King's Regiment

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The King's Regiment
Active1 September 1958 – 1 July 2006
Country 
Ladysmith (28 February), Kohima (15 May), Guadeloupe (10 June), Somme (1 July), Blenheim (13 August), Delhi (14 September), Inkerman (5 November)
Commanders
Last Colonel in ChiefPrince Charles
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash

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 Manchester Regiment which traced its history to 1758. In existence for almost 50 years, the regular battalion, 1 KINGS, served in Kenya, Kuwait, British Guiana (Guyana), West Germany, Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, and Iraq. Between 1972 and 1990, 15 Kingsmen died during military operations in Northern Ireland during a violent period in the province's history known as "The Troubles".

When formed in 1958, the King's Regiment consisted of one infantry battalion, known within the Army as 1 KINGS, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel

Warrior infantry fighting vehicle; it continued this role during the amalgamation in 2006. The regimental establishment in 2004 was 620, although its substantive strength was recorded as being 60 below that.[1]

History

1958–1980

The King's and Manchester Regiments, consisting of regular and Territorial Army battalions, had been selected for amalgamation by

Colonel-in-Chief of the Manchester Regiment, formalising a relationship conceived during the Second World War.[4]

Queen's and Regimental

colours were presented to the 1st Battalion by the 18th Earl of Derby on 28 November. In addition to 1 KINGS, the regiment at that time consisted of three territorial battalions, all of which retained their historical designations, colours, uniforms, and honorary colonels. This practice continued until the Territorial Army's restructuring in the late 1960s: the 5th Battalion, The King's Regiment (Liverpool), was reduced to a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers; the 8th (Ardwick) Battalion, The Manchester Regiment amalgamated with the 9th Battalion, to form The Manchester Regiment (Ardwick and Ashton) Territorials and a separate company within The Lancastrian Volunteers. Other units were constituted by elements of The King's Regiment and its predecessors, albeit in different services of the Army. Personnel from the Liverpool Scottish and defunct 5 KINGS became part of "R" (King's) Battery, West Lancashire Regiment, Royal Artillery while the heritage of the Liverpool Irish and Liverpool Rifles was claimed by troops of other Royal Artillery batteries.[5][6]

Within months, the regiment received notification that it would be stationed in

Gilgil, situated in the Rift Valley between Naivasha and Nakuru, until relocated to Muthaiga Camp, near Nairobi. Detached from the regiment at this time were elements of headquarters and two rifle companies ("A" and "D"), which became part of the Army's contribution to the Persian Gulf garrison in Bahrain for more than a year.[7] Subordinated to 24 Infantry Brigade, which Britain maintained in Kenya as part of the Strategic Reserve, 1 KINGS became liable for deployment to various locations in Africa and Asia.[7]

The Ferret was operated by the regiment's reconnaissance platoon in West Germany before and after conversion to armoured infantry.

Subsequent to

Abdullah III appealed to Britain and Saudi Arabia for assistance. Britain responded to the emergency by concentrating military forces in the Persian Gulf, composed initially of naval assets, as a deterrence to aggression.[9] The Strategic Reserve's 24 Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Horsford, was transported to Kuwait in Bristol Britannias in early July to augment the country's defences. Opportunity for the Kingsmen to acclimatise before relieving 45 Commando was fleeting. Just days after arrival, 1 KINGS occupied a ridge formation approximately 30-miles west of Kuwait City to prepare a defensive position.[10]

When the emergency ended, 1 KINGS returned to Kenya, and in early 1962 proceeded to Britain. By July, the regiment was based in West Berlin. While there, the regiment patrolled the border with Soviet occupied East Berlin. On returning to Britain in 1964, 1 KINGS became part of the UK Strategic Reserve. A company from the regiment deployed to British Honduras later that year.[11]

The battalion's first deployment to Northern Ireland under the hostile conditions of the Troubles occurred in 1970, although it did not suffer its first fatal casualties until a second tour in 1972. Violence escalated substantially in 1972, resulting in the deaths of 470 people.

Springfield Road, had been the "most heavily guarded" police station in Belfast.[17] The battalion returned to Belfast in February 1979.[11] In April 1979 Kingsman Shanley and Lance Corporal Rumble were killed in the same vehicle by a PIRA sniper.[18]

1980–2000

Events were organised in 1985 to observe the tercentenary of the regiment's raising in 1685 as the Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot. After returning to England, to be based at Saighton Camp just outside Chester, then later to Dale Barracks Chester when Saighton Camp closed in 1985, 1 KINGS deployed to the Falkland Islands for four months and then again to Northern Ireland in May 1986.[11]

Northern Ireland remained the British Army's largest operational commitment into the early 1990s. Violence had declined in frequency and casualties reduced in number; however, a new method of attack emerged during the regiment's two-year posting to County Londonderry as a resident infantry battalion in 1990.[19] The attack on 1 KINGS was the first in a series of vehicle-delivered "proxy bomb" attacks against multiple targets in 1990, three of which occurred on 24 October. Three men accused by the PIRA of collaborating with the security forces were abducted and their families held hostage. Employed by the British Army as a civilian cook, Patrick Gillespie was instructed to drive his vehicle, laden with explosives, to a designated checkpoint on the border with County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. Approximately 1,000 pounds of explosives contained within Gillespie's vehicle was detonated remotely when it reached the permanent checkpoint on Buncrana Road, near Derry, wounding many and killing Lance-Corporal Burrows and Kingsmen Beecham, Scott, Sweeney and Worrall.[20] Structural damage to buildings in a nearby housing estate and to military infrastructure was extensive.[20]

In 1992 1 KINGS moved to west

Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus the following year.[11] After returning to Britain, further deployments to Northern Ireland followed in 1999.[11]

2000–2006

Prior to the firefighters' strikes of 2003, the regiment received basic firefighting training to provide emergency cover. The battalion operated in the

Operation Fresco
.

Distribution of multi-national occupation forces during the deployment of the King's Regiment in 2003.

Almost two-months after President

Basra Province during the initial period of post-war occupation. Tactics, familiar to the Regiment, that had been employed in Northern Ireland and the Balkans, were adopted by the British forces occupying the south of Iraq.[21] Unless conditions dictated the wearing of helmets and deployment of Warriors, 1 KINGS disembarked from Land Rovers to conduct foot patrols in "soft hats" (berets).[22][23] During its tour, 1 King's organised vehicle checkpoints, seized munitions, trained local forces, mediated tribal disputes, and engaged in a "hearts and minds" campaign.[24] Civil disorder also occupied the battalion, particularly when rioting occurred in August and October. The British attributed the violent demonstrations in August to Iraqi grievances over the scarcity of fuel and power shortages, compounded by oppressive temperatures exceeding 50 °C (122 °F).[25]

The Kingsmen returned to Catterick in November 2003. No fatal casualties had been incurred by the regiment and two officers and a Territorial Army soldier were decorated with operational gallantry awards in recognition of their contributions.

Court of Appeal.[28][30] Their appeals were dismissed in December 2005.[31]

In December 2004, it was announced that The King's Regiment, the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, would be amalgamated to form The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) as part of the restructuring of the infantry. On formation of the new regiment on 1 July 2006, 1 KINGS became the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, abbreviated as 2 LANCS, but very quickly the manpower of all three merging regiments was deliberately mixed to give the new regiment its own character.[32]

Territorials

When the regiment was created, all three of the remaining Territorial battalions from both the King's and Manchesters, were transferred without a change in title. These were:[33]

In 1967 when the

TAVR was created, the 3 Battalions were reduced to 2 companies of the Lancastrian Volunteers
. 5th King's, became B Company (King's); whilst both 8th and 9th Manchesters became C Company (Manchester).

5th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion

However, this regiment didn't last very long, and in 1975 control of the Territorial units was placed back under the affiliated regiments. Therefore, HQ, B, and C Companies, 1st Battalion, Lancastrian Volunteers, alongside B Company (later D Company) of the 2nd Battalion were redesignated as the 5th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion of the King's Regiment. Upon formation, the battalion's structure was as follows:[34][35]

  • HQ Company, at Warrington
  • A Company, at Warrington
  • B Company, at Townsend Avenue, Liverpool
  • C Company, at Ardwick Green, Manchester
  • D Company, at Townsend Avenue, Liverpool

1984 saw the creation of a Home Service Force company- E (HSF) Company, with platoons spread throughout the company locations. The HSF was disbanded, however, in 1992 at the end of the Cold War, and therefore so was the company. At the same time as E Company disbanded, the battalion was reduced down to three rifle companies, and retained this structure until amalgamation in 1999.[34][35]

  • HQ (The Lancastrian) Company, at Warrington
  • A (The King's Liverpool) Company, at Townsend Avenue, Liverpool
  • C (The Manchester) Company, at Ardwick Green, Manchester
  • V (The Liverpool Scottish) Company, at Score Lane, Liverpool (transferred from 1st Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers)

The Battalion amalgamated with the 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion of the

4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.[36]

Other information

Battle honours

from the Regiment and its predecessors

Colonels-in-Chief

Colonels-in-Chief were:[37]

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were:[37]

  • 1958–1962: Maj-Gen. Thomas Bell Lindsay Churchill, CB, CBE, MC (from the Manchester Regiment)
  • 1962–1965: Maj-Gen. George Douglas Gordon Heyman, CBE
  • 1965–1970: Maj-Gen. Derek Gordon Thomond Horsford, CBE, DSO
  • 1970–1975: Brig. Arthur Eric Holt
  • 1975–1986: Col. Sir Geoffrey F. Errington, Bt.
  • 1986–1994: Brig. Peter Ronald Davies, CB
  • 1994–2002?: Brig. Jeremy John Gaskell, OBE
  • 2002?–2006: Col. Malcolm Grant Howarth, CBE
  • 2006: Regiment merged with
    The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border)

Notes

  1. ^ House of Commons Written Answers, 10 January 2005. Retrieved 23 June 2007.
  2. ^ Chandler (2003), p338
  3. ^ Mileham (2000), p193
  4. ^ Mills, T.F. "The King's Regiment". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ Mileham (2000), p203
  6. ^ Regiments.org
  7. ^ a b Mileham (2000), p195
  8. ^ Speller (2005), The Royal Navy and Maritime Power in the Twentieth Century, p166
  9. ^ Tripp (2002), History of Iraq, pp165-166
  10. ^ Mileham (2000), p196
  11. ^ a b c d e f "King's Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  12. CAIN
    , cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  13. ^ Reitan, Earl A. (2003), The Thatcher Revolution: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair and the Transformation of Modern Britain 1979–2002, p111
  14. ^ Mileham (2000), p208
  15. ^ Mileham (2000), p206
  16. ^ Mileham (2000), p207
  17. ^ Cashinella, Brian (1972), Two IRA Leaders are Arrested by Éire Police, The Times, 1 June 1972, p1
  18. ^ "King'sRegiment". Palace Garden. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  19. ^ Cox, Guelke & Stephen (2000), A Farewell to Arms?: Beyond the Good Friday Agreement, p213
  20. ^ a b Brooke (1990), House of Commons Hansard Debates, 24 October, publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
  21. ^ Coalition divided over battle for hearts and minds, guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  22. ^ Greste (2003), Business as usual for British forces in Iraq, news.bbc.co.uk
  23. ^ Russell (2003), British troops patrol Basra using low-key tactics, alertnet.org (Reuters).
  24. ^ Neely (2003), Crime-racked Basra calls on British troops to get tougher, The Independent, 23 October. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  25. ^ BBC (2003), UK troops attacked in Basra, 9 August, news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  26. mentioned in despatches. Operational Honours and Awards Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
    , gnn.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
  27. ^ UK troops 'shot harmless Iraqis', news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
  28. ^ a b High Court publication Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, hmcourts-service.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  29. ^ BBC (2004), Court challenge over Iraqi deaths, 5 May, news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
  30. ^ BBC (2004), Iraqis win death probe test case, news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  31. ^ "Appeal Decision" (PDF). Redress. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  32. ^ "Duke of Lancaster's Regiment". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  33. ^ "The King's Regiment". Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  34. ^ a b "5th/8th (Volunteer) Battalion The King's Regiment". Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  35. ^ a b "5th/8th Battalion, The King's Regiment". Archived from the original on 16 August 2007.
  36. ^ "The King's and Cheshire Regiment". Archived from the original on 7 March 2002. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  37. ^ a b "The Kings Regiment". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

References

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