List of battalions of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) explained

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.

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
1st1685
2nd1857
Militia
3rd (Militia)17971st Battalion, 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles)[3] [4]
4th (Militia)18542nd Battalion, 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles)
Volunteers
1st Volunteer18591st Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps[5]
2nd Volunteer18595th (The Liverpool Rifle Volunteer Brigade) Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps
3rd Volunteer185913th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps
4th Volunteer186015th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps
5th (Irish) Volunteer186018th (Liverpool Irish) Lancashire Rifle Volunteers Corps
6th Volunteer186119th (Liverpool Press Guard) Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps
7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer18601st Isle of Man Rifle Volunteers[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
5th1st Volunteer Battalion
6th (Rifle)2nd Volunteer Battalion
7thAmalgamation of 3rd and 4th Volunteer Battalions
8th (Irish)5th (Irish) Volunteer Battalion
9th6th Volunteer Battalion
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
1st1685Western Front[11] [12]
2nd1857India (NWF), Afghanistan
Special Reserve
3rd (Reserve)Britain, Ireland
4th (Extra Reserve)Western Front
Territorial Force
1/5th1859Western FrontSee Inter-War
1/6th (Rifle)1859Western FrontSee Inter-War
1/7th1859/1860Western FrontSee Inter-War
1/8th (Irish)1860Western FrontSee Inter-War
1/9th1861Western FrontSee Inter-War
1/10th (Scottish)1900Western FrontSee Inter-War
2/5thLiverpool, September 1914Western FrontDisbanded 1 February 1918
2/6th (Rifle)Liverpool, September 1914Western FrontDisbanded May 1919
2/7thBootle, October 1914Western FrontDisbanded 15 May 1919
2/8th (Irish)Liverpool, October 1914Western FrontAbsorbed by 1/8th King's on 31 January 1918
2/9th BattalionLiverpool, October 1914Western FrontAbsorbed by 1/9th King's in February 1918
2/10 (Scottish)Liverpool, October 1914Western FrontAbsorbed by 1/10th King's in April 1918
3/5thLiverpool, May 1915BritainTransferred to West Lancashire Reserve Brigade (WLRB), 1916
3/6th (Rifle)Liverpool, May 1915BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916
3/7thLiverpool, May 1915BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916
3/8th (Irish)Liverpool, May 1915BritainTransferred WLRB, 1916
3/9thLiverpool, May 1915BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916
3/10th (Scottish)Liverpool, May 1915BritainTransferred to WLRB, 1916
25th (Garrison)Sheringham, 1 January 1917, from 43rd Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force)Western FrontDisbanded March 1920
26thEssex, 1 January 1917, from 44th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force)BritainDisbanded March 1918
New Army
11th (Service)Seaforth, 23 August 1914Western FrontAbsorbed by 15th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, August 1918
12th (Service)Seaforth, September 1914Western FrontDisbanded June 1919
13th (Service)Seaforth, October 1914Western FrontDisbanded October 1919
14th (Service)Seaforth, October 1914Western Front, SalonikaAbsorbed by the 18th in August 1918
15th (Reserve)Formby, November 1914BritainBecame the 49th Training Reserve Battalion, September 1916
16th (Reserve)Hoylake, December 1914BritainAbsorbed by TR battalions of 11th Reserve Brigade, September 1916
17th (Service)Liverpool, 29 August 1914Western Front, RussiaDisbanded September 1919
18th (Service)Liverpool, 29 August 1914Western FrontDisbanded May 1919
19th (Service)Liverpool, 29 August 1914Western FrontAbsorbed by the 14th King's, 13 August 1918
20th (Service)Liverpool, 16 October 1914Western FrontDisbanded February 1918
21st (Reserve)Knowsley Park, August 1915BritainBecame 67th Training Reserve Battalion in 16th Reserve Brigade, September 1916
22nd (Reserve)Knowsley Park, August 1915 BritainBecame 68th Training Reserve Battalion, 16th Reserve Brigade, September 1916
Others
7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer Battalion1860Britain, Salonika (Service Company)Disbanded March 1920
23rd (Works)Prescot, May 1916BritainBecame the 1st Labour Battalion, March 1917
24th (Works)Birmingham, June 1916BritainPossibly redesignated as the 27th; became the 2nd Labour Battalion, April 1917
27th (Home Service)Sidestrand, 27 April 1918BritainDisbanded March 1919
28th (Home Service)Clacton-on-Sea, June 1918BritainAbsorbed by 17th King's, July 1918
29th (Service)Liverpool, May 1919France & FlandersDisbanded August 1920
30th (Service)May 1919France & FlandersDisbanded August 1920
1st GarrisonLiverpool, August 1915EgyptDisbanded September 1919
2nd GarrisonPembroke Dock, November 1915Egypt, SalonikaDisbanded January 1920
3rd (Home Service) GarrisonPembroke Dock, April 1916BritainBecame the 3rd Royal Defence Corps, August 1917
1st DockLiverpool, August 1915LiverpoolDisbanded November 1917
2nd DockLiverpool, August 1915LiverpoolDisbanded by 1918
51st (Graduated)Fermoy, 27 October 1917, formerly 20th Welch RegimentIreland, East AngliaDisbanded November 1919
52nd (Graduated)Herringfleet, 27 October 1917, formerly 12th East Lancashire RegimentEast AngliaConverted to Service battalion February 1919; disbanded February 1920
53rd (Young Soldier)Prees Heath Camp, 27 October 1917, formerly 21st Lancashire FusiliersKinmel Camp, RhylDisbanded June 1919
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
5thRetained, though it became a "line infantry" battalion when its rifle distinctions were relinquished in 1937
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
7thBecame the 40th (The King's) Regiment, Royal Tank Corps, July 1938
8th (Irish)Disbanded 31 March 1922
9th Absorbed by the Royal Engineers, 1920[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
1st1685India, Burma, ChinditsBecame the 15th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), 1945
2nd1857North Africa, Italy, GreeceSee post-World War II
Supplementary Reserve
3rdBritainSee Post-World War II
4thBritainSee Post-World War II
Territorial Army
5th1859Britain, France, GermanySee Post-World War II
8th (Irish)Authorised March 1939; reformed October 1939Britain, 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
9thAuthorised March 1939; reformed May 1939 as duplicate of 5th King's BritainPlaced in "suspended animation" on 21 March 1946; re-amalgamated with 5th King's 1 January 1947
10th (Home Defence)December 1939, from National Defence CompaniesBritainRedesignated 30th (Home Defence) Battalion November 1940
11thJuly 1940BritainBecame the 152nd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, November 1941
12thJuly 1940BritainTransferred to the Royal Artillery, November 1941 and became 101st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
13thJune 1940India, Burma (Chindits)Disbanded 1945
14thIsle of Man, October 1940, from 50th (Holding) BnIsle of ManTransferred to the Royal Artillery, February 1942 and became 184th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
15th (Home Defence)Formerly the 2/10th King's, September 1940BritainDisbanded 1941
30th (Home Defence)Formerly the 10th King'sBritainDisbanded March 1943
Others
50th (Holding)Liverpool, 1939BritainBecame 14th Bn October 1940
70th (Young Soldiers)Formed from YS companies of 10th (HD) Bn King's and 8th (HD) Bn Cheshire Regiment, September 1940BritainDisbanded September 1943
Home Guard[21]
BattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)BattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)
71st OrmskirkWL 7172nd CrosbyWL 72
73rd MaghullWL 7374th SouthportWL 74
77th BootleWL 7782nd (Liverpool)ToxtethWL 82
83rd (Liverpool)AnfieldWL 8384th (Liverpool)WooltonWL 84
85th (Liverpool)ChidwallWL 85 86th (Liverpool)StoneycroftWL 86
87th (Liverpool)AigburthWL 87 88th (Liverpool)BootleWL 88
89th LiverpoolWL 89 90th (Liverpool Corporation Passenger Transport)LiverpoolWL 90
91st (L.M.S.)LiverpoolWL 91 92nd (G.P.O. 20)LiverpoolWL 92
Home Guard Anti-Aircraft units
Formation Sign
(dark blue on khaki)
Headquarters or LocationAA Formation and DesignationFormation Sign
(dark blue on khaki)
Headquarters or LocationAA Formation and Designation
WL 171 Liverpool171st Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (HAA)WL 101 Bootle172nd Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery)
WL 102 Liverpool201st Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery)WL 103 Liverpool202nd 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
2ndAmalgamated with 1st King's, September 1948
3rdDisbanded 1953
4thDisbanded 1953
5thRetained its identity until 1967, when it became a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers

References

External sources

Notes and References

  1. Frederick (1984 edn), pp. 126–30.
  2. Westlake.
  3. Frederick (1969 edn), pp. 107-9
  4. Hay, pp. 262–3.
  5. Westlake, pp. 139–46.
  6. Frederick (1969 edn), p.111
  7. Westlake, p. 112.
  8. Frederick (1984 edn) p. 148.
  9. Frederick (1969 edn), p. 128
  10. Book: Westlake, Ray. 2020. Guide to the Volunteer Training Corps 1914-1918. Naval and Military Press. Uckfield. 4–7 . 9781783315390 .
  11. Mileham, pp. 240-1
  12. James, pp. 51–3.
  13. Westlake pp. 120-121
  14. Roberts, p. 127.
  15. Book: Whittacker, L B. 1990. Stand Down. Orders of battle for the units of the Home Guard of the United Kingdom, November 1944. Ray Westlake Military Books. Newport. 54-47. 1871167140. Whittaker pp. 65-57
  16. Whittaker p. 152
  17. Whittaker p. 109
  18. Whittaker p. 23
  19. Mileham, p.165
  20. Mileham, p. 167
  21. Web site: History of the Home Guard. 29 June 2022.