List of battalions of the King's Regiment (Liverpool)
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This is a list of battalions of the King's Regiment (Liverpool), which existed as a regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1958.
Contents |
[edit] Original composition
When the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot became the King's (Liverpool Regiment) in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, eight pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Lancashire and the Isle of Man were integrated into the structure of the King's Regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France the late 1850s. They were formed as "rifle volunteer corps", independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class. The only change to the regiment's structure during the period of 1881-1908 occurred during the Second Boer War. The militia battalions were renumbered as the 5th and 6th to accommodate two new regular battalions formed in Ireland in 1900. They were disbanded the following year and the militia reverted to their original designations.
| Battalion | Formed | Formerly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | |||
| 2nd | 1857 | |||
| Militia | ||||
| 3rd (Militia) | 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own) | |||
| 4th (Militia) | 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own) | |||
| Volunteers | ||||
| 1st Volunteer | 1859 | 1st Lancashire Rifle Volunteers | ||
| 2nd Volunteer | 1859 | 5th (Liverpool Rifle Volunteer Brigade) Lancashire Rifle Volunteers | ||
| 3rd Volunteer | 1859 | 13th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers | ||
| 4th Volunteer | 1860 | 15th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers | ||
| 5th (Irish) Volunteer | 1860 | 18th (Liverpool Irish) Lancashire Rifle Volunteers] | ||
| 6th Volunteer | 1861 | 19th (Liverpool Press Guard) Lancashire Rifle Volunteers | ||
| 7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer | 1860 | 1st Isle of Man Rifle Volunteers | ||
[edit] Reorganisation
The Territorial Force (later Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order. Uniquely, the 7th (Isle of Man) Battalion did not join the Territorial Force, instead remaining a "volunteer" battalion.
| Battalion | Formerly |
|---|---|
| 5th (Rifle) | 1st Volunteer Battalion |
| 6th (Rifle) | 2nd Volunteer Battalion |
| 7th | 4th Volunteer Battalion (which absorbed the 3rd) |
| 8th (Irish) | 5th (Irish) Volunteer Battalion |
| 9th | 6th Volunteer Battalion |
| 10th (Liverpool Scottish) | 8th (Scottish) Volunteer Battalion (formed 1900) |
[edit] First World War
The King's Regiment would field 49 battalions and lose 13,795 officers and other ranks during the course of the war. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. For example, the three-line battalions of the 5th King's were numbered as the 1/5th, 2/5th, and 3/5th respectively. Many battalions of the King's were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. The 17th to 20th King's, New Army "Service" battalions, were referred to as the Liverpool "Pals" because they were predominantly composed of work colleagues.
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | Western Front | ||
| 2nd | 1857 | India (NWF), Afghanistan | ||
| Special Reserve | ||||
| 3rd (Reserve) | Britain, Ireland | |||
| 4th (Extra Reserve) | Western Front | |||
| Territorial Force | ||||
| 1/5th | 1859 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/6th (Rifle) | 1859 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/7th | 1859/1860 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/8th (Irish) | 1860 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/9th | 1861 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/10th (Scottish) | 1900 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 2/5th | Liverpool, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded February 1918 | |
| 2/6th (Rifle) | Liverpool, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 1918 | |
| 2/7th | Bootle, October 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 1918 | |
| 2/8th (Irish) | Liverpool, October 1914 | Western Front | Absorbed by 1/8th King's in January 1918 | |
| 2/9th Battalion | Liverpool, October 1914 | Western Front | Absorbed by 1/9th King's in February 1918 | |
| 2/10 (Scottish) | Liverpool, October 1914 | Western Front | Absorbed by 1/10th King's in April 1918 | |
| 3/5th | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Transferred to West Lancashire Reserve Brigade (WLRB), 1916 | |
| 3/6th (Rifle) | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Transferred to WLRB, 1916 | |
| 3/7th | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Transferred to WLRB, 1916 | |
| 3/8th (Irish) | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Tramsferred WLRB, 1916 | |
| 3/9th | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Transferred to WLRB, 1916 | |
| 3/10th (Scottish) | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Transferred to WLRB, 1916 | |
| 25th | Sheringham, 1 January 1917 | Western Front | Disbanded | |
| 26th | Essex, 1 January 1917 | Britain | Disbanded March 1918 | |
| New Army | ||||
| 11th (Service) | Seaforth, 23 August 1914 | Western Front | Absorbed by the 15th Loyals, August 1918 | |
| 12th (Service) | Seaforth, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded | |
| 13th (Service) | Seaforth, October 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded | |
| 14th (Service) | Seaforth, October 1914 | Western Front, Salonika | Absorbed by the 18th in August 1918 | |
| 15th (Reserve) | Formby, November 1914 | Britain | Became the 49th Training Reserve Battalion, September 1916 | |
| 16th (Reserve) | Hoylake | Britain | Absorbed by TR battalions of 11th Reserve Brigade, September 1916 | |
| 17th (Service) | Liverpool, 29 August 1914 | Western Front, Russia | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 18th (Service) | Liverpool, 29 August 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded | |
| 19th (Service) | Liverpool, 29 August 1914 | Western Front | Absorbed by the 14th King's, 13 August 1918 | |
| 20th (Service) | Liverpool, 16 October 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded February 1918 | |
| 21st (Reserve) | Knowsley Park, August 1914 | Britain | Became 67th Training Reserve Battalion in 16th Reserve Brigade, 1916 | |
| 22nd (Reserve) | Knowsley Park, August 1914 | Britain | Became 68th Training Reserve Battalion, 16th Reserve Brigade, 1916 | |
| Others | ||||
| 7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer Battalion | 1860 | Britain, Salonika (Service Company) | Disbanded | |
| 23rd (Works) | Prescot, May 1916 | Britain | Became the 1st Labour Battalion | |
| 24th (Works) | June 1916 | Britain | Possibly redesignated as the 27th; became the 2nd Labour Battalion, April 1917 | |
| 27th (Home Service) | Sidestrand, 27 April 1918 | Britain | Disbanded | |
| 28th (Home Service) | Clacton-on-Sea, June 1918 | Britain | Absorbed by 17th King's, July 1918 | |
| 1st Garrison | Liverpool, August 1915 | Egypt | Disbanded | |
| 2nd Garrison | Pembroke Dock, November 1915 | Egypt, Salonika | Disbanded | |
| 3rd (Home Service) Garrison | Pembroke Dock, April 1916 | Britain | Became the 3rd Royal Defence Corps, August 1917 | |
| 1st Dock | Liverpool, August 1915 | Liverpool | Disbanded | |
| 2nd Dock | Liverpool, August 1915 | Liverpool | Disbanded | |
| 51st (Graduated) | Fermoy, 27 October 1917 | Ireland, East Anglia | Disbanded | |
| 52nd (Graduated) | Herringfleet, 27 October 1917 | East Anglia | Disbanded | |
| 53rd (Young Soldier) | Press Heath, 27 October, 1917 | Kinmel Camp, Rhyl | Disbanded | |
[edit] Inter-War
By 1922, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The King's would not, however, return to its original peacetime size; it would lose the 8th (Liverpool Irish) and 9th Battalions shortly after the war ended. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. As World War II, approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 5th | Retained, though became a "line infantry" battalion when its rifle distinctions were relinquished in 1937 |
| 6th (Rifle) | Transferred to the Royal Engineers, becoming the 38th (King's) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, 1936 |
| 7th | Became the 40th (The King's) Regiment, Royal Tank Corps, 1938 |
| 8th (Irish) | Disbanded 1922 |
| 9th | Absorbed by the Royal Engineers, early 1920s[1] |
| 10th (Liverpool Scottish) | Became a battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, retaining its Liverpool Scottish designation, 1937. |
[edit] Second World War
The King's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914-18. Existing battalions formed duplicates as in WWI, while "National Defence Companies" were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion. In addition to this, 16 battalions and four batteries of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment.
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | India, Burma | Became the 15th (The King's) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 1945 | |
| 2nd | 1857 | North Africa, Italy, Greece | See post-WWII | |
| Supplementary Reserve | ||||
| 3rd | Britain | See Post-WWII | ||
| 4th | Britain | See Post-WWII | ||
| Territorial Army | ||||
| 5th | 1859 | Britain, France, Germany | See Post-WWII | |
| 8th (Irish) | Reformed 1939 | Britain, France | Disbanded July 1944; reconstituted as 626th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, 1947 | |
| 9th | 1938 (Duplicate of 5th King's) | Britain | Disbanded 1946 | |
| 10th (Home Defence) | December 1939 | Britain | Redesginated the 30th (Home Defence) Battalion. 1941 | |
| 11th | June 1940 | Britain | Became the 152nd Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, November 1941 | |
| 12th | July 1940 | Britain | Transferred to the Royal Artillery, November 1941 | |
| 13th | June 1940 | India, Burma (Chindits) | Disbanded 1945 | |
| 14th | Isle of Man, October 1940 | Isle of Man | Disbanded February 1942 | |
| 15th (Home Defence) | Formerly the 2/10th King's, September 1940 | Britain | Disbanded 1941 | |
| 30th (Home Defence) | Formerly the 10th King's | Britain | Disbanded March 1943 | |
| Others | ||||
| 50th (Holding) | Liverpool, 1939 | Britain | Disbanded | |
| 70th (Young Soldiers) | Formed from the 10th King's, September 1940 | Britain | Disbanded September 1943 | |
[edit] Post-World War II
In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments lost their second battalions and the Supplementary Reserve and its battalions were disbanded. A defence review by Duncan Sandys in 1957 resulted in the King's amalgamating with the Manchester Regiment, to form the King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool) on 1 September 1958.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 1st | Amalgamated with 1st Manchesters to form the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool), 1958 |
| 2nd | Amalgamated with 1st King's, 1948 |
| 3rd | Disbanded 1953 |
| 4th | Disbanded 1953 |
| 5th | Retained its identity until 1967, when it became a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Roberts (1922), The Story of the 9th King's in France, p127
[edit] References
- Patrick Mileham (2000). Difficulties Be Damned: The King's Regiment - A History of the City Regiment of Manchester and Liverpool. Fleur de Lys. ISBN 1-873907-10-9.
- The Long, Long Trail (1914-1918). Accessed 17 November 2005
- Regiments.org. Accessed 17 November 2005
- The Regiment Warpath (1914-1918). Accessed 17 November 2005
