5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool)

Both served in home defence, but the 5th King's landed in Normandy on D Day as part of a specialist beach group 1939.[4] The Rev John Howson was appointed Honorary Chaplain in 1865,[7] but later transferred to the 80th (Liverpool Press Guard) Lancashire RVC.Sub-District No 13 (County of Lancashire) was formed in Northern District with headquarters at Liverpool and the following units assigned:[6][8] The 1st Lancashire RVC became a volunteer battalion of The King's (Liverpool Regiment) under the Childers Reforms on 1 July 1881 with 10 companies, and was redesignated as the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the regiment on 1 March 1888.The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war.[16][17][18][19][20] At the outbreak of World War I the West Lancashire Division had just begun its annual training and when mobilisation was ordered on 4 August 1914 the units were sent back to their drill halls.[17][18][19][21] The TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country.On 15 August, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units.It remained with this formation until the end of the war, taking part in the following engagements:[17][18][19][23][29] The battalion was at Ath in Belgium when the Armistice with Germany came into force on 11 November.In November it was sent to Blackpool, and in February 1915 it went to Canterbury where the 1st and 2nd Line Liverpool Brigades had been temporarily combined under a single commander.Part of the role of the former provisional units was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas, and 25th Kings landed at Calais as a 'Garrison Guard' battalion on 7 May 1918.In France it was attached to 59th (2nd North Midland) Division at Estrée-Cauchy, and on 16 June it joined 176th (2/1st Staffordshire) Brigade in that formation.By mid-July the 'Garrison Guard' title had been dropped and it became a fighting battalion, serving with 176th Bde at the Battle of Albert (21–23 August) and the final advance in Artois and Flanders.[43][44] After the successful completion of the assault landing phase of Overlord, 5th King's continued to serve with 21st Army Group on line of communication duties for the remainder of the campaign in North West Europe.After the division was reduced to lower establishment, the battalion left on 17 September 1942[42] to join 206th Independent Infantry Bde.
British soldiers in a wrecked German trench at Ginchy, 1916.
British infantry at Morval, 25 September 1916.
Men of 55th (WL) Division marching through Béthune after the defence of Givenchy, April 1918.
United KingdomVolunteer ForceTerritorial ForceTerritorial Army55th (West Lancashire) Division65 St Anne StreetLiverpoolWorld War IBattle of FestubertBattle of LoosBattle of the SommeThird Battle of YpresBattle of CambraiBattle of the LysHundred Days OffensiveWorld War IINathaniel BousfieldKing's Regiment (Liverpool)British ArmyWestern FrontLancastrian VolunteersLancashireVolunteer movementCaptainFairfieldEdge HillSt Anne'sJohn HowsonHonorary Chaplain80th (Liverpool Press Guard) Lancashire RVCCardwell ReformsMilitiaNorthern District8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles)5th (Liverpool Volunteer Rifle Brigade) Lancashire RVC64th (Liverpool Irish) Lancashire RVCChilders ReformsSecond Boer WarStanhope MemorandumCheshireMersey BrigadeVolunteersHaldane ReformsWest Lancashire Divisiondrill hallLondon, Brighton and South Coast RailwayCanterburyWar OfficeBritish Expeditionary ForceLe Havre6th Brigade2nd DivisionpioneersTunnel warfareHohenzollern RedoubtActions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt99th Brigade165th (Liverpool) BrigadeBattle of GuillemontBattle of GinchybombedBattle of Flers–CourceletteBattle of MorvalGueudecourtBattle of Pilckem RidgeBattle of the Menin Road RidgeBéthuneBattle of EstairesPortugueseGivenchyArmistice with GermanydemobilisedBlackpool171st (2/1st Liverpool) Brigade57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division.256-in Japanese Ariska riflesLee–EnfieldSecond ArmyCentral ForceAldershotBourleyWokingSecond Battle of Passchendaele2/6th (Rifles)6th (Reserve) (Rifle) BnWest Lancashire Reserve Brigade43rd Provisional BattalionSheringhamNorfolk3rd Provisional BrigadeEast AngliaMilitary Service Act 1916223rd BdeCalais59th (2nd North Midland) DivisionEstrée-Cauchy176th (2/1st Staffordshire) BrigadeBattle of AlbertFifth ArmyScheldeTournaiMunich Crisisevacuated from DunkirkII Corps163rd Infantry Brigade54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division21st Army GroupOperation OverlordSword Beach164th Brigade206th Independent Infantry Bde46th DivisionOperation Torch43rd (Wessex) DivisionNorthern IrelandTerritorial and Army Volunteer ReserveEarls of DerbyEdward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 15th Earl of DerbyFrederick Stanley, 16th Earl of DerbyEdward Stanley, 17th Earl of DerbyJohn Stanley, 18th Earl of DerbyImperial War MuseumJames E. EdmondsL.F. Ellis