The 6th Royal Lancashire Militia (6th RLM) was an auxiliary regiment raised in the county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...

just before the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. 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 R ...

. Although primarily intended for home defence, its battalions saw active service during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

. 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 military reforms implemented by Ri ...

(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 e ...

it supplied reinforcements to the fighting battalions during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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 me ...

was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two acts of 1557 ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. cc. 2 and 3) which placed selected men, the ' trained bands', 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 (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

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 or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. 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 in ...

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 Bav ...

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

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the

French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries ...

and the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. 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 an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 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 Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

), 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 members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of certain types of automated machinery due to concerns relating to worker pay and output quality. They often destroyed the machines in organ ...

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 (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

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 British Militia was the principal military reserve force of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Militia units were repeatedly raised in Great Britain during the Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian eras for internal security du ...

was revived by the Militia Act 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 ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

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 48,604 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, Greater Manchester, ...

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, appointed the Hon Edward Bootle-Wilbraham (second son of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale), 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 of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

, as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

of the new regiment, with Col John Henry Pringle (also of the Coldstream Guards) as Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant and Thomas Edward Wilbraham (younger son of George Wilbraham of Delamere Park and former

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 39th Foot) as the senior

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

.''Army List'', various dates.''Burke's'': 'Skelmersdale'.Frederick, pp. 131–4.''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 and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

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 status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

. 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 attentio ...

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 has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

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, 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 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 at

Melrose, Scottish Borders Melrose (, "bald moor") is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It lies within the Eildon Area committee, committee area of Scottish Borders Council. History The original ...

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 w ...

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 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 the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

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 status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

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 (color), 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 rela ...

. It landed at

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

on 10 July 1901 and proceeded to Winburg 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 ( in Afrikaans) is a town in Free State, South Africa, consisting of the following suburbs: Brentpark, Constantia, Constantia Park, Dawid Malanville, Elandia, Gelukwaarts, Goedgedacht, Heuningspruit, Industria, Jordania, Koek ...

, with D Company at

Brandfort Brandfort, officially renamed Winnie Mandela in 2021, is a small agricultural town in the central Free State (province), Free State province of South Africa, about 60 km northeast of Bloemfontein on the R30 (South Africa), R30 road. The town s ...

. 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 ...

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 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 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 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 Military operation, operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In ...

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 and sub-units in the British Army Reserve which are descended from volunteer cavalry regiments that now serve in a variety of different roles. History Origins In the 1790s, following the ...

and

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

) 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 Al ...

Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the 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 Offic ...

. 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

3rd & 4th Battalions

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 River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

Garrison. By October the 3rd was stationed at

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...

and the 4th at Riby. 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 is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, the 2nd on the Western Front.James, p. 96.Manchester Regiment at Long, Long Trail.
/ref> After Lord Kitchener issued his call for volunteers in August 1914, the battalions of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd New Armies ('K1', 'K2' and 'K3' of '

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

') were quickly formed at the regimental depots. The SR battalions also swelled with new recruits and were soon well above their establishment strength. On 8 October 1914 each SR battalion was ordered to use the surplus to form a service battalion of the 4th New Army ('K4'). Accordingly, the 3rd (Reserve) Bn formed the 14th (Service) Bn (''see below''). 4th (Extra Reserve) Bn was intended to form a 15th Bn, but the order was cancelled for most Extra Reserve battalions on 25 October, and no 15th Manchesters was ever formed.Becke, Pt 3b, Appendix I.James, Appendices II & III. The two SR battalions remained on the

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

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

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

. 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 In European militaries, a billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. In American usage, it refers to a specific personnel position, assignment, or duty station to which a soldier can be assigned. Historically, a billet w ...

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

14th (Reserve) Battalion

In October 1914, 14th (Service) Bn was already forming at

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

as a K3 battalion intended for 66th Brigade of 22nd Division. It was replaced in that brigade by 13th (Service) Bn, Manchesters, and on 19 November it was converted to a K4 battalion made up from the surplus personnel of 3rd (Reserve) Bn. It was now assigned to 91st Brigade of 30th Division and began training for active service. On 10 April 1915 the War Office decided to convert the K4 battalions into 2nd Reserve units, providing drafts for the K1–K3 battalions in the same way that the SR was doing for the Regular battalions. The Manchester battalion became 13th (Reserve) Bn, remaining at Lichfield in 3rd Reserve Brigade, where it trained drafts for the 11th , 12th and 13th (Service) Bns. In January 1916 it moved to Brocton on

Cannock Chase Cannock Chase, often referred to locally as The Chase, is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase National Landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and muc ...

. On 1 September 1916 the 2nd Reserve battalions were transferred to the Training Reserve (TR) and the battalion was redesignated 14th Training Reserve Bn, still in 3rd Reserve Bde at Brocton. The training staff retained their Manchesters badges. On 1 September 1917 the battalion became 278th (Infantry) Battalion, TR, and it moved to

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

to join 200th Brigade in 67th Division. On 27 October 1917 it transferred to the

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 ...

as 52nd (Graduated) Battalion. By January 1918 it was stationed at Willsborough, near

Ashford, Kent Ashford is a town in the Borough of Ashford, Ashford district, in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about by road southeast of centr ...

.The following month it transferred to 207th Bde in 69th Division at Clipstone Camp, moving to 208th Bde in 69th Division in April. In May 1918 it moved to

Welbeck Welbeck is a village and former civil parish (now in the parish of Norton, Cuckney, Holbeck and Welbeck) within the Welbeck local voting ward of Bassetlaw District Council, in Nottinghamshire, England. It is slightly to the south-west of Work ...

, where it remained for the rest of the war. After the war it was converted into 52nd (Service) Bn of the Sherwood Foresters on 8 February 1919 and was eventually disbanded at Dollymount in Ireland on 31 March 1920.

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and were all formally disbanded in April 1953.

Commanders

The following served as Colonel of the Regiment 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 Lieutenant-Colonel 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 Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

, 44th Foot, 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, 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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 The Hon. Edward Stanley from 1886–93 and Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British peer, soldier, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politic ...

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

Heritage & ceremonial

Uniforms & insignia

The uniform of the Royal Lancashire Militia was scarlet with the blue facings appropriate to 'Royal' regiments. The badge of the 6th RLM was the

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

: on the buttons of the original coatee 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 torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...

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 Cap badge, badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, 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 protecti ...

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 In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram or monogram-like device of a country's reigning Monarch, sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a Crown (heral ...

('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.

Memorial

There is a brass memorial plaque in

St Michael and All Angels' Church, Ashton-under-Lyne St. Michael's Church (also known as, St. Michael and All Angels' Church) is an Anglican parish church in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The church is a Listed Building, Grade I Listed Building. The church dates back to ...

, listing the 31 NCOs and men of 3rd Bn Manchesters killed in the Zeppelin raid on Cleethorpes on 1 April 1916. It was unveiled on 13 October 1918.IWM WMR ref 47711.
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Footnotes

Notes

References

* Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions,'' London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8. * Maj A.F. Becke,''History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3b: New Army Divisions (30–41) and 63rd (R.N.) Division'', London: HM Stationery Office, 1939/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-41-X. * ''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, . * ''Instructions Issued by the War Office During October 1914'', London: HM Stationery Office. * ''Instructions Issued by the War Office During April 1915'', London: HM Stationery Office.
Maj R.J.T. Williamson & Col J. Lawson Whalley, ''History of the Old County Regiment of Lancashire Militia'', London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1888.

External sources

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

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