This is a list of battalions of the Cheshire Regiment, which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 2007.
Original composition
When the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot became The Cheshire Regiment in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, seven pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Cheshire were integrated into the structure of the regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class.
| Battalion | Formed | Formerly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1688 | 1st Battalion, 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot | ||
| 2nd | 1858 | 2nd Battalion, 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot | ||
| Militia | ||||
| 3rd (Militia) | 1853 | 1st Royal Cheshire Light Infantry Militia[1] | ||
| 4th (Militia) | 1853 | 2nd Royal Cheshire Militia[1] | ||
| Volunteers | ||||
| 1st Volunteer | 1860 | 1st Cheshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[2] | ||
| 2nd (Earl of Chester's) Volunteer | 1860 | 2nd Cheshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[3] | ||
| 3rd Volunteer | 1860 | 3rd Cheshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[3] | ||
| 4th Volunteer | 1860 | 4th Cheshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[4] | ||
| 5th Volunteer | 1860 | 5th Cheshire Rifle Volunteer Corps[5] | ||
Reorganisation
The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order. Also in 1908, the 4th (Militia) Battalion was one of the 23 infantry militia battalions to disband.[6]
| Battalion | Formerly |
|---|---|
| 4th | 1st Volunteer Battalion |
| 5th (Earl of Chester's) | Amalgamation of 2nd (Earl of Chester's) and 3rd Volunteer Battalions |
| 6th | 4th Volunteer |
| 7th | 5th Volunteer |
First World War
The Cheshires fielded 38 battalions and lost 8,413 officers and other ranks during the course of the war.[7] The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 4th Cheshires were numbered as the 1/4th, 2/4th, and 3/4th respectively, with the third line battalions, being redesignated reserve battalions in 1916. Many battalions of the regiment were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. The 13th, 15th, 16th, and 17th, New Army battalions, was referred to as a "Pals" battalion because it was predominantly composed of colleagues. The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[8]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular[9][10] | ||||
| 1st | 1688 | Western Front | ||
| 2nd | 1858 | Western Front, Salonika | ||
| Special Reserve[9][10] | ||||
| 3rd (Reserve) | 1853 | Britain | ||
| Territorial Force[9][10] | ||||
| 1/4th | 1860 | Gallipoli, Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/5th (Earl of Chester's) | 1860 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/6th | 1860 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/7th | 1860 | Gallipoli, Western Front | ||
| 2/4th | Birkenhead, September 1914 | Britain | Absorbed by 2/7th Battalion, in December 1915 | |
| 2/5th (Earl of Chester's) | Chester, November 1914 | Britain | Disbanded, in April 1918 | |
| 2/6th | Stockport, September 1914 | Britain | Disbanded, in September 1917 | |
| 2/7th | Macclesfield, October 1914 | Britain | Disbanded, in March 1918 | |
| 3/4th 4th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916 |
Birkenhead, March 1915 | Britain | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 3/5th (Earl of Chester's) 5th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916 |
Chester, March 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 1916 | |
| 3/6th 6th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916 |
Stockport, March 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 1916 | |
| 3/7th 7th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916 |
Macclesfield, March 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by the 4th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 1916 | |
| 23rd | Happisburgh, January 1917 from 46th Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force) |
Western Front | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| New Army[9][10] | ||||
| 8th (Service) | Chester, August 1914 | Gallipoli, Mesopotamia | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 9th (Service) | Chester, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 10th (Service) | Chester, September 1914 | Britain | Absorbed by 15th Battalion, South Wales Borderers, in July 1918 | |
| 11th (Service) | Chester, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded, in August 1918 | |
| 12th (Service) | Chester, September 1914 | Western Front, Salonika | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 13th (Service) | Port Sunlight, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded, in February 1918 | |
| 14th (Reserve) | Birkenhead, October 1914 | Britain | Converted to 50th Training Reserve Battalion, in September 1916 | |
| 15th (Service) (1st Birkenhead) | Birkenhead, November 1914 | Western Front | Bantam battalion; disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 16th (Service) (2nd Birkenhead) | Birkenhead, December 1914 | Western Front | Bantam battalion; disbanded, in February 1918 | |
| 17th (Reserve) | Bebington, August 1915 | Western Front | Bantam battalion formed from depot companies of 16th and 17th (S) Bns; converted to 74th Reserve Bn, in September 1916 | |
| Others[9][10] | ||||
| 18th (Labour) | Oldham, March 1916 | Western Front | Became Nos. 56 and 57 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 1917 | |
| 19th (Labour) | Oldham, April 1916 | Western Front | Became Nos. 58 and 59 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 1917 | |
| 20th (Labour) | Chester, June 1916 | Western Front | Became Nos. 60 and 61 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 1917 | |
| 21st (Labour) | Chester, August 1916 | Western Front | Became Nos. 62 and 63 Companies, Labour Corps, in May 1917 | |
| 22nd (Labour) | Chester, December 1916 | Western Front | Became Nos. 64 and 65 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 1917 | |
| 24th (Home Service) | Mundesley, April 1918 | Britain | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 1st Garrison | Chester, August 1915 | Gibraltar | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 2nd Garrison | Bebington, October 1915 | Egypt & Palestine | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 3rd (Home Service) Garrison | Ramsey, November 1915 | Britain | Converted to 11th Battalion, Royal Defence Corps, in August 1917 | |
| 51st (Graduated) | October 1917 from 213th Graduated Battalion |
Ireland | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 52nd (Graduated) | October 1917 from 221st Graduated Battalion |
Ireland | Disbanded, in 1919 | |
| 53rd (Young Soldier) | October 1917 from 62nd Training Reserve Battalion |
Britain & Germany | Converted to service battalion, then absorbed into 9th Bn, in 1919 | |
| Volunteer Training Corps[11] | ||||
| 1st Battalion (Altrincham) Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Hale | Disbanded post war | ||
| 2nd Battalion Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Birkenhead | Disbanded post war | ||
| 3rd Battalion (Chester and Eddisbury) Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Chester | Disbanded post war | ||
| 4th Battalion Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 4th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Crewe | Disbanded post war | ||
| 5th Battalion (East Cheshire) Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 5th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Stalybridge | Disbanded post war | ||
| 6th Battalion (Knutsford) Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 6th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Wilmslow | Disbanded post war | ||
| 7th Battalion Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 7th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Macclesfield | Disbanded post war | ||
| 8th Battalion Cheshire Volunteer Regiment | Northwich | Disbanded 1918 | ||
| 9th Battalion Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 8th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Stockport | Disbanded post war | ||
| 10th Battalion (Wirral) Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 9th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Heswall | Disbanded post war | ||
| 11th Battalion Cheshire Volunteer Regiment later the 10th Volunteer Battalion, Cheshire Regiment | Wallasey | Disbanded post war | ||
Inter-War
By 1920, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 4th | Amalgamated with the 5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion, to create the 4th/5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion, in 1921[12] |
| 5th (Earl of Chester's) | Amalgamated with the 4th Battalion, to create the 4th/5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion, in 1921[12] |
| 6th | Amalgamated with the Cheshire Brigade, RFA and Shropshire Battery, RHA, to form 6th Cheshire & Shropshire Medium Brigade, RGA, in February 1920. |
Second World War
The regiment's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914–1918. National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion, In addition to this, 26 battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge,[13] and also by 1944 one Heavy Anti Aircraft (HAA) battery, and three rocket batteries (Z Battery) forming the whole of the 22nd Anti Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard).[14] Due to the daytime (or shift working) occupations of these men, the batteries required eight times the manpower of an equivalent regular battery.[15] A number of Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) troops were formed from the local battalions to defend specific points, such as factories.[16]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1688 | North Africa, Malta, North West Europe[17] | See Post-World War II | |
| 2nd | 1858 | France, North Africa, Sicily, North West Europe[18] | See Post-World War II | |
| Supplementary Reserve | ||||
| 3rd | 1853 | See Post-World War II | ||
| Territorial Army | ||||
| 4th as a duplicate of 5th (Earl of Chester's) Battalion |
1939 | France, Britain[19] | ||
| 5th (Earl of Chester's) redesignation of 4th/5th (Earl of Chester's) |
1921 | Britain[19] | See Post-World War II | |
| 6th as a duplicate of 7th Battalion |
1939 | North Africa, Italy, North West Europe[19] | See Post-World War II | |
| 7th | 1860 | France, Sicily, Italy[19] | ||
| 30th (Home Defence) 8th, from 1941 |
1939 | Italy[19] | Disbanded, in 1946 | |
| Home Guard[20] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) |
| 1st | Altrincham | CH 1 | 2nd | Altrincham | CH 2 |
| 3rd | Knutsford | CH 3 | 4th | Birkenhead | CH 4 |
| 5th | Broxton | CH 5 | 6th | Chester | CH 6 |
| 7th | Crewe | CH 7 | 8th | Congleton | CH 8 |
| 9th | Macclesfield | CH 9 | 10th | Wilmslow | CH 10 |
| 11th | Middlewich | CH 11 | 12th | Northwich | CH 12 |
| 13th | Sandiway | CH 13 | 14th | Tarporley | CH 14 |
| 15th | Runcorn | CH 15 | 16th | Wallasey | CH 16 |
| 17th | Haswell | CH 17 | 18th | Ellesmere Port | CH 18 |
| 19th | Shotton | CH 19 | 20th | Great Sutton | CH 20 |
| 21st | Bebington | CH 21 | 22nd (28 G.P.O.) | Chester | CH 22 |
| 23rd | Sale | CH 23 | 24th | Nantwich | CH 24 |
| 35th | Staley Bridge | CH 35 | 36th | Hyde | CH 36 |
| 37th | Romiley | CH 37 | 38th | Stockport | CH 38 |
| 39th | Cheadle | CH 39 | |||
| Home Guard Anti-Aircraft units[14][16] | |||||
| Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Headquarters or Location | AA Formation and Designation |
| CH 71 | Birkenhead | 71st Battery, 22nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (HAA) | CH 101 | South Birkenhead | 132nd Battery, 22nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) |
| CH 102 | Birkenhead | 214th Battery, 22nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) | CH 103 | Wallasey | 104th Battery, 22nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Home Guard) (Z battery) |
| CH 1 | Ringway, (Fairy Aviation Co. Ltd) | A Troop LAA | CH 2 | Altrinchan, (Churchill Machine Tool Co. Ltd) | A Troop LAA |
| CH 7 | Crewe, (Rolls-Royce Ltd) | A Troop LAA | CH 10 | Woodford (A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd) | A, B Troops LAA |
| CH 10 | Ringway (A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd) | C Troop LAA | CH 11 | Radway Green, (Royal Ordnance Factory) | A, B Troops LAA |
| CH 12 | Plumley, Northwich, (British Ethyl Corporation Ltd) | A Troop LAA | CH 12 | Wade, Northwich, (Ministry of Supply Factory) | B Troop LAA |
| CH 18 | Ellesmere Port | A Troop LAA | CH 38 | Stockport, (Fairy Aviation Co. Ltd) | A Troop LAA |
Post-World War II
In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded.
When the TAVR was established in 1967, the size of the territorial was greatly reduced, with most infantry battalions being reduced to a company. However, the Cheshire regiment did not receive the same fate; instead both the 4th and 7th battalions disbanded and were concurrently reconstituted as two units:
- A Company (Cheshire), Mercian Volunteers
- 4th/7th (T) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment
However, only four years later in 1971, the 4th/7th Battalion was reduced to E Company (Cheshire), Mercian Volunteers. In 1988, a Territorial battalion dedicated to the regiment, was once again raised, namely 3rd (V) Battalion.
Last years
Under Delivering Security in a Changing World, the Cheshire Regiment was due to amalgamate with the Staffordshire Regiment and Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, to form a new large regiment- The Mercian Regiment.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 1st | Became 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment in August 2007[21] |
| 3rd (V) | Became B and D (Cheshire) Companies, King's and Cheshire Regiment, in July 1999. And then B Coy, 4th Battalion Mercian Regiment in 2007. |
References
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