London) Infantry Division" (PDF). British Military History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2012 . Retrieved 30 December 2015. In 1595 Queen Elizabeth the States (the Low Countries) to repay the money expended by England on military aid. The States pleaded poverty and offered to fund the English troops in the Netherlands and repay what they owed by instalments. Her majesty acquiesced and the number of English troops in the pay of the States was fixed at 4,000 men. Sir Francis Vere's regiment had a strength of 2,200 English soldiers at this time. Sir Humphrey then laid siege to Ter-Goes in which action Morgan's Company distinguished themselves. The siege failed, however, because a force of Spanish and Wolloons marched 7 miles through water from Bergen-op-Zoom to relieve the town. The Duke of Alva advanced on Holland and besieged Harlem which was garrisoned by 3,000 men including 200 English and Scots. Reinforcements arrived in the form of 10 newly raised companies from England now commanded by Sir Thomas Morgan. But Harlem was forced, through hunger, to surrender in August 1573 and the Spaniards executed 2,000 inhabitants. Morgan's men were also engaged at Delft. 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. [41]

Marlborough started his Flanders campaign from the Hague on 2nd July 1702 while the raid on Cadiz was keeping the Buffs occupied. He was accompanied by two Dutch officials who for some reason not properly explained, had the power to veto Marlborough's military decisions. This hindrance first became downright dangerous when they prevented the Commander-in-Chief from engaging the French army under Boufflers, first at Lonovur on 2nd Aug when there was a good chance of destroying the enemy, and next on 22nd August. Another opportunity was prevented at Liege in October. Notwithstanding, the 1702 campaign was regarded as a success. Among the soldiers in the 10th Battalion, one soldier showed bravery in the Battle of Épehy on 18 September 1918. This was Private Percy James Fellows, a Lewis gunner who was mortally wounded while facing the enemy. He was serving with the 230th Brigade of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division. He died of wounds suffered during the Final Advance in Artois on 13 October 1918. [81] We’ll examine the less obscure one first. “Steady, the Buffs!” means “Keep calm!” or “Steady on, boys!” and can be traced to the late 19th century. Churchill, Winston L. Spencer (1898). The Story of the Malakand Field Force: an episode of frontier war, CHAPTER XII: AT INAYAT KILA. London, UK: Longmans, Green. The Freemasons Are the Oldest Fraternal Organization in the World. Freemasons belong to the oldest fraternal organization in the world, a group begun during the Middle Ages in Europe as a guild of skilled builders.

First World War

These men were not of high quality and during a period of 7 months in that year there were 113 court marshals with sentences amounting to 7,000 lashes given out. But in 1836 an inspection reported that the Buffs were 'in a most excellent state of discipline'. The Buffs” was officially made part of the regiment’s name by royal warrant in the 1750s, according to several histories we consulted. (It’s now the East Kent Regiment.) The 1st Buffs were mobilised to join Wolseley's Egyptian expedition but it was all over by the time they reached Malta and they went to Ireland instead. In 1885 they were sent to Singapore while the 2nd Buffs were returning from Hong Kong. The 2nd were sent to Egypt for the Nile Expedition. They went up river to Aswan but the Dervishes had been defeated at Ginnis so after two debilitating months in the desert they returned to England, in April 1886.

We also found this example, from an October 1899 issue of the Sketch: “ ‘Good the Guards!’ is becoming a military catchword, just as ‘Steady the Buffs’ and half-a-dozen other short sentences of the kind are.” 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. [7] 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. [8] It was also sometimes called "The Old Buffs", to distinguish it from "The Young Buffs", the 31st Foot. [4] The advance eastwards resulted in the battle of Orthes on 27th Feb where the Buffs suffered more losses when they performed an outflanking move. Then on to Toulouse which was fought on 10th April with little loss for the regiment. The Buffs did, however, gain the battle honours both for ORTHES and TOULOUSE for these actions. This was the end of the war for Napoleon until he returned from captivity in Elba the following year. The siege dragged on over 1602 and 1603 during which time Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 69 on 24th March 1603. She was succeeded by King James who although a Protestant was tolerant of Catholics and he concluded a peace treaty with Spain. The English troops remained in the Netherlands as they were not recalled. The siege of Ostend continued and on 13th April there was another storming of the walls which was repelled with the loss of 1,000 lives. The Historical Records of The Buffs (East Kent Regiment), 3rd Regiment of Foot, 1914–1919, Naval and Military Press".In 1858, the 2nd Battalion was stationed in Malta. Lieutenant John Cotter, Adjutant of the 2nd Buffs, [36] would shout "Steady, The Buffs!", a phrase which has entered common parlance. [4] The 1st Battalion saw action in the Taku Forts action during the Second Opium War as well as in the Perak War [37] while the 2nd Battalion saw action in the Anglo-Zulu War. [38] The Buffs arrived in Portugal on 1st Sep 1808 and sailed up the Tagus. Sir Arthur Wellesley had returned to England leaving Sir John Moore to advance into Spain with two thirds of the British army. The Buffs brought up the rear, escorting supply wagons, so that when Moore beat a hasty retreat towards Corunna the Buffs were left behind. The grenadier company, however, were with Moore and suffered the horror of the winter schlep over the mountains to Corunna. They fought with the rearguard, attached to the 20th Foot, and were evacuated to England where they arrived 'some 70 barefoot scarecrows' to join the 2nd Battalion. The remaining 9 companies of the Buffs stayed behind, guarding a large amount of money destined for Moore's troops. Lt-Col Richard Blunt managed to keep his regiment, and the money, safe from Napoleon and his marauding soldiers. In 1881, under the Childers Reforms, it was known as the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) and later, on 3 June 1935, was renamed the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)….Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) Royal East Kent Regiment (“The Buffs”); 3rd Regiment of Foot 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) Glozier, Mathew (2001). Scotland and the Thirty Years' War, 1618–1648; Steve Murdoch et al. Brill. p.126. ISBN 978-9004120860.

However, in April 1918 the Division went to France and were put in the Lys valley, and on the 2nd Sep they helped enlarge the gains made by the 7th Battalion beyond Morval. Later in the month they fought on the right of the 6th and 7th Battalions with the Australians on their right. They progressed better than all of them on 18th Sep but suffered after that and were returned to the 5th Army. However they marched into a suburb of Tournai with the band at their head. This was spoiled by a burst of machine-gun fire, causing a rush to battle formations and a night of fighting. The Buffs, as a regiment, had lost 5,688 men killed in World War One.For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more. Welcome to Steady The Buffs Militaria, for British, Colonial & Commonwealth Cap Badges, Collar Badges, Shoulder Titles and Cloth Insignia.