King's Regiment

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The King's Regiment

Cap badge of the King's Regiment
Active 1 September 1958-1 July 2006
Country United Kingdom
Branch Army
Type Line Infantry
Role Armoured Infantry
Size One battalion
Part of King's Division
Garrison/HQ Catterick, North Yorkshire
Townsend Avenue, Liverpool
Motto Nec Aspera Terrent (Difficulties be Damned)
March Quick: The Kingsman
Slow: Lord Ferrar's March
Anniversaries Ladysmith (28 February), Kohima (15 May), Guadeloupe (10 June), Somme (1 July), Blenheim (13 August), Delhi (14 September), Inkerman (5 November)
Commanders
Colonel in Chief Prince Charles, Prince of Wales
Colonel of
the Regiment		 Colonel Malcolm Grant Haworth

The King's Regiment, abbreviated as 1 KINGS and often referred to as 1st King's or King's, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed by the amalgamation of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) and Manchester Regiment on 1 September 1958. In existence for almost 50-years, the King's served in Kenya, Kuwait, British Guiana (Guyana), West Germany, Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, and Iraq. Between 1972 and 1990, 15 Kingsmen died in Northern Ireland during a violent period in the province's history known as "The Troubles".

When first formed in 1958, the King's Regiment was configured as an infantry regiment standard to the contemporary British Army. Under a system known colloquially as the "Arms Plot", infantry battalions were assigned various roles for a period of between two and six years and equipped accordingly. Converted first to armoured personnel carriers in the late 1960s, upon amalgamation in 2006 the regiment was classified as armoured infantry equipped primarily with the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. The regiment's establishment in 2004 was 620, although its substantive strength was recorded as being 60 below that.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 1958-1980

The Ferret was operated by the regiment's reconnaissance platoon in West Germany before and after conversion to armoured infantry.
The Ferret was operated by the regiment's reconnaissance platoon in West Germany before and after conversion to armoured infantry.

Consisting of regular and territorial battalions, the King's and Manchesters were selected by Duncan Sandys' 1957 Defence White Paper for amalgamation. Conscription (National Service) was to be abolished and the Armed Forces' size duly rationalised over a gradual period.[2] Retired soldiers and some serving personnel despaired at the prospect of the demise of their respective regiments.[3] The regular 1st Battalions of both regiments formally amalgamated on 1 September 1958, at Brentwood, to form the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool). The title reflected the seniority of the King's Regiment (Liverpool), formerly eighth in the infantry's order of precedence. Regimental subtitles (i.e. Manchester and Liverpool) would be omitted in 1968 without affecting recruitment boundaries in North West England. Traditions, uniform, battle honours, and an association with the Royal Family, principally Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, were inherited from the regiment's predecessors upon formation. As Queen of the United Kingdom in 1947, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had assumed the position of Colonel-in-Chief of the Manchester Regiment, formalising a relationship that was conceived during the Second World War.

Stands of colours (Regimental and Queen's) were presented to the 1st Battalion by the 18th Earl of Derby on 28 November. In addition to 1st King's, the regiment possessed three territorial battalions, all of which retained their historical designations, colours, uniforms, and honorary colonels. This practice continued until the Territorial Army's restructuring in the late 1960s: the 5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool), was reduced to a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers; the 8th (Ardwick) Battalion, The Manchester Regiment amalgamated with the 9th Battalion, to form the Manchester Regiment (Ardwick and Ashton) Territorials and a separate company within the Lancastrian Volunteers. Other units were constituted by elements of the King's Regiment and its predecessors, albeit in different services of the Army. Personnel from the Liverpool Scottish and defunct 5th King's were organised into "R" (King's) Battery, West Lancashire Regiment, and the Liverpool Irish and Liverpool Rifles survived as troops of other Royal Artillery batteries.[4][5]

Notification was received that the regiment would be stationed in Kenya, then emerging from the Mau Mau Uprising and approaching independence. Arriving in 1959, 1 King's were initially accommodated in Gilgil, situated in the Rift Valley between Naivasha and Nakuru, before relocating to Muthaiga Camp, near Nairobi. Detached from the regiment at this time were elements of headquarters and two rifle companies ("A" and "D"), which were stationed in Bahrain for over a year as part of the Army's contribution to the Persian Gulf garrison.[6] Subordinated to 24 Infantry Brigade, which was maintained in Kenya as part of the Strategic Reserve, 1 King's was at the disposal of the British Army for deployment to various locations in Africa and Asia.[7]

Subsequent to Kuwait's independence from Britain in June 1961, President Abd al-Karim Qasim directed belligerent speeches against the oil-rich Gulf state, declaring it an integral component of sovereign Iraq.[8] Perceiving Qassim's rhetoric to constitute a possible military threat to Kuwait's sovereignty, Sheikh Abdullah III appealed to Britain and Saudi Arabia for assistance. Britain responded to the emergency by concentrating military forces in the Persian Gulf, composed initially of naval assets, as a deterrence to aggression.[9] The Strategic Reserve's 24 Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Horsford, was transported to Kuwait via Bristol Britannias in early July to augment the country's defences. Opportunity for the King's to acclimatise before relieving 45 Commando was fleeting. Days after arriving, 1 King's was ordered to occupy a ridge formation approximately 30-miles west of Kuwait City and prepare a defensive position.[10]

When the emergency ended, the King's returned to Kenya, and in early 1962 proceeded to Britain. By July, the regiment was based in West Berlin. While there, the regiment frequently observed Soviet positions in East Berlin. Returning to Britain in 1964, the regiment became part of the UK Strategic Reserve. A company from the regiment deployed to British Honduras later that year.

The regiment's first deployment to Northern Ireland under the hostile conditions of the Troubles occurred in 1970, although the battalion's first casualties were not incurred until its second tour in 1972. Operating in West Belfast, 1 King's would sustain 49 casualties (seven fatalities and 42 wounded) during its four-month tour.[11] Violence escalated substantially during the year, causing the deaths of 467 people.[12] The bloodiest year of the "Troubles" – punctuated infamously by two episodes known as Bloody Sunday and Bloody Friday – resulted in the prorogation of the Stormont Parliament and imposition of direct rule by the Westminster Government. During an intense firefight with the PIRA, a Corporal Buckley of the King's was mortally wounded. Though attempts to rescue him were made, the corporal died almost immediately. One-week later, on 23 May, Kingsman Eustace Hanley was killed by a PIRA sniper while guarding a party of Royal Engineers in the process of removing barricades in the Ballymurphy sector. The regimental headquarters were bombed on the 30th, killing Kingsman Doglay and another soldier. Four more Kingsmen – Jones, Thomas, Christopher, and Layfield – were killed between July and August.

The regiment returned to Belfast in 1979. Three kingsmen died: Kingsman Shanley and Lance Corporal Rumble were killed in the same vehicle by a PIRA sniper, while Lance Corporal Webster was killed by a remote-controlled bomb.

[edit] 1980-2000

Events were organised in 1985 to observe the tercentenary of the regiment's foundation in 1685 as the Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot. After returnining to England, to be based in Chester, the 1st Battalion paraded with the territorial 5th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion in the presence of the Queen Mother and other attendees. The regiment was soon posted to the Falkland Islands on a four-month deployment.

Northern Ireland remained the British Army's largest operational commitment in the early 1990s.Violence had declined in frequency and casualties reduced in number; however, a new method of attack emerged during the regiment's two-year posting to County Londonderry as a resident infantry battalion in 1990.[13] The attack on 1 King's was the first in a series of vehicle-delivered "proxy bomb" attacks against multiple targets in 1990, three of which occurred on 25 October. Three men accused by the PIRA of collaborating with the security services were abducted and their families held hostage. Employed by the British Army as a civilian cook, Patrick Gillespie was instructed to drive his vehicle, laden with explosives, to a designated checkpoint on the border with County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. Approximately 1000 pounds of explosives contained within Gillespie's vehicle was detonated remotely when it reached the permanent checkpoint on Buncrana Road, near Derry, wounding many and killing Lance-Corporal Burrows and Kingsmen Beecham, Scott, Sweeney and Worrall.[14] Structural damage to buildings in a nearby housing estate and to military infrastructure was extensive.[14]

While the regiment was based in West London in 1992, two companies were posted to the Falkland Islands for four months. Another tour-of-duty to Northern Ireland occurred in 1995. The following year, the regiment was stationed in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus. Brief deployments to Northern Ireland followed in 1998 and 1999.

[edit] 2000-2006

Prior to the firefighters' strikes of 2003, the regiment received basic firefighting training to provide emergency cover. The regiment operated in the Greater Manchester area during the strikes as part of Operation Fresco.

Distribution of multi-national occupation forces during the deployment of the King's Regiment in 2003.
Distribution of multi-national occupation forces during the deployment of the King's Regiment in 2003.

Almost two-months after President George W. Bush declared an end to "major combat operations" in Iraq in his "Mission Accomplished" speech on 1 May 2003, the King's and elements of the territorial King's and Cheshire Regiment deployed to the country with 19 Mechanised Brigade. Under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ciaran Griffin, 1 King's and its battlegroup operated primarily in Basra Province during the initial period of post-war occupation. Tactics familiar to the King's Regiment, that had been employed in Northern Ireland and the Balkans, were adopted by the British forces occupying the south of Iraq.[15] Unless conditions dictated the wearing of helmets and deployment of Warriors, 1 King's would disembark from Land Rovers and conduct foot patrols in "soft hats" (berets). [16][17] The regiment's activities were varied and often dangerous. During its tour, 1 King's organised vehicle checkpoints, seized munitions, trained local forces, mediated tribal disputes, and engaged in a general "hearts and minds" campaign.[18] Civil disorder also occupied the battalion, particularly when rioting occurred in August and October. The violent demonstrations in August were attributed to Iraqi grievances over the scarcity of fuel and power shortages, compounded by oppressive temperatures exceeding 50 °C (122 °F).[19]

The King's returned to Catterick in November 2003. No fatal casualties had been incurred by the regiment and two regular officers and a territorial corporal were decorated with operational gallantry awards in recognition of their contributions.[20] Allegations of abuse were documented seven-months later in a report published by Amnesty International on 11 May 2004. Coinciding with a controversy centred on the publication of unrelated photographs by the Daily Mirror newspaper, the report detailed the deaths of 37 civilians, including four Iraqis that were claimed to have been killed by members of the King's battlegroup without apparent provocation.[21] The circumstances of their deaths were disputed and senior British officers judged the actions of the soldiers responsible to have been in compliance with the Army's rules of engagement.[22] Iraqi families brought their cases to the High Court of Justice in an attempt to secure independent inquiries and compensation.[23] The court, presided over by Lord Justice Rix and Justice Forbes, concluded in December that British jurisdiction did not extend to "the total territory of another state which is not itself a party to the Convention", prompting the families to challenge the judgement in the Court of Appeal.[24][22] Their appeals were dismissed in December 2005, along with a Government appeal challenging the court's recommendation that an independent inquiry be held into the death of Baha Mousa while detained by the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.

In December 2004, it was announced that the King's Regiment, along with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, would be amalgamated to form the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border) as part of the restructuring of the infantry. Initially the King's Regiment has formed the 2nd battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (2 LANCS). The initial three full time battalions of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment are due to be merged into two full time battalions. However, some elements of the King's Regiment continue on. Privates in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment are known as Kingsmen and uniform buttons display the emblem of the King's Regiment - the Fleur de Lys.

[edit] Other information

[edit] Battle honours

from the Regiment and its predecessors

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ House of Commons Written Answers, 10 January 2005. Accessed 23 June 2007.
  2. ^ Chandler (2003), p338
  3. ^ Mileham (2000), p193
  4. ^ Mileham (2000), p203
  5. ^ Regiments.org
  6. ^ Mileham (2000), p195
  7. ^ Mileham (2000), p195
  8. ^ Speller (2005), The Royal Navy and Maritime Power in the Twentieth Century, p166
  9. ^ Tripp (2002), History of Iraq, pp165-166
  10. ^ Mileham (2000), p196
  11. ^ Mileham (2000), p208
  12. ^ 146 of whom were security personnel, 223 were civilian, and 98 were members of Republican and Loyalist paramilitary organisations. 10,564 shootings and 1,853 explosive attacks were recorded. The Northern Ireland Campaign General Statistics. Accessed 22 June 2007
  13. ^ Cox, Guelke & Stephen (2000), A Farewell to Arms?: Beyond the Good Friday Agreement, p213
  14. ^ a b Brooke (1990), House of Commons Hansard Debates, 24 October, publications.parliament.uk. Accessed 8 July 2007.
  15. ^ Coalition divided over battle for hearts and minds, guardian.co.uk. Accessed 13 June 2007.
  16. ^ Greste (2003), Business as usual for British forces in Iraq, news.bbc.co.uk
  17. ^ Russell (2003), British troops patrol Basra using low-key tactics, alertnet.org (Reuters).
  18. ^ Neely (2003), Crime-racked Basra calls on British troops to get tougher, The Independent, 23 October. Accessed 12 July 2007.
  19. ^ BBC (2003), UK troops attacked in Basra, 9 August, news.bbc.co.uk. Accessed 10 July 2007.
  20. ^ For services in Iraq, Major James Benjamin Weston Hollister and Lance-Corporal Michael Davidson were awarded the Military Cross for "gallantry during active operations against the enemy"; Captain Taitusi Kagi Saukuru was awarded the (Queen's Gallantry Medal) for “displaying great composure under pressure” and “outstanding leadership and professionalism of the highest order”. In addition to the aformentioned gallantry awards, Lieutenant Colonel Ciaran Munchin Griffin received an OBE and Major Andrew Michael Pullan and Kingsman Paul Dennis Vanden were mentioned in despatches. Operational Honours and Awards, gnn.gov.uk. Accessed 13 July 2007.
  21. ^ UK troops 'shot harmless Iraqis', news.bbc.co.uk. Accessed 13 July 2007.
  22. ^ a b High Court publication, hmcourts-service.gov.uk. Accessed 15 July 2007.
  23. ^ BBC (2004), Court challenge over Iraqi deaths, 5 May, news.bbc.co.uk. Accessed 18 July 2007.
  24. ^ BBC (2004), Iraqis win death probe test case, news.bbc.co.uk. Accessed 15 July 2007.

[edit] References