Administrative history:
The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment was formed on 14 October 1959 following a major review of British defence policy in 1957 as a result of which the number of infantry battalions of the line was reduced from sixty-five to fifty-two.
The new regiment was created by the amalgamation of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) and the East Surrey Regiment. The 1st Battalions of the two regiments were merged to form a new 1st Battalion and a new depot was established in Canterbury which was the headquarters of the Home Counties Brigade, of which the new regiment formed part along with The Queen's Own Buffs The Royal Kent Regiment, The Royal Sussex Regiment and The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own). These four battalions were to wear their own separate new badges on the collar, but be united by one cap badge, the Saxon crown with a sword penetrating the crown.
The Territorial Army was re-organised in 1961 and the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment were formed. The 3rd Battalion was created by the amalgamation of 565 LAA Regiment (late 4th Queen's), 5th Queen's, and 6th Queen's, with a Battalion HQ and HQ Company at Guildford, A Company at Dorking and Reigate, B Company at Camberley and Woking, C Company at Croydon, and D Company at Bermondsey and Sutton. It formed part of 131 Infantry Brigade (44 Home Counties Division/District). The 4th Battalion was formed by the amalgamation of 6th East Surreys and the 23rd London Regiment, with a Battalion HQ and HQ Company at Kingston, A Company at Clapham and Richmond, B Company at Clapham, C Company at Chertsey, Hersham and Cobham, and D Company at Kingston, Sutton and Leatherhead. It formed part of 47 (London) Infantry Brigade (56th London Division/District). In 1961, in addition, R (Surrey) Battery 265 Regiment RA (late 7th Queen's) was formed, through the amalgamation of P and Q Batteries (1st Surrey Rifles), and R (Queen's Battery), 570 LAA Regiment RA at Flodden Road, Camberwell.
The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment enjoyed a very short existence: on 31 December 1966 the regiments comprising the Home Counties Brigade were amalgamated into a new regiment, The Queen's Regiment, with a depot at Canterbury. Initially, each of the new four battalions of the Regiment kept its direct county affiliations; for example, the 1st Battalion became 1st Battalion The Queen's Regiment (Queen's Surreys). The suffixes were dropped, however, in 1968, once it became known that the 4th Battalion was to be disbanded.
The Territorial units were also reorganised in 1967, the 3rd and 4th Battalions combining to become 6th (Territorial) Battalion, the Queen's Regiment (Battalion HQ, A and HQ Companies at Kingston, B Company at Clapham, C Company at Cobham, Chertsey and Leatherhead, D Company at Croydon). A 5th (Volunteer) Battalion was also formed, including A Company (Queen's Surreys), which had been created at Guildford out of 3rd Battalion. In 1971, 6th (Territorial) Battalion reformed as the 6th (Volunteer) Battalion (HQ and HQ Company, Wandsworth; A Company, Edgware; B Battery, Hackney; C Battery, Camberwell; D Company, Sutton) and a 7th (Volunteer) Battalion was also created (HQ and HQ Company, Horsham; A Company, Farnham; B Company Folkestone; C Company, Crawley). The two volunteer companies were amalgamated in 1975 to form 6/7th (Volunteer) Battalion (HQ and HQ Company, Horsham; A Company, Farnham; B Company, Edgware; C Company, Crawley; D Company, Sutton, Wandsworth and Camberwell).
In 1992, the Regiment merged again, this time with the Royal Hampshire Regiment, to form the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, with a depot at Canterbury and a western headquarters in Winchester.
Individual summaries of the history of each Battalion can be found with the list for that Battalion.
