Childers Reforms facts for kids
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 was effected by General Order 41/1881, issued on 1 May 1881, amended by G.O. 70/1881 dated 1 July, which created a network of multi-battalion regiments. In England, Wales and Scotland, each regiment was to have two regular or "line" battalions and two militia battalions. In Ireland, there were to be two line and three militia battalions. This was done by renaming the numbered regiments of foot and county militia regiments. In addition, the various corps of county rifle volunteers were to be designated as volunteer battalions. Each of these regiments was associated by headquarters location and territorial name to its local "Regimental District". The reforms became effective on 1 July.
From 1881, regimental seniority numbers were officially abolished and battalions came to be known by their number within the regiment and the regimental district name. Unofficially, the regiments were still referred to by their numbers by their officers and men, as tradition, and several regiments, such as "The Buffs" (the Royal East Kent Regiment), the Cameron Highlanders, and the "Black Watch", lobbied to keep their distinct names as part of their battalion titles.
In practice, it was not always possible to apply the scheme strictly: the Cameron Highlanders initially had only one regular battalion, while several regiments had more or fewer militia regiments than specified by the initial scheme. In addition, the King's Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) had no local regimental districts, and their affiliated militia and volunteer battalions were selected not on a territorial basis, but due to their "rifle" traditions. This structure lasted until 1948, when every regiment of line infantry had its regular battalions decreased to one, with only the three original Guards Division regiments retaining two regular battalions.
Also in 1881, short service was increased to seven years with the colours, and five with the reserve, of the twelve-year enlistment period that the Cardwell Reforms had introduced. He also introduced the ability for time-served soldiers to extend service in the reserve by four years, albeit classed as the second division, or Section D, of the First Class Army Reserve.
Standardisation of uniforms and colours
For reasons of economy and efficiency, an attempt was made to have the facings of uniforms standardised: Royal regiments would have dark blue facings, English and Welsh regiments would have white facings, Irish regiments would wear green facings (in effect only the Connaught Rangers as all other Irish Regiments were 'Royal Regiments'), and Scottish regiments would have yellow facings. Officers' uniforms had lace in distinctive national patterns: rose pattern for England and Wales, thistle for Scotland and shamrock for Ireland. In the case of regular battalions, the lace was gold, while that of the militia battalions was silver. There were also attempts to assimilate regimental insignia and remove "tribal" uniform distinctions. This was less successful, as regimental tribalism and tradition caused much criticism. Two regiments that displayed a strong reaction were the 75th and the 92nd that were grudgingly joined together to become the Gordon Highlanders. The 75th went so far as to commission a marble monument to themselves in Malta where they were based at the time. They had spent so long away from Scotland that they were effectively an English unit that had to relearn how to wear kilts. The 92nd, though they lost much less identity in the amalgamation, staged a mock funeral procession to themselves, complete with a full-size coffin with the number '92' on it.
During 1890, The Buffs succeeded in being allowed to resume the wearing of buff facings, initially at regimental expense and design. Within a few years, a number of other regiments had replaced white facings with traditional colours. After 1935, the ruling on blue facings for royal regiments effectively lapsed. That year, in celebration of his silver jubilee, King George V designated three regiments as royal. In each case, they were "permitted to retain their present facings". During 1939, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who had worn blue facings since 1881, were issued buff regimental colours "by request and gracious permission". In 1946, three more infantry regiments were designated as "royal" for services during World War II. Of these, only the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment replaced its (white) facings with blue.
Regiments created
| Original title | Changes | Regular battalions | Militia battalions | Volunteer battalions | Regimental district | Facings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) | 1921: The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) | 1st, or The Royal Scots Regiment (2 battalions) | The Edinburgh (or Queen's) Regiment of Light Infantry Militia |
City of Edinburgh Rifle Volunteer Brigade (3 battalions) 2nd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteer Corps 2nd Midlothian (Midlothian and Peebles-shire) Rifle Volunteer Corps |
Berwickshire*, City of Edinburgh, County of Edinburgh, Haddingtonshire, Linlithgowshire | Blue |
| The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) | 1921: The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) | 2nd (Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | 2nd Royal Surrey Militia |
2nd Surrey RVC |
Part of Surrey (including Bermondsey, Croydon, Guildford and Southwark) | Blue |
| The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) | 1935: The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) | 3rd (East Kent, The Buffs) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | East Kent Militia A new 4th Battalion was also formed |
2nd Kent (East Kent) RVC |
Part of Kent (including Ashford, Canterbury, Dover and Ramsgate) | White, changed to buff in 1890 |
| The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) | 1921: The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) | 4th (King's Own Royal) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | 1st Royal Lancashire Militia (Duke of Lancaster's Own) (2 battalions) | 10th Lancashire RVC | Part of Lancashire (including Barrow-in-Furness, Lancaster, Morecambe and Ulverston) | Blue |
| The Northumberland Fusiliers | 1935: The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers | 5th (Northumberland) (Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | The Northumberland Light Infantry Militia |
1st Northumberland (Northumberland and Berwick-on-Tweed) RVC |
Northumberland (including Berwick-upon-Tweed) | White, changed to gosling green in 1899 |
| The Royal Warwickshire Regiment | 1963: The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers | 6th (Royal 1st Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
1st Warwickshire Militia |
1st Warwickshire (Birmingham) RVC |
Warwickshire | Blue |
| The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) | 7th (Royal Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | Royal London Militia 3rd or Royal Westminster Middlesex (Light Infantry) Militia |
Originally the 5th Middlesex RVC, 9th Middlesex RVC and 22nd Middlesex RVC; reallocated to King's Royal Rifle Corps 1882/3 Replaced by: 10th Middlesex RVC, 11th Middlesex RVC and 23rd Middlesex RVC; |
City of London, part of Middlesex (the Tower division, Bloomsbury and Westminster) | Blue | |
| The Liverpool Regiment |
1881: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) |
8th (the King's) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles) |
1st Lancashire RVC |
Part of Lancashire (including Bootle, Liverpool and Southport) and the Isle of Man | Blue |
| The Norfolk Regiment | 1935: The Royal Norfolk Regiment | 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
1st or West Norfolk Militia |
1st Norfolk (City of Norwich) RVC |
Norfolk | White, changed to yellow in 1905 |
| The Lincolnshire Regiment | 1946:The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment | 10th (North Lincoln) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
Royal North Lincolnshire Militia |
1st Lincolnshire RVC |
Lincolnshire | White, changed to royal blue in 1946 and to blue in 1949 |
| The Devonshire Regiment | 11th (North Devon) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
1st or East Devon Militia |
1st Devonshire (Exeter and South Devon) RVC |
Devon | White, changed to Lincoln green in 1905 | |
| The Suffolk Regiment | 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
West Suffolk Militia |
1st Suffolk RVC |
Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, also Huntingdonshire until 1900† | White, changed to yellow in 1899 | |
| Prince Albert's Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment) |
1882: The Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry) |
13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
1st Somersetshire Light Infantry Militia |
1st Somersetshire RVC |
Somerset | Blue |
| The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) |
1921: The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own) | 14th (Buckinghamshire) (Prince of Wales's Own) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
2nd West York Light Infantry Militia |
1st Yorkshire, West Riding RVC |
Part of the West Riding of Yorkshire (including Bradford, Harrogate, Leeds and Ripon) and the county and city of York | White, changed to buff in 1900 |
| The East Yorkshire Regiment | 1935: The East Yorkshire Regiment (The Duke of York's Own) | 15th (York, East Riding) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | East York Militia |
1st Yorkshire, East Riding, RVC |
East Riding of Yorkshire | White |
| The Bedfordshire Regiment | 1919: The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment | 16th (Bedfordshire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
Bedfordshire Light Infantry Militia |
1st Hertfordshire RVC 2nd Hertfordshire RVC |
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire; also Huntingdonshire 1900 - 1908† | White |
| The Leicestershire Regiment | 1946: The Royal Leicestershire Regiment | 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | Leicestershire Militia | 1st Leicestershire RVC | Leicestershire and Rutland | White, changed to pearl grey in 1931 |
| The Royal Irish Regiment | Disbanded 1922 | 18th (The Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | Wexford Militia 2nd or North Tipperary Light Infantry Militia |
N/A | County Kilkenny, County Tipperary, County Waterford and County Wexford | Blue |
| The Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) | 1902: Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) 1921: The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) |
19th (1st York, North Riding) (Princess of Wales's Own) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | 5th West York Militia North York Rifles |
1st Yorkshire (North Riding) RVC 2nd Yorkshire (North Riding) RVC |
North Riding of Yorkshire | White, changed to grass green in 1899 |
| The Lancashire Fusiliers | 20th (East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | 7th Royal Lancashire Militia |
8th Lancashire RVC |
part of Lancashire (including Bury, Middleton, Radcliffe, Rochdale and Salford) | White | |
| The Royal Scots Fusiliers | 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
Dumfries, Roxburgh, Kirkcudbright and Selkirk (Scottish Borderers) Militia |
1st Ayrshire RVC 2nd Ayrshire RVC |
Ayrshire, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire, also Dumfriesshire, Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire until 1887* | Blue | |
| The Cheshire Regiment | 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | 1st Royal Cheshire Light Infantry Militia 2nd Royal Cheshire Militia |
1st Cheshire RVC |
Cheshire | White, changed to buff in 1904 | |
| The Royal Welsh Fusiliers | 1920: The Royal Welch Fusiliers | 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
Royal Denbigh and Merioneth Rifles |
1st Denbighshire RVC |
Anglesey, Carnarvonshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Merionethshire, also Montgomeryshire from 1908. | Blue |
| The South Wales Borderers | 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) |
Royal South Wales Borderers Militia (Royal Radnor and Brecknock Rifles) |
1st Brecknockshire RVC |
Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire, also Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire until 1908. | White, changed to grass green in 1905 | |
| The King's Own Borderers | 1887: The King's Own Scottish Borderers | 25th (King's Own Borderers) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions) | Transferred from the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1887: Dumfries, Roxburgh, Kirkcudbright and Selkirk (Scottish Borderers) Militia |
Transferred from the Royal Scots in 1887: |
Originally to have been part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, but no regimental district formed in 1881. In 1887 a regimental district was formed comprising Berwickshire, Dumfriesshire, Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire by transferring areas from the Royal Scots and Royal Scots Fusiliers. | Blue |
| The Cameronians (Scotch Rifles) | 1881: The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) | 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot 90th (Perthshire Volunteers) (Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot |
2nd Royal Lanark Militia (2 battalions) |
1st Lanarkshire (or Glasgow 1st Western) RVC |
Part of Lanarkshire (including Hamilton, Motherwell and parts of Glasgow) | Rifle green faced dark green |
| The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers |
27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot |
Fermanagh Light Infantry Militia |
N/A | County Donegal (until 1922), County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone‡ | Blue | |
| The Gloucestershire Regiment |
28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot |
Royal South Gloucestershire Light Infantry Militia |
1st Gloucestershire (City of Bristol) RVC |
Gloucestershire | White, changed to primrose yellow in 1929 | |
| The Worcestershire Regiment |
29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot |
1st Worcestershire Militia |
1st Worcestershire RVC |
Worcestershire | White, changed to grass green in 1920 and to "grass green (emerald)" in 1924 | |
| The West Lancashire Regiment | 1881: The East Lancashire Regiment |
30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot |
5th Royal Lancashire Militia |
2nd Lancashire RVC |
Part of Lancashire (including Accrington, Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe and Darwen) | White |
| The East Surrey Regiment | 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot |
1st Royal Surrey Militia 3rd Royal Surrey Militia |
1st Surrey (South London) RVC 3rd Surrey RVC |
Part of Surrey (including Camberwell, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond, Southwark and Wandsworth) | White | |
| The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry | 32nd (Cornwall) (Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Cornwall Rangers, Duke of Cornwall's Own Rifles |
1st Cornwall RVC |
Cornwall | White | |
| The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) | 1921: The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) | 33rd (Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Regiment of Foot 76th Regiment of Foot |
6th West York Militia (2 battalions) | 4th Yorkshire, West Riding RVC 6th Yorkshire, West Riding RVC |
Part of the West Riding of Yorkshire (including Brighouse, Halifax, Huddersfield, Keighley and Skipton) | White, reverted to scarlet in 1905 (both 33rd & 76th were originally Scarlet) |
| The Border Regiment | 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot 55th (Westmoreland) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Cumberland Militia Royal Westmoreland Light Infantry Militia |
1st Cumberland RVC 1st Westmoreland RVC |
Cumberland and Westmorland | White, changed to yellow in 1913 | |
| The Royal Sussex Regiment | 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia | 1st Sussex RVC 2nd Sussex RVC |
Sussex | Blue | |
| The Hampshire Regiment | 1946: The Royal Hampshire Regiment | 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Hampshire Militia | 1st Hampshire RVC 2nd Hampshire RVC |
Hampshire (including the Isle of Wight) | White, changed to yellow in 1904 |
| The South Staffordshire Regiment | 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot 80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot |
(The King's Own) 1st Staffordshire Militia (2 battalions) | 1st Staffordshire RVC 3rd Staffordshire RVC |
Part of Staffordshire (including Handsworth, Walsall, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton) | White, changed to yellow in 1936 | |
| The Dorsetshire Regiment | 1951: The Dorset Regiment | 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of foot |
Dorsetshire Militia | 1st Dorsetshire RVC | Dorset | White, changed to grass green in 1904 |
| The Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) | 1938: The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers) | 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of foot 82nd (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) Regiment of Foot |
4th Royal Lancashire (Duke of Lancaster's Own) Light Infantry Militia | 9th Lancashire RVC 21st Lancashire RVC |
Part of Lancashire (including St Helens and Warrington) | White, changed to buff in 1933 |
| The Welsh Regiment | 1920: The Welch Regiment | 41st (The Welsh) Regiment of Foot 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Glamorganshire Light Infantry Militia | 1st Pembrokeshire (Pembroke, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest) RVC 1st Glamorganshire RVC |
Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire | White |
| The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) | 1934: The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) | 42nd (Royal Highland, The Black Watch) Regiment of Foot 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of foot |
Royal Perthshire Rifle Regiment of Militia | 1st Forfarshire RVC 2nd Forfarshire (Forfarshire or Angus) RVC |
Fife, Forfarshire and Perthshire | Blue |
| The Oxfordshire Light Infantry | 1908: The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry | 43rd (Monmouthshire Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot 52nd (Oxfordshire) (Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Bucks (King's Own) Militia Oxfordshire Militia |
1st Oxfordshire (Oxford University) RVC 2nd Oxfordshire RVC |
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | White |
| The Essex Regiment | 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot |
Eastern Regiment of Essex Militia 1st or West Essex Militia |
1st Essex RVC 2nd Essex RVC |
Essex | White, changed to purple in 1936 | |
| The Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment) | 1902: The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) | 45th (Nottinghamshire) (Sherwood Foresters) Regiment of Foot |
1st Derbyshire Militia 2nd Derbyshire Militia (The Chatsworth Rifles) |
1st Derbyshire RVC 2nd Derbyshire RVC |
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | White, changed to lincoln green in 1913 |
| The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment | The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) | 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot 81st (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers) Regiment of Foot |
3rd Duke of Lancaster's Own Royal Lancashire Militia (2 battalions) | 11th Lancashire RVC 14th Lancashire RVC |
Part of Lancashire (including Bolton, Chorley and Preston) | White |
| The Northamptonshire Regiment | 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot |
Northampton and Rutland Militia | 1st Northamptonshire RVC | Northamptonshire, plus Huntingdonshire from 1914† | White, changed to buff in 1927 | |
| Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment) | 1885: Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) 1921: The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) |
49th (Hertfordshire) (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Regiment of Foot 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Berkshire Militia | 1st Berkshire RVC | Berkshire | White, changed to blue in 1885 |
| The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) | 1 January 1921: The Royal West Kent (Queen's Own) 16 April 1921: The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment |
50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot 97th (Earl of Ulster's) Regiment of Foot |
West Kent Light Infantry Militia | 1st Kent RVC 3rd Kent (West Kent) RVC |
Part of Kent (including Bromley, Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells) | Blue |
| The King's Own Light Infantry (South Yorkshire Regiment) | 1887: The King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry) 1921: The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry |
51st (2nd Yorkshire, West Riding, King's Own Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot 105th (Madras Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot |
1st West York Rifles Militia | 3rd Yorkshire, West Riding RVC | Part of the West Riding of Yorkshire (including Batley, Castleford, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Goole, Pontefract and Wakefield) | Blue |
| The King's Light Infantry (Shropshire Regiment) | 1882: The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry) 1921: The King's Shropshire Light Infantry |
53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot 85th (Bucks Volunteers) (King's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot |
Shropshire Militia Royal Herefordshire Militia |
1st Shropshire RVC 2nd Shropshire RVC |
Herefordshire and Shropshire, also Radnorshire from 1908 | Blue |
| The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) | 1921: The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) | 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) |
Royal Elthorne or 5th Middlesex Light Infantry Militia Royal East Middlesex Militia |
3rd Middlesex RVC 8th Middlesex RVC |
Middlesex, except parts included in the regimental district of the Royal Fusiliers | White, changed to lemon yellow in 1902 |
| The King's Royal Rifle Corps | 1 January 1921: The King's Royal Rifles 10 February 1921: The King's Royal Rifle Corps |
60th (King's Royal Rifle Corps) Regiment of Foot (4 battalions) | Huntingdonshire Rifles Militia Royal Flint Rifles Militia |
3rd City of London RVC 1st Middlesex RVC (Victoria Rifles) |
Recruited throughout United Kingdom (depot at Winchester) | Rifle green faced scarlet |
| The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) | 1921: The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) | 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot 99th (Duke of Edinburgh's) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Wiltshire Militia | 1st Wiltshire RVC 2nd Wiltshire RVC |
Wiltshire | White, changed to buff in 1905 |
| The Manchester Regiment | 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot 96th Regiment of Foot |
6th Royal Lancashire Militia (2 battalions) | 4th Lancashire RVC 6th Lancashire (1st Manchester) RVC |
Part of Lancashire (including Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester and Oldham) | White, changed to deep green in 1937 | |
| The Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment) | 1921: The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) | 64th (North Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot 98th (Prince of Wales's) Regiment of Foot |
The King's Own (2nd Staffordshire) Light Infantry Militia The King's Own (3rd Staffordshire) Rifles Militia |
2nd Staffordshire (Staffordshire Rangers) RVC 5th Staffordshire RVC |
Part of Staffordshire (including Burton upon Trent, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth) | White, changed to black in 1937 |
| The York and Lancaster Regiment | 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot |
3rd West York Light Infantry Militia | 2nd Yorkshire West Riding (Hallamshire) RVC 8th Yorkshire West Riding RVC |
Part of the West Riding of Yorkshire (including Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield) | White | |
| The Durham Light Infantry | 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) 106th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Light Infantry) |
1st South Durham Militia 2nd North Durham Militia |
1st Durham (Durham and North Riding of York) RVC 2nd Durham RVC |
County Durham | White changed to dark green in 1903 | |
| The Highland Light Infantry | 1923: The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) | 71st (Highland) (light Infantry) Regiment of Foot |
1st Royal Lanark Militia | 5th Lanarkshire (Glasgow 2nd Northern) RVC 6th Lanarkshire RVC |
Part of Lanarkshire (including Glasgow and Lanark) | Yellow, changed to buff in 1899 |
| Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs) | 1881: Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) 1921: The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) |
72nd (Duke of Albany's own Highlanders) Regiment of foot 78th (Highlanders) (Ross-shire Buffs) Regiment of Foot |
Highland Rifles Militia (The militia regiment of the counties of Ross, Caithness, Sutherland and Cromarty) | 1st Ross-shire (Ross Highland) RVC 1st Sutherland (The Sutherland Highland) RVC |
Caithness, Cromarty, Elginshire, Nairnshire, Orkney, Ross-shire and Sutherland | Yellow, changed to buff to 1899 |
| The Gordon Highlanders | 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot |
Royal Aberdeenshire Highlanders Militia | 1st Aberdeenshire RVC 2nd Aberdeenshire RVC |
Aberdeenshire, Banffshire and Kincardineshire, also Zetland from 1900 | Yellow | |
| The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders | 79th (Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot 2nd battalion raised in 1897 |
Inverness, Banff, Elgin and Nairn Militia | 1st Inverness-shire (Inverness Highland) RVC | Inverness-shire | Blue | |
| The Royal Irish Rifles | 1922: The Royal Ulster Rifles | 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot |
Royal North Down Rifles Royal Antrim Rifles Militia |
N/A | County Antrim and County Down, also County Louth until 1922 | Rifle green faced light green, facings changed to dark green 1882 |
| The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) | 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot |
Armagh Light Infantry Militia Cavan Militia |
N/A | County Armagh plus County Cavan and County Monaghan until 1922‡ | Blue | |
| The Connaught Rangers | Disbanded 1922 | 88th (Connaught Rangers) Regiment of Foot 94th Regiment of Foot |
South Mayo Rifles Militia Galway Militia |
N/A | County Galway, County Leitrim, County Mayo and County Roscommon | Green |
| Princess Louises's (Sutherland and Argyll Highlanders) | 1882: Princess Louises's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) 1921: The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) |
91st (Princess Louises's Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot |
Highland Borderers Light Infantry Militia (The militia regiment of the counties of Clackmannan, Dumbarton, Kinross and Stirling) Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment of Renfrew Militia |
1st Renfrewshire RVC 2nd Renfrewshire RVC |
Argyllshire, Buteshire, Dumbartonshire, Kinross-shire, Renfrewshire and Stirlingshire | Yellow |
| The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) | Disbanded 1922 | 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot 109th (Bombay Infantry) Regiment of Foot |
King's County Royal Rifles Militia Royal Queen's County Rifles Militia |
N/A | King's County, County Longford, County Meath, Queen's County, and County Westmeath | Blue |
| The Royal Munster Fusiliers | Disbanded 1922 | 101st (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot 104th (Bengal Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot |
South Cork Light Infantry Militia Kerry Militia |
N/A | County Clare, City of Cork, County Cork, County Kerry and County Limerick | Blue |
| The Royal Dublin Fusiliers | Disbanded 1922 | 102nd (Royal Madras Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot 103rd (Royal Bombay Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot |
Kildare Rifles Militia Queen's Own Royal Dublin City Militia |
N/A | City of Dublin, County Dublin and County Kildare | Blue |
| The Prince Consort's Own (Rifle Brigade) | 1921: The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) | Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) (4 battalions) | Queen's Own Royal Tower Hamlets Light Infantry Militia Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment of Longford Light Infantry Militia |
7th Middlesex (London Scottish) RVC 14th Middlesex (Inns of Court) RVC |
Recruited throughout United Kingdom (depot at Winchester) | Rifle green faced black |
* Berwickshire, Dumfriesshire, Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire were transferred to the regimental district of the King's Own Scottish Borderers district 1887.
† Huntingdonshire was originally included in the regimental district of the Suffolk Regiment. There were no volunteer units recruited in the county from 1889 until 1900, when the 4th (Huntingdonshire) Volunteer Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment was formed. In 1908, it became part of the 5th Battalion of the Bedfords. In 1914, the Huntingdonshire companies were transferred to a newly formed Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion, affiliated to The Northamptonshire Regiment. The successors to the cyclist unit continued to be part of the Northamptons.
‡ It was originally proposed to disband the Royal Irish Fusiliers during 1922. However, the 2nd battalion of that regiment and of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers were disbanded instead. During 1924, the two regiments formed a single "corps" sharing a depot and regimental district consisting of Counties Armagh, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. In 1937, the regiments were again separated, with each forming a second battalion the next year.
Later changes
Between 1897 and 1900, the regular army was increased in size in response to a number of conflicts, especially the Second Boer War. The Cameron Highlanders raised a second battalion, while third and fourth regular battalions were added to the Northumberland Fusiliers, Warwickshire Regiment, Royal Fusiliers, King's (Liverpool Regiment), Lancashire Fusiliers, Worcestershire Regiment, Middlesex Regiment and the Manchester Regiment. The recruiting areas of each of these regiments included parts of large conurbations.
The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 reformed the reserve forces during 1908. A number of militia battalions were disbanded with the remainder being transferred to a new Special Reserve. At the same time, the volunteer battalions became part of the new Territorial Force, and were redesignated as numbered battalions of the regiments.
The army was expanded for the duration of the First World War, with the territorial battalions being duplicated and numerous war-time service battalions being formed.
During 1921-22, the system was somewhat changed: the special reserve battalions were reorganized and a number of Irish regiments were disbanded on the creation of the Irish Free State. All remaining regiments were reduced to two regular battalions.
During the Second World War, regiments were again expanded, although not to the same extent as for the previous conflict.
After the independence of India during 1947, regiments lost their second battalion, although some were reformed temporarily for the Korean War.
The system introduced during 1881 finally ended with the reforms introduced by the Defence White Paper of 1957. A number of pairs of regiments were amalgamated, while regimental depots were closed with recruiting and training being organised in multi-regiment brigades.
See also
- List of Regiments of Foot
- List of British Army regiments (1881)
- Cardwell Reforms
- Haldane Reforms
