Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)
The Loyal Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Regiment to form the Queen's Lancashire Regiment which was, in 2006, amalgamated with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the King's Regiment to form the Duke of Lancaster Regiment.
History
Formation
The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment was formed as part of the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 47th Regiment of Foot, 81st Regiment of Foot, 3rd Royal Lancashire Militia and the 11th and 14th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps. The Loyals were one of seven county regiments recruiting in Lancashire. The depot was at Preston, and the regimental district also included the towns of Bolton, Chorley, Farnworth, Hindley, and the Isle of Man. As part of the Cardwell Reforms, the 47th and 81st regiments were linked. The depot for the linked regiment was Fulwood Barracks at Preston. Beginning in 1873, the regiments which would eventually be re-designated as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment were brigaded together and began moving their depots to Fulwood. However, it would not be until 1877 that the moves were completed when the required facilities were completed.The barracks themselves had been completed in 1848 and served as the station for a number of units between 1848 and 1881. Notably, in the 1860s, it was occupied by the 11th Depot Battalion, which served as depot unit for 11th Hussars and of the 1st/10th, 2nd/10th, 1st/11th, 32nd, 41st and 55th Regiments of Foot. In 1861, Pte Patrick McCaffery, a 19-year-old private soldier with the 32nd Regiment of Foot shot and killed the Depot's commander, Colonel Hugh Crofton, and Depot's adjutant, Captain John Hanham, with a single shot. The incident began over McCaffery's punishment for failing to vigorously pursue an investigation into some children who had broken some windows at the barracks. McCaffery was tried and convicted at the Liverpool Assizes. He was executed on 11 January 1862. It is claimed that, since that time, his ghost haunts the officer's mess at Fulwood barracks.
Boer War, 1899–1902
In 1899, the Loyal Regiment found itself assigned to South Africa. With hostilities seeming likely in the aftermath of the Jameson Raid, the De Beers company became increasingly concerned with the security of its operations in Kimberly. Although a town guard and other volunteer formations had been raised, the De Beers company and citizens of Kimberly petitioned for additional security measures. On 7 October 1899, an artillery battery and four companies of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment were dispatched to secure the town under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Kekewich. Five days later, with the start of hostilities, Boer forces arrived and began to beisolate Kimberley. For the next 126 days, the North Lancs and the local militias would be cut off and subjected to regular shelling from the Boer artillery. The siege was finally lifted when Brigadier-General Sir John French's Cavalry Division was able to break through the Boer lines on 15 February 1900.With its commander and four of its companies under siege in Kimberly, the balance of the 1st Battalion served with Lord Methuen. Together with the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, 2nd Northampton Regiment, and 2nd King's Own, they formed the 9th Brigade of the 1st Division. They served with 9th Brigade at the Battles of Belmont, Modder River and Magersfotein.
Following the relief of Kimberly in February 1900, the reunited battalion would remain a part of Methuen's command until July, when it was detached to guard Oliphant's Nek. However, on 8 August, they abandoned this task at the orders of Colonel Baden-Powell and left the area unguarded. This allowed Christiaan de Wet to escape the British forces attempting to catch him. Although the Boer escaped, it was ruled that orders received by the Loyals were to blame, and the regiment escaped censure.
The end of 1900 found 1st Loyals back with the 9th Brigade. As part of the brigade, they took part in actions around Klerksdorp. Remaining under Lord Methuen's command for the rest of the war, the Loyals provided men to be formed into mounted infantry companies as the war shifted from large engagements into a guerrilla war. The Loyals would continue to serve throughout the guerrilla phase, engaging Boer commandos on a number of occasions until the end of the war with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902. Following the end of hostilities, 525 officers and men of the battalion left Cape Town in the SS Carisbrook Castle in September 1902, arriving at Southampton early the following month.
The 3rd Battalion was among the first militia units to be embodied for full-time duty, on 13 December 1899, and went to Kent for pre-deployment training at Shorncliffe and Lydd. It then embarked on 12 January 1900 and sailed to Malta to relieve a regular army battalion in the garrison there. A year later the manpower needs of the guerrilla war in South Africa led to the battalion re-embarking from Malta on 2 March 1901. It arrived in South Africa on 30 March and was employed on the lines of communication from Port Elizabeth to Aliwal North. The battalion embarked for home on 13 February 1902 and was disembodied on 15 March.
Early 20th century
The 2nd Battalion had been stationed in the United Kingdom after the amalgamation in 1881, serving in England to 1887, at Jersey 1887-1890, in Ireland 1890-1896, and again in England until 1899. From 1899 there were postings in the Mediterranean, at Malta until 1901, followed by a year at Crete, and from May 1902 at Gibraltar. In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve; the regiment now had one Reserve and two Territorial battalions.First World War, 1914–1918
The Regiment raised a number of extra war service battalions during The Great War. In all the Loyal North Lancs expanded to 21 battalions of infantry for service at home and abroad. Of these, there were the two regular battalions, the Special Reserve battalion, ten Territorial Force battalions, and seven service battalions of Kitchener's Army, as well as a home service battalion.Regular Army
The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 2nd Brigade in the 1st Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front. The 2nd Battalion landed at Tanga in German East Africa as part of the 27th Indian Brigade in November 1914 and then moved to Mombasa later in the month for service in East Africa; it was then transferred to Egypt in January 1917 for service in North Africa and to France in May 1918 for service on the Western Front.Special Reserve
The 3rd Battalion spent the whole war at Felixstowe in the Harwich Garrison fulfilling its dual role of coast defence and preparing reinforcement drafts of regular reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the regular battalions serving overseas. Thousands of men would have passed through its ranks during the war. It probably assisted in the formation of 11th Battalion at Felixstowe on 2 October 1914 from Kitchener's Army volunteers.Territorial Force
The 1/4th Battalion landed at Boulogne as part of the 154th Brigade in the 51st Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 1/5th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 16th Brigade in the 6th Division in February 1915 also for service on the Western Front. The 2/4th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 170th Brigade in the 57th Division in February 1917 also for service on the Western Front. The 2/5th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 154th Brigade in the 51st Division in February 1917 also for service on the Western Front. The 4/5th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 170th Brigade in the 57th Division in February 1917 also for service on the Western Front. The 1/12th Battalion landed at Le Havre as pioneer battalion to the 60th Division in June 1916 also for service on the Western Front.New Army battalions
The 6th Battalion sailed as part of the 38th Brigade of the 13th Division to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and landed at Anzac Cove on 4 August 1915. After participating in the battles at Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay, the battalion, along with the rest of the division, was withdrawn from Gallipoli and sent to Egypt to refit in January 1916. In February 1916, the division was ordered to move to join the Tigris Corps in its operations to relieve the Anglo-Indian garrison besieged at Kut. As part of the Tigris Corps, the battalion attempted to lift the siege of Kut. Initially deployed along the left bank of the Tigris River, the battalion participated in the Battle of Fallahiya on 6 April 1916 and Battle of Sanniyat on 9 April 1916. The battalion managed to break into the Turkish positions at the Sanniyat, but because follow-on forces were unable to link up with them, they along with the rest of the 38th Brigade were eventually driven back. The battalion were next tasked with seizing the beachhead on the far side of the Diyala River. Approximately 100 men of the battalion were able to make the initial crossing on 8 March 1917. Subjected to multiple counter-attacks through the day, the battalion held on to the beachhead despite the main force being unable to land more troops. They were not relieved until the next day when the Turkish forces retreated.The 7th Battalion landed at Boulogne as part of the 56th Brigade in the 19th Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 8th Battalion and the 9th Battalion both landed at Boulogne as part of the 74th Brigade in the 25th Division in September 1915 also for service on the Western Front. The 10th Battalion landed at Boulogne as part of the 112th Brigade in the 37th Division in August 1915 also for service on the Western Front. The 15th Battalion landed at Boulogne as pioneer battalion to the 14th Division in July 1918 also for service on the Western Front.