The King's Own Royal Border Regiment was an
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 mar ...
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 conscript ...
of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
in existence from 1959 until 2006, and was part of 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 ...
. It was formed at Barnard Castle on 1 October 1959 through the amalgamation of the
King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the r ...
and the
Border Regiment
The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot.
After service i ...
.
History
The regiment's earliest forebears were the 4th, or Kings Own Regiment of Foot, formed 13 July 1680 as the
2nd Tangier Regiment, also known as 'Charles Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Foot for Tangiers', being the fourth regiment of foot in seniority in the British Army.
The
34th (Cumberland) and
55th (Westmorland) Regiments of Foot were formed later in 1705 and 1755, respectively.
[Beckett, p. 29] In 1881 they amalgamated to form the Border Regiment.
[
The 1 October 1959 amalgamated regiment preserved traditions of the previous three regiments (4th, 34th and 55th). Every 28 October, the regiment would celebrate "Arroyo Day" by parading the French drums and French drum major's mace captured during the ]Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...
in 1811. They had been taken intact in the Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos
The Battle of Arroyo dos Molinos took place on 28 October 1811 during the Peninsular War. An allied force under General Rowland Hill trapped and defeated a French force under General Jean-Baptiste Girard, forcing the latter's dismissal by ...
from the French 34e Régiment de Ligne on 28 October 1811.
The regiment saw a great deal of service in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
during the troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
. The regiment was twice awarded the Wilkinson Sword of Peace The Firmin Sword of Peace (previously known as the Wilkinson Sword of Peace) is an award given to units of the British Armed Forces for activities above and beyond the unit's normal role that improve relations with the community, either within the U ...
for work in both Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
and Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...
.
In 2004, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, it was announced that the King's Own Royal Border Regiment would amalgamate with the King's Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment to form the new Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border). The Regiment's final act was to serve in Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
between 2005 and 2006. The new regiment was formed on 1 July 2006, with the Kings Own Royal Border Regiment forming the 3rd Battalion.
Territorials
Upon the regiment's creation the territorial battalions of both predecessor regiments were transferred, without a change in name. These were:[
*5th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment, at Lancaster
*4th (Cumberland and Westmorland) Battalion, The Border Regiment, at ]Kendal
Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of t ...
In 1967, when the TAVR was formed, both of the battalions lost a company to the Lancastrian Volunteers
The Lancastrian Volunteers was a short lived Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, composed of companies from the North West affiliated regiments.
History
The regiment was formed in 1967, by the amalgamation of the 8 Territori ...
, and also retained the rest of the battalion within the regiment. However, this didn't last very long, as in 1969, the battalions were reduced to cadre– the KORR battalion formed a new company of 1st Battalion, Lancastrian Volunteers
The Lancastrian Volunteers was a short lived Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, composed of companies from the North West affiliated regiments.
History
The regiment was formed in 1967, by the amalgamation of the 8 Territori ...
; whilst the Border Regiment battalion formed a company of the Northumbrian Volunteers
The Northumbrian Volunteers was a short-lived Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, in existence from 1971 to 1975.
History
The regiment was formed on 1 April 1971, as the successor to Territorial Army infantry battalions of ...
, in 1971.
4th (Volunteer) Battalion
In 1975, control of the territorial units was passed back to the affiliated regiments, and so the regiment formed 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, from companies of the Lancastrian Volunteers and Northumbrian Volunteers.Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
, with platoon at Workington
Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207.
Locat ...
, ''from A Company, 1st Battalion, Lancastrian Volunteers''
*B Company, at Lancaster, with platoon at Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 t ...
, ''from E Company, 1st Battalion, Lancastrian Volunteers''
*C Company, at Kendal, ''from B Company, Northumbrian Volunteers''
1984 saw the establishment of E (Home Service Force
The Home Service Force was a Home Guard type force established in the United Kingdom in 1982. Each HSF unit was placed with either a Regular Army or Territorial Army regiment or battalion for administrative purposes and given that formation’s ...
) Company, with a platoon stationed with each company, however this was disbanded along with the rest of the HSF in 1992. At the same time, the battalion was reduced down to a HQ Company, and 3 rifle companies and retained this structure until amalgamation in 1999.
Regimental museum
Archives of the regiment are preserved in Cumbria's Museum of Military Life at Carlisle Castle
Carlisle Castle is a medieval stone keep castle that stands within the English city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1093 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over ...
.
Colonels-in-Chief
*1977: Princess Alexandra; Angus Ogilvy, LG, GCVO
Regimental Colonels
Regimental Colonels have been:Border Regiment
The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot.
After service i ...
)''
*1961–1971: Lt-Gen. Richard Neville Anderson, CB, CBE, DSO
*1971–1981: Gen. Sir William Norman Roy Scotter, KCB, OBE, MC
*1981–1988: Maj-Gen. David Edwin Miller, CB, CBE, MC
*1988–2004: Maj-Gen. Robert John Hodges, CB, OBE
*2004–2006: Col. Michael Trevor Griffiths ''(to The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border))''
*''2006: Regiment amalgamated with The 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 The 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 ...
to form The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border)''
References
Sources
*
Further reading
*
External links
King's Own Royal Border Regiment
at regiments.org
Get in Get Out and Get Away - Memoirs of a National Serviceman who served with the KORBR in the Cameroons
John Peel by The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment Band
*
*
{{Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
King's Own Royal Border Regiment
Infantry regiments of the British Army
Organisations based in Cumbria
History of Cumbria
Military units and formations in Cumbria
Military units and formations established in 1959
Military units and formations disestablished in 2006