The Infantry of the British Army comprises 49
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
s, from 19
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s. Of these, 33 battalions are part of 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 ...
and the remaining 16 a part of the
Army Reserve
A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...
. The British Army's Infantry takes on a variety of roles, including armoured,
mechanised,
air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind e ...
and
light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...
.
Recruitment and training
Recruitment
![British Army Infantry Recruiting areas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/British_Army_Infantry_Recruiting_areas.png)
Traditionally, regiments that form the combat arms of the British Army (cavalry and infantry) recruit from specific areas of the country. Infantry regiments had been assigned specific areas from which they would recruit from by the mid eighteenth century. These were formalised under 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 ...
that began in the 1860s. Under this scheme, single battalion infantry regiments were amalgamated into two battalion regiments, then assigned to a depot and associated recruiting area (which would usually correspond to all or part of a county). The recruiting area (usually) would then become part of the regiment's title. It was this that gave rise to the concept of the "county regiment", with the local infantry regiment becoming part of the fabric of its local area.
Over time, regiments have been amalgamated further, which has led to recruiting areas of individual regiments increasing in size. Often, these amalgamations have been between regiments whose recruiting areas border each other. However, there have been occasions where regiments of a similar type, but from widely different areas, have been amalgamated. Two modern examples have been the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (amalgamated from the county regiments of Northumberland, Warwickshire,
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
and Lancashire, all of which were regiments of
fusiliers
Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French word ''fusil'' – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in co ...
) and The Light Infantry (amalgamated from the county regiments of Cornwall, Somerset, Shropshire, South Yorkshire and Durham, all of which were regiments of
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
).
Since September 2007, when the most recent reforms were completed, the infantry has consisted of 18 separate regiments. The five regiments of foot guards recruit from their respective
home nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on context. Politically it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). In sport, if a sport is g ...
(with the exception of the Coldstream Guards, which recruits from the counties through which the regiment marched between Coldstream and London). Scotland, Ireland and Wales each have a single regiment of
line infantry
Line infantry was the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Turenne and Monte ...
from which they recruit (though the battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland recruit from the areas they recruited from when they were separate regiments), while England has seven line infantry and rifles regiments. The Parachute Regiment recruits nationally, while the Royal Gurkha Rifles recruits most of its serving personnel from
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, and the
Royal Gibraltar Regiment
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is part of British Forces Gibraltar for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It was formed in 1958 from the Gibraltar Defence Force as an infantry unit, with an integrated artillery troop. The regiment is ...
recruits from the
UK and
Commonwealth nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
Before the
Second World War
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 ...
, infantry recruits were required to be at least tall. They initially enlisted for seven years with the colours and a further five years with the reserve. They trained at their own regimental depot.
Training
Unlike the other trades in the army, which have separate units for basic training and specialised training, new recruits into the infantry undergo a single course at the
Infantry Training Centre Catterick. This course, called the "Combat Infantryman's Course" (CIC), lasts 26 weeks as standard and teaches recruits both the basics of soldiering (Phase 1 training) and the specifics of soldiering in the infantry (Phase 2 training). On completion of the CIC, the newly qualified infantry soldier will then be posted to his battalion.
For some infantry units, the CIC is longer, due to specific additional requirements for individual regiments:
*The Foot Guards CIC has an additional two-week enhanced drill course.
*The Parachute Regiment CIC has an additional two-week
Pre-Parachute Selection (PPS) course.
*The Brigade of Gurkhas CIC combines the Common Military Syllabus with the CIC, together with courses on British culture and the
English Language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
. The Gurkha CIC lasts 37 weeks.
Officers receive their initial training at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...
, infantry officers then undertake the Platoon Commander's Battle Course, which is run at the
Infantry Battle School
The Infantry Battle School, Brecon is a British Army training establishment at Dering Lines in Brecon, Wales.
History
The Infantry Battle School was established at Brecon in 1939 at the start of the Second World War. The Parachute Regiment forme ...
at Brecon in Wales. It is here that leadership and tactics are taught to new platoon commanders. New NCOs and Warrant Officers are also sent on courses at Brecon when they come up for promotion. This encompasses Phase 3 training. Phase 3 training is also undertaken at the Support Weapons School at Warminster, where new officers, NCOs and soldiers are trained in the use of support weapons (mortars, anti-tank weapons) and in communications.
Reservist Infantrymen undertake preliminary training at
Regional Training Centres prior to attending a two-week CIC (Reserve) at Catterick.
Headquarters Infantry
Headquarters Infantry, which is located at
Waterloo Lines
Waterloo Lines is a British Army barracks on Imber Road in Warminster, Wiltshire, England. It is currently home to a number of Army specialist training schools and a sizeable portion of the Headquarters Field Army (not to be confused with Army ...
on Imber Road in
Warminster
Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-century Minster Church of S ...
, is responsible for recruiting, manning and training policy of the Infantry. Headquarters Infantry was established in 1991 as a result of the Options for Change reform.
Divisions of infantry
The majority of the infantry in the British Army is divided for administrative purposes into four divisions. These are not the same as the ready and regenerative divisions (see below), but are based on either the geographical recruiting areas of the regiments, or the type of regiments:
*The
Guards Division
The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the training and administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Guards reserve battalion. The Guards Division is responsible for providing two b ...
has the five regiments of
Foot Guards.
*The
Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division
The Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division is a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative formation for Scottish, Welsh and Irish line infantry regiments.
History
In 2016, following the further planned reorganization of the Army th ...
has the infantry regiments from
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
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 ...
.
*The
King's Division
The King's Division was a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for infantry regiments in the North of England.
History
The King's Division was formed in 1968 with the union of the Lancastrian Brigade, Yorkshi ...
has the regiments from the north of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
*The
Queen's Division
The Queen's Division is a British Army training and administrative apparatus for infantry regiments from the east and south of England and the remaining regiment of Fusiliers.
Formation
The Queen's Division was formed in 1968 with the regime ...
has the regiments from the east of England and the remaining regiment of
Fusilier
Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French language, French word ''fusil'' – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has ...
s.
A further division, the
Light Division
The Light Division was a light infantry division of the British Army. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 18th century, to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect a main force with skirmishing tactics. These ...
, grouped together
The Light Infantry
The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. The regiment was one of four 'large' regiments formed after the 1966 Defence White Paper through the amalgamation of units of the Light Infantry Brigad ...
and
The Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry).
History
The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...
until they were amalgamated to form
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...
in 2007, while the
Prince of Wales' Division
The Prince of Wales's Division was a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all land force units in the West of England and Wales. It merged with the Scottish Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish D ...
merged with the
Scottish Division
The Scottish Division was a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all Scottish line infantry units. It merged with the Prince of Wales' Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division in ...
in 2017 to become The Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division.
Under the planned
Future Soldier
Future Soldier was a multi-nation military project by the United States and its allies launched in the late 1990s.
Set-up
Superiority to enemy ground forces will be achieved by equipping the average ground-based combat soldier with an integ ...
reforms, the existing divisions of infantry will be reorganised into new formations, intended to bring all existing regiments within the divisional structure:
*Guards and Parachute Division
*Union Division
*Queen's Division
*Light Division
Regular army
There are further infantry units in the army that are not grouped in the various divisions:
*
The Parachute Regiment (PARA)
*
The Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United ...
(RGR)
*
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...
(RIFLES)
*
The Ranger Regiment (RANGERS)
Army Reserve
*
52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion
The Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an indiv ...
*
51st Highland, 7th Battalion
The Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an indiv ...
*3rd Battalion,
The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
*4th Battalion,
The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
*1st Battalion,
London Guards
The London Guards is an administrative formation within the British Army comprising the Army Reserve companies of the British Army's Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots and Irish Guards. On formation these companies drew their personnel from the Lon ...
*4th Battalion,
*5th Battalion,
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as the Royal Fusiliers or, simply, the Fusiliers) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st battalion, part of ...
*3rd Battalion,
The Royal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...
*4th Battalion,
The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th & 33rd/76th Foot)
*4th Battalion,
The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters & Foresters, and Staffords)
*3rd Battalion,
The Royal Welsh
*2nd Battalion,
The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th & Ulster Defence Regiment)
*4th Battalion,
The Parachute Regiment
*6th Battalion,
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...
*7th Battalion,
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...
*8th Battalion,
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...
Types of infantry
Operations
Within the British Army, there are six main types of infantry:
*Armoured Infantry - armoured infantry are equipped with the
Warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forc ...
, a tracked vehicle that can deploy over all terrain.
*Mechanised Infantry - mechanised infantry (or "protected mobility infantry) are equipped with wheeled armoured vehicles for transporting troops. This is divided into "heavy protected mobility infantry" (with large vehicles such as
Mastiff
A mastiff is a large and powerful type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephalic) and the ears dro ...
), and "light protected mobility infantry" (with smaller vehicles such as
Foxhound
A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on hor ...
).
*Light Infantry - light infantry are not equipped with armoured vehicles; such units may specialise in jungle and/or arctic warfare
*Air Assault Infantry - air assault infantry are trained to be deployed using
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s, parachute or aircraft.
*Specialised Infantry - infantry configured to undertake training, mentoring and assistance to indigenous forces in partner nations.
*Public duties - infantry on public duties are essentially light infantry units undertaking primarily ceremonial tasks.
Traditions
The infantry is traditionally divided into three types:
*
Foot Guards - foot guards are those infantry regiments that were formed specifically to provide close guard to the monarch. Soldiers in the guards were usually the best trained and equipped members of the infantry. However, they would fight in the same way as ordinary regiments.
*
Line Infantry
Line infantry was the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Turenne and Monte ...
- line infantry refers to those regiments that historically fought in linear formations, unlike light troops, who fought in loose order. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw expansion of the roles of the infantry. To this end, the
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
stationed on each flank of an infantry battalion were specialist units, with a company of
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
trained as skirmishers to operate independently on the battlefield, and a company of
grenadiers
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...
, who were usually the biggest and strongest men in the battalion, operating as the lead assault troops. In later years, the British Army raised full line infantry regiments classed as light infantry, who operated with muskets alongside specialised regiments armed with rifles.
*
Rifles
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with bo ...
- in the late eighteenth century, the development of the
Baker rifle
The Baker rifle (officially known as the Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle) was a flintlock rifle used by the rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British ...
led to the commissioning by the British Army of regiments specially trained to use the new weapon. These regiments would operate as skirmishers and
sharpshooters
A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with "marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" i ...
on the edges of the field of battle. These regiments wore green rather than red tunics to enable them to blend in more with the environment, thus giving them the nickname "green jackets".
The tactical distinctions between infantry regiments disappeared in the late nineteenth century, but remain in tradition. In the order of precedence, the five regiments of foot guards are ranked above the ten regiments of traditional line infantry, who are ranked above the two remaining regiments of rifles.
Divisions and brigades
Under the
Future Soldier
Future Soldier was a multi-nation military project by the United States and its allies launched in the late 1990s.
Set-up
Superiority to enemy ground forces will be achieved by equipping the average ground-based combat soldier with an integ ...
reforms announced in 2021, the British Army will have a total of 31 regular infantry battalions, 16 reserve infantry battalions and nine independent companies performing a variety of tasks. Under the Future Soldier plan, postings are:
1st (United Kingdom) Division
The 1st (United Kingdom) Division, formerly known as the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division and the 1st Division, is a division of the British Army.
Divisional history (1809–1959)
The 1st Division was formed following the disbandment of ...
1st (UK) Division is planned as the UK's primary land element for operations outside the European theatre, as well as operations supporting NATO's flanks. It consists of four infantry centered brigades - one is intended as a high-readiness mobile formation, one as a light infantry formation to provide surge capacity, one as a
training and mentoring formation for the UK's allies, and one as a parent formation for Army Reserve battalions.
*
4th Light Brigade Combat Team
**1st Battalion,
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
(Light Infantry)
**1st Battalion,
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 ...
(Light Infantry)
**
The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion,
The Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an indiv ...
(Light Infantry)
**1st Battalion,
(Light Infantry)
**1st Battalion,
The Royal Gurkha Rifles
The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United ...
(Light Infantry)
**2nd Battalion,
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...
(Light Infantry)
*
7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team
The 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team is a formation in the British Army with a direct lineage to 7th Armoured Brigade and a history that stretches back to the Napoleonic Wars. It saw active service in the Crimean War, the Second Boer War ...
**1st Battalion,
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...
(Light Mechanised Infantry)
**
The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Light Mechanised Infantry)
**2nd Battalion,
The Royal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...
(Light Mechanised Infantry)
**1st Battalion,
The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (Light Mechanised Infantry)
**1st Battalion, The Rifles (Light Mechanised Infantry)
*
11th Security Force Assistance Brigade
The 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade is a brigade of the British Army which is intended to train and assist foreign forces. In 2021, under the Future Army changes, the brigade was redesignated, formerly being the 11th Infantry Brigade & HQ ...
**1st Battalion,
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards (IG), is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army. The regiment has parti ...
(Specialised Infantry)
**
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Specialised Infantry)
**1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (Specialised Infantry)
**3rd Battalion, The Rifles (Specialised Infantry)
**4th Battalion,
The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) (Army Reserve)
*
19th Brigade
**
52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Army Reserve)
**
51st Highland, 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Army Reserve)
**4th Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (Army Reserve)
**3rd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (Army Reserve)
**4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (Army Reserve)
**2nd Battalion,
The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) (Army Reserve)
**6th Battalion, The Rifles (Army Reserve)
**8th Battalion, The Rifles (Army Reserve)
3rd (United Kingdom) Division
The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as the ...
3rd (UK) Division is planned as the UK's main reaction force, intended to act as a lead formation alongside NATO, and primarily consists of a pair of armoured brigades containing the army's mechanised infantry units.
*
12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team
**1st Battalion,
The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters & Foresters, and Staffords) (Mechanised Infantry)
**1st Battalion,
The Royal Welsh (Mechanised Infantry)
**4th Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters & Foresters, and Staffords) (Army Reserve)
**3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Army Reserve)
*
20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team
**1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Mechanised Infantry)
**1st Battalion,
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as the Royal Fusiliers or, simply, the Fusiliers) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st battalion, part of ...
(Mechanised Infantry)
**5th Battalion, The Rifles (Mechanised Infantry)
**3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) (Army Reserve)
**5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Army Reserve)
**7th Battalion, The Rifles (Army Reserve)
6th (United Kingdom) Division
The 6th (United Kingdom) Division is an infantry division of the British Army. It was first established by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington for service in the Peninsular War as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army and was active for most ...
6th (UK) Division is the formation encompassing specialist elements of the
Field Army
A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...
, including signals and
ISTAR
ISTAR stands for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing t ...
units, as well as the Army Special Operations Brigade, which contains those infantry units dedicated to
military training and operational support for the UK's partner nations.
*
Army Special Operations Brigade
The Army Special Operations Brigade (Army Spec Ops Bde) (previously called the Specialised Infantry Group) is a formation of the British Army, initially created as a result of the Army 2020 Refine reorganisation, intended to Military advisor, tr ...
**1st Battalion,
The Rangers (Special Operations Infantry)
**2nd Battalion, The Rangers (Special Operations Infantry)
**3rd Battalion, The Rangers (Special Operations Infantry)
**4th Battalion, The Rangers (Special Operations Infantry)
**Coriano Company, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (Special Operations Infantry)
**Falklands Company, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (Special Operations Infantry)
Field Army and Home Command
Infantry units are attached to a number of other formations that are independent of the British Army's three existing divisions. One, 16 Air Assault Brigade. forms part of the overall "Reaction Force", and is a lead element of the UK's
rapid reaction strategy. The other major independent element of the Reaction Force is
3 Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
; although this does have British Army units attached in combat support roles, the infantry units are from the
Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
, which is part of the
Naval Service. London District is responsible for the dedicated public duties units for
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
. Three company sized units are used at the British Army's training establishments. A number of the United Kingdom's
Overseas Territories
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
maintain their own infantry units, which undertake a number of different roles in addition to internal security.
*
16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team
**
2nd Battalion,
The Parachute Regiment (Parachute Infantry)
**
3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (Parachute Infantry)
**1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) (Air Assault Infantry)
**2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (Air Assault Infantry)
**
4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (Army Reserve)
*
UK Special Forces
The United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) is a directorate comprising the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, the Special Forces Support Group, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment and the Joint Special Forces ...
**
1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces Light Infantry)
*
London District
London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''.
History
In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...
**1st Battalion,
Welsh Guards
The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V ...
(Public Duties)
**Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards (Public Duties)
**No. 7 Company, Coldstream Guards (Public Duties)
**F Company, Scots Guards (Public Duties)
**No. 9 Company, Irish Guards (Public Duties)
**No. 12 Company, Irish Guards (Public Duties)
**1st Battalion,
London Guards
The London Guards is an administrative formation within the British Army comprising the Army Reserve companies of the British Army's Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots and Irish Guards. On formation these companies drew their personnel from the Lon ...
(Army Reserve)
*
51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland
51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland is an Adaptable Force Brigade of the British Army. It is the regional administrative formation responsible for all the units of the Army Reserve based in Scotland and an Adaptable Force Brigade unde ...
**
Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (Public Duties)
*
Land Warfare Centre
**2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (Light Infantry)
**
Gurkha Company (Tavoleto), The Royal Gurkha Rifles (Light Infantry)
*Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
**
Gurkha Company (Sittang), The Royal Gurkha Rifles (Light Infantry)
*School of Infantry
**
Gurkha Wing (Mandalay), The Royal Gurkha Rifles (Light Infantry)
*
British Forces Cyprus
British Forces Cyprus (BFC) is the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the UK Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus and at a number of related 'retained sites' in the Republic of Cyprus. The United ...
**Light Mechanised Infantry / Light Infantry battalion
**Light Mechanised Infantry / Light Infantry battalion
*
British Forces Brunei
British Forces Brunei (BFB) is the name given to the British Armed Forces presence in Brunei. Since the handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997, the garrison in Brunei is one of remaining British military base in the Far East along with Singap ...
**Light Infantry battalion (Gurkha)
*
British Forces Gibraltar
British Forces Gibraltar is the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ship ...
**
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment (Light Infantry)
*
British Forces South Atlantic Islands
The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory and, as such, rely on the United Kingdom for the guarantee of their security. The other UK territories in the South Atlantic, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, fall under the pro ...
**Roulement infantry company (Light Infantry)
**
The Falkland Islands Defence Force (Territorial Infantry)
*Other Overseas Territories
**
The Royal Bermuda Regiment (Territorial Infantry)
**
The Cayman Islands Regiment (Territorial Infantry)
**
The Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment (Territorial Infantry)
**
The Royal Montserrat Defence Force (Territorial Infantry)
Notes
History
Brigade system, large regiments, disbandings and amalgamations
Following the end of the
Second World War
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 ...
, reductions in the size of the infantry led to the amalgamation of the existing
regimental depot
The regimental depot of a regiment is its home base for recruiting and training. It is also where soldiers and officers awaiting discharge or postings are based and where injured soldiers return to full fitness after discharge from hospital b ...
s, together with their operational battalions, into geographically based infantry depots, each designated by a letter of the alphabet from A to O (not including I). In 1948, upon the further reduction of line infantry and rifle regiments to a single battalion, the 14 infantry depots were renamed as geographical brigades (with the exception of Depot J, which was the brigade for those regiments designated as "light infantry", and Depot O, which was for the two regiments of rifles ). These brigades assumed the administrative functions from the individual regimental depots, essentially forming what amounted to a multi-battalion regiment. This was taken a stage further following the
1957 Defence White Paper
The 1957 White Paper on Defence (Cmnd. 124) was a British white paper issued in March 1957 setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected wa ...
, when each brigade adopted a single cap badge that would be worn by all of the regiments under its administration. This led to discussions within the government regarding the flexibility of the infantry under the then present regimental system, as well as the difficulty of potentially making reductions to the size of the army owing to the emotive nature of the amalgamation of regiments into single battalions. This led to the concept of the "
large regiment A large regiment is a multi-battalion infantry formation of the British Army. First formed in the 1960s, large regiments are the result of the amalgamation of a number of existing single-battalion regiments, and perpetuate the traditions of each of ...
", which would use the existing brigades as the basis of new, multi-battalion infantry regiments, amalgamating the existing single-battalion regiments en masse, with each of them becoming a battalion of the new formation. This process had to a certain degree begun in the
East Anglian
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, kingdom of the Kingdom of East Anglia, East Angles, ...
and
Green Jackets Brigade
The Green Jackets Brigade (known as O Group until 1948) was an administrative brigade of the British Army from 1946 to 1968, that administered the English rifle regiments.
History
After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry ...
s, which had redesignated the regiments they were responsible for from their old names to numbered designations. These two became the first large regiments as the Royal Anglian Regiment and
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry).
History
The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...
in 1964 and 1966 respectively. Four further large regiments (The
Queen's Regiment
The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the arm ...
, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers,
Royal Irish Rangers
The Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd and 87th) was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army with a relatively short existence, formed in 1968 and later merged with the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1992 to form the Royal Irish ...
and
Light Infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
) were formed between 1966 and 1968, before the process was halted - the brigade system was abolished, with instead all of the remaining infantry regiments grouped into six administrative divisions.
The amalgamations into large regiments coincided with a planned reduction in the size of the infantry - the intention was that the junior battalion of each large regiment or brigade (prior to the implementation of the divisional structure) would be removed, whether by amalgamation or disbanding. This saw plans for the creation of four new single battalion infantry regiments:
*
Royal Regiment of Wales
The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of the South Wales Borderers and the Welch Regiment. The 1st Battalion, ...
-
South Wales Borderers
The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years.
It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...
and
Welch Regiment
The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of ...
*
Queen's Lancashire Regiment
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (30th, 40th, 47th, 59th, 81st and 82nd Regiments of Foot) (QLR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 25 March 1970 at Connaught Barracks in Dover through ...
-
Lancashire Regiment
The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) was an infantry regiment of the British Army that had a very short existence.
History
The regiment was formed, as a consequence of defence cuts instigated by the 1957 Defence White Paper, by ...
and
Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)
The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Reg ...
*
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) -
Worcestershire Regiment
The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regimen ...
and
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to f ...
*Royal Regiment of Gloucestershire and Hampshire -
Gloucestershire Regiment
The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...
and
Royal Hampshire Regiment
The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The reg ...
At the same time, three more single battalion regiments elected to disband rather than amalgamate:
*
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Regi ...
*
York and Lancaster Regiment
The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of ...
*
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's)
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until amalgamation into the Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006.
The regiment was created under the Child ...
Three of the regimental amalgamations, two of the regimental disbandments, plus another three of the planned disbandings of large regiment battalions, took place between 1968 and 1970. However, the
1970 General Election saw a change of administration, with the new
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
electing to review the plans. The outcome of this saw the planned amalgamation of the Gloucestershire Regiment and Royal Hampshire Regiment rescinded, together with plans to disband another four infantry battalions completely. Instead, six battalions were reduced in size to a
single company:
*2nd Battalion,
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the ...
(2nd Battalion Company)
*1st Battalion, Royal Hampshire Regiment (Minden Company)
*1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Balaclava Company)
*4th Battalion, Queen's Regiment (Albuhera Company)
*4th Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Tiger Company)
*3rd Battalion, Royal Green Jackets (R Company)
The battalions of the Scots Guards, Royal Hampshire Regiment, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, and Royal Green Jackets were subsequently reconstituted.
Delivering Security in a Changing World (2003)
HM Treasury
His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ec ...
asked for major cuts in the strength of the infantry in 2003, with at least ten battalions to be disbanded. This proved so unacceptable that, in November 2003, there was consideration to instead reducing each battalion to two rifle companies (with the third to come from the TA). By March 2004, ECAB had shown that the maximum number of battalions it was possible to cut was four. This was finally officially announced as part of the army
re-organisation. The
arms plot system would be abolished; instead, individual battalions would be given fixed roles. To ensure that officers and men could continue to gain the variety of skills that the arms plot provided, the restructuring would also see a series of amalgamations of the remaining single battalion infantry regiments into large regiments. In addition, the regular army will lose four battalions. The roles are divided up as follows:
*Armoured Infantry - 8 battalions (including Land Warfare Training Battalion)
*Mechanised Infantry - 3 battalions
*Light Role Infantry (including public duties and Gurkhas) - 20 battalions
*Air Assault Infantry - 4 battalions
*Commando Infantry - 1 battalion
*Territorial Army Infantry - 14 battalions
The reorganisation was a hybrid of the systems used to organise the regular infantry in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Australia's regular infantry encompasses eight battalions in a single large regiment, the
Royal Australian Regiment
The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a t ...
- this system is the one undertaken by the
Scottish Division
The Scottish Division was a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all Scottish line infantry units. It merged with the Prince of Wales' Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division in ...
and the
Light Division
The Light Division was a light infantry division of the British Army. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 18th century, to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect a main force with skirmishing tactics. These ...
. Canada's regular infantry has three regiments, each of three battalions, which is how the
King's Division
The King's Division was a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for infantry regiments in the North of England.
History
The King's Division was formed in 1968 with the union of the Lancastrian Brigade, Yorkshi ...
and the
Prince of Wales' Division
The Prince of Wales's Division was a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all land force units in the West of England and Wales. It merged with the Scottish Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish D ...
will be restructured (albeit with one regiment of three battalions and one of two battalions each).
In addition to the army's infantry battalions, there are three further battalion-sized commando infantry units, which are part of the
Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
, as well as eight field squadrons (each larger than an infantry company) of the
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such ta ...
, who have responsibility for the ground defence of air assets and are under the control of the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
.
The majority of infantry battalions are attached to one of the deployable brigades. However, there are a number of formations that exist to administer those infantry battalions that are not assigned to deployable brigades, but are instead available for independent deployment on
roulement
Roulement is a term used by the British Army to signify major combat units (usually battalion strength) that are deployed on short tours of duty, normally for six months. It is also used in the wider British Military to mean the deployment of a s ...
tours.
Guards Division
Each battalion in the five single battalion regiments of the Guards Division has a fixed role:
*Armoured Infantry (
1 SG) - 1
*Light Role/Public Duties (
1 GREN GDS,
1 COLDM GDS,
1 IG,
1 WG) - 4
Two battalions will be assigned as general light role battalions, with the other two assigned to public duties. These battalions will periodically rotate roles and postings.
Scottish Division
The six battalions of the Scottish Division have amalgamated into a single five battalion regiment to be called the
Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two Army Reserve (United ...
.
*Armoured Infantry (
4 SCOTS) - 1
*Light Role (
1 SCOTS,
2 SCOTS,
3 SCOTS) - 3
*Air Assault/Light Role (
5 SCOTS) - 1
King's Division
The six battalions of the King's Division have amalgamated into two regiments;
*
Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border)
The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, Lancashire, Preston, it recruits throughout the North Wes ...
- this is a two battalion regiment formed from the amalgamation of the
King's Own Royal Border Regiment
The King's Own Royal Border Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1959 until 2006, and was part of the King's Division. It was formed at Barnard Castle on 1 October 1959 through the amalgamation of the King's Ow ...
,
King's Regiment
The King's Regiment, officially abbreviated as KINGS, was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 1 September 1958 by the amalgamation of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) which had been raised in 1685 ...
and
Queen's Lancashire Regiment
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (30th, 40th, 47th, 59th, 81st and 82nd Regiments of Foot) (QLR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was formed on 25 March 1970 at Connaught Barracks in Dover through ...
.
**Mechanised Infantry (1 LANCS) - 1
**Light Role (2 LANCS) - 1
*
Yorkshire Regiment
The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence ...
- this is a three battalion regiment formed from the amalgamation of the
Green Howards
The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...
,
Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) and the Ea ...
and
Duke of Wellington's Regiment
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.
In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...
.
**Armoured Infantry (
3 YORKS) - 1
**Light Role (
1 YORKS,
2 YORKS)- 2
Prince of Wales's Division
The original seven battalions of the Prince of Wales's Division have been reduced to five with the transfer of the
Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment (11th, 39th and 54th), usually just known as the Devon and Dorsets, was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments, the Devonshire Regiment and the Dorset ...
and the
Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was a short-lived infantry regiment of the British Army.
History
The regiment was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Re ...
to the Light Division. The five remaining battalions will amalgamate into two regiments;
*
Royal Welsh
The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) ( cy, Y Cymry Brenhinol) is an armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot).
History
The ...
- this is a two battalion regiment formed from the amalgamation of the
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...
and the
Royal Regiment of Wales
The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of the South Wales Borderers and the Welch Regiment. The 1st Battalion, ...
.
**Armoured Infantry (
2 R WELSH) - 1
**Light Role (
1 R WELSH) - 1
*
Mercian Regiment
The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...
- this is a three battalion regiment formed from the amalgamation of the
22nd (Cheshire) Regiment,
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment
The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) (abbreviated as ''WFR'') was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment served as the county regiment for Derbyshire, Nottingha ...
and
Staffordshire Regiment
The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales') (or simply "Staffords" for short) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the South Staffordshire Reg ...
.
**Armoured Infantry (
3 MERCIAN) - 1
**Light Role (
1 MERCIAN, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, 2 MERCIAN) - 2
Queen's Division
The three existing large regiments of the Queen's Division remain unaffected by the restructuring.
*Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
**Armoured Infantry (1 PWRR) - 1
**Light Role (2 PWRR) - 1
*Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
**Armoured Infantry (1 RRF) - 1
**Light Role (2 RRF) - 1
*Royal Anglian Regiment
**Mechanised Infantry (1 R ANGLIAN) - 1
**Light Role (2 R ANGLIAN) - 1
*
Royal Gibraltar Regiment
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is part of British Forces Gibraltar for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It was formed in 1958 from the Gibraltar Defence Force as an infantry unit, with an integrated artillery troop. The regiment is ...
**Light Role (1 RG) - 1
Light Division
The four current battalions of the Light Division in two regiments were augmented by two battalions from the Prince of Wales's Division in 2005. These two were amalgamated into a single battalion and then amalgamated with
Light Infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
and the
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry).
History
The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgama ...
to form a new five battalion regiment, called
The Rifles
The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...
. On its formation, the Light Division was abolished.
*Armoured Infantry (5 RIFLES) - 1
*Light Role (2 RIFLES, 3 RIFLES) - 2
*Mechanised Infantry (4 RIFLES) - 1
*Commando (1 RIFLES) - 1
Other infantry regiments
* The single regular battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment is unamalgamated to "retain an infantry footprint in Northern Ireland".
**Air Assault/Light Role (1 R IRISH) - 1
* The Royal Gurkha Rifles is unaffected by the restructuring. However, the UK based battalion has been integrated more fully with the rest of the infantry and trained in the air assault role.
**Air Assault/Light Role (2 RGR) - 1
**Light Role (1 RGR) - 1
* One battalion of the Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom), Parachute Regiment is the core of the Special Forces Support Group, "special forces support battalion", no longer part of the Infantry order of battle. The other three operate in the Airborne role.
**Airborne/Light Role (2 PARA, 3 PARA) - 2
Territorial Army
With the exception of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, every line infantry regiment has at least one TA battalion (the Royal Regiment of Scotland and The Rifles have two). The Guards Division has The London Regiment as an affiliated TA battalion.
Strategic Defence and Security Review (2010)/Army 2020
Following the 2010 United Kingdom general election, 2010 General Election, the new government instituted a new defence review. The ultimate conclusion of this process was to reduce the size of the British Army from approximately 102,000 to approximately 82,000 by 2020. The detail of the process was subsequently announced as ''Future of the British Army (Army 2020), Army 2020'' in July 2012. As part of this, the infantry was reduced in size from 36 regular battalions to 31. Of the five to be withdrawn, two were armoured infantry units, two general light infantry and one a specialist air assault infantry battalion. The withdrawal of two armoured infantry battalions is to bring this into line with the planned future operational structure, intended to see three "armoured infantry brigades", each with a pair of infantry battalions, forming the core of the Army's "reaction forces". These two battalions, along with the two light infantry battalions, will be disbanded and their personnel distributed among the remaining battalions of each regiment. The air assault battalion will be reduced to company strength, with the intention that it is assigned as a permanent public duties unit in Scotland.
The affected regiments were:
*
Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two Army Reserve (United ...
**The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland - Reduced to an incremental company and assigned to public duties in Scotland.
*Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
**2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers - Disbanded and personnel redistributed to 1st Battalion.
*Yorkshire Regiment, Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)
**2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (Green Howards) - Disbanded and personnel redistributed to 1st and 3rd Battalions. 3 YORKS will eventually be renamed as 1 YORKS. 1 YORKS will eventually be renumbered as 2 YORKS.
*
Mercian Regiment
The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...
**3rd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment (Staffords) - Disbanded and personnel redistributed to 1st and 2nd Battalions.
*
Royal Welsh
The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) ( cy, Y Cymry Brenhinol) is an armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot).
History
The ...
**2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Regiment of Wales) - Disbanded and personnel redistributed to 1st Battalion.
In addition, the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) was transferred to the administration of the
Prince of Wales' Division
The Prince of Wales's Division was a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all land force units in the West of England and Wales. It merged with the Scottish Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish D ...
.
Army 2020 Refine
Under a further review called Future of the British Army (Army 2020 Refine), Army 2020 Refine, the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards and the 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland will be equipped with Mechanised Infantry Vehicles and form the core of the first Strike Brigade under the Reaction Force. Five infantry battalions will undertake the new specialist infantry role; these units will provide an increased contribution to countering terrorism and building stability overseas, and will number around 300 personnel. Four of these battalions, 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland; 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment; 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment; and 4th Battalion, The Rifles, will be existing battalions, while the fifth will be formed as a new battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles
Guards Division
*Heavy Protected Mobility Infantry (1 SG) - 1
*Light Role Infantry (1 COLDM GDS, 1 IG) - 2
*Light Role/Public Duties (1 GREN GDS, 1 WG) - 2
*Public Duties (2 GREN GDS, 2 COLDM GDS, 2 SG)
*Army Reserve (LONDONS) - 1
All five battalions will periodically rotate roles
Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division
*Armoured Infantry (1 R WELSH) - 1
*Heavy Protected Mobility Infantry (4 SCOTS) - 1
*Light Protected Mobility Infantry (3 SCOTS, 1 R IRISH) - 2
*Light Role Infantry (2 SCOTS) - 1
*Specialised Training Infantry (1 SCOTS) - 1
*Public Duties - (5 SCOTS)
*Army Reserve - (6 SCOTS, 7 SCOTS, 3 R WELSH, 2 R IRISH) - 4
King's Division
*Armoured Infantry (1 YORKS, 1 MERCIAN) - 2
*Light Protected Mobility Infantry (2 YORKS) - 1
*Light Role Infantry (1 LANCS, 2 MERCIAN) - 2
*Specialised Training Infantry (2 LANCS) - 1
*Army Reserve (4 LANCS, 4 YORKS, 4 MERCIAN) - 3
Queen's Division
*Armoured Infantry (1 PWRR, 1 RRF) - 2
*Light Protected Mobility Infantry (2 R ANGLIAN) - 1
*Light Role Infantry (1 R ANGLIAN) - 1
*Light Role Infantry (Home Defence) (1 RG) - 1
*Specialised Training Infantry (2 PWRR) - 1
*Army Reserve (3 PWRR, 4 PWRR, 5 RRF, 3 R ANGLIAN) - 4
The Rifles
*Armoured Infantry (5 RIFLES) - 1
*Light Protected Mobility Infantry (3 RIFLES) - 1
*Light Role Infantry (1 RIFLES, 2 RIFLES) - 2
*Specialised Training Infantry (4 RIFLES) - 1
*Army Reserve (6 RIFLES, 7 RIFLES, 8 RIFLES) - 3
Other infantry regiments
*Light Role Infantry (1 RGR, 2 RGR) - 2
*Parachute Infantry (2 PARA, 3 PARA) - 2
*Specialised Training Infantry (3 RGR) - 1
*Army Reserve (4 PARA) - 1
: These are the battalions represented by the British Army incremental infantry companies, four incremental companies
Other regiments
Disbanded regiments
Over time, a handful of infantry regiments have disappeared from the roll through disbandment rather than amalgamation. In the 20th Century, eight regiments disappeared like this:
*In 1920, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment, a specialist infantry regiment originally formed in 1917, and given the status of a foot guards regiment (ranked as the sixth regiment of foot guards), was disbanded.
*In 1922, following cuts to the size of the armed forces after the First World War and the establishment of the Irish Free State, the five infantry regiments solely from the south of
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 ...
were disbanded:
**Royal Irish Regiment (1684-1922), The Royal Irish Regiment
**Connaught Rangers, The Connaught Rangers
**Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians), The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)
**Royal Munster Fusiliers, The Royal Munster Fusiliers
**Royal Dublin Fusiliers, The Royal Dublin Fusiliers
*In 1968, after a re-organisation of the army, two regiments opted to be placed in suspended animation rather than amalgamate, and were eventually disbanded in 1987:
**The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
**York and Lancaster Regiment, The York and Lancaster Regiment
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company included infantry battalions from its formation up to 1973 when its infantry wing was amalgamated with its artillery batteries in a new role.
Regiments that never were
Since the Cardwell reforms began, infantry regiments in the British Army have amalgamated on many occasions. However, there have been occasions where amalgamations have been announced, but have then been abandoned:
*The Royal Regiment of Gloucestershire and Hampshire - planned as the amalgamation of the
Gloucestershire Regiment
The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...
and the
Royal Hampshire Regiment
The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The reg ...
. This was announced in July 1968 to be implemented in September 1970, but was cancelled in the autumn of that year. The two regiments were subsequently amalgamated with others to form the
Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was a short-lived infantry regiment of the British Army.
History
The regiment was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Re ...
and the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)
*Royal Scots Borderers, The Royal Scots Borderers - planned as the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers as part of Options for Change. This was cancelled on 3 February 1993.
The name was resurrected with the formation of the
Royal Regiment of Scotland
The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two Army Reserve (United ...
, when the two regiments amalgamated as a single battalion.
*The Cheshire and Staffordshire Regiment - planned as the amalgamation of the
22nd (Cheshire) Regiment and the
Staffordshire Regiment
The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales') (or simply "Staffords" for short) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the South Staffordshire Reg ...
as part of Options for Change. This was cancelled on 3 February 1993.
The two regiments were subsequently amalgamated as part of the
Mercian Regiment
The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infant ...
.
*The Executive Committee of the Army Board proposed under Delivering Security in a Changing World that there would be a series of two battalion regiments formed. These may have included:
**A two battalion Lowland regiment formed from the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers.
**A two battalion Highland regiment formed from the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Black Watch, Highlanders, and Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
**A two battalion Royal Wessex Regiment, Wessex regiment formed from the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.
*Sikh Regiment - in 2007, Sikh leaders in the United Kingdom informed the Army that they would be able to find enough volunteers to form an initial infantry battalion of 700 from within their community. However, the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence, having requested advice from the Commission for Racial Equality, decided to reject the proposal on the grounds that it would be "divisive and amounted to segregation". In 2015, the idea was revisited, with the Army evaluating the idea. However, Michael Fallon, the then Defence Secretary stating he was 'wary of separating military units according to religion'. The idea was again dropped in 2016.
The Prince of Wales had made a similar suggestion in 2001.
Fictional regiments
*Royal Wessex Rangers, The Royal Wessex Rangers
*King's Own Fusiliers, The King's Own Fusiliers
*Northdale Rifles, The Northdale Rifles
In recent years, there have been many depictions of the British Army of various periods in fiction. Two notable ones depicting the modern British Army have been ''Spearhead (TV series), Spearhead'' from the period of the late 1970s, and ''Soldier Soldier'' from the early to mid-1990s. Both are seen as reasonably accurate depictions of life in the army at those times, and both are centred on a fictional infantry regiment. The more recent depiction of the British Army came in the film ''The Mark of Cain (2007 film), The Mark of Cain'', which featured an infantry regiment deployed to Iraq, and the difficulties it faced.
*Loamshire Regiment, The Loamshire Regiment
The Loamshire Regiment is used by the British Army as the placeholder name in the provision of examples for its procedures, for example in the method of addressing letters to members of the forces produced by the British Forces Post Office.
Order of precedence
Footnotes
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20040913102237/http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/organisation/organisation.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Infantry Of The British Army
Infantry units and formations of the British Army
British administrative corps
Organisations based in Wiltshire