1915-1918 - EAST SURREY REGIMENTAL CRESTED CHRISTMAS CARDS

EAST SURREY REGIMENT - 5TH BATTALION
Regimental Crested Christmas Cards 1915 - 1918

These are authentic Regimental Crested Christmas Greeting Cards with touching notations from a father to his child. Whether you have an interest in Military Ephemera, Colonial India or Christmas Memorabilia, these are very fine examples of Christmas in the East during World War I.

Historical Note
 

In September of 1661 a  Royal Warrant was issued to Recruit Peterborough's Regiment in London and Surrey. On October of 1661 the first Regiment was raised in Surrey and known as the First Tangiers Regiment under the Command of the Earl of Peterborough. The Regiment was raised to garrison the port of Tangier in North Africa, which King Charles II had acquired as part of the dowry, when he married Catherine of Braganza, the Infanta of Portugal. The Regiment spent 22 years garrisoned in Tangiers protected English Interests in the wars against the Moors. The battle honour of TANGIER 1662-1680 was awarded to the Regiment in 1909 and is the oldest in the British Army. It is still proudly emblazoned on the Colours of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, the modern successor of the Tangier (later known as the East Surrey) Regiment.  The second regiment to be raised in the history of the regiments of Surrey was Villiers’ Marines in 1702, later to become the 31st Foot.

In 1881 Secretary of War, Edward Cardwell was instituting long overdue reforms in the military and The 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment and The 70th (Surrey) Regiment became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The East Surrey Regiment.  From 1702 through World War I the Surrey Regiments won the following Battle Honours: “GIBRALTAR 1704-5” “DETTINGEN” “MARTINIQUE 1794” “TALAVERA” “GUADELOUPE 1810” “ALBUHERA” “VITTORIA” “PYRENEES” “NIVELLE” “NIVE” “ORTHES” “PENINSULA” “CABOOL 1842” “MOODKEE” “FEROZESHAH” “ALIWAL” “SOBRAON” “SEVASTOPOL” “TAKU FORTS” “NEW ZEALAND” “AFGHANISTAN 1878-79” “SUAKIN 1885” “RELIEF OF LADYSMITH” and “SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1902” which is emblazoned below the crests of these Christmas Greetings.

At the start of World War I the 5th Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment was in Wimbledon as part of the Surrey Brigade, Home Counties Division. On 2 December 1914 they landed at Bombay, where the Division was broken up. The 5th Battalion was posted to the Northwest Frontier for 1915-1916. In December 1917 the Battalion was moved to Mesopotamia and in February 1918 was attached to 55th Brigade of 18th Indian Division.

The Regimental Prayer.
O God, who dost prove and try Thy people as gold is tried in the fire,
Grant, we beseech Thee, of Thy mercy, that Thy servants The East Surrey Regiment,
Who have been tried by water and fire and proved in many a day of battle,
May never be confounded for as much as we trust Thee,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Document Specifications:  There are three Christmas Greeting cards in this offering.  They range in size from 4½ - 5 inches in width and 2.75 - 3½ inches tall.  They are in very fine condition with some minor soiling, wrinkling of inner pages and deterioration of the decorative ribbons.  Each card has the raised engraved seal of the Regimental Crest as shown and the cover of each is a single piece of heavy stock folded once.  Inside each is an interior page of one piece also folded once to make two inside pages of thin paper stock as illustrated in the photos. 
 

 Offered by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd.

End of Item - BSL - East Surrey Regimental Cards

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