List of battalions of the King's Regiment (Liverpool)
This is a list of battalions of the King's Regiment , which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1958.
Original composition
When the 8th Regiment of Foot became The King's in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, eight pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Lancashire and the Isle of Man were integrated into the structure of the King's Regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class. The only change to the regiment's structure during the period of 1881-1908 occurred during the Second Boer War. During the conflict, the regiment formed two additional regular battalions in Ireland in 1900, which required the militia to be renumbered the 5th and 6th battalions to accommodate them. The new battalions disbanded in 1901 and the militia reverted to their original designations.Reorganisation
The Territorial Force was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order. Uniquely, the 7th Battalion did not join the Territorial Force, instead remaining a "volunteer" battalion.| Battalion | Formerly |
| 5th | 1st Volunteer Battalion |
| 6th | 2nd Volunteer Battalion |
| 7th | Amalgamation of 3rd and 4th Volunteer Battalions |
| 8th | 5th Volunteer Battalion |
| 9th | 6th Volunteer Battalion |
| 10th | 8th Volunteer Battalion |
First World War
The King's Regiment fielded 49 battalions and lost 13,795 officers and other ranks during the course of the war. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 5th King's were numbered as the 1/5th, 2/5th, and 3/5th respectively. Many battalions of the King's were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. The 17th to 20th King's, New Army "Service" battalions, were referred to as the Liverpool "Pals" because they were predominantly composed of work colleagues.Inter-War
By 1922, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The King's Regiment did not, however, return to its original peacetime size; it lost the 8th and 9th battalions shortly after the war ended. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft.| Battalion | Fate |
| 5th | Retained, though it became a "line infantry" battalion when its rifle distinctions were relinquished in 1937 |
| 6th | Transferred to the Royal Engineers, becoming the 38th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 1936, later 38th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery |
| 7th | Became the 40th Regiment, Royal Tank Corps, 1938 |
| 8th | Disbanded 31 March 1922 |
| 9th | Absorbed by the Royal Engineers, early 1920s |
| 10th | Became a battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, retaining its Liverpool Scottish designation, 1937. |
Second World War
The King's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914-1918. Existing battalions formed duplicates as in the First World War, while National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion. In addition to this, 16 battalions and four batteries of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment.Post-World War II
In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded. A defence review by Duncan Sandys in 1957 decided that the King's would be amalgamated with the Manchester Regiment, to form the King's Regiment. They united as the 1st Battalion on 1 September 1958.| Battalion | Fate |
| 1st | Amalgamated with 1st Manchesters to form the 1st Battalion, The King's Regiment, 1958 |
| 2nd | Amalgamated with 1st King's, 1948 |
| 3rd | Disbanded 1953 |
| 4th | Disbanded 1953 |
| 5th | Retained its identity until 1967, when it became a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers |