The 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles) was an auxiliary regiment raised in the county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

during the

French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

. It later became part of the

King's (Liverpool Regiment) The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot in 1751. Unlike most British Army infantry regiments, which were ...

. Although primarily intended for home defence, its battalions served in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and saw active service during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

. After conversion to the

Special Reserve The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the Haldane Reforms, military reforms im ...

(SR) under the

Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the ...

one of its battalions was among just a handful of SR units to see combat during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, fighting in many actions on the Western Front from early 1915 until the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

in 1918. After a shadowy postwar existence the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.

Background

The universal obligation to military service in the

Shire levy A shire levy was a means of military recruitment in medieval England and Scotland. As opposed to a levy of noble families, a shire levy was effected within a geographical administrative area (a shire), entailing the mobilisation of able-bodied men ...

was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two Acts of 1557, which placed selected men, the '

Trained Bands Trained Bands were companies of part-time militia in England and Wales. Organised by county, they were supposed to drill on a regular basis, although this was rarely the case in practice. The regular army was formed from the Trained Bands in the ev ...

', under the command of Lords Lieutenant appointed by the monarch. This is seen as the starting date for the organised county militia in England. It was an important element in the country's defence at the time of the Armada in the 1580s, and control of the militia was one of the areas of dispute between King Charles I and

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

that led to the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. The English Militia was re-established under local control in 1662 after the Restoration of the monarchy, and the Lancashire Militia fought in King William III's campaign in Ireland in 1690–91, and against the Jacobite Risings in

1715 Events For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...

and

1745 Events January–March * January 7 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Austrian Army, under the command of Field Marshal Károly József Batthyány, makes a surprise attack at Amberg and the winter quarters of the Bavaria ...

. However, between periods of national emergency the militia was regularly allowed to decline.Grierson, pp. 6–7.LRO, ''Handlist 72''.
/ref> Under threat of French invasion during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

a series of Militia Acts from 1757 reorganised the county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. In 1760 Lancashire's quota was set at 800 men in one regiment, which received the title Royal Lancashire Militia in 1761.Frederick, p. 118.Holmes, pp. 94–100. These reformed regiments were 'embodied' for permanent service in home defence until the end of the Seven Years' War and again during the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. In peacetime they assembled for 28 days' annual training. The militia were re-embodied shortly before

Revolutionary France The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

declared war on Britain on 1 February 1793.

2nd Royal Lancashire Militia

French Wars and Long Peace

Lancashire's militia quota set in 1760 was small in proportion to its population, which soared during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. By 1796 it represented only one man in every 43 of those eligible. But in that year an additional ballot was carried out to raise men for the 'Supplementary Militia' to reinforce the standing militia regiments and to form additional temporary regiments. Lancashire's quota was increased to five regiments, and recruitment became difficult. Nevertheless, the 1st Royal Lancashire Supplementary Militia was raised on 1 March 1797 at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

under the under the personal command of the

13th Earl of Derby Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby (21 April 1775 – 30 June 1851), KG, of Knowsley Hall in Lancashire (styled Lord Stanley from 1776 to 1832, known as Baron Stanley of Bickerstaffe from 1832-4), was a politician, peer, landowner, bui ...

as lord lieutenant. It was formally embodied for service on 10 March 1798, increased to 12 companies in June and on 17 August that year it was placed on a permanent footing as the 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (2nd RLM). However, it was reduced to 10 companies again in November.''Burke's'', 'Derby'.''London Gazette'', 4 March 1797.
/ref>Frederick, pp. 126–7.Hay, pp. 262–3.Militia at Museum of the Manchester Regiment.
/ref>2nd-5th RLM at School of Mars.
/ref>Parkyn.
/ref> During the French Wars the militia were employed anywhere in the country for coast defence, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, and for internal security, while the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

regarded them as a source of trained men if they could be persuaded to transfer. Their traditional local defence duties were taken over by the part-time

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

. A peace treaty having been agreed (the

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on perio ...

), the Militia could be stood down, the 2nd RLM being disembodied on 29 April 1802. However, the Peace of Amiens did not last long, and the Militia were soon called out again, the 2nd RLM being embodied from 14 March 1803. In June it was enlarged to 12 companies once more, and in January 1804 permission was given to convert two of the companies to rifle companies, though in July 1805 it was reduced to 10 companies again. After routine service in mainland Britain during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

– it was successively stationed at

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, Liverpool, Hull and

Tiverton, Devon Tiverton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, and the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid Devon district. The population in 2019 was 20,587. History Early history The town's name is conjectured to derive from "Twy-fo ...

– the 2nd RLM volunteered for service in

in 1814. Although most of the militia was disembodied after the Treaty of Fontainebleau in April 1814, the 2nd RLM was still in Ireland when

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

escaped from

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

and returned to power in France in 1815. The three regiments of Lancashire Militia, which happened to be stationed together at Dublin, were allowed to recruit back to full strength by ballot and 'by beat of drum'. They also provided drafts of around 1000 volunteers to the regular regiments being sent to Belgium. There is a story that many of the Guardsmen at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

were still wearing their Militia uniforms. The militia continued to do duty after the

while much of the Regular Army was with the Army of Occupation, and the 2nd RLM did not return from Ireland to be disembodied until 3 March 1816. In 1817 an Act was passed that allowed the annual training of the Militia to be dispensed with. So although officers continued to be commissioned into the regiment (the Colonel's son, the Hon E.G.S. Stanley (later 14th Earl of Derby) was commissioned as

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

on 1 October 1820''Hart's''.) and the ballot was regularly held, the selected men were rarely mustered for drill. In 1831

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

bestowed on the three Lancashire Militia Regiments the additional title The Duke of Lancaster's Own.

1852 Reforms

The national

Militia of the United Kingdom The Militia of the United Kingdom were the military reserve forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Union in 1801 of the former Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland. The militia was transformed into the Speci ...

was reformed by the Militia Act of 1852, enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the Militia Ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which the men received full army pay, and the permanent staff was increased. Under the Act, Militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time home defence service in three circumstances: * 1. 'Whenever a state of war exists between Her Majesty and any foreign power'. * 2. 'In all cases of invasion or upon imminent danger thereof'. * 3. 'In all cases of rebellion or insurrection'. Under the new organisation, militia regiments still had an honorary colonel, but were actually commanded by a

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

. The headquarters (HQ) of the 2nd Royal Lancashire was at Liverpool, and the colonelcy had passed from the Earl of Derby to the Hon Thomas Stanley. On 1 March 1852

Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 5th Baronet Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 5th Baronet (11 January 1825 – 20 August 1872) was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1862 to 1872. Early life Hesketh was the only son of Sir Thomas Hesketh, 4th Baronet ...

, was commissioned at Lt-Col Commandant.''Burke's'': 'Hesketh'.

Crimean War

War having broken out with Russia in 1854 and an expeditionary force sent to the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, the Militia were called out for home defence and service in overseas garrisons. The 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia was embodied on 18 December 1854 and raised a second battalion at

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

The 2nd RLM was redesignated as a Rifle regiment on 30 January 1855, becoming the 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles). The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war.Dunlop, pp. 42–52.

Cardwell reforms

Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention ...

of 1872, Militia regiments were brigaded with their local Regular and

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

units. For the two battalions of the 2nd RLM this was Sub-District No 13 (County of Lancaster) in Northern District alongside the

8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot The 8th (King's) Regiment of Foot, also referred to in short as the 8th Foot and the King's, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1685 and retitled the King's (Liverpool Regiment) on 1 July 1881. As infantry of the line, the ...

, and a number of Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps. Both battalions of the 2nd RLM, together with the brigade depot, were now based at Orford Barracks in Warrington. The Militia were now controlled by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

rather than their county Lord Lieutenant, and officers' commissions were signed by the Queen.''Army List'' various dates.Spiers, ''Late Victorian Army'', pp. 126–7. Although often referred to as brigades, the sub-districts were purely administrative organisations, but in a continuation of the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the ''Army List'' from December 1875. This assigned Regular and Militia units to places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for the 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The 2nd RLM was assigned to 1st Brigade of 2nd Division,

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

, alongside two Irish militia regiments. The division would have mustered at Liverpool in time of war.

The King's (Liverpool Regiment)

The

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation was ...

of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, with the militia formally joining their linked county regiments. The 8th Foot became

The King's (Liverpool Regiment) The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot in 1751. Unlike most British Army infantry regiments, which were ...

and the 2nd RLM became its 3rd and 4th Battalions on 1 July 1881 (continuing to be administered as a double-battalion regiment until 1 August 1900). Militia battalions now had a large

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

of permanent staff (about 30). Around a third of the recruits and many young officers went on to join the Regular Army.Grierson, 33, 84–5, 113, 120.

Second Boer War

After the disasters of

Black Week Black Week refers to the week of 10–17 December 1899 during the Second Boer War, when the British Army suffered three devastating defeats by the Boer Republics at the battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso. In total, 2,776 British ...

at the start of the

in December 1899, most of the Regular Army was sent to South Africa, and many militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and to garrison certain overseas stations. At the same time, some of the regiments recruited from large urban areas such as Liverpool added two new Regular battalions, so the 3rd and 4th (Militia) battalions of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment were renumbered 5th and 6th. The '5th' Battalion was embodied from 23 January to 16 October 1900, the '6th' from 3 May to 1 November 1900. The additional Regular battalions were disbanded in 1901, and the 5th and 6th Bns resumed their original numbers on 28 September. Both battalions then volunteered for service in South Africa and were embodied for a second period. The 3rd Bn was embodied on 2 December 1901 and embarked on 16 December, with a strength of 26 officers and 561 other ranks (ORs) under the command of Lt-Col J. Mount Batten. On arrival at

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

it sent detachments to Durban Road, Phillipstown,

Hopetown Hopetown is a town which lies at the edge of the Great Karoo in South Africa's Northern Cape province. It is situated on an arid slope leading down to the Orange River. The first diamond discovered in South Africa, the Eureka Diamond, was fo ...

and Steynsburg, and took over part of the line of

blockhouses A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

near the

Modder River The Modder River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Riet River that forms part of the border between the Northern Cape and the Free State provinces. The river's banks were the scenes of heavy fighting in the beginning of the S ...

and in

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

, where they were involved in several night alarms. On 21 March 1902 the battalion furnished the escort for a supply convoy from

De Aar De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It has a population of around 42,000 inhabitants. It is the second-most important railway junction in the country, situated on the line between Cape Town and Kimberley. The junctio ...

Prieska Prieska is a town on the south bank of the Orange River, in the province of the Northern Cape, in western South Africa. It is located on the southern bank of the Orange River, 130 km north-west of Britstown and 75 km south-east of Mary ...

, a march of , which safely reached its destination despite frequent harassment by parties of Boers. The 4th Bn was embodied on 6 January 1902 and embarked with 23 officers and 677 ORs under the command of Lt-Col W.H. Hand, arriving at

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

on 15 February. It proceeded to Mafeking and was employed until 6 July on blockhouse duty, the Mafeking defences and at Lichtenburg, Palfontein, Maritzana and Maribogo, with detachments at Labatzi and

Vryburg Vryburg () is a large agricultural town with a population of 48,400 situated in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality of the North West Province (South Africa), North West Province of South Africa. It is the seat and the industrial ...

. After the blockhouse line was vacated the battalion concentrated at Vryburg and then marched to Tygerskloof where it entrained for

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

on 24 August. The 4th Bn had suffered one officer and five ORs killed or died on service. Both battalions left South Africa for home on 27 August and were disembodied on 15 September 1902. The men of both battalions received the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

with the clasps for 'Cape Colony' and 'South Africa 1902' and Lt-Col Mount Batten was awarded a Companionship of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB). The battalions were granted the

Battle Honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

South Africa 1902.

Special Reserve

After the Boer War, the future of the Militia was called into question. There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia,

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army, British Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve, descended from volunteer British Cavalry, cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of ...

and Volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by

St John Brodrick William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton, KP, PC, DL (14 December 185613 February 1942), styled as St John Brodrick until 1907 and as Viscount Midleton between 1907 and 1920, was a British Conservative and Irish Unionist Alli ...

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

. However, little of Brodrick's scheme was carried out. Under the more sweeping

of 1908, the militia was replaced by the

, a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for regular units serving overseas in wartime (similar to the Militia Reserve of 1867). From 2 August 1908 the two former 2nd RLM battalions became the 3rd (Reserve) Bn and 4th (Extra Reserve) Bn of the King's (Liverpool Regiment). Both battalions were based at the King's regimental depot at

Seaforth Barracks Seaforth Barracks was a military installation at Seaforth in Merseyside. History The barracks were originally built as cavalry accommodation and were completed in 1882. Units of the Royal Garrison Artillery and Royal Field Artillery were also ...

, Liverpool, from 1910.

World War I

3rd (Reserve) Battalion

On the outbreak of war the battalion was embodied at Seaforth on 4 August 1914 under Lt-Col H.H. Hobson, commanding officer (CO) since 30 October 1910, and went to its war station at Hightown. In 1915 it moved to

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following ...

and then at the end of 1917 it went to Ireland, being stationed at

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, where it remained until the end of the war. Throughout, its role was to train and despatch drafts of reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the regular battalions of the King's, especially the 1st Bn serving with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front.James, p.51.King's (Liverpool) at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> On 10 November 1915 3rd Bn was ordered to send a draft of 109 men to the new Machine Gun Training Centre at

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...

where they were to form the basis of a machine-gun company of the new

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tank ...

for one of the brigades serving overseas. In addition, 10 men at a time were to undergo training at Grantham as battalion machine gunners. The order stated that 'Great care should be taken in the selection of men for training as machine gunners as only well educated and intelligent men are suitable for this work'. 3rd (Reserve) Bn was disembodied on 4 September 1919 (the remaining personnel having been transferred to the 1st Bn on 16 July).

4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion

The 4th Bn was also embodied at Seaforth on 4 August 1914 under Lt-Col J.W. Allen, CO since 15 July 1913, and went to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. However, it was one of the few SR units (mainly 'Extra Reserve' battalions) actually to see overseas service in WWI, possibly because the 2nd Bn spent the whole war in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and did not require many reinforcements.

3rd (Lahore) Division

The battalion arrived at

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

on 6 March 1915 and was assigned to the

Indian Corps The I Indian Corps was an army corps of the British Indian Army in the World War I. It was formed at the outbreak of war under the title Indian Corps from troops sent to the Western Front. The British Indian Army did not have a pre-war corps stru ...

in the

Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department. Geography Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...

sector of the Western Front. It joined 9th (Sirhind) Brigade of the

3rd (Lahore) Division The 3rd (Lahore) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops ...

at Robecq on 9 March and had a peripheral part in the

Battle of Neuve Chapelle The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) took place in the First World War in the Artois region of France. The attack was intended to cause a rupture in the German lines, which would then be exploited with a rush to the Aubers Ridge and ...

that began next day.Perry, p. 47–53. This battle, the first serious attack by the BEF since

Trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became a ...

had set in, was the preliminary for a planned offensive against the dominating height of Aubers Ridge. The Sirhind Bde was in corps reserve for the first two days, then on 12 March it led the Indian Corps' renewed assault, its leading battalions struggling forward against

enfilade Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...

fire before getting held up. Further attacks that day were cancelled, and the offensive was halted next day. The Lahore Division was in rest camps near Merville when the Germans launched their

gas attack Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as Chemical weapon, weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN defen ...

at the

Second Battle of Ypres During the First World War, the Second Battle of Ypres was fought from for control of the tactically important high ground to the east and south of the Flemish town of Ypres in western Belgium. The First Battle of Ypres had been fought the pre ...

on 23 April. It was rushed northwards to reinforce the troops in the

Ypres Salient The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War. Ypres district Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. ...

and committed to a counter-attack alongside French troops on 26 April. It marched off at 05.30 and was in position by 12.30, with the Sirhind Bde in reserve. The leading brigades were badly mauled by artillery fire as they crossed Hill Top ridge, and as they reached the enemy

barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...

the Germans released a gas cloud. The Sirhind Bde was sent up to retrieve the situation, and at the end of they day held the British starting line. Once again, the part played by 4th King's had been peripheral. However, next day (27 April) the Sirhind Bde attacked again, with 4th King's under Lt-Col Allen supporting two Gurkha battalions. As before, they ran into a hail of artillery fire as they crossed Hill Top ridge, and even with the supports coming up only part of the attacking line reached Canadian Farm and the bottom of the valley. A second attempt that evening also failed, and by nightfall the Sirhind Bde, its flanks 'in the air' had been withdrawn to the British line once more. 4th King's had suffered by far the highest casualties in the division, losing 9 officers and 373 ORs. Further attacks by the brigade on 28 and 30 April and on 1 May were all cancelled when the neighbouring French units failed to advance. On the evening of 1 May the Lahore Division was withdrawn as the BEF pulled back to a stronger defence line round the town of

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

. The Lahore Division returned to the Indian Corps in the Béthune sector for a renewal of the British offensive (the

Battle of Aubers Ridge The Battle of Aubers (Battle of Aubers Ridge) was a British offensive on the Western Front on 9 May 1915 during the First World War. The battle was part of the British contribution to the Second Battle of Artois, a Franco-British offensive int ...

) on 9 May, but the much-weakened division was relegated to holding the line on one flank and suffered few casualties. For the next attack (the

Battle of Festubert The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British ...

) the Sirhind Bde was loaned to the

7th (Meerut) Division The 7th (Meerut) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army that saw active service during World War I. Pre-1857 The Meerut Division first appeared in the Indian Army List in 1829, under the command of Sir Jasper Nicolls, ...

. It supported the attack by the Garhwal Bde on the night of 15/16 May, but surprise was lost and the leading battalions made no progress. The Sirhind Bde was therefore switched to support the more successful attack of the 2nd Division, forming a defensive flank for its attack on 17 May and then taking over some of its trenches next day. It supported another attack by 2nd Division the following afternoon, but both the British front line and the ground behind were so heavily shelled that despite some 'desperate efforts' by 4th King's to get a few men forward the attack was abortive. The offensive was closed down on 25 May and the Indian Corps was given a defensive role. The Indian Corps was suffering badly from the lack of reinforcements for its Indian battalions, and apart from subsidiary actions in support of the Loos Offensive played only a minor role over coming months. It was ordered to the Mesopotamian Front on 31 October, and 4th Kings left the Lahore Division on 10 November 1915.

33rd Division

At first the battalion was attached to 137th (Staffordshire) Brigade in

46th (North Midland) Division The 46th (North Midland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force, that saw service in the First World War. At the outbreak of the war, the 46th Division was commanded by Major-General Hon. E.J. Monta ...

, a

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

(TF) formation. On 3 December it transferred to 19th (Western) Division, a New Army ('

Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...

') formation, being attached in succession to 56th Bde (composed of Lancashire battalions) and then 58th Bde. Finally, on 28 February 1916, the battalion joined 98th Bde in 33rd Division, with which it remained for the rest of the war. 33rd Division was a New Army formation originally composed of '

Pals battalion The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbour ...

s', with 98th Bde consisting of four Public Schools Battalions. However, these had been stripped for officer candidates and the brigade reconstructed with two Regular, one TF and one SR (4th King's) battalions.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 61–7.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 87–93.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 31–9.33rd Division at Long, Long Trail.
/ref>

Somme

At the beginning of July 33 Division moved south to take part in the

Somme Offensive The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place be ...

. After detraining near

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

the division marched up through

Fricourt Fricourt () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Fricourt is situated on the D147 and D64 junction, some northeast of Amiens. History Fricourt is about a kilometre from Mametz. It was close to ...

and

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, an ...

. It was assigned a role in the

Battle of Bazentin Ridge The Battle of Bazentin Ridge was part of the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front in France, during the First World War. On 14 July, the British Fourth Army (General Henry Rawlinson) made a dawn attack against the German 2nd Army (Gen ...

on 15 July, when 100th Bde attacked into High Wood and 98th Bde with a machine gun company was concentrated on the edge of

Bazentin le Petit Bazentin () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Situated between Amiens to the southwest and Arras to the north, on the D73 road. Population History * 1914–1918: The village, in the middle ...

. The attack was a costly failure, and 98th Bde was drawn into the bitter fighting that continued until 20 July. After a period of rest, 33rd Division resumed the attacks on High Wood on 18 August. The divisional historian described 4th King's advances towards 'Wood Lane' as 'clever and determined', but although they 'walked right into the barrage' they lost heavily and did not reach Wood Lane. The fighting continued on the Somme into the Autumn. On 28 October 33rd Division captured 'Rainy' and 'Dewdrop' Trenches. 4th King's (now commanded by Lt-Col E.M. Beall) and 1st

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...

cleared Dewdrop from either end, 'bombing' the garrison out with

Hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

s, 4th King's taking 148 prisoners, including a battalion commander. Further attempts to gain ground were foiled by deep mud, and the troops began to suffer badly from

Trench foot Trench foot is a type of foot damage due to moisture. Initial symptoms often include tingling or itching which can progress to numbness. The feet may become red or bluish in color. As the condition worsens the feet can start to swell and sm ...

. The division endured the winter in the Somme sector,

Trench raiding Trench raiding was a feature of trench warfare which developed during World War I. It was the practice of making small scale night-time surprise attacks on enemy positions. Overview Typically, raids were carried out by small teams of men who ...

being carried out once frost had hardened the mud. In March 1917 it was withdrawn to train for the forthcoming Arras Offensive

Arras

By the time 33rd Division reached its concentration area the offensive had started well, but enemy resistance was hardening. 98th Brigade was engaged in a large attack (the Second Battle of the Scarpe) on 23 April. A lodgement had been made in the

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...

and the brigade was ordered to force its way southwards along the trench system, mainly with grenades, and meet up with 100th Bde attacking in the

Sensée The Sensée (; pcd, Sinsée) is a river in northern France that crosses the département of Pas-de-Calais. The source is found at Croisilles and passes through Lécluse. It crosses the Canal du Nord at Arleux, and joins the canalized Escaut at ...

Valley. The attack went in before dawn and at first all went well, but the lifting morning mist showed that the Sensée Valley was completely dominated by enemy machine gun positions and both brigades were driven back almost to their starting positions. 98th Brigade made a new attack at 19.00 to capture the high ground above the Sensée, led by the fresh 4th King's. The leading bombing party was personally led by Lt-Col Beall in his shirtsleeves. The attack secured positions in the Hindenburg Support Line, which the brigade held against counter-attacks that night. Next morning they found that the enemy had retreated. After a period of rest the division went back into the line and on 20 May was ordered to carry out an almost identical operation: 98th Bde bombing its way along the trench line to meet 100th Bde. The attack went in when the Germans were at breakfast. The block in the trench was blown by a mine and the bombers reached their objective in the first line, but were held up in the support line. In a renewed attack in the evening, 98th Bde made better progress along the support line. 98th Brigade went in again a week later to continue the work, again attacking at an unusual time (just after the Germans' lunch) and 4th King's bombed their way down across the Sensée to meet the 19th Bde. All the battalions had suffered heavy casualties during these operations, especially among junior officers.

Flanders

The BEF's next offensive would be in Flanders, with the main attack at

while forces were gathered on the coast at

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

to take advantage of the expected breakthrough. 33rd Division was sent to Nieuport on 31 July, and spent a month there, troubled by aerial bombing at night, shelling with

Mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is a chemical compound belonging to a family of cytotoxic and blister agents known as mustard agents. The name ''mustard gas'' is technically incorrect: the substance, when dispersed, is often not actually a gas, b ...

, and regular trench raiding by both sides. By the end of August it was plain that the breakthrough and coastal operation was not going to come off, so the division was switched to Ypres where the offensive (the

Third Battle of Ypres The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

) was continuing. After a period of training, the division took over the unconsolidated front line at 'Carlisle Farm' on the Menin Road on the night of 24/25 September for the

Battle of Polygon Wood The Battle of Polygon Wood took place from 26 September to 3 October 1917, during the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle was fought near Ypres in Belgium, in the area from the Menin road to Polygon Wood a ...

due on 26 September. After the relief was complete the Germans laid down a heavy barrage down on the line at 05.30 on 25 September and attacked out of the morning mist, followed by a second attack an hour later. Most of 98th Brigade's frontline positions were driven in and their occupants pushed back to the support line. 4th King's behind had to throw out a flank to keep contact with the neighbouring brigade. A counter-attack in the afternoon was caught by machine gun fire, but the brigade managed to establish a continuous line. This German spoiling attack severely dislocated 33rd Division's planned attack for 26 September. Although 4th King's and the rest of 98th Brigade passed through, its attack was limited to recovering lost ground.

Private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

O'Conor of 4th King's distinguished himself taking by command of a group in the confused advance.

Winter 1917–18

Second_Battle_of_Passchendaele_-_wounded

In November 1917 the 33rd Division was moved to the north of Ypres to take over the Passchendaele Salient from the Canadians, and spent the winter months taking turns of duty in this, probably the worst area on the Western Front, a sea of mud with no cover, with appalling trackways to traverse to and from the line, and under persistent shellfire, particularly with mustard gas shells.

Spring Offensive

The Germans launched their Spring Offensive on 21 March, but First Army in the northern part of the

was unaffected. However, on 9 April the Germans launched a new phase of their offensive, the Battle of the Lys, and during the night of 10/11 April the infantry of 33rd Division were sent south by train as reinforcements, organised by brigade groups. German guns scored a direct hit on the train carrying 4th King's, killing 40 men. Early on 12 April 98th Bde moved to

Dranouter Dranouter (Dutch, locally known as ''Nouter'') is a village and a '' deelgemeente'' in the municipality of Heuvelland in West Flanders, Belgium. Dranouter was an independent municipality before the 1977 local government reforms. Since then, it has ...

as reserve for 19th (Western) Division, and was then ordered to occupy the 'Green Line' (rear defences) to be ready to counter-attack. But the situation around

Méteren Méteren (; from Flemish; ''Meteren'' in modern Dutch spelling) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. In October 1914, the British army passed through Meteren during the Retreat from Mons, and the future Field-Marshal Montgome ...

was critical, with the line held only by machine gunners, signallers and cooks, and the brigade was marched across to rejoin the headquarters of 33rd Division. Finally, it was marched south to defend Bailleul, without getting into serious action. The Germans failed to exploit their success next day. On 14 April 4th King's supported 19th Bde, which was holding off repeated attacks, but by the end of the day the line seemed to have been stabilised. 98th Brigade relieved the battered 19th Bde on 15 April. However, on 16 April the Germans launched an attack out of the morning fog, annihilated a company of 4th King's and captured Méteren from the 2nd New Zealand Entrenching Battalion. By the time 98th Bde's reserve battalion arrived the Germans were streaming through the gap between the New Zealanders and 4th King's, held up only by flanking fire from 19th Bde and dismounted men from 5th Battalion, Tank Corps, manning Lewis guns. Nevertheless, the divisional pioneer battalion (18th Middlesex) and the 11th Field Company

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

made a spirited counter-attack with the bayonet to support 4th King's, and shored up the line behind the village.Edmonds, ''1918'', Vol II, pp. 330–2.Seton-Hutchinson, pp. 96–7. On 17 April the brigade's front was reinforced by French ''

Chasseurs à pied ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army origi ...

'' as well as the Tank Corps' machine-gunners. A heavy bombardment came down at 09.00, but every German attempt to advance was halted by fire. At 18.00 the enemy attacked again along the whole of the 98th Bde's position, working their way up through some houses and capturing a farm held by the ''Chasseurs ''. However, they were thrown out by a counter-attack including part of 4th King's and 1st Middlesex. When 4th King's was relieved on 19 April it had been reduced to a 'mere skeleton'. By now the German offensive had lost impetus, and fresh

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

formations were arriving. 33rd Division was relieved and went to a back area at

Cassel Cassel may refer to: People * Cassel (surname) Places ;France * Cassel, Nord, a town and commune in northern France ** Battle of Cassel (1071) ** Battle of Cassel (1328) ** Battle of Cassel (1677) ;Germany * Cassel, Germany, a city in Hesse renam ...

, west of Ypres. The French Prime Minister,

Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...

, was visiting at the time, and asked to see a British brigade that had just come out of the fight. He was shown 98th Bde, which was only about 1000 strong. On seeing how weak it was, he exclaimed, '' 'Mon Dieu, c'est tout!'.'' When the division had rested and absorbed reinforcements, it went back into the line in the area of RidgeWood, about SSW of Ypres, where there was almost constant low-intensity fighting associated with the French at nearby Mont Kemmel. Ridge Wood itself changed hands several times; it was finally captured on 14 July.

Hundred Days Offensive

The Allies launched their

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

at the Battle of Amiens on 8 August. 33rd Division was not involved until it was brought into reserve for the

Battle of Épehy The Battle of Épehy was a battle of the First World War fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army under the command of General Henry Rawlinson against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line. The village o ...

on 18 September. On 21 September 19th and 98th Bdes cooperated in an attack by 58th (2/1st London) Division to close up to the Hindenburg Line near

Villers-Guislain Villers-Guislain () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. The graveyard a Gauche Woodcontains the casualties who died during the Battle of Épehy when British troops were deployed between Gouzeaucourt and Villers-Guislain. Her ...

. 4th King's gained a little ground by bombing their way down trenches from the north, but finding no sign of 19th Bde they withdrew again; fighting continued in these trenches for several days. For the

Battle of the Canal du Nord The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War by the Allies against German positions on the Western Front. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of ...

on 29 September, 33rd Division was supposed to be occupying Villers-Guislain and ground vacated by the Germans under pressure from the flanks. 98th Brigade advanced in line before dawn, with 4th King's maintaining contact with the neighbouring divisions, but as the troops followed their

Creeping barrage In military usage, a barrage is massed sustained artillery fire (shelling) aimed at a series of points along a line. In addition to attacking any enemy in the kill zone, a barrage intends to suppress enemy movements and deny access across tha ...

they were checked by Germans filtering back into Villers-Guislain. The divisional history praises the 'outstanding gallantry' of 4th King's, who despite taking the heaviest losses 'moved forward step by step from one group of shell holes to another, maintaining a perfect line of advance'. Next day it was discovered that the Germans had abandoned Villers-Guislain and by 1 October the brigade had reached the crossings of the

St Quentin Canal The Canal de Saint-Quentin () is a canal in northern France connecting the canalised river Escaut in Cambrai to the Canal latéral à l'Oise and Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne in Chauny. History The canal was built in two phases, the second much long ...

. 33rd Division crossed on 4 October without any heavy fighting, and occupied the Hindenburg Support line before going into reserve. The division was back in the line for the Battle of Cambrai on 9 October. There were few formal defences and the advance was essentially a pursuit. 33rd Division advanced by brigade groups, accompanied by artillery but with no barrage unless called for. It advanced in the day, patrols reaching the

River Selle The Selle (; also spelt Celle in the Oise) is a river of Hauts-de-France, France. It is long. Rising at Catheux, just north of Crèvecœur-le-Grand, Oise, it flows past Conty, Saleux, Salouël and Pont-de-Metz before joining the Somme at Amiens ...

, which they found to be held in strength. 98th Brigade took over the lead on 10 October, with 4th King's on the left reaching the Le Cateau– Neuvilly railway. By the end of the day the brigade closed up to the river, 4th King's and 2nd

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

getting some outposts across during the night. The Argylls held their outpost next day, but 4th King's were driven out by British shells falling short. The Royal Engineers bridged the river and the division crossed in force on 13 October before being relieved to prepare for the next setpiece attack (the

Battle of the Selle The Battle of the Selle (17–25 October 1918) was a battle between Allied forces and the German Army, fought during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. Prelude After the Second Battle of Cambrai, the Allies advanced almost and liberated ...

). The battle to take the high ground beyond the Selle began on 20 October, 33rd Division joining in on 23 October. 98th Brigade advanced behind a creeping barrage that started at 02.00, reached its first objective, the village of

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, by 03.30, taking hundreds of prisoners. When the barrage moved on again at 03.52, 4th King's took the lead and continued to the second objective by 07.00. However, it ran into strong opposition before the third objective; two companies of 1st Middlesex were sent up to turn the enemy's flank, but 4th King's had reached the objective on the far side of the Harpies stream. 2nd Argylls then took up the advance. By nightfall the brigade was only just short of its objective. At 04.00 the brigade launched an attack that took a strongly-wired trench. By now, however, the battalions had suffered significant casualties and were very tired, so 100th Bde passed through to continue the advance. On 26 October 4th King's enveloped

Englefontaine Englefontaine () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes cooperate ...

, liberating large numbers of French civilians sheltering in the cellars. The last setpiece battle for the BEF was the Battle of the Sambre on 4 November, after which it pursued the beaten German forces. 33rd Division took the lead on its front on the morning of 5 November until it reached the River Sambre itself. 98th Brigade then occupied a line between the river and the

Forêt de Mormal The Forêt de Mormal (Forest of Mormal) is a forest in France, near the Franco-Belgian border. It is best known to the British for its role in the retreat from Mons The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdr ...

until after dark, when the engineers built bridges. On 6 and 7 November the brigade pushed on again against weak opposition: the guns were across the river by now and their barrages were sufficient to clear rearguards from the villages and woods. 33rd Division was relieved that night. The

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

was signed before it went back into the line. The Brigade was at Sassegnies near

Aulnoye Aulnoye-Aymeries (; pcd, Auno-Aymeries) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It was established in 1953 by the merger of the former communes Aulnoye and Aymeries. Before the opening of the high-speed railway line between Brus ...

when the Armistice came into force on 11 November, and went into

billet A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alth ...

s around Caullery. Between 6 and 17 December it marched back to the Amiens area.

Demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and militar ...

proceeded rapidly in 1919.Wyrall, p. 377. 4th King's was formally disembodied on 31 December 1919.

Postwar

The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 and then became the Supplementary Reserve in 1924, but like most militia battalions the 3rd and 4th King's Liverpools remained in abeyance after World War I. Through the 1920s they continued to appear in the ''Army List'', but by the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1939 there were no officers listed. The Militia was not activated during

and was formally disbanded in April 1953

Commanders

The following served as colonel, honorary colonel or lieutenant-colonel commandant of the regiment or its two battalions:''Hart's''. * Edward, 13th Earl of Derby, colonel from 1 March 1797 * Edward, 14th Earl of Derby, colonel * Hon Thomas Stanley, colonel by 1852 *

, commissioned as Lt-Col Commandant on 1 March 1852 and held the position until 1872. * Nicholas Blundell promoted Lt-Col Commandant 25 September 1872; appointed hon colonel 27 July 1881 * C.S. Carraway, promoted from Lt-Col, 4th Bn (28 October 1876), to Lt-Col commandant 27 July 1881 *

Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 7th Baronet Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 7th Baronet (9 May 1849 – 19 April 1924) was a British baronet and soldier. Early life Born Thomas George Hesketh, he was the second son of Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 5th Baronet, and Lady Anna Maria Isabel ...

, became honorary colonel of the 2nd RLM (and both its battalions) on 12 September 1894, and continued after the 1908 reforms until his death in 1924. * Charles C. Woodward promoted Lt-Col commandant 19 September 1894 After 1900 the two battalions were administered separately, apart from sharing their hon colonel.

Heritage and ceremonial

Precedence

In the early days militia regiments serving together drew lots for their relative precedence. From 1778 the counties were given an order of precedence determined by ballot each year, but the militia order of precedence balloted for in 1793 (when Lancashire was 37th) remained in force throughout the French Revolutionary War: this covered all the regiments formed in the county. Another ballot for precedence took place at the start of the Napoleonic War: Lancashire was 52nd. This list continued until 1833. In that year the King drew the lots for individual regiments and the resulting list remained in force with minor amendments until the end of the militia. The regiments raised before the peace of 1783 took the first 67 places, with the 1st RLM at 45th; the next 60 places covered the regiments raised for the French Revolutionary War, including the 2nd RLM at 113th. Formally, the regiment became the 113th, or 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own), but the 2nd RLM line most regiments seems to have paid little attention to the additional number.Baldry.
/ref>

Uniforms & insignia

The uniform of the Royal Lancashire Militia was red with the blue

facings A facing colour is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Chartrand, William Younghusba ...

appropriate to 'Royal' regiments. By 1803 the lace button loops were arranged in pairs (denoting the 2ndd Regiment, as in the

Brigade of Guards The Brigade of Guards was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1856 to 1968. It was commanded by the Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administering the guards regiments. After the Second Wor ...

). By Royal warrant in 1805 militia colonels were reminded that their grenadier company was to wear the bearskin cap (despite the cost).The two rifle companies apparently wore a uniform approximating to that of the

95th Rifles The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

. The badge was the red rose of Lancashire. Around 1810 the regimental buttons bore the number '2' over the letters 'RL' within a crowned star. On becoming Rifles in 1855 the 2nd RLM changed to

Rifle green Shades of chartreuse are listed below. Historically, many of these colors have gone under the name of either yellow or green, as the specifics of their color composition was not known until later. Wrapping the spectrum into a color wheel In a ...

uniforms with scarlet facings. Once it became part of the King's (Liverpool Regiment) it wore that regiment's uniform (red with blue facings) and badge.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3a: New Army Divisions (9–26)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1938/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3b: New Army Divisions (30–41) and 63rd (R.N.) Division'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1939/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, . * Ian F.W. Beckett, ''The Amateur Military Tradition 1558–1945'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1991, . * ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953. * Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds and Capt G.C. Wynne, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1915'', Vol I, London: Macmillan, 1927/Imperial War Museum & Battery Press, 1995, /Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2009, . * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1915'', Vol II, London: Macmillan, 1928/Imperial War Museum & Battery Press, 1995, /Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2009, . * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1917'', Vol II, ''Messines and Third Ypres (Passchendaele)'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1948/Uckfield: Imperial War Museum and Naval and Military Press, 2009, . * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol II, ''March–April: Continuation of the German Offensives'', London: Macmillan, 1937/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1995, . * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol III, ''May–July: The German Diversion Offensives and the First Allied Counter-Offensive'', London: Macmillan, 1939/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1994, . * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol IV, ''8th August–26th September: The Franco-British Offensive'', London: Macmillan, 1939/Uckfield: Imperial War Museum and Naval & Military, 2009, . * Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds & Lt-Col R. Maxwell-Hyslop, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1918'', Vol V, ''26th September–11th November, The Advance to Victory'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1947/Imperial War Museum and Battery Press, 1993, . * Capt

Cyril Falls Cyril Bentham Falls CBE (2 March 1888 – 23 April 1971) was a 20th Century British military historian, journalist, and academic, noted for his works on the First World War. Early life Falls was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 2 March 1888, the elde ...

, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1917'', Vol I, ''The German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Battle of Arras'', London: Macmillan, 1940/London: Imperial War Museum & Battery Press/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2009, . * Sir John Fortescue, ''A History of the British Army'', Vol I, 2nd Edn, London: Macmillan, 1910. * Sir John Fortescue, ''A History of the British Army'', Vol II, London: Macmillan, 1899. * Sir John Fortescue, ''A History of the British Army'', Vol III, 2nd Edn, London: Macmillan, 1911. * Sir John Fortescue, ''A History of the British Army'', Vol IV, Pt II, ''1789–1801'', London: Macmillan, 1906. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * Lt-Col James Moncrieff Grierson (Col Peter S. Walton, ed.), ''Scarlet into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War'', London: Sampson Low, 1899/London: Greenhill, 1988, . * H.G. Hart, ''The New Annual Army List'' (various dates).
Col George Jackson Hay, ''An Epitomized History of the Militia (The Constitutional Force)'', London:United Service Gazette, 1905/Ray Westlake Military Books, 1987
. * Richard Holmes, ''Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors'', London: HarperPress, 2011, . * Lt-Col Graham Seton-Hutchinson, ''The Thirty-Third Division in France and Flanders, 1915–1919'', London: Waterlow & Sons 1921/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2004, . * Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', Samson Books 1978/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, . * Roger Knight, ''Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization of Victory 1793–1815', London: Allen Lane, 2013/Penguin, 2014, . * Capt Wilfred Miles, ''History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium 1916'', Vol II, ''2nd July 1916 to the End of the Battles of the Somme'', London: Macmillan, 1938/Imperial War Museum & Battery Press, 1992, .
H.G. Parkyn, 'English Militia Regiments 1757–1935: Their Badges and Buttons', ''Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research'', Vol 15, No 60 (Winter 1936), pp. 216–248.
* F.W. Perry, ''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 5b: Indian Army Divisions'', Newport, Gwent: Ray Westlake, 1993, . * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, . * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Late Victorian Army 1868–1902'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992/Sandpiper Books, 1999, . * ''Instructions Issued by the War Office During November 1915'', London: HM Stationery Office. * J.R. Western, ''The English Militia in the Eighteenth Century'', London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1965.
Maj R.J.T. Williamson & Col J. Lawson Whalley, ''History of the Old County Regiment of Lancashire Militia'', London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1888.
* Everard Wyrall, ''The Die-Hards in the Great War'', Vol II, ''1916–1919'', London: Harrisons, 1930/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, .

External sources

Lancashire Record Office, ''Handlist 72''

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''

Museum of the Manchester Regiment

Richard A. Warren, ''This Re-illuminated School of Mars: Auxiliary forces and other aspects of Albion under Arms in the Great War against France''
{{British Militia Regiments Lancashire Militia

Military units and formations in Lancashire Military units and formations in Liverpool Military units and formations in Warrington Military units and formations established in 1797 Military units and formations disestablished in 1953