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.
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]
| Battalion | Formed | Formerly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | |||
| 2nd | 1857 | |||
| Militia | ||||
| 3rd (Militia) | 1797 | 1st Battalion, 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles)[3] [4] | ||
| 4th (Militia) | 1854 | 2nd Battalion, 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles) | ||
| Volunteers | ||||
| 1st Volunteer | 1859 | 1st Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps[5] | ||
| 2nd Volunteer | 1859 | 5th (The Liverpool Rifle Volunteer Brigade) Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps | ||
| 3rd Volunteer | 1859 | 13th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps | ||
| 4th Volunteer | 1860 | 15th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps | ||
| 5th (Irish) Volunteer | 1860 | 18th (Liverpool Irish) Lancashire Rifle Volunteers Corps | ||
| 6th Volunteer | 1861 | 19th (Liverpool Press Guard) Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps | ||
| 7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer | 1860 | 1st Isle of Man Rifle Volunteers[6] [7] | ||
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.
| Battalion | Formerly | |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | 1st Volunteer Battalion | |
| 6th (Rifle) | 2nd Volunteer Battalion | |
| 7th | Amalgamation of 3rd and 4th Volunteer Battalions | |
| 8th (Irish) | 5th (Irish) Volunteer Battalion | |
| 9th | 6th Volunteer Battalion | |
| 10th (Liverpool Scottish) | 8th (Scottish) Volunteer Battalion (formed 1900)[8] [9] |
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]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | Western Front[11] [12] | ||
| 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 1 February 1918 | |
| 2/6th (Rifle) | Liverpool, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded May 1919 | |
| 2/7th | Bootle, October 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 15 May 1919 | |
| 2/8th (Irish) | Liverpool, October 1914 | Western Front | Absorbed by 1/8th King's on 31 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 | Transferred WLRB, 1916 | |
| 3/9th | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Transferred to WLRB, 1916 | |
| 3/10th (Scottish) | Liverpool, May 1915 | Britain | Transferred to WLRB, 1916 | |
| 25th (Garrison) | Sheringham, 1 January 1917, from 43rd Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) | Western Front | Disbanded March 1920 | |
| 26th | Essex, 1 January 1917, from 44th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) | Britain | Disbanded March 1918 | |
| New Army | ||||
| 11th (Service) | Seaforth, 23 August 1914 | Western Front | Absorbed by 15th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, August 1918 | |
| 12th (Service) | Seaforth, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded June 1919 | |
| 13th (Service) | Seaforth, October 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded October 1919 | |
| 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, December 1914 | Britain | Absorbed by TR battalions of 11th Reserve Brigade, September 1916 | |
| 17th (Service) | Liverpool, 29 August 1914 | Western Front, Russia | Disbanded September 1919 | |
| 18th (Service) | Liverpool, 29 August 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded May 1919 | |
| 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 1915 | Britain | Became 67th Training Reserve Battalion in 16th Reserve Brigade, September 1916 | |
| 22nd (Reserve) | Knowsley Park, August 1915 | Britain | Became 68th Training Reserve Battalion, 16th Reserve Brigade, September 1916 | |
| Others | ||||
| 7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer Battalion | 1860 | Britain, Salonika (Service Company) | Disbanded March 1920 | |
| 23rd (Works) | Prescot, May 1916 | Britain | Became the 1st Labour Battalion, March 1917 | |
| 24th (Works) | Birmingham, June 1916 | Britain | Possibly redesignated as the 27th; became the 2nd Labour Battalion, April 1917 | |
| 27th (Home Service) | Sidestrand, 27 April 1918 | Britain | Disbanded March 1919 | |
| 28th (Home Service) | Clacton-on-Sea, June 1918 | Britain | Absorbed by 17th King's, July 1918 | |
| 29th (Service) | Liverpool, May 1919 | France & Flanders | Disbanded August 1920 | |
| 30th (Service) | May 1919 | France & Flanders | Disbanded August 1920 | |
| 1st Garrison | Liverpool, August 1915 | Egypt | Disbanded September 1919 | |
| 2nd Garrison | Pembroke Dock, November 1915 | Egypt, Salonika | Disbanded January 1920 | |
| 3rd (Home Service) Garrison | Pembroke Dock, April 1916 | Britain | Became the 3rd Royal Defence Corps, August 1917 | |
| 1st Dock | Liverpool, August 1915 | Liverpool | Disbanded November 1917 | |
| 2nd Dock | Liverpool, August 1915 | Liverpool | Disbanded by 1918 | |
| 51st (Graduated) | Fermoy, 27 October 1917, formerly 20th Welch Regiment | Ireland, East Anglia | Disbanded November 1919 | |
| 52nd (Graduated) | Herringfleet, 27 October 1917, formerly 12th East Lancashire Regiment | East Anglia | Converted to Service battalion February 1919; disbanded February 1920 | |
| 53rd (Young Soldier) | Prees Heath Camp, 27 October 1917, formerly 21st Lancashire Fusiliers | Kinmel Camp, Rhyl | Disbanded June 1919 | |
| Volunteer Training Corps[13] | ||||
| 5th Battalion Lancashire Volunteer Regiment later the 1st Volunteer Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment | Liverpool | Disbanded post war | ||
| 6th Battalion Lancashire Volunteer Regiment later the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment | Liverpool | Disbanded post war | ||
| 6th Battalion Lancashire Volunteer Regiment later the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, King's (Liverpool) Regiment | Liverpool | Disbanded post 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.
| Battalion | Fate | |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | Retained, 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 | |
| 7th | Became 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. |
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]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1685 | India, Burma, Chindits | Became the 15th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), 1945 | |
| 2nd | 1857 | North Africa, Italy, Greece | See post-World War II | |
| Supplementary Reserve | ||||
| 3rd | Britain | See Post-World War II | ||
| 4th | Britain | See Post-World War II | ||
| Territorial Army | ||||
| 5th | 1859 | Britain, France, Germany | See Post-World War II | |
| 8th (Irish) | Authorised March 1939; reformed October 1939 | 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 | |
| 9th | Authorised March 1939; reformed May 1939 as duplicate of 5th King's | Britain | Placed in "suspended animation" on 21 March 1946; re-amalgamated with 5th King's 1 January 1947 | |
| 10th (Home Defence) | December 1939, from National Defence Companies | Britain | Redesignated 30th (Home Defence) Battalion November 1940 | |
| 11th | July 1940 | Britain | Became the 152nd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps, November 1941 | |
| 12th | July 1940 | Britain | Transferred to the Royal Artillery, November 1941 and became 101st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery | |
| 13th | June 1940 | India, Burma (Chindits) | Disbanded 1945 | |
| 14th | Isle of Man, October 1940, from 50th (Holding) Bn | Isle of Man | Transferred to the Royal Artillery, February 1942 and became 184th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery | |
| 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 | Became 14th Bn October 1940 | |
| 70th (Young Soldiers) | Formed from YS companies of 10th (HD) Bn King's and 8th (HD) Bn Cheshire Regiment, September 1940 | Britain | Disbanded September 1943 | |
| Home Guard[21] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | |
| 71st | Ormskirk | WL 71 | 72nd | Crosby | WL 72 | |
| 73rd | Maghull | WL 73 | 74th | Southport | WL 74 | |
| 77th | Bootle | WL 77 | 82nd (Liverpool) | Toxteth | WL 82 | |
| 83rd (Liverpool) | Anfield | WL 83 | 84th (Liverpool) | Woolton | WL 84 | |
| 85th (Liverpool) | Chidwall | WL 85 | 86th (Liverpool) | Stoneycroft | WL 86 | |
| 87th (Liverpool) | Aigburth | WL 87 | 88th (Liverpool) | Bootle | WL 88 | |
| 89th | Liverpool | WL 89 | 90th (Liverpool Corporation Passenger Transport) | Liverpool | WL 90 | |
| 91st (L.M.S.) | Liverpool | WL 91 | 92nd (G.P.O. 20) | Liverpool | WL 92 | |
| Home Guard Anti-Aircraft units | ||||||
| Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation | |
| WL 171 | Liverpool | 171st Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (HAA) | WL 101 | Bootle | 172nd Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) | |
| WL 102 | Liverpool | 201st Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) | WL 103 | Liverpool | 202nd Battery, 24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) | |
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.
| Battalion | Fate | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Amalgamated with 1st Manchesters to form the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool), September 1958 | |
| 2nd | Amalgamated with 1st King's, September 1948 | |
| 3rd | Disbanded 1953 | |
| 4th | Disbanded 1953 | |
| 5th | Retained its identity until 1967, when it became a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers |