Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)

The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It originated in 1572 and was therefore one of the oldest regiments in the British Army, in which it ranked third in order of precedence.

It provided distinguished service over a period of almost four hundred years, in which it earned one hundred and sixteen battle honours. In 1881, under the Childers Reforms, it was named the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) and later, on 3 June 1935, was renamed the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment).

In 1961, it was amalgamated with the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment to form the Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment, which was later merged, on 31 December 1966, with the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment, the Royal Sussex Regiment and the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) to form the Queen's Regiment. This regiment was, in turn, amalgamated with the Royal Hampshire Regiment, in September 1992, to create the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires).

History Formation to end 17th century

The Dutch fight for independence from Spain in the 1568–1648 Eighty Years' War was supported by Protestants across Europe; the origins of the regiment were Thomas Morgan's Company of Foot, a group of 300 volunteers from the London Trained Bands formed in 1572.Beckett, p. 52 In 1586, these English and Scottish volunteer units were brought together in the Scots Brigade, which in various formats served in the Dutch military until 1782.

When the Second Anglo-Dutch War started in 1665, the brigade's units were ordered to swear loyalty to the Stadtholder and those who disobeyed were cashiered. Using his own funds, Sir George Downing, the English ambassador to the Netherlands, raised the Holland Regiment from the starving remnants of those who refused to sign. In 1665, it was known as the 4th (The Holland Maritime) Regiment and by 1668 as the 4th (The Holland) Regiment.

When the Third Anglo-Dutch War began in 1672, the Duke of Buckingham was authorised to recruit an additional eight companies but the two countries made peace in the February 1674 Treaty of Westminster. These men were incorporated into the Anglo-Scots Dutch Brigade and fought in the 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War; in November 1688, it accompanied William III to England. It was transferred onto the English military establishment as the "4th The Lord High Admiral's Regiment" and in 1689 became the 3rd (Prince George of Denmark's) Regiment of Foot. During the 1689–1697 Nine Years War, it served in the Low Countries, including the battles of Walcourt, Steenkerque and Landen. It returned to England when the war ended with the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick.Cannon, pp. 130–137

18th century

During the War of the Spanish Succession, it served in Marlborough campaigns, including the battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Malplaquet and Oudenarde, before returning to England in August 1714.Cannon, p. 164 Until the 1751 reforms, units were commonly named after their current colonel; it reverted to this practice when Prince George of Denmark died in 1708, although it was also referred to as the 'Holland Regiment' or "Buffs" after its coat facings.Cannon, p. 157 It was also sometimes called "The Old Buffs", to distinguish it from "The Young Buffs", the 31st Foot.

Apart from the 1719 Vigo expedition, the next 25 years were spent on garrison duty in England and Scotland. It returned to Flanders in 1742 during the War of the Austrian Succession, as Thomas Howard's regiment; to distinguish it from that led by Sir Charles Howard, one became the "Buffs", and the other the Green Howards. It fought at the Battle of Dettingen in June 1743Cannon, p. 169 and at the Battle of Fontenoy in May 1745.Cannon, p. 171 With the outbreak of the 1745 Rising, it was sent to Scotland, taking part in the Battle of Falkirk Muir in January 1746Cannon, p. 173 and Battle of Culloden in April 1746.Cannon, p. 178 It returned to the Netherlands in April 1747 and saw action at the Battle of Lauffeld in July.Cannon, p. 180

Following the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, it spent the next ten years on garrison duty in England; in 1751, it was retitled the 3rd Regiment of Foot, "The Buffs". The Seven Years' War began in 1756; in autumn 1758, the regiment was posted to the West Indies, taking part in the January 1759 attacks on Martinique and Guadeloupe.Cannon, p. 183 After returning home, it took part in the capture of Belle Île in June 1761.Cannon, p. 184 It then moved to Portugal and fought at the Battle of Valencia de Alcántara in August 1762Cannon, p. 186 before returning to England in spring 1771.Cannon, p. 189

French Revolutionary Wars

The regiment was sent to the West Indies in December 1795 for service in the French Revolutionary Wars.Cannon, p. 209 It took part in the capture of Grenada in March 1796Cannon, p. 210 and of Saint Vincent in June 1796Cannon, p. 213 and the capture of Trinidad in February 1797Cannon, p. 214 and of various other islands in March 1801Cannon, p. 215 before returning home in autumn 1802.Cannon, p. 216

Napoleonic Wars

The regiment embarked for Portugal in August 1808 for service in the Peninsular War.Cannon, p. 220 The grenadier company of the regiment served under Sir John Moore at the Battle of Corunna in January 1809 before being evacuated to England later that month.Cannon, p. 221 The rest of the regiment remained on the Peninsula and fought at the Battle of Talavera in July 1809Cannon, p. 224 and the Battle of Bussaco in September 1810 before falling back to the Lines of Torres Vedras.Cannon, p. 226

It then saw action at the Battle of Albuera in May 1811Cannon, p. 228 and the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813.Cannon, p. 232 At Albuhera the regiment suffered heavy losses (about 400 out of 728) when caught in open order during a hail/rain storm by charging Polish lancers and French hussars.

Following Vitoria the Buffs then pursued the French Army into France and fought at the Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813,Cannon, p. 233 the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813Cannon, p. 234 and the Battle of the Nive in December 1813Cannon, p. 235 as well as the Battle of Orthez in February 1814 and the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814.Cannon, p. 236 It became part of the Army of Occupation of France in 1816 before returning home in autumn 1818.Cannon, p. 240

The Victorian era

The regiment had a tour of service from 1821 until 1827 in the British colony of New South Wales. For the duration of their service, The Buffs was divided into four detachments. The first was based in Sydney from 1821. The second arrived in Hobart in 1822. The third, entitled "The Buffs' Headquarters", arrived in Sydney in 1823. The fourth, arrived in Sydney in 1824, but variously saw service throughout the colonies, being stationed at Port Dalrymple, Parramatta, Liverpool, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Bathurst. The regiment reunited and was transferred to Calcutta in 1827. During their service in New South Wales, The Buffs was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel W. Stewart and Lieutenant Colonel C. Cameron. The regiment also saw action at the siege of Sevastopol in winter 1854 during the Crimean War.

In 1858, the 2nd Battalion was stationed in Malta. Lieutenant John Cotter, Adjutant of the 2nd Buffs,Hart, Lieut.-Col. H.T. (1858) The New Army List and Militia List, No. LXXIX, 1st July 1858. London: John Murray. p. 76 would shout "Steady, The Buffs!", a phrase which has entered common parlance. The 1st Battalion saw action in the Taku Forts action during the Second Opium War as well as in the Perak War while the 2nd Battalion saw action in the Anglo-Zulu War.

The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at Canterbury Barracks from 1873, or by the Childers reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment. The depot was the 45th Brigade Depot from 1873 to 1881, and the 3rd Regimental District depot thereafter Under the reforms the regiment became the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) on 1 July 1881. The East Kent Militia became the regiment's 3rd (Militia) Battalion (1881–1953) and its short-lived 4th (Militia) Battalion (1881–1888). At the same time two Kent rifle volunteer corps were redesignated as the 1st Volunteer Battalion and 2nd (The Weald of Kent) Volunteer Battalion of the Buffs.

The 1st Battalion saw action in the Anglo-Egyptian War, was from 1885 stationed at Malta, then moved to India where it saw several postings, including in Shwebo in inland Burma until late 1902 when it moved to Poona.

The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Battalion, 1st Volunteer (Militia) Battalion and 2nd Volunteer (Weald of Kent) Battalion all saw action during the Second Boer War with Captain Naunton Henry Vertue of the 2nd Battalion serving as brigade major to the 11th Infantry Brigade under Major General Edward Woodgate at the Battle of Spion Kop where he was mortally wounded in January 1900.

Following the end of the war in South Africa in June 1902, 540 officers and men of the 2nd battalion returned to the United Kingdom on the SS St. Andrew leaving Cape Town in early October, and the battalion was subsequently stationed at Dover.

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve; the regiment now had one Reserve and two Territorial battalions.These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the 4th Battalion at Northampton Street in Dover (since demolished) and the 5th Battalion at Newtown Road in Ashford (since demolished) (both Territorial Force)

First World War

For service in the First World War, ten additional battalions were raised.

Regular Army

The 1st Battalion was based in Fermoy as part of the 16th Brigade in the 6th Division until 12 August 1914 when it moved to Cambridge before landing in France on 8 September 1914.Moody, p. 9-10 The 2nd Battalion returned from Madras in December 1914 and remained in England as part of the 85th Brigade in the 28th Division; meanwhile the 3rd Battalion remained in Canterbury as a training unit.

Territorial Force

The 1/4th Battalion sailed for India in October 1914 while the 1/5th (Weald of Kent) Battalion sailed for India in October 1914 and then transferred to Mesopotamia in November 1915. The 2/4th Battalion, the 2/5th (Weald of Kent) Battalion, the 3/4th Battalion and the 3/5th (Weald of Kent) Battalion all remained in England throughout the war while the 10th (Royal East Kent and West Kent Yeomanry) Battalion was formed in Egypt in February 1917 and then transferred to France as part of the 230th Brigade in the 74th Division.

New Armies

The 6th (Service) Battalion, 7th (Service) Battalion, 8th (Service) Battalion and 9th (Reserve) Battalion were all formed for active service in France. Corporal William Richard Cotter was awarded the VC whilst serving with the 6th (Service) Battalion.

Between the wars After the end of the First World War, a small number of men from several battalions saw action during the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919.

In June 1935 King George V celebrated his silver jubilee. This opportunity was taken of granting royal status to four regiments, principally in recognition of their service in the previous war: On the occasion of His Majesty's Birthday and in commemoration of the completion of the twenty-fifth year of his reign, the King has been graciously pleased... to approve that the following regiments shall in future enjoy the distinction "Royal" and shall henceforth be designated:— 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Norfolk Regiment

Second World War