74 Infantry Regiments 1914 - what am I missing?

[manchesters]

Originally Posted by cbuehler

I never knew that the Worcesters and Middlesex had four regular battalions! Other than the rifle regiments and Guards, I had thought line infantry were only two.


CB

The same process had happened as a result of the Boer War when in 1900 several Infantry Regiments expanded to 4 Regular Battalions, including the one that interests me, The Manchester Regiment.

regards

[Hoot]

69 Regular Army regiments of Infantry of the Line plus the 5 TF regiments (London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire) gives you 74.

[cbuehler]

How many years did these line regiments have more than two regular battalions?

CB

[Wmr-RHB]

The Royal Warwickshire Regiment

The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)

The King's (Liverpool Regiment)

Th Lancashire Fusiliers

The Worcestershire Regiment

The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)

The King's Royal Rifle Corps

The Manchester Regiment

The Prince Consort's Own (Rifle Brigade)

In all cases scroll down until around the year 1900.

[Wmr-RHB]

Sorry for not being complete the first time. Found another one:

The Northumberland Fusiliers

[Dan M]

Originally Posted by cbuehler

I never knew that the Worcesters and Middlesex had four regular battalions! Other than the rifle regiments and Guards, I had thought line infantry were only two.

Originally Posted by cbuehler

How many years did these line regiments have more than two regular battalions?

According to Hyatt, in 1898, due to increased Colonial commitments, the British Army was increased by 19 battalions of infantry.

The Cameron Highlanders, which until that time had consisted of only one battalion, was authorized a second.

Both the Coldstream Guards and the Scots Guards were each authorized a third battalion. The Grenadier Guards already consisted of three battalions.

Finally, as @Wmr-RHB has indicated, eight infantry regiments of the line were authorized a third and fourth battalion. The Rifle Brigade and the King's Royal Rifle Corps had each had four battalions since 1860.

In 1906 the 3rd Coldstream Guards and 3rd Scots Guards were disbanded, however one battalion of the Irish Guards had been created in 1900.

Also disbanded were the recently raised 3rd and 4th battalions of the: Northumberland Fusiliers
Royal Warwickshire
Lancashire Fusiliers
Manchester Regiment.

In 1922, during the reorganization of the infantry following the loss of the Irish regiments, ten other battalions were disbanded. These were the 3rd and 4th battalions of the two Rifle regiments along with those of the:
Royal Fusiliers
Worcester Regiment
Middlesex Regiment

For some reason, Hyatt doesn't give a disbandment date for the 3rd and 4th battalions of the King's Regiment.

Cheers,
Dan.