The 6th Royal Lancashire Militia (6th RLM) 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 ...

just before the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. It later became part of the

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...

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

. Following 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 ...

it supplied reinforcements to the fighting battalions 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 ...

. 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

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

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>Royal Lancashire Militia at Lancashire Infantry Museum.
/ref>Militia at Museum of the Manchester Regiment.
/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 peacetime they assembled for 28 days' annual training. In 1760 Lancashire's quota was one regiment, which received the title Royal Lancashire Militia in 1761.Frederick, p. 119.Holmes, pp. 94–100. These reformed regiments were 'embodied' for permanent service in home defence during the Seven Years' War, 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 ...

, 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 ...

and 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 ...

. By 1800 the Royal Lancashire Militia had expanded to three regiments. During the French wars, the militia were embodied for a whole generation, and became regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

), which the regular army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, and for internal security, such as the time of the

Luddite The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver s ...

disturbances. However, in the years of the long peace after 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 ...

the militia was allowed to decline again, the ballot and annual training being suspended.

6th Royal Lancashire Militia

The long-standing

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 revived 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. Under the Act, militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time service in three circumstances:Dunlop, pp. 42–52. * 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'. With the threat of war against Russia, the three Lancashire regiments were ordered to recruit up to their full establishments of 1200 men. When war broke out in 1854 an expeditionary force was 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 ...

and the militia were embodied for home defence and service in overseas garrisons. Additional infantry and artillery militia regiments were also formed in Lancashire at this time including the 6th Lancashire Militia raised at

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

at the end of 1854. On 8 January 1855 the

Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire. The Lord Lieutenant is the King's personal representative in each county of the United Kingdom. Historically the Lord Lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's ...

, the

Earl of Sefton Earl of Sefton was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created in 1771 for the 8th Viscount Molyneux. The Earls of Sefton held the subsidiary titles Viscount Molyneux, of Maryborough in the Queen's County (created 1628), in the Peerage of Ire ...

, appointed the Hon Edward Bootle-Wilbraham (second son of

Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale (7 March 1771 – 3 April 1853), was a British landowner and politician. Life Bootle-Wilbraham was the son of Richard Wilbraham-Bootle and his wife Mary, daughter of Robert Bootle. He inherited La ...

), formerly of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

, as

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the new regiment, with Col John Henry Pringle (also of the Coldstream Guards) as

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. ...

Commandant and Thomas Edward Wilbraham (younger son of

George Wilbraham George Wilbraham, FRS (8 March 1779 – 24 January 1852) of Delamere, Cheshire was an English Whig MP. He was the eldest surviving son of George Wilbraham, MP of Delamere Lodge (but previously of Nantwich, Cheshire) and educated at Rugby Schoo ...

Delamere Park Delamere Park is an English housing estate with parkland situated in Cuddington, near Northwich, Cheshire. General history Delamere Park estate is situated on land which once was part of the Wilbraham family estate. The Wilbraham family ow ...

and former

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the 39th Foot) as the senior

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 ...

.''Army List'', various dates.''Burke's'': 'Skelmersdale'.Frederick, p. 131.''Hart's'', various dates.Hay, pp. 395–7.Parkyn.
/ref> Soon there were seven militia infantry regiments in Lancashire, each with a defined recruiting area: the 6th at Ashton recruited from the wider

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

area. The regiment was embodied for fulltime service on 17 May 1855 and disembodied during 1856. Thereafter the militia regularly carried out their peacetime annual training. In July 1860 the regiment received the 'Royal' title held by the senior Lancashire regiments, becoming the 6th Royal Lancashire Militia (6th RLM). In the early 1860s the regiment established itself at

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war.Spiers, ''Late Victorian Army'', pp. 97, 102, 126–7.

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 regular and Volunteer battalions in a regimental district sharing a permanent depot at a suitable county town. Seven double-battalion or paired single-battalion regular regiments were assigned to Lancashire, and each was linked with one of the militia regiments. The militia now came under 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 lords lieutenant, and officers' commissions were signed by the Queen. The 6th RLM was linked with the 63rd (West Suffolk) and 96th Regiments of Foot in Sub-District No 16 (Lancashire), with the depot at

Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards battalions on public duties in that area. The building is located about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to ...

, Ashton-under-Lyne; the 6th RLM returned to Ashton from Salford by 1880. In line with these arrangements, the 6th RLM formed a 2nd Battalion on 20 September 1876, although the

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 ...

around which it was formed was actually provided by the 1st RLM. Although often referred to as brigades, the regimental 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 5th, 6th and 7th Royal Lancashire Militia formed 2nd Brigade of 3rd Division,

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Ar ...

Melrose, Scottish Borders Melrose ( gd, Maolros, "bald moor") is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It lies within the Eildon committee area of Scottish Borders Council. History The original Melrose was ''Mailros'', mean ...

3rd and 4th Battalions, Manchester 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 ...

completed the Cardwell process by incorporating the militia battalions into the expanded county regiments. On 1 July 1881 the 63rd and 96th Foot became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the

at Ashton with the 6th Royal Lancashire Militia as its 3rd and 4th Battalions (though they continued to be administered as a double-battalion regiment until 1 August 1900).

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. Militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and a number volunteered for active service or to garrison overseas stations. Both regular battalions of the Manchesters were deployed to South Africa and the militia reservists went out as reinforcements. In February 1900 the Manchesters formed two additional regular battalions, which took the 3rd and 4th places, causing the militia to be renumbered 5th and 6th Battalions. The 5th Bn was embodied on 3 May 1900 and served at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

until 20 October when it returned to Ashton to be disembodied. It was embodied again from 6 May 1901 and having volunteered for overseas service it went to Aldershot again to complete its training. It embarked from

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

on 17 June aboard the ''Bavarian'' with a strength of 26 officers and 780 other ranks (ORs) under the command of Lt-Col Henry Crosbie. During the voyage the battalion exchanged its scarlet uniforms for

Khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...

. It landed at

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 10 July 1901 and proceeded to

Winburg Winburg is a small mixed farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. It is the oldest proclaimed town (1837) in the Orange Free State, South Africa and thus along with Griquastad, one of the oldest settlements in South Africa lo ...

in the

Orange River Colony The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Unio ...

, where it was employed to defend the town (A, B, C, D, G and H Companies) and the railway towards Smaldeel (E Company). The Boers were being pursued by British columns and the battalion repulsed Boer attempts to cross the line. On 8 April 1902 the defences were reorganised and the battalion took over defence of the railway line towards

Kroonstad Kroonstad (Afrikaans directly translated "Crown City") is the third largest city in the Free State (after Bloemfontein and Welkom) and lies two hours' drive on the N1 from Gauteng. Maokeng is an area within Kroonstad, and is occasionally used ...

, with D Company at

Brandfort Brandfort, officially renamed Winnie Mandela in 2021, is a small agricultural town in the central Free State province of South Africa, about 60 km northeast of Bloemfontein on the R30 road. The town serves the surrounding farms for supplies ...

. The battalion remained in the Smaldeel area until the signing of the

Treaty of Vereeniging The Treaty of Vereeniging was a peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the United Kingdom on the other. This settlement provided f ...

on 31 May 1902. On 9 July it boarded the SS ''Briton'' at Cape Town and arrived back at the depot at Ashton to disembody on 31 July. During its service the battalion lost one officer and 21 ORs killed or died of disease. The 6th Bn had also been embodied for duty at home from 4 May to 18 October 1900. It was re-embodied for service in South Africa on 6 January 1902, embarking for Cape Town on 13 February with a strength of 20 officers and 645 ORs under Col Charles Leyden. After arrival it entrained on 6 March for

Norvalspont Norvalspont is a small town in Pixley ka Seme District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The name is Afrikaans for ''Norval’s ferry'', and named after an enterprising Scot who constructed a ferry here in 1848. The settl ...

and took over the

blockhouse 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 ...

line between

Jagersfontein Jagersfontein is a small town in the Free State province of South Africa. Origin The original farm on which the town stands was once the property of a Griqua Jacobus Jagers, hence the name Jagersfontein. He sold the farm to C.F. Visser in 1854. ...

and Achterlong stations, a distance of , together with the chain of forts and sangars round the bridge at Norvalspont. On 14 April the battalion extended to take over the line as far as Tweedale, and provided a garrison at

Colesberg Colesberg is a town with 17,354 inhabitants in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, located on the main N1 road from Cape Town to Johannesburg. In a sheep-farming area spread over half-a-million hectares, greater Colesberg breeds many ...

to guard and escort Boer prisoners. The battalion returned home on 4 September to be disembodied on 30 September 1902, having lost 8 ORs. The battalions were both awarded

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 ...

s: South Africa 1901–02 for 5th Bn and South Africa 1902 for 6th Bn. The participants 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 clasps for 'Cape Colony', 'Orange Free State' and 'South Africa' 1901 and 1902 as appropriate. Wellington Barracks at Ashton was renamed

Ladysmith Barracks Ladysmith Barracks was a British military installation on Mossley Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. History The barracks were originally established under the name of Wellington Barracks, in response to the threat from civil unrest ass ...

after the Boer War. In 1906 the regular 3rd and 4th Manchesters were disbanded and the 5th and 6th militia battalions reverted to their former numbers.

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 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 ...

) 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 sweeping

of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the

, a semi-professional force similar to the previous Militia Reserve, whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for regular units serving overseas in wartime.Frederick, pp. vi–vii. The battalion became the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment), on 27 July 1908. The two militia battalions of the Manchester Regiment became the 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions on 9 August 1908.

World War I

The Special Reserve was embodied on the outbreak of

on 4 August 1914 and the 3rd and 4th Manchesters proceeded from Ashton to their war station in the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...

Garrison. By October the 3rd was stationed at

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then develo ...

and the 4th at

Riby Riby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish was 129 at the 2011 census. It is situated approximately south-west from the town of Grimsby. History There are two ...

. They carried out the dual tasks of garrison duties and preparing reinforcement drafts of regular reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the two regular battalions, the 1st serving in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, the 2nd on the Western Front. The two reserve battalions remained on the

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

coast in the Humber Defences for the rest of the war, the 3rd Bn at Cleethorpes while the 4th was at Riby,

Tetney Tetney is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, and just west of the Prime Meridian. History On the edge of the village is the site of a Marconi Beam Station from where telegrams were sent in 1927 to Australia and I ...

and

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

.James, p. 96. During a raid by the German Zeppelin LZ 64 on the night of 31 March/1 April 1916, 29 soldiers of the 3rd Manchesters were killed and 53 were wounded when a bomb hit a chapel at Cleethorpes being used as a

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 ...

.Morris, pp. 71, 179. After the war the 4th Bn was disembodied on 16 April 1919, and the 3rd Bn on 10 July 1919 after the remaining personnel had been drafted to the 1st Bn.

Postwar

The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 and then became the Supplementary Reserve in 1924, but almost all militia battalions remained in abeyance after World War I. Until 1939 they continued to appear in the ''Army List'', but they were not activated during

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 ...

and were all formally disbanded in April 1953.

Commanders

The following served as

Colonel of the Regiment Colonel (Col) is a rank of the British Army and Royal Marines, ranking below brigadier, and above lieutenant colonel. British colonels are not usually field commanders; typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalion ...

or later as Honorary Colonel of the regiment: * Hon Edward Bootle Wilbraham, appointed 8 January 1855 * John H. Chambers, former CO, appointed Hon Col 25 April 1888 The following served as

Commandant * Col John Henry Pringle, appointed 8 January 1855 * Thomas Edward Wilbraham, promoted 25 May 1861 * John H. Chambers, former captain, 46th Foot, promoted 20 September 1876 * Henry Garland-Matthews, former

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

44th Foot The 44th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot to form the Essex Regiment in 1881. History Early history The regimen ...

, promoted 27 June 1883 * Thomas Pery Powell, former lieutenant, 83rd Foot, promoted 2 September 1893 * Charles D. Leyden, promoted (4th, later 6th Bn) 31 July 1896 The following served as second Lt-Col: * John Copley Wray, appointed (2nd Bn) 9 July 1879 * Thomas Pery Powell, appointed 6 October 1888 * Augustus Graham P. Foley, promoted 23 September 1893 * J.B. Irving, appointed (3rd Bn) 1 August 1896 * William J. Bosworth, appointed (5th Bn) 4 November 1899 After the battalions were administered separately from 1900:
''5th, later 3rd Battalion''
Hon Col: * Lt-Gen

Sir Ian Hamilton Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, (16 January 1853 – 12 October 1947) was a British Army general who had an extensive British Imperial military career in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Hamilton was twice recommended for the Victoria Cros ...

, appointed 24 June 1905 Lt-Col: * Henry Crosbie, retired major, appointed 5 December 1900 * H.K. Oram, promoted 8 August 1912 * C.M. Thornycroft,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, DSO, retired captain, promoted 26 August 1917 ''6th, later 4th Battalion''
Hon Col: *

Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, (4 April 1865 – 4 February 1948), styled Mr Edward Stanley until 1886, then The Hon Edward Stanley and then Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, d ...

, appointed 24 December 1902 Lt-Col: * Herbert Alfred Johnson, promoted 19 May 1905 * J.H.M. Jebb, DSO, retired major, appointed 19 May 1913

Uniforms & Insignia

The uniform of the Royal Lancashire Militia was scarlet 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. The badge of the 6th RLM was the

Red Rose of Lancaster The Red Rose of Lancaster (blazoned: ''a rose gules'') was the heraldic badge adopted by the royal House of Lancaster in the 14th century. In modern times it symbolises the county of Lancashire. The exact species or cultivar which it represents i ...

: on the buttons of the original

coatee A coatee was a type of tight fitting uniform coat or jacket, which was waist length at the front and had short tails behind. The coatee began to replace the long tail coat in western armies at the end of the eighteenth century, but was itself supe ...

it was displayed beneath a crown and above the numeral 'VI', with the title 'Royal Lancashire' round the edge. When the

tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...

replaced the coatee after the Crimean War the 'VI' was changed to 'Sixth'. The officers'

shako A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, plume (see hackle) ...

plate of 1869–78 and

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

plate of 1878–81 used the rose, in red and green enamel, as the centre badge. The officers' waistbelt plate of 1855–81 was of the universal pattern with the Royal cypher ('VR') and crown within a circle inscribed '6th Royal Lancashire Militia'. When the 6th RLM joined the Manchesters in 1881, it adopted that regiment's white facings and insignia.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* ''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. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * H.G. Hart, ''The New Annual Army List, and Militia List''.
Col George Jackson Hay, ''An Epitomized History of the Militia (The Constitutional Force)'', London:United Service Gazette, 1905/Ray Westlake Military Books, 1987
ISBN 0-9508530-7-0. * Richard Holmes, ''Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors'', London: HarperPress, 2011, . * 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, . * Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: 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 Joseph Morris, ''The German Air Raids on Great Britain 1914–1918'', first published 1925/Stroud: Nonsuch, 2007, .
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.
* 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, .
Maj R.J.T. Williamson & Col J. Lawson Whalley, ''History of the Old County Regiment of Lancashire Militia'', London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1888.

External sources

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, Lancashire Infantry Museum

Lancashire Record Office, ''Handlist 72''

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''
{{refend Lancashire Militia

Military units and formations in Lancashire Ashton-under-Lyne Military units and formations established in 1855 Military units and formations disestablished in 1881