| King's (Liverpool Regiment) King's Regiment (Liverpool)[a] | |
|---|---|
&sq=crain_ford&lang=en&file=File:King%27s_R_horse.png) Cap badge of the King's Regiment (Liverpool), featuring the White Horse of Hanover. | |
| Active | 1 July 1881 – 1 September 1958 |
| Country |  Kingdom of England (1685–1707) Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1958) |
| Branch | &sq=crain_ford&lang=en&file=File:Flag_of_the_British_Army.svg){kind=small} British Army |
| Type | Line infantry |
| Size | Varied; see full list of battalions |
| Regimental Depot | Warrington (1881–1910) Seaforth (1910–1958) |
| Nickname(s) | The Leather Hats, The King's Hanoverian White Horse |
| Motto(s) | Nec Aspera Terrent (Difficulties be Damned) |
| Colours | Blue |
| March | Quick March: Here's to the Maiden Slow March The English Rose,[1] |
| Anniversaries | Somme (1 July) Blenheim (13 August) Delhi (14 September) |
| Engagements | First World War Russian Civil War Anglo-Irish War Second World War |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | King George V (c. 1925–1936) |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Brigadier Richard Nicholas Murray Jones (1957–1958) |
The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 when a single battalion was raised as The Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot.
The original uniform consisted of a long scarlet coat turned up with yellow. Yellow breeches and waistcoat, white cravat, broad brimmed hat turned up and adorned with yellow ribbon, white stockings and 'serviceable' shoes.
In 1702 when she succeeded the throne as Queen Anne, the sovereign ordered the title to be altered to The Queen's Regiment. In 1751, when all British Army infantry regiments were numbered, the title became; 8th or The King's Regiment after the then monarch King George II, and was from then onward referred to as 8th Foot, 8th Regiment or 8th King's.
Unlike most British Army infantry regiments, which were associated with a county, the King's represented the city of Liverpool, one of only four regiments affiliated to a city in the British Army.[b] After 273 years of continuous existence, the regiment was amalgamated with the Manchester Regiment in 1958 to form the King's Regiment (Liverpool and Manchester), which was later amalgamated with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment to form the present Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border).
The King's notably saw active service in the Second Boer War, the two world wars, and the Korean War. In the First World War, the regiment contributed dozens of battalions to the Western Front, Salonika, and the North West Frontier. More than 13,000 men were killed. In the Second World War, the 5th and 8th (Irish) battalions landed during Operation Overlord, the 1st and 13th fought as Chindits in the Burma campaign, and the 2nd Battalion served in Italy and Greece. The King's later fought in the Korean War, earning the regiment's last battle honour.
Nine Victoria Crosses were awarded to men of the regiment, the first in 1900 and the last in 1918. An additional two were awarded to Royal Army Medical Corps officer Noel Godfrey Chavasse, who was attached to the 10th (Scottish) Battalion during the Great War.
In peacetime, the regiment's battalions were based in the United Kingdom and colonies in the British Empire. Duties varied: riots were suppressed in Belfast, England, and the Middle East; bases were garrisoned in places such as the North-West Frontier Province and West Germany; and reviews and parades conducted throughout the regiment's history.
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- ^ Regimental Marches Archived 19 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine