 2nd (The Weald of Kent) Volunteers Battalions were raised. From 1908-1921 and 1939-1947 they became the regiment's 4th and 5th Battalions. In 1921-1939 and 1947-1961 they were amalgamated as the 4th/5th Battalion.

Anglo-Zulu War (1879)

The following units participated in the Anglo-Zulu War
Anglo-Zulu War

The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Empire. From complex beginnings, the war is notable for several particularly bloody battles, as well as for being a landmark in the timeline of colonialism in the region....
:
  • 3rd Regiment


Second Boer War (1899-1902)

The following units participated in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War

The Second Boer War , commonly referred to as The Boer War and also known as the South African War , the Anglo-Boer War and in Afrikaans as the Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog , was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902, between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics of the Orange Fre...
:
  • 2nd Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
  • 3rd Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
  • 1st Volunteer (Militia) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
  • 2nd Volunteer (Weald of Kent) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)


Captain Naunton Henry Vertue of the 2nd Battalion also severed as Brigade Major to the 11th Infantry Brigade under Major General Edward Woodgate
Edward Woodgate

Major General Sir Edward Woodgate, KCMG, Order of the Bath, was a British Army Officer.Born in November 1845, educated at Radley. He entered the 4th Foot in April 1865....
 at the Battle of Spion Kop
Battle of Spion Kop

The Battle of Spion Kop was fought about 38 km west-south-west of Ladysmith, South Africa on the hilltop of Spioenkop#Note about the name along the Tugela River, KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa....
 where he was mortally wounded.

First World War (1914-1918)

For service in World War I, nine battalions were raised:
  • 2/4th (Territorial Army) Battalion [1914-1917]
  • 3/4th (Territorial Army) Battalion [1915-1916]; 3/4th (Reserve) Battalion [1916-1919]
  • 2/5th (Territorial Army) Battalion [1914-1917]
  • 3/5th (Territorial Army) Battalion [1915-1916]
  • 6th (Service) Battalion [1914-1919]
  • 7th (Service) Battalion [1914-1919]
  • 8th (Service) Battalion [1914-1918]
  • 9th (Service) Battalion [1914-1915]; 9th (Reserve) Battalion [1915-1916]
  • 10th (Royal East Kent & West Kent Yeomanry) Battalion [1917-1918]


Third Afghan War (1919)


The 4th Battalion fought during the brief Third Afghan War of 1919.

Second World War (1939-1945)


For service in World War II, ten battalions were raised :
  • 4th (Territorial Army) Battalion [1939-1947]
  • 5th (Territorial Army) Battalion [1939-1947]
  • 6th (Home Defence) Battalion [1939-1941]
  • 7th Battalion [1940-1945] This was converted to armour in 1941 and was known as 141 RAC, The Kentish Regiment (The Buffs)
  • 8th Battalion [1940-1942]
  • 9th Battalion [1940-1946]
  • 10th Battalion [1940-1943]
  • 11th Battalion [1940]
  • 30th Battalion [1941-1943]
  • 70th (Young Soldiers') Battalion [1940-1943]


Post-War Amalgamations

In 1956 the 410th (Kent) Coast Regiment (Royal Artillery) was disbanded and converted into infantry. It was then combined with elements of the 4th (Territorial Army) Battalion, The Buffs (Royal East Kent) Regiment to form the 5th (Territorial Army) Battalion of The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment and was the last separate unit to bear the distinct honours of The Buffs. In 1966 it became the 5th Battalion, The Queen's Regiment. In 1967 it merged with the 4th Battalion to become the 4th/5th (East Kent TAVR) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment.

In 1961 the 3rd "The Buffs", Royal East Kent Regiment was amalgamated with 50th/97th The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment
The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment

The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment was a regiment of the British Army.It was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of:*50th Regiment of Foot...
 to form: 3rd/50th/97th The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment
The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment

The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1961 to 1966. Its lineage is continued by the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment....
.

In 1966, the 3rd/50th/97th The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment was amalgamated with the other three regiments of the Home Counties Brigade
Home Counties Brigade

The Home Counties Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular infantry battalions of the Home Counties of south east England....
 to form The Queen's Regiment
The Queen's Regiment

The Queen's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Division....
.

Colonels-in-Chief


  • 1689-1708 Prince George of Denmark KG
  • 1906-1914 HM King Frederick VIII of Denmark
    Frederick VIII of Denmark

    Frederik VIII was King of Denmark from 1906 to 1912....
  • 1914-1947 HM King Christian X of Denmark
    Christian X of Denmark

    Christian X was Monarch of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and last king of Kingdom of Iceland between 1918 and 1944. He was born at Charlottenlund Palace near Copenhagen....
    , KG, GCB, GCVO
  • 1947-1961 HM King Frederick IX of Denmark
    Frederick IX of Denmark

    Frederick IX was King of Denmark of Denmark from 20 April 1947 until his death. He was the son of Christian X of Denmark of Denmark and Queen Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born Duchess of Mecklenburg....
    , KG, GCB, GCVO


Colonels


  • 1665-1668 Col. Robert Sidney
  • 1668-1673 Maj-Gen. Sir Walter Vane
  • 1673-1682 Lt-Gen. John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham and 3rd Earl of Mulgrave, KG
  • 1682-1684 Col. Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield
    Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield

    Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield Privy Council of England was the son of Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope and his wife, Katherine Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield....
  • 1684-1685 Lt-Gen. John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham and 3rd Earl of Mulgrave, KG
  • 1685-1688 Brig-Gen. Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe
  • 1688-1707 Gen. Charles Churchill
  • 1707-1711 F.M.
    Field Marshal

    Field marshal is a military officer rank. Today it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general....
     John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
    John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll

    Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, 1st Duke of Greenwich Knight of the Garter , known as Ian Ruaifh Cean or Red John of the Battles, was a Scotland soldier and Nobility....
    , KG, KT (Earl of Islay, Lord Lorne)
  • 1711-1713 Col. John Selwyn
  • 1713-1715 Brig-Gen. Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar
    Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar

    Archibald Douglas, 2nd Earl of Forfar, 3rd Earl of Ormond was a Scottish peer.He was the only son of Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Forfar, and Robina Lockhart, the daughter of Sir William Lockhart of Lee and Robina Sewster....
  • 1716-1725 Gen. Sir Charles Wills, KB (also 1st Guards
    Grenadier Guards

    The Grenadier Guards is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry....
    , 30th Foot)
  • 1726-1729 Col. Thomas Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry
    Thomas Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry

    Thomas Innes Pitt, 1st Earl of Londonderry , was a Kingdom of Great Britain politician. He served as Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1728 to 1729....
  • 1729-1737 Lt-Gen. William Tatton
  • 1737-1749 Lt-Gen. Thomas Howard
  • 1749-1763 F.M. Sir George Howard, KB
  • 1763-1764 Col. John Craufurd
  • 1764-1768 Maj-Gen. Ralph Burton
  • 1768-1779 F.M. Sir Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
    Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst

    Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Montreal Order of the Bath served as an officer in the British Army and as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces....
    , KB
  • 1779-1786 Lt-Gen. William Style
  • 1786-1809 Gen. Thomas Hall (also 79th Foot)
  • 1809-1815 Gen. Charles Leigh
  • 1815-1829 Lt-Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, GCB, GCH
  • 1829-1832 Gen. Sir George Don
    George Don (British Army officer)

    General Sir George Don, Order of the Bath, Royal Guelphic Order was a senior British Army military officer and colonial governor during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries....
    , GCB, GCH
  • 1832-1845 Gen. Kenneth Alexander Howard, 1st Earl of Effingham, GCB
  • 1845-1854 Gen. Sir Henry King, CB, KCH, KC
  • 1854-1857 Lt-Gen. Sir Nathaniel Thorn, KCB, KH
  • 1857 Lt-Gen. Nicholas Wodehouse
  • 1857 Maj-Gen. Sir Henry Havelock
    Henry Havelock

    Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, Order of the Bath was a United Kingdom general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Siege of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857....
    , KCB [died at Lucknow]
  • 1857-1860 Lt-Gen. Berkeley Drummond
  • 1860-1863 Gen. The Hon. Charles Grey
  • 1863-1864 Lt-Gen. John Wharton Frith
  • 1864-1870 Lt-Gen. Day Hort Macdowall
  • 1870-1874 Lt-Gen. The Hon. Sir James Lindsay
    James Lindsay (British Army officer)

    Lieutenant-General Sir James Lindsay Order of St Michael and St George was a British Army officer and member of Clan Lindsay.Born at Muncaster Castle in 1815, James was the second son of James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford....
    , KCMG
  • 1874-1882 Gen. William Craig Emilius Napier
  • 1882-1909 Gen. Sir Julius Augustus Robert Raines, GCB
  • 1909 Maj-Gen. Frederick Taylor Hobson
  • 1909-1914 Maj-Gen. Robert George Kekewich
    Robert Kekewich

    Major General Robert George Kekewich Order of the Bath was a British Army officer.Kekewich was the second son of Trehawke Kekewich, of Peamore, Devon....
  • 1914-1928 Gen. Sir Arthur Henry Fitzroy Paget, GCB, KCVO
  • 1928-1937 Maj-Gen. Sir Arthur Lynden Lynden-Bell, KCB, KCMG
  • 1937-1943 Maj-Gen. Sir John Kennedy, GBE, CB, CMG, DSO
  • 1943-1953 Maj-Gen. The Hon. Percy Gerald Scarlett, CB, MC
  • 1953-1961 Maj-Gen. Valentine Boucher, CB, CBE [later Dep. Col. Queen's Own Buffs]


Notable Soldiers

Buffs
*During the Battle of Albuhera
Battle of Albuera

The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Spain, and Portugal corps engaged elements of the French Arm?e du Midi at the small Spain village of La Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain....
, the 3rd Regiment, serving as part of Colborne’s brigade, was caught in a heavy rainstorm. Then they were caught in the open by French cavalry, their muskets rendered useless by the downpour. Before they could form square, the cavalry had ripped through their ranks and began slaughtering them. Ensign Thomas, who had earlier rallied his company after his captain was wounded and captured, was carrying the Regimental Colour. He was later surrounded and was called upon to surrender. Crying “Only with my life,” he only gave up the Colour after being cut down and mortally wounded (though it was later recaptured by Sergeant Gough of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers). He was buried after the battle by a sergeant and a private of his company, the only two men out of an original complement of 63 to survive the battle.

  • Also during the Battle of Albuhera, a similar act of heroism was to unfold. Ensign Charles Walsh was carrying the King’s Colour. The pikestaff of the Colour had been broken by cannon shot, his escort had fallen and he was surrounded and badly wounded. Just before he was about to be taken prisoner, Lieutenant Latham rushed forward and seized the Colour from him with his left hand and defended it with heroic gallantry with his sword in the other, refusing to yield it to the enemy. Then a French Hussar seized the staff and struck Latham with a sabre blow that severed one side of his face and nose but he still continued to struggle. A second sabre stroke severed his left arm, but Latham seized the staff with his right hand and continued to resist until he was thrown down, trampled on and pierced several times with lance thrusts. At this moment a British Cavalry regiment, The 4th (Queen's Own) Dragoons, arrived and drove off the French troopers. Latham then exerted the little strength left to him to conceal the Colour in his jacket, where it was later found. Latham survived his grievous wounds and not only recuperated but stayed in the army until he retired in 1820. As a reward for his gallantry and his heroic defense of the Colour, Latham was given a special promotion to Captain and was later presented with a gold medal by his brother officers. A trophy depicting the scene made in sterling silver, called the "Latham Centerpiece", was designed for the 3rd Regiment's Officer's Mess; it is now in the Regimental museum along with Latham's gold medal. Latham is buried in Blingel churchyard in the Pas de Calais, France. His headstone commemorates his brave action and mentions the 'loss of his arm and half his face'.


  • Private John Moyse
    John Moyse

    Private John Moyse was a soldier of the The Buffs who was captured by Chinese soldiers during the Second Opium War and was later executed for refusing to kow-tow to a local mandarin....
     was captured during the march on the Taku Forts
    Taku Forts

    The Taku Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China....
     (which took place during the continuation of the Second Opium War
    Second Opium War

    The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war of the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856-1860....
    ). He was later executed by Chinese soldiers for refusing to kow-tow to a local mandarin
    Mandarin (bureaucrat)

    A Mandarin was a bureaucrat in Imperial era of Chinese history, and also in History of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence....
    . His act of defiance was later immortalised in The Private of the Buffs
    The Private of the Buffs

    The Private of the Buffs is a ballad by Sir Francis Hastings Doyle describing the execution of a British infantryman by Chinese soldiers in 1860....
     , a poem by Sir Francis Hastings Doyle
    Francis Hastings Doyle

    Sir Francis Hastings Doyle , poet, belonged to a military family which produced several distinguished officers, including his father, who bore the same name....
    .


  • Among the officers of The Royal East Kent regiment was Captain Derek D. Bridle (1923-1998). An officer of "The Buffs" from 1942-1947, he served in Northern Italy, Austria and Germany, and after demobilisation he trained and became a qualified Architect
    Architect

    An architect is trained and licenced in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e....
    , who retired in 1985 as County Architect of Gloucestershire.


  • Captain William Douglas-Home
    William Douglas-Home

    William Douglas-Home was a tank officer in World War II who was imprisoned for refusing to obey orders, and who later became a successful writer and dramatist....
     served in the 7th battalion (also known as 141 RAC) in World War II
    World War II

    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
     and was imprisoned for refusing to obey orders. After the war he became a successful playwright.


Ancient Privilege

The Buffs is one of five regiments that can march through the City of London
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
 with drums beating, bayonets fixed, and colours flying. This is due to a Royal Warrant written in 1672 allowing them to raise volunteers "by beat of drum" in the City of London. Since recruiting parties paraded in full array accompanied by company or regimental musicians and marched with a colour, this right was given to the regiment as a whole.

Battle Honours

The Honours in capital lettering were worn on the Colours. The Regiment was awarded 116 battle honours.

War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession was a war fought in 1701-1714, in which several European powers combined to stop a possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under a single Bourbon monarch, upsetting the European Balance of power in international relations....
, (Queen Anne's
Anne of Great Britain

Anne became Queen of England, Queen of Scots and Kingdom of Ireland on 8 March 1702, succeeding her brother-in-law, William III of England. Her Roman Catholic father, James II of England, was Glorious Revolution in 1688/9; her brother-in-law and her sister then became joint monarchs as William III & II and Mary II of England, the only such c...
 War)
  • BLENHEIM
    Battle of Blenheim

    The Battle of Blenheim , fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France of Kingdom of France sought to knock Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg Monarchy capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement....
     (1704) = 1st Battalion.
  • RAMILLES
    Battle of Ramillies

    The Battle of Ramillies was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 23 May 1706. The encounter was a resounding success for the allied forces of the Dutch Republic, Kingdom of England, and their auxiliaries; but the battle had followed a year of indecisive campaigning in 1705 where Allied over-confidence and Dutch h...
     (1706) = 1st Battalion.
  • OUDENARDE
    Battle of Oudenarde

    The Battle of Oudenaarde was a key battle in the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 11 July 1708 between the forces of Great Britain, Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire on the one side and the French on the other....
     (1708) = 1st Battalion.
  • MALPLAQUET
    Battle of Malplaquet

    The Battle of Malplaquet, fought on 11 September 1709, was one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession, which opposed the Bourbons of History of France#Louis_XIV and Spain#Rise_and_fall_as_a_world_power:_From_the_Renaissance_to_the_19th_century against an alliance whose major members were the Habsburg Monarchy, the United Kin...
     (1709) = 1st Battalion.


War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession

The War of the Austrian Succession involved nearly all the Power in international relations of Europe. The war began under the pretext that Maria Theresa of Austria was ineligible to succeed to the House of Habsburg throne, because Salic law precluded royal inheritance by a woman, though in reality this was a convenient excuse put forward by...
, (King George's War)
  • DETTINGEN
    Battle of Dettingen

    The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Karlstein am Main in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch, George II of Great Britain, personally led his troops into battle....
     (1743) = 1st Battalion.


Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War lasted between 1756?1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Kingdom of Prussia and Kingdom of Great Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Archduchy of Austria, Early Modern France, Russian Empire, Kingdom of Sweden, and Electorate of Sa...
, (French and Indian War
French and Indian War

The French and Indian War was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, known in Canada as the War of the Conquest. The name refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the various Indigenous peoples of the Americas forces allied with them....
)
  • GUADELOUPE 1759
    British expedition against Guadeloupe

    The British expedition against Guadeloupe was a military action from November 1758 to May 1759 , as part of the Seven Years' War....
     = 1st Battalion.
  • Belleisle
    Belle Île

    Belle-?le or Belle-?le-en-Mer is a France island off the coast of Brittany in the d?partement in France of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands....
     (1761) = 1st Battalion.


Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts involving Napoleon I of France First French Empire and changing sets of European allies and opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815....
  • DOURO (1809) = 1st Battalion.
  • TALAVERA (1809) = 1st Battalion.
  • ALBUHERA (1811) = 1st Battalion.
  • VITTORIA (1813) = 1st Battalion.
  • PYRENEES (1813) = 1st Battalion.
  • NIVELLE (1813)= 1st Battalion.
  • NIVE (1813) = 1st Battalion.
  • ORTHES (1814) = 1st Battalion.
  • TOULOUSE (1814) = 1st Battalion.
  • PENINSULA
    Iberian Peninsula

    The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes modern-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar and a very small area of France....
     (1808-13) = 1st Battalion.


"Pax Britannia"
  • PUNNIAR (1843) Gwalior Campaign = 1st Battalion.
  • SEVASTOPOL
    Siege of Sevastopol (1854-1855)

    The Siege of Sevastopol was a major siege during the Crimean War, lasting from September 1854 until September 1855. Leo Tolstoy's early book The Sebastopol Sketches detailed the siege in a mixture of reportage and Short story....
     (1855) Crimean War
    Crimean War

    The Crimean War, also known in Russia as the Oriental War was fought between the Russian Empire on one side and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other....
     = 1st Battalion.
  • TAKU FORTS
    Taku Forts

    The Taku Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China....
     (1860) Second Opium War
    Second Opium War

    The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war of the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China from 1856-1860....
     = 1st Battalion.
  • SOUTH AFRICA 1879
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
     Zulu War = 2nd Battalion.
  • CHITRAL
    Chitral

    Chitral or Chatral basically translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the name of the tribe, town, valley, river, district and former State of Chitral in the Malakand Division of the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan....
     (1895) North-West Frontier
    North-West Frontier Province

    File:Makra Peak by Khalid Mahmood.jpgThe North-West Frontier Province is the smallest of the Subdivisions of Pakistan of Pakistan. The NWFP is home to the majority Pashtuns as well as other smaller ethnic groups....
     = 1st Battalion.
  • RELIEF OF KIMBERLEY (1900) Second Anglo-Boer War = 2nd Battalion.
  • PAARDEBERG
    Battle of Paardeberg

    The Battle of Paardeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley, Northern Cape....
     (1900) Second Anglo-Boer War = 3rd Battalion.
  • SOUTH AFRICA 1900-02 Second Anglo-Boer War = 2nd & 3rd Battalions.


World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 (1914-1919)
  • Aisne (1914)= 1st Battalion.
  • ARMENTIERES 1914 = 1st Battalion.
  • YPRES
    Battle of Ypres

    There were five Battles of Ypres during World War I:*First Battle of Ypres *Second Battle of Ypres *Third Battle of Ypres *Battle of the Lys 9 - 29 April 1918, also called the Battle of Estaires and informally the Fourth Battle of Ypres...
     1915-17 = 2nd, 7th & 8th Battalions.
  • Gravenstafel 1915 = 2nd Battalion.
  • St. Julien 1915 = 2nd Battalion.
  • Frezenberg (1915) = 2nd Battalion.
  • Bellewaarde (1915) = 2nd Battalion.
  • Hooge 1915 = 1st Battalion.
  • LOOS
    Battle of Loos

    The Battle of Loos was one of the major United Kingdom offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used Poison gas in World War I during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of new army or "Kitchener's Army" units....
     (1915) = 2nd, 6th, & 8th Battalions.
  • Somme 1916-18 = 1st, 6th, 7th, & 8th Battalions
  • Albert 1916-18 = 6th & 7th Battalions.
  • Bazentin (1916) = 7th Battalion.
  • Delville Wood
    Delville Wood

    Delville Wood is a small forest adjacent to the village of Longueval in the Somme d?partement in France of northern France at . The wood was the scene of an intense battle between British Empire and Germany forces during the 1916 Battle of the Somme ....
     (1916) = 8th Battalion.
  • Poziers (1916) = 6th Battalion.
  • Flers-Courcelette (1916) = 1st Battalion.
  • Morval (1916) = 1st Battalion.
  • Thiepval
    Thiepval

    The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a major war memorial to 72,090 missing in action United Kingdom and South African men who died in the Battle of the Somme during the First World War and who have no known grave....
     (1916) = 7th Battalion.
  • Le Transloy (1916) = 6th Battalion.
  • Ancre Heights (1916) = 7th Battalion.
  • Ancre 1916-18 = 6th & 7th Battalions.
  • Arras 1917
    Battle of Arras (1917)

    The Battle of Arras was a British Empire offensive during World War I. From 9 April to 16 May, 1917, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australian troops attacked Germany trench warfare near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
     = 6th & 7th Battalions.
  • Scarpe 1917 = 7th Battalion.
  • Messines 1917 = 8th Battalion.
  • Pilckem (1917) = 8th Battalion.
  • Passchendale (1917) = 7th Battalion.
  • Cambrai 1917-1918 = 1st & 6th Battalions.
  • St. Quentin (1918) = 1st & 6th Battalions.
  • Avre (1918) = 7th Battalion.
  • Amiens (1918) = 6th & 7th Battalions.
  • Bapaume (1918) = 7th Battalion.
  • HINDENBURG LINE (1918) = 1st, 6th, 7th, & 10th Battalions.
  • Epehey (1918)= 1st, 6th, 7th, & 10th Battalions.
  • St. Quentin Canal (1918) = 1st & 6th Battalions.
  • Selle (1918) = 1st & 7th Battalions.
  • Sambre (1918) = 7th Battalion.
  • France and Flanders 1914-18 = 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th & 10th Battalions.
  • STRUMA (1916-17) = 2nd Battalion.
  • Doiran (1918) = 2nd Battalion.
  • Macedonia 1915-18 = 2nd Battalion.
  • Gaza (1917) = 10th Battalion.
  • JERUSALEM (1917) = 10th Battalion.
  • Tel Asur (1918) = 10th Battalion.
  • Palestine 1917-18 = 10th Battalion.
  • Aden (1915-16) = 4th Battalion.
  • Tigris (1916) = 5th Battalion.
  • Kut al Amara 1917 = 5th Battalion.
  • BAGDAD (1917) = 5th Battalion.
  • Mesopotamia 1915-18 = 5th Battalion.


World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 (1939-1945)
  • Defence of Escaut (1940) = 2nd Battalion.
  • St. Omer-La Basse (1940) = 2nd Battalion.
  • Withdrawal to Seine (1940) = 4th Battalion.
  • NORTH-WEST EUROPE 1940 = 2nd, 4th, & 5th Battalions.
  • Sidi Suleiman (1941) = 1st Battalion.
  • ALEM HAMZA (1941)= 1st Battalion.
  • Alam El Halfa (1942)= 2nd Battalion.
  • EL ALAMEIN (1942)= 2nd Battalion.
  • El Agheila (1942) = 1st Battalion.
  • Advance on Tripoli (1942-43) = 1st Battalion.
  • Tebaga Gap (1943) = 1st Battalion.
  • El Hamma (1943) = 1st Battalion.
  • Akarit (1943)= 1st Battalion.
  • Djebel Azzag (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • ROBAA VALLEY (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • Djebel Bech Chekaoui (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • Heidous (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • Medjez Plain (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • Long Stop Hill (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • North Africa 1941-1943 1st, 2nd, & 5th Battalions.
  • Centuripe (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • Monte Rivoglia (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • SICILY 1943 = 5th Battalion.
  • Termoli (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • TRIGNO (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • Sangro (1943) = 5th Battalion.
  • ANZIO (1944) = 1st Battalion.
  • Cassino I (1944) = 5th Battalion.
  • Liri Valley (1944) = 5th Battalion.
  • Aquino (1944) = 5th Battalion.
  • Rome (1944) = 1st Battalion.
  • Trasimene Line (1944) = 5th Battalion.
  • Coriano (1944) = 1st Battalion.
  • Monte Spaduro (1944) = 1st Battalion.
  • Senio (1945) 5th Battalion.
  • ARGENTA GAP (1945) = 1st & 5th Battalions.
  • Italy 1943-45 = 1st & 5th Battalions.
  • LEROS
    Battle of Leros

    The Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese Campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign....
     (1943) = 4th Battalion.
  • Middle East 1943= 2nd Battalion.
  • Malta 1940-42 = 4th Battalion.
  • SHWELI (1945) = 2nd Battalion.
  • Myitson (1945) = 2nd Battalion.
  • Burma 1945 = 2nd Battalion.


Alliances

  • - The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
    The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada

    The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada are a militia regiment within the Canadian Forces, based in Toronto, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group....
     (1914-1935), (1935-1961)


The Regimental Museum


The Buffs Regimental Museum is located at Canterbury
Canterbury

Canterbury lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, Kent
Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
.

External links