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

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. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France the late 1850s. Organised 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. 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 to accommodate them. The new battalions disbanded in 1901 and the militia reverted to their original designations.

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.

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. 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 work colleagues.

Inter-War

By 1922, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The King's Regiment 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 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.

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 and four batteries of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment.

Post-World War II

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

Notes

References

• Frederick, John Bassett Moore (1969), Lineage book of the British Army; Mounted Corps and Infantry, 1660-1968, Hope Farm Press
• 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