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 an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1958.

Contents

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. [1] Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class. [2] The only change to the regiment's structure during the period of 1881-1908 occurred during the Second Boer War. During the conflict, the regiment formed two additional regular battalions in Ireland in 1900, which required the militia to be renumbered the 5th and 6th battalions to accommodate them. The new battalions disbanded in 1901 and the militia reverted to their original designations. [1]

BattalionFormedFormerly
Regular
1st [1] 1685
2nd [1] 1857
Militia
3rd (Militia)17971st Battalion, 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles) [1] [3] [4]
4th (Militia)18542nd Battalion, 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles) [1] [3] [4]
Volunteers
1st Volunteer 18591st Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps [1] [3] [5]
2nd Volunteer 18595th (The Liverpool Rifle Volunteer Brigade) Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps [1] [3] [5]
3rd Volunteer185913th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps [1] [3] [5]
4th Volunteer 186015th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps [1] [3] [5]
5th (Irish) Volunteer 186018th (Liverpool Irish) Lancashire Rifle Volunteers Corps [1] [3] [5]
6th Volunteer 186119th (Liverpool Press Guard) Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps [1] [3] [5]
7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer 18601st Isle of Man Rifle Volunteers [1] [6] [7]

Reorganisation

The Territorial Force (later Territorial 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.

BattalionFormerly
5th 1st Volunteer Battalion [1] [3]
6th (Rifle) 2nd Volunteer Battalion [1] [3]
7th Amalgamation of 3rd and 4th Volunteer Battalions [1] [3]
8th (Irish) 5th (Irish) Volunteer Battalion [1] [3]
9th 6th Volunteer Battalion [1] [3]
10th (Liverpool Scottish) 8th (Scottish) Volunteer Battalion (formed 1900) [8] [9]

First World War

The King's Regiment fielded 49 battalions and lost 13,795 officers and other ranks during the course of the war. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. As an 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 colleagues. The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments. [10]

BattalionFormedServedFate
Regular
1st1685 Western Front [11] [12]
2nd1857 India (NWF), Afghanistan [11] [12]
Special Reserve
3rd (Reserve) Britain, Ireland [11] [12]
4th (Extra Reserve) Western Front [11] [12]
Territorial Force
1/5th 1859Western Front [11] [12] See Inter-War
1/6th (Rifle) 1859Western Front [11] [12] See Inter-War
1/7th 1859/1860Western Front [11] [12] See Inter-War
1/8th (Irish) 1860Western Front [11] [12] See Inter-War
1/9th 1861Western Front [11] [12] See Inter-War
1/10th (Scottish) 1900Western Front [11] [12] See Inter-War
2/5th Liverpool, September 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [11] [12] Disbanded 1 February 1918 [1] [3] [12]
2/6th (Rifle) Liverpool, September 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [11] [12] Disbanded May 1919
2/7th Bootle, [1] [3] October 1914Western Front [11] [12] Disbanded 15 May 1919 [1] [3] [12]
2/8th (Irish) Liverpool, October 1914Western Front [1] [11] [12] Absorbed by 1/8th King's on 31 January 1918 [1] [3] [12]
2/9th Battalion Liverpool, October 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [12] Absorbed by 1/9th King's in February 1918 [12]
2/10 (Scottish) Liverpool, October 1914 [8] [12] Western Front [12] Absorbed by 1/10th King's in April 1918 [12]
3/5th Liverpool, May 1915 [1] [12] BritainTransferred to West Lancashire Reserve Brigade (WLRB), 1916 [12]
3/6th (Rifle) Liverpool, May 1915 [1] [12] BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916 [12]
3/7th Liverpool, May 1915 [1] [12] BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916 [12]
3/8th (Irish) Liverpool, May 1915 [1] [12] BritainTransferred WLRB, 1916 [12]
3/9th Liverpool, May 1915 [1] [12] BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916 [12]
3/10th (Scottish) Liverpool, May 1915 [8] [12] BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916 [12]
25th (Garrison) Sheringham, 1 January 1917, from 43rd Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) [1] [12] Western Front [12] Disbanded March 1920
26th Essex, 1 January 1917, from 44th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) [1] [12] BritainDisbanded March 1918
New Army
11th (Service) Seaforth, 23 August 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [12] Absorbed by 15th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, August 1918 [12]
12th (Service)Seaforth, September 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [12] Disbanded June 1919
13th (Service)Seaforth, October 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [12] Disbanded October 1919
14th (Service)Seaforth, October 1914 [1] [12] Western Front, Salonika [12] Absorbed by the 18th in August 1918 [12]
15th (Reserve) Formby, November 1914 [1] [12] BritainBecame the 49th Training Reserve Battalion, September 1916 [12]
16th (Reserve) Hoylake, December 1914 [1] [12] BritainAbsorbed by TR battalions of 11th Reserve Brigade, September 1916 [12]
17th (Service) Liverpool, 29 August 1914 [1] [12] Western Front, Russia [12] Disbanded September 1919
18th (Service) Liverpool, 29 August 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [12] Disbanded May 1919
19th (Service) Liverpool, 29 August 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [12] Absorbed by the 14th King's, 13 August 1918
20th (Service) Liverpool, 16 October 1914 [1] [12] Western Front [12] Disbanded February 1918
21st (Reserve) Knowsley Park, August 1915 [1] [12] BritainBecame 67th Training Reserve Battalion in 16th Reserve Brigade, September 1916
22nd (Reserve)Knowsley Park, August 1915 [1] [12] BritainBecame 68th Training Reserve Battalion, 16th Reserve Brigade, September 1916
Others
7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer Battalion [1] [12] 1860Britain, Salonika (Service Company) [12] Disbanded March 1920
23rd (Works) Prescot, May 1916 [1] [12] BritainBecame the 1st Labour Battalion, March 1917
24th (Works)Birmingham, June 1916 [1] [12] BritainPossibly redesignated as the 27th; became the 2nd Labour Battalion, April 1917 [12]
27th (Home Service) Sidestrand, 27 April 1918 [1] [12] BritainDisbanded March 1919
28th (Home Service) Clacton-on-Sea, June 1918 [1] [12] BritainAbsorbed by 17th King's, July 1918
29th (Service)Liverpool, May 1919 [1] France & FlandersDisbanded August 1920
30th (Service)May 1919 [1] France & FlandersDisbanded August 1920
1st GarrisonLiverpool, August 1915 [1] [12] Egypt [12] Disbanded September 1919
2nd Garrison Pembroke Dock, November 1915 [12] Egypt, Salonika [12] Disbanded January 1920
3rd (Home Service) GarrisonPembroke Dock, April 1916 [1] [12] BritainBecame the 3rd Royal Defence Corps, August 1917
1st DockLiverpool, August 1915 [1] [12] LiverpoolDisbanded November 1917
2nd DockLiverpool, August 1915 [1] [12] LiverpoolDisbanded by 1918
51st (Graduated) Fermoy, 27 October 1917, formerly 20th Welch Regiment [1] [12] Ireland, East Anglia [12] Disbanded November 1919 [1]
52nd (Graduated) Herringfleet, 27 October 1917, formerly 12th East Lancashire Regiment [1] [12] East AngliaConverted to Service battalion February 1919; disbanded February 1920 [1]
53rd (Young Soldier) Prees Heath Camp, 27 October 1917, formerly 21st Lancashire Fusiliers [1] [12] Kinmel Camp, Rhyl [12] Disbanded June 1919 [1]
Volunteer Training Corps [13]
5th Battalion Lancashire Volunteer Regiment
later the 1st Volunteer Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment		LiverpoolDisbanded post war
6th Battalion Lancashire Volunteer Regiment
later the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment		LiverpoolDisbanded post war
6th Battalion Lancashire Volunteer Regiment
later the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment		LiverpoolDisbanded post war

Inter-War

By 1922, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The King's Regiment did not, however, return to its original peacetime size; it lost the 8th (Liverpool Irish) and 9th battalions shortly after the war ended. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the 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.

BattalionFate
5th Retained, though it became a "line infantry" battalion when its rifle distinctions were relinquished in 1937 [1]
6th (Rifle) Transferred to the Royal Engineers, becoming the 38th (The King's Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 1936, later 38th (The King's Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery [1]
7th Became the 40th (The King's) Regiment, Royal Tank Corps, July 1938 [1]
8th (Irish) Disbanded 31 March 1922 [1] [3]
9thAbsorbed by the Royal Engineers, 1920 [1] [14]
10th (Liverpool Scottish) Became a battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, retaining its Liverpool Scottish designation, 1937.

Second World War

The King's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914-1918. Existing battalions formed duplicates as in the First World War, while National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion. In addition to this, 16 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment. [15] These wore the 'WL' designation for West Lancashire, [16] the remaining 7 wearing this patch were cap-badged to another regiment. By 1944 one anti-aircraft battery and three rocket batteries (Z Battery) were also part of the regiment, making up most of the 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard). [17] Due to the daytime (or shift working) occupations of the men the batteries required eight times the manpower of an equivalent regular unit. [18]

BattalionFormedServedFate
Regular
1st1685 India, Burma, Chindits Became the 15th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), 1945
2nd1857 North Africa, Italy, Greece See post-World War II
Supplementary Reserve
3rdBritainSee Post-World War II
4thBritainSee Post-World War II
Territorial Army
5th 1859Britain, France, Germany See Post-World War II
8th (Irish) Authorised March 1939; reformed October 1939 [1] [3] Britain, France [19] Effectively disbanded in August 1944; [20] officially placed in "suspended animation" on 22 November 1944; reconstituted on 1 January 1947 as 626th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA [1] [3]
9th Authorised March 1939; reformed May 1939 as duplicate of 5th King's [1] [3] BritainPlaced in "suspended animation" on 21 March 1946; re-amalgamated with 5th King's 1 January 1947 [1] [3]
10th (Home Defence)December 1939, from National Defence Companies [1] BritainRedesignated 30th (Home Defence) Battalion November 1940
11thJuly 1940 [1] BritainBecame the 152nd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, November 1941 [1]
12th July 1940 [1] BritainTransferred to the Royal Artillery, November 1941 and became 101st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery [1]
13thJune 1940 [1] India, Burma (Chindits)Disbanded 1945
14th Isle of Man, October 1940, from 50th (Holding) Bn [1] Isle of ManTransferred to the Royal Artillery, February 1942 and became 184th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery [1]
15th (Home Defence)Formerly the 2/10th King's, September 1940BritainDisbanded 1941
30th (Home Defence)Formerly the 10th King's [1] BritainDisbanded March 1943 [1]
Others
50th (Holding)Liverpool, 1939BritainBecame 14th Bn October 1940 [1]
70th (Young Soldiers)Formed from YS companies of 10th (HD) Bn King's and 8th (HD) Bn Cheshire Regiment, September 1940 [1] BritainDisbanded September 1943 [1]
Home Guard [21]
BattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)BattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)
71stOrmskirkWL 7172ndCrosbyWL 72
73rdMaghullWL 7374thSouthportWL 74
77thBootleWL 7782nd (Liverpool)ToxtethWL 82
83rd (Liverpool)AnfieldWL 8384th (Liverpool)WooltonWL 84
85th (Liverpool)ChidwallWL 8586th (Liverpool)StoneycroftWL 86
87th (Liverpool)AigburthWL 8788th (Liverpool)BootleWL 88
89thLiverpoolWL 8990th (Liverpool Corporation Passenger Transport)LiverpoolWL 90
91st (L.M.S.)LiverpoolWL 9192nd (G.P.O. 20)LiverpoolWL 92
Home Guard Anti-Aircraft units [17]
Formation Sign
(dark blue on khaki)		Headquarters or LocationAA Formation and DesignationFormation Sign
(dark blue on khaki)		Headquarters or LocationAA Formation and Designation
WL 171Liverpool171st Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (HAA)WL 101Bootle172nd Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery)
WL 102Liverpool201st Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery)WL 103Liverpool202nd Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery)

Post-World War II

In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded. A defence review by Duncan Sandys in 1957 decided that the King's would be amalgamated with the Manchester Regiment, to form the King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool). They united as the 1st Battalion on 1 September 1958.

BattalionFate
1stAmalgamated with 1st Manchesters to form the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool), September 1958 [1]
2ndAmalgamated with 1st King's, September 1948 [1]
3rdDisbanded 1953 [1]
4thDisbanded 1953 [1]
5th Retained its identity until 1967, when it became a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 Frederick (1984 edn), pp. 126–30.
  2. ↑ Westlake.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Frederick (1969 edn), pp. 107-9
  4. 1 2 Hay, pp. 262–3.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Westlake, pp. 139–46.
  6. ↑ Frederick (1969 edn), p.111
  7. ↑ Westlake, p. 112.
  8. 1 2 3 Frederick (1984 edn) p. 148.
  9. ↑ Frederick (1969 edn), p. 128
  10. ↑ Westlake, Ray (2020). Guide to the Volunteer Training Corps 1914-1918. Uckfield: Naval and Military Press. pp. 4–7. ISBN   9781783315390.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Mileham, pp. 240-1
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 James, pp. 51–3.
  13. ↑ Westlake pp. 120-121
  14. ↑ Roberts, p. 127.
  15. ↑ Whittacker, L B (1990). Stand Down. Orders of battle for the units of the Home Guard of the United Kingdom, November 1944. Newport: Ray Westlake Military Books. pp. 54–47. ISBN   1871167140.Whittaker pp. 65-57
  16. ↑ Whittaker p. 152
  17. 1 2 Whittaker p. 109
  18. ↑ Whittaker p. 23
  19. ↑ Mileham, p.165
  20. ↑ Mileham, p. 167
  21. ↑ "History of the Home Guard" . Retrieved 29 June 2022.

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