King ' s Regiment ( Liverpool ) The King ' s Regiment ( Liverpool ) was one of the oldest infantry regiment s of the British Army , having been formed in 1685 and numbered as the 8th ( The King ' s ) Regiment of Foot in 1751 . Unlike most British 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 . After 273 years of continuous existence , the regiment was amalgamated with the Manchesters in 1958 . The King ' s notably saw active service in the Second Boer War , the two world war s , 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 15 , 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 Chindit s in Burma , and the 2nd served in Italy and Greece . The King ' s later fought in the Korean War , earning the regiment ' s last battle honour . Nine Victoria Cross es were awarded to 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 Liverpool Scottish during the First World 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 . Colonial wars ( 1881 – 1914 ) . The Cardwell - Childers reforms from the 1860s to the 1880s substantially reorganised the British Army . Childers reforms principally entailed single - battalion regiments amalgamating to form regiments of multiple battalions . The King ' s , which already had two regular battalions , did not amalgamate , but did adopt a new title on the numbering system ' s abolition . Thus , on 1 July 1881 , the two battalions of the 8th ( The King ' s ) Regiment of Foot became the 1st and 2nd Battalions , The King ' s ( Liverpool Regiment ) . The 8th Foot had been associated with Liverpool since 1873 , when it became allocated to the town ' s 13th Brigade Depot . Regular regiments gained auxiliary battalions through the integration of the militia and volunteers , of which nine from Lancashire and the Isle of Man transferred to the King ' s and ultimately became part of the Special Reserve and Territorial Force . The battalions retained distinctions such as unique titles , cap badge s , uniforms , and honorary colonels . Under the new system , it was envisaged that one regular battalion would be based in the United Kingdom and one overseas . The 1st Battalion had been in North West England since the late 1870s and had been bombed while based at Salford Barracks in 1881 . The attack had been the first of a dynamite campaign instigated by the Irish Republican Jeremiah O ' Donovan Rossa . The barracks sustained only minor structural damage from the explosion , which killed a child and badly wounded its mother . Soon afterwards , rioting during mineworkers ' strikes in Chowbent , Wigan , and Warrington required the battalion ' s intervention to prevent further disorder . In 1882 , the battalion moved to Ireland , based in the Curragh . During the otherwise uneventful posting , the 1st responded to riots in Belfast . The sectarian disorder coincided with the introduction of the 1886 Home Rule Bill in the British Parliament . The battalion returned to England three years later . The 2nd King ' s had been on the Indian subcontinent since 1877 and had fought in the Second Afghan War . The Third Burmese War punctuated the battalion ' s overseas service in the 1880s . Intent on deposing Upper Burma ' s King Thibaw and imposing imperial rule , Britain issued an ultimatum consisting of demands that were rejected as anticipated . The invasion began in November 1885 in the form of the Burma Field Force , which progressed up the Irrawaddy River via transports , enabling the rapid capture of frontier forts and the capital Mandalay . After the capital ' s seizure , the battalion provided an escort that oversaw the exile of Thibaw . A guerrilla campaign against the British followed the completion of Upper Burma ' s annexation on 1 January 1886 , lasting for at least five years . For more than a year , the King ' s operated in small groups pursuing guerrillas in the Burmese jungle . Casualties numbered 12 officers and 256 men by the time the battalion had returned to India . The battalion garrisoned Aden for a year and left for Britain in 1892 . In early 1900 the 2nd Battalion Liverpool Regiment was stationed at Gibraltar . Overseas service for the 1st King ' s included a two - year residence in Nova Scotia , beginning in 1893 . In January 1895 , the battalion provided a 100 - man guard of honour when the body of Canadian Prime Minister John Thompson was returned from Britain . The battalion subsequently became stationed in the West Indies , then Cape Colony in 1897 . The Second Boer War began two years later . Prior to the outbreak of the war , as the discord between the British and Boer republics escalated , the 1st King ' s formed a company of mounted infantry and underwent intensive training at Ladysmith , Natal Colony . War was declared on 11 October and Natal invaded by a Boer force under General Piet Joubert . General George White held authority over 13 , 000 British personnel dispersed throughout Natal . Heavy losses were incurred by the British in the first major engagements of the war , at Talana Hill and Elandslaagte . Retreat to Ladysmith , where the British concentrated its largest contingent , ensued . Having besieged Kimberley and Mafikeng , Boers converged upon Ladysmith and positioned artillery pieces on surrounding hills overlooking the town . On 30 October , General White ordered an attack on northern Boer positions . White ' s plans were described as vague , ambitious , and complicated , and the battle proved a disaster that became known to the British as " Mournful Monday " . The 1st King ' s were allocated to Colonel Grimwood ' s column , which intended to advance on and secure Long Hill , believed to constitute the Boer ' s left flank . Unbeknownst to Grimwood , almost half of the brigade separated from the column during the night march while following a rightward deviation by the artillery batteries , including the oblivious 1st King ' s and Royal Dublin Fusiliers . In the morning light , the brigade discovered that its right flank was exposed by the distance of John French ' s cavalry and that Long Hill was unoccupied . Grimwood and French ' s men became pinned down by heavy rifle and artillery fire . Amidst rumours of an attack against the town being imminent and failure evident , White ordered the column to retreat at noon . The artillery provided cover during the chaos that followed and prevented greater loss of life . At Nicholson ' s Nek , to the north - west of Long Hill , the Boers took more than 1 , 000 prisoner . The Boers enclosed Ladysmith on 2 November , beginning a 118 - day siege . The King ' s , commanded by Lieutenant - Colonel Llewelyn Mellor , became assigned to the north - eastern defensive sector under Colonel Knox , a disciplinarian who instituted a programme of fortification development in his area . Construction of the defences occurred mostly at night , although rain , oppressive heat , and cold limited the opportunity to rest . On 6 January , the King ' s mounted infantry helped repulse a Boer attempt to penetrate the southern perimeter . By late January , the scarcity of supplies had become particularly acute . Disease pervaded while the town resorted to consuming the garrison ' s horses and mules . Reinforcements began to arrive in South Africa in November under General Redvers Buller . The relief of the three besieged garrisons became the general ' s priority . He divided his corps and assumed personal command of the Ladysmith expedition . The relief effort was hindered by three successive defeats in December , termed by the British as " Black Week " , and further reverses in January and early February . The siege of Ladysmith ended on 28 February . The King ' s then gained a volunteer company and had its mounted infantry absorbed by an MI battalion . Britain eventually extended its prosecution of the war into the Orange Free State and Transvaal Republic . On 21 August , at Van Wyk ' s Vlei , Sergeant Hampton and Corporal Knight held their positions and evacuated wounded mounted Kingsmen under heavy fire , for which they received the Victoria Cross . Two days later , Boer forces attacked the 1st Battalion while it was at the forefront of an advance south of Dalmanutha . The protracted engagement ended when the King ' s were ordered to withdraw , having almost expended their ammunition . Casualties exceeded 70 , while Private Heaton earned the Victoria Cross . The nominal annexation of the Orange Free State and Transvaal Republic in May and September did not resolve the war . Instead , the Boer commandos transitioned to guerrilla warfare and resisted the British until 1902 . The King ' s concentrated in the Eastern Transvaal , where Boers under Botha and Viljoen operated . Detachments occupied networks of blockhouse s and provided complements for armoured train s . One such detachment was overwhelmed at Helvetia on 29 December . Situated near the Lydenburg - Machadodorp railway , Helvetia was garrisoned primarily by a contingent of the King ' s equipped with a 4 . 7 - in gun nicknamed " Lady Roberts " . The nocturnal attack , conducted in fog , yielded considerable success for the Boers with scores of prisoners taken and the gun captured . Only King ' s Kopje withstood the attack . The circumstances were controversial and a general court - martial later sentenced Major Stapleton Cotton , who ordered the surrender , to be cashiered and dismissed from the army . Author Arthur Conan Doyle publicly questioned the decision and contended that the wounds Major Cotton sustained merited " some revision " of the officer ' s sentence . The Boer War provided the first opportunity for the regiment ' s volunteer battalions to serve overseas with regular forces , supplying individual detachments and service companies . The militia battalions , numbered the 5th and 6th during the war , contrastingly deployed to South Africa intact late in the conflict . A memorial sculpted by William Goscombe John to commemorate the regiment ' s service in Afghanistan , Burma , and South Africa was erected in St John ' s Gardens , Liverpool and unveiled by Field Marshal Sir George White on 9 September 1905 . First World War . 1914 – 1915 . The regiment fielded at least 49 battalions during the First World War , from a pre - war establishment of two regular , two militia , and six territorial . Of those battalions , 26 served abroad , receiving 58 battle honour s and six Victoria Cross es for service on the Western Front , the Balkans , India , and Russia . Some 13 , 795 Kingsmen died during the course of the war , the battalions suffering an average of 615 deaths . Thousands more would be wounded , sick , or taken prisoner . Of specific formations , the four Liverpool Pals battalions had nearly 2 , 800 casualties , while the 55th Division ' s 165th ( Liverpool ) Brigade , composed entirely of battalions from the King ' s , incurred 1 , 672 dead , 6 , 056 wounded , and 953 missing during the period of 3 January 1916 and 11 November 1918 . A vigorous recruiting campaign involving pre - war personalities such as Lord Kitchener and Lord Derby facilitated the rapid expansion of the British Army . Territorial units formed duplicate battalions from August 1914 to May 1915 . To differentiate them , they were , for instance , designated the 2 / 5th and 3 / 5th battalions , respectively . Second - line battalions had been raised for home service and recruit training , but were ultimately dispatched to the Western Front and replaced by the third - line . Driven by a conviction that the war would not be resolved quickly and seeking an alternative to the Territorial Army , Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener appealed for an initial 100 , 000 volunteers to form a " New Army " . The 17th Earl of Derby proposed forming a battalion of " Pals " for the King ' s Regiment , to be recruited from men of the same workplace . His proposal proved successful . Within a week , thousands of Liverpudlians had volunteered for service , to eventually be formed into the 17th , 18th , 19th , and 20th Battalions . Collectively , the battalions became known as the City of Liverpool battalions or " Liverpool Pals " . Lord Derby addressed recruits on 28 August : Mobilisation began at the onset of the war , in August 1914 , at which time the 1st King ' s was based at Aldershot . Under command of Lieutenant - Colonel W . S . Bannatyne , the 1st King ' s boarded the SS " Irrawaddy " at Southampton . The battalion landed at Le Havre on 13 August with the 6th Brigade , 2nd Division , one of the original components of the British Expeditionary Force . The BEF first engaged the German Army at Mons , Belgium , after which it went into a retreat that was sustained until 5 September , when the Allies resolved to stand at the Marne , a river east of Paris . Having acted as a rearguard to the 2nd Division , the 1st King ' s and its brigade prevented a German force cutting off the 4th ( Guards ) Brigade , forming the rearguard at Villers - Cotteréts , and 70th Battery , Royal Horse Artillery . The brigade extricated the guns , earning it praise from the 2nd Division ' s commanding officer , General Monro . The Allies halted the German advance in the First Battle of the Marne ; the ensuing retreat , which prompted an Allied counter - offensive , ended at the Aisne . After both battles had been fought , the battalion moved north to Ypres , during the so - called " Race to the Sea " . In an action at Langemarck during the First Battle of Ypres , the battalion captured the small village of Molenaarelstoek , just north - east of Polygon Wood . As the battle progressed , the German command sought a decisive victory against the outnumbered BEF and launched First Ypres ' last major assault on 11 November . Located to the south of Polygon Wood , the 1st King ' s was one of only a few units available to defend British lines . A force of " 12 and a half " divisions , including a composite of the élite Prussian Guard , attacked at 0900 along a front extending from Messines to Polygon . Some German units breached the front in places but quickly lost momentum and were gradually pushed back by a desperate defence . The Prussian Guard had advanced in dense formations , each guardsman effectively side - by - side and led by sword - wielding officers . In the defence of Polygon Wood , the 1st King ' s held on and virtually destroyed the 3rd Prussian Foot Guards with concentrated rapid - fire and artillery support . By battle ' s end , the 1st King ' s casualties numbered 33 officers and 814 other ranks from an original strength of 27 officers and 991 other ranks . Among the battalion ' s dead was Lieutenant - Colonel Bannatyne , killed by a sniper on 24 October . By the end of March 1915 , the King ' s had eight battalions on the Western Front . The 1st and 1 / 5th participated in a " holding " attack at Givenchy designed to support the Allied offensive at Neuve Chapelle . An ineffectual preliminary bombardment failed to destroy much of the barbed wire , fatally impeding the 1st King ' s . The withering hail - of - fire inflicted heavy casualties on the King ' s , one of whom was the wounded Lieutenant - Colonel Carter . A platoon under Lieutenant Miller managed to reach German lines and blockade itself in a communications trench for over an hour , under fire from Allied artillery , until withdrawing to British lines . The battalion ' s casualties amounted to 61 killed , 115 wounded , and 62 missing . One - month later , on 24 April , a German offensive began Second Ypres , which became the 4th and 1 / 6th King ' s first major battle . In the second subsidiary action of the offensive , at Saint - Julien , the 4th King ' s sustained more than 400 casualties over a four - day period , the majority , some 374 , while supporting the 1 / 4th Gurkha Rifles on the 27th . The 1 / 6th supported 1st Cheshires in the defence of Hill 60 . After the regiment ' s involvement in ' Second Ypres ' receded , four battalions fought at Festubert , collectively incurring in excess of 1 , 200 casualties . Lance - Corporal Tombs became the regiment ' s first Victoria Cross recipient of the war for assisting wounded soldiers during the battle . The 1 / 10th Battalion fought its first battle on 16 June , in a " local " action at Bellewaarde . Losses for the Liverpool Scottish neared 400 killed , wounded and missing , with just two of 24 officers present surviving unscathed . The British instigated a new offensive on 25 September , at Loos , to coincide with French offensives in the Champagne and Artois regions . The King ' s were represented in the offensive by eight battalions , from standard infantry to pioneer s . Some 150 tons of Chlorine gas was used on the first day of the battle , discharged via thousands of cylinders . Strong winds blew the gas backwards , hindering the advance of the 1st King ' s and other units having to also contend with partially uncut barbed wire . The advance of the 1 / 9th King ' s also stalled , though they took about 300 Germans prisoner . The battalion later assisted in the repulse of a German counter - attack on 8 October . More battalions arrived before the year ended , including the 17th , 18th , 19th , and 20th Liverpool Pals , which formed the 89th Brigade , 30th Division . 1916 – 1917 . The Liverpool Pals ' first battle came during " The Big Push " on 1 July 1916 , on the first day of the Somme Offensive . The 89th Brigade , under the Earl of Derby ' s brother Brigadier F . C . Stanley , still comprised the 17th , 19th , and 20th Pals , but had the 18th reassigned to the 21st Brigade in December . The 30th Division formed part of XIII Corps , which attacked towards Montauban , south of where Britain suffered the majority of its nearly 60 , 000 casualties on the 1st . At 07 : 30 , the 30th Division began its advance on the left of the French Corps de Fer . Meeting limited opposition , the Pals completed their objectives with comparatively minimal casualties . Grievous losses were , however , incurred by the 18th from heavy machine - gun fire during its advance towards the Glatz Redoubt . The battalion ' s commanding officer , Lieutenant - Colonel E . H . Trotter , killed by a shell on 8 July , intentionally underestimated the battalion ' s casualties of about 500 to avoid the deployment of brigade reserves . More battalions entered the fray throughout the offensive . Some 14 battalions contributed to five attempts to capture the village of Guillemont between July and September . In the early hours of 8 August , in the third attempt , the 1st , 1 / 5th , and 1 / 8th attacked in conditions that rendered visibility poor . The 1st and 1 / 8th reached the German front - line trenches and entered the village . Their situation deteriorated , however , and the 1 / 8th ' s support battalion was driven back by Germans who continued to occupy the first - line trenches . Isolated and contained by counter - attacks , the 1 / 8th and three companies of the 1st were surrounded and mostly captured . The 1 / 8th had been annihilated , with losses amounting to 15 killed , 55 wounded , and 502 missing , while the 1st lost its commanding officer , Colonel Goff , and sustained 239 casualties . The 1st later received a draft of 20 officers and 750 men from the Manchester Regiment . Wanting to alleviate the pressure on the French to the south and believing there might still be some holding out , high command ordered the 2nd and 55th divisions to resume the battle on the 9th . The attack failed and proved to be ill - prepared and disorganised , with an identical starting time and objectives . For his actions during the battle , Captain Chavasse , attached to the Liverpool Scottish , gained the first of two VCs for attending to and rescuing wounded in no man ' s land . The village would not be captured until the final struggle began on 3 September , by which time the 12th was the King ' s only contribution , and the regiment had more than 3 , 000 casualties . After the Somme Offensive ended in November , the Allies began to prepare for a series of combined Allied offensives in April 1917 . These plans would not be significantly disrupted by the German Army ' s strategic withdrawal to the " Hindenburg Line " in northern France . The phased withdrawal , conducted from February to April , reduced the German front by . The regiment ' s six second - line battalions arrived on the Western Front with the 57th ( 2nd West Lancashire ) Division in February 1917 . To support the ill - fated Nivelle Offensive , Britain initiated the Battle of the Scarpe , in the Arras area on 9 April , which involved the regiment ' s 11th , 13th , and Liverpool Pals battalions . The 13th moved forward with the 3rd Division at 0530 , near Tilloy - les - Mofflaines , capturing almost 500 men and completing its objectives . To the south , barbed wire obstructed the Pals with varied results . The 18th consolidated in front of the wire until relieved on the 10th , while the 19th and 20th were eventually withdrawn , having suffered heavy losses within about of the wire . Casualties for the King ' s during the initial phase of the Arras Offensive exceeded 700 . While the battle raged in Arras , the Allies prepared for an offensive in the north , in Flanders . " Third Ypres " ( or Passchendaele ) became notorious for conditions that transformed the terrain of shell holes and trenches into a quagmire of mud . Ten of the regiment ' s battalions were active in the first stage , the Battle of Pilkem Ridge ( 31 July – 2 August ) . Six belonged to the 55th Division , situated in the Wieltje sector , north of the Liverpool Pals . The territorial battalions overcame their first and second objectives , but progress was difficult . Confusion prevailed during the 18th King ' s and 2nd Wiltshires nocturnal advance through Sanctuary Wood . The Pals battalions had to consolidate in front of the 30th Division ' s initial objective . The King ' s losses accumulated , surpassing 1 , 800 by the 3rd , with the supporting 1 / 8th ' s casualties the heaviest at 18 officers and 304 other ranks . The 10th ' s medical officer , Captain Chavasse , received a posthumous , second Victoria Cross for attending to , and recovering , wounded in spite of his own wounds and fatigue during the battle . He succumbed to his wounds on 4 August . An account by Captain Wurtzburg , 2 / 6th Liverpool Rifles , described the conditions endured by soldiers in the Ypres area : 1918 . The King ' s contributed to the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 and assisted in defensive actions as the new year neared . Acute manpower shortages left many divisions understrength and so it was decided to adopt a nine - battalion system through amalgamations and disbandments . The 5th , 8th , 9th , and 10th King ' s integrated with their second - line , while hundreds of their men were distributed to other King ' s battalions . The 20th disbanded in February , with its strength dispersed to the other Liverpool Pals . As the American Expeditionary Force emboldened the Allies , Germany prepared for a final attempt to achieve a decisive victory before the US contingent on the Western Front surged further . On 21 March , a five - hour artillery and gas shell barrage across a front signified the beginning of the Battle of St . Quentin ( Operation Michael ) and the Spring Offensive in the Somme . Although roled as pioneer s , the 11th King ' s occupied frontline trenches near Urvillers when the attack began . Two of its companies engaged troops at Lambay Wood and Benay and the battalion ' s casualties for the day exceeded 160 . The Liverpool Pals , in reserve on the 21st , hurried to the front on the 22nd to undertake localised counter - attacks , with the first and largest conducted by the 19th against the village of Roupy . The battalion advanced in darkness after 0115 , uncertain of German positions , but retook the original frontline trenches unopposed . They later came under sustained attack , holding out without support until Lieutenant - Colonel Peck ordered a withdrawal at about 1600 . The Germans overwhelmed the survivors , capturing the wounded Peck and many others . The situation became dire , forcing troops to withdraw towards Ham , which itself had to be evacuated . The Third and Fifth Armies went into retreat . The 1st King ' s , occupying positions near Vélu Wood during the Battle of Bapaume , came under attack on the 24th but held out until their deteriorating flanks compelled a retreat that was covered by about 30 men of its headquarters . The battalion ' s commander , Lieutenant - Colonel Murray - Lyon , had just 60 men at his command when they arrived at Beaulencourt later in the day . On 28 March , the offensive was extended to Arras which was soon repulsed by the Allies . Having lost its momemtum and suffered about 250 , 000 casualties , comparable to Allied losses , Germany abandoned the operation on 5 April . The German Army did not relent and launched Operation Georgette in Flanders on 9 April . The first - day of the Battle of the Lys involved the three King ' s battalions of the 165th Brigade , situated at Estaires . The bombardment against Allied positions began at 0410 and the subsequent infantry attack displaced Portuguese forces by 0800 , exposing the left flank of the 165th . The King ' s repulsed the frontal assaults with heavy casualties but continued to be attacked from the flanks . Counter - attacks by the 1 / 7th King ' s and 2 / 5th Lancashire Fusiliers took up to 500 prisoners . German forces made significant gains , capturing Armentieres . On 11 April , British Commander - in - Chief , General Haig , issued his " backs to the walls " order of the day . Five days later , Private Counter , 1st King ' s , volunteered as a messenger , having witnessed five preceding runners killed . He was awarded the regiment ' s last Victoria Cross . The 4th King ' s experienced heavy fighting near Méteren and by 19 April had at least 489 casualties . Despite relentless battles , the Allies stabilised their front and Georgette was discontinued on 29 April after the Battle of the Scherpenberg . The Liverpool Pals fought in that climax , with the 17th having to withdraw with the loss of " A " Company , while the 18th and 19th repelled their attackers . The German Army halted its offensives in July . The King ' s 11th Battalion disbanded in April , followed in May by the temporary consolidation of the Liverpool Pals as the 17th ( Composite ) Battalion . Their brief unity ended in May when they reduced to form training cadres for the US 137th Regiment . In August , after four months of being on the defensive , the Allies launched an offensive against Amiens , in the Somme area . Meticulous preparation gave them the element of surprise when it began on the 8th . More than 16 , 000 prisoners were taken within two hours and the German frontline mostly collapsed . In the following Battle of Albert , begun on the 21st , the 13th King ' s suffered 274 casualties , but captured 150 soldiers and many machine - guns , while the 1st assisted in the taking of Ervillers . The war ' s end in Europe came with the signing of the Armistice on 11 November 1918 . The 9th Battalion ' s history illustrated the initial reaction of soldiers : On 11 December 1918 , the remnants of the 1st King ' s marched across the German frontier " at ease " , bayonets fixed and their colours uncased . The battalion would be based at Düren and Berg Neukirchen for about five months as part of the British Army of the Rhine , joined by other battalions such as the 13th . Some , including the 25th ( Reserve ) , served in Egypt and Belgium before the majority disbanded by late 1919 . Inter - war ( 1918 – 1939 ) . Hostilities did not end for the 17th King ' s on 11 November ; the battalion had sailed for Murmansk , Russia , in October as part of an Allied intervention force assembled to support the " White " forces in their civil war against the Bolsheviks . The battalion was moved to Archangel , where it was based intact for a short period . The battalion ' s companies served separately for the duration of their stay in Russia , until the 17th left in September 1919 . Inter - war reductions and reorganisations reduced the regiment ' s territorial battalions from six to one by 1937 . The 8th disbanded in the early 1920s , the 9th was absorbed by the Royal Engineers , and a restructuring of TA infantry in the mid - 1930s converted the 6th , 7th , and 10th to new roles . The 6th became Royal Engineers , the 7th joined the Royal Tank Regiment , and the 10th became a battalion of the Queen ' s Own Cameron Highlanders . 1st King ' s . As Britain ' s control of Ireland eroded in 1920 during the Irish War of Independence , the 1st Battalion deployed to Bantry , County Cork . The county was a ferment of Republican activity where British forces frequently subjected the movement ' s supporters to oppressive measures in an attempt to curtail escalating violence . Compared to other regiments operating in the county , such as the Essex Regiment , the King ' s acquired a favourable reputation among its adversaries for their professionalism and humane treatment of prisoners — which reputedly saved the lives of some Kingsmen . Their conduct was described by Tom Barry , a prominent IRA leader , as " exemplary in all the circumstances " . After the establishment of the Irish Free State in the south , the battalion moved to Northern Ireland to be stationed in Derry and Omagh . After a brief deployment to Turkey as part of the army of occupation , the battalion returned to England in 1924 and resumed overseas service in 1926 with postings to Malta , Sudan , and Egypt . While much of the battalion ' s time in Egypt was peaceful and comfortable , they occasionally dealt with rioting , and on one occasion a company had to be deployed to Jerusalem . In October 1931 , Greek Cypriot s in Cyprus uprised demanding union with Greece . The battalion reinforced the British garrison with two companies ; C Company arrived via eight Vickers Victoria air transports , followed by the sea - transported " D " . India was the 1st King ' s next posting , initially in Jubbulpore . The battalion relocated to Landi Kotal , Khyber Pass , in 1937 . Service in the volatile North - West Frontier Province continued into the Second World War . 2nd King ' s . The 2nd Battalion continued to serve in India following the Armistice and mobilised during the Third Afghan War in 1919 . Leading a " Special Column " , the battalion reached the Toba Plateau , some high , but the war was concluded before the battalion could engage Afghan forces . Those personnel who remained after the majority demobilised in 1920 joined the Sudan garrison , where the battalion reformed . Postings to Hong Kong and Canton followed in 1922 , then to India in 1924 , and finally Iraq the next year . Stationed near Baghdad , its residence lasted for two years , uneventful but with the distinction of being the last British battalion to serve there until the Second World War . Immediately after returning to England , the 2nd King ' s became the first battalion of the regiment to undertake public duties at Buckingham Palace . The battalion was based in various parts of the country for nearly a decade until 1938 , when it became part of the Gibraltar garrison . Second World War . For the King ' s , expansion was on a more modest scale than that of the previous world war . Ten battalions formed between 1939 and 1940 , including the reconstituted 8th ( Irish ) . Two of the battalions converted to armour and anti - air roles in 1941 : the 11th became the 152nd Regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps , but continued to wear their King ' s Regiment cap badge on the black beret of the RAC , while the 12th transferred to the Royal Artillery as 101 Light Anti - Aircraft Regiment . Some 16 battalions and four batteries of the Lancashire Home Guard became affiliated with the King ' s . They performed varied duties in Britain supporting the Civil Defence Service and regular army , and served during the Liverpool Blitz . By late 1941 , the regiment had three battalions ( 1st , 2nd , and 13th ) stationed abroad with the remainder poised to defend the United Kingdom against invasion . The 1st and 13th would serve in Burma as Chindits , the 2nd in Italy and Greece , and the 5th and 8th in North - West Europe . Of battalions that had switched to other roles , only 40 RTR ( 7th King ' s ) experienced active service . With the 23rd Armoured Brigade , the 40th fought in North Africa , where they acquired the nickname " Monty ' s Foxhounds " , Italy , and Greece . Italy and Greece . Having spent five years in Gibraltar , the 2nd King ' s departed in December 1943 to reinforce the 4th Infantry Division in Egypt . The battalion landed in Italy with the 4th when the division joined the campaign in March 1944 . On 11 May , the division conducted an opposed crossing of the Gari River during the final battle for Monte Cassino . The 2nd King ' s constituted , along with the 2nd Somersets , the main element of 28 Infantry Brigade ' s initial assault . Behind schedule by 35 minutes and thus lacking artillery support , the battalion attempted to traverse the Gari under sustained mortar and artillery fire . Many boats capsized because of the strong current with resultant losses . The 4th Division collectively struggled to consolidate its bridgehead and minefields and a determined defence inflicted casualties on the King ' s and mortally wounded their commanding officer , Lieutenant - Colonel Garmons - Williams . Depleted and disorganised , the remnants withdrew from an untenable bridgehead on the 14th . The 2nd King ' s by then had 72 men killed or missing and many wounded . After five months and four battles , Monte Cassino was captured on 18 May by the Polish II Corps and the Gustav Line broken . The Allies captured Rome in June and the King ' s fought in the subsequent advance to the Trasimene Line . The King ' s captured Gioiella in a fierce battle that had involved the 2 / 4th Hampshires , and later secured and defended Tuori against counter - attack , earning the regiment a unique battle honour in the British Army . In about nine months of service , in difficult , mountainous terrain , with heavy casualties , the battalion was awarded four DSOs , nine MCs , three DCMs , four MMs , and six mentioned in despatches . Among the recipients were Sergeant Welsby , who single - handedly secured a fortified farmhouse , and Major J . A . de V . Reynolds , for his leadership and conduct around Casa Arlotti . In December , the 4th Division deployed to Greece to reinforce British forces embroiled in the country ' s civil war . Conflict in Greece between government forces and Communist partisans followed the vacuum created by the German withdrawal . The partisans ( ELAS ) sought to establish themselves as the new political authority and confronted the British - supported government - in - exile when ordered to disband and disarm . Within 24 hours of being flown to Piraeus on 12 December , the 2nd King ' s had to engage partisans in a brief action , seizing occupied barracks at a cost of 14 casualties . During a seven - week internal security employment , there were many instances of house - to - house and street fighting in Athens . By mid - January 1945 , the city had been cleared of insurgents and a ceasefire agreed upon , followed by the Varkiza Agreement in February . The King ' s remained for a year to support a tense peace until they left for Cyprus . Burma . The 13th King ' s sailed for India in December 1941 , coinciding with Japan ' s entrance into the war . Intended for garrison duties , the 13th ' s strength contained many men categorised as old or of a medically downgraded condition . After Japan occupied Burma in 1942 , the Allies formed a unit intended to penetrate deep behind Japanese lines from India . The 13th King ' s provided the majority of the British contingent for the " Chindits " , which was formally designated as the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and commanded by Orde Wingate . Organised into two groups , the Chindits ' first operation ( codenamed Longcloth ) began on 8 February 1943 . No . 2 Group , commanded by Lieutenant - Colonel S . A . Cooke , was formed from the 13th King ' s and divided into five independent columns , two of which ( Nos 7 and 8 ) were commanded by majors from the battalion . No Japanese opposition was encountered initially , allowing the Chindits to cross the Chindwin River and advance into Burma unimpeded . Normandy and Germany . In 1943 , the 5th and 8th King ' s ( Liverpool Irish ) received specialist training at Ayrshire in preparation for a planned invasion of France . They had been selected to form the nucleus of the 5th and 7th Beach Groups , which would have the objectives of maintaining beach organisation , securing positions , and providing defence against counter - attack . As invasion neared in mid - 1944 , the two battalions moved from their camps to ports in southern England and embarked aboard troopship s and landing ship tank s . Much of the Liverpool Irish embarked aboard the " Ulster Monarch " , a passenger ship that had served on the Belfast - Liverpool line before the war . Having been delayed , the invasion fleet proceeded to Normandy on 5 June . Both King ' s battalions landed on D - Day , the 5th at Sword with the 3rd Division and the Liverpool Irish at Juno with the Canadians . Two companies of the Liverpool Irish landed in the assault wave with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles . Under intense machine gun and mortar fire , the landing of Major Max Morrison ' s " A " Company proceeded well , allowing some to establish a command - post upon reaching the sand dunes . In contrast , in " B " Company ' s sector , the late arrival of the reconnaissance party and DD tank s exposed the landing infantry to heavy machine gun fire . The company ' s officer commanding , Major O ' Brien , and the second - in - command were among those wounded . At Sword , as the 3rd Division moved inland , the 5th King ' s attempted to neutralise hostile positions and snipers . Casualties included Lieutenant - Colonel D . H . V . Board , killed by a sniper , and the OC of 9 Platoon , Lieutenant Scarfe , mortally wounded in an attack on a German position that captured 16 soldiers . Under fire , the beach groups collected the wounded and dead , located and marked minefield s , attempted to maintain organisation , and directed vehicles and troops inland . The two battalions operated with the beach groups for a further six weeks . While the depleted Liverpool Irish disbanded in August , much of its strength having been transferred to other units as reinforcements , the 5th King ' s survived as a reduced cadre . Disbandment had only been avoided through the determination of Lieutenant - Colonel G . D . Wreford - Brown , who argued that the 5th Battalion was nearly the most senior unit active in the Territorial Army . < ref name = " 5 King ' s / No 2 T Force " > 5 King ' s / No 2 T Force ( Archive ) , army . mod . uk . Retrieved 13 April 2010 . < / ref > Before the Allies advanced into Nazi Germany in February 1945 , the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force ( SHAEF ) began to form dedicated units to secure important objectives — equipment , installations , intelligence , and personnel . The 5th King ' s provided the nucleus for No . 2 T ( Target ) Force . Elements of the 5th reached the naval port of Kiel in May 1945 , securing the cruiser " Admiral Hipper " and taking 7 , 000 sailors prisoner . The battalion continued to conduct intelligence operations until disbandment in July 1946 during the demoblisation process . Reconstitution into the Territorial Army followed in 1947 under the command of Lieutenant - Colonel Edward Stanley . Post - Second World War ( 1945 – 1958 ) . The 1st King ' s , still roled as 15th ( King ' s ) Parachute Battalion , remained in India with responsibility for the area around Meerut , north - east of New Delhi . After reconverting to standard infantry , the battalion departed for Liverpool in late 1947 . In April 1948 , the 2nd King ' s deployed to the British Mandate of Palestine for two weeks . The battalion carried out internal security duties in the prelude to Israel ' s establishment for two weeks before its return to Cyprus . When the army reduced its strength , the 2nd King ' s chose to be absorbed by the 1st rather than have its lineage terminated . On 6 September 1948 , the two battalions amalgamated in a ceremonial parade attended by honorary Colonel of the Regiment , Major - General Dudley Ward . The battalion was posted to West Germany shortly afterwards and moved to Spandau , West Berlin , in 1950 . Korean War . The battalion was ordered to Korea in June 1952 . By then , the Korean War had entered a period of stalemate , with trench warfare prevailing . At Liverpool , the King ' s embarked aboard the troopship " Devonshire " for Hong Kong , where it underwent training before landing at Pusan , Korea , in September . Replacing the 1st Royal Norfolk Regiment in the 29th Infantry Brigade , 1st Commonwealth Division , the 1st King ' s took up defensive positions on moving to the frontline , about from Seoul . While much of the battalion ' s time at the front proved uneventful , its night patrols often clashed with Chinese troops . In 1953 , the battalion withdrew to reserve for three months . A tactically important feature known as " The Hook " , a crescent shaped ridge , was the scene of intense fighting between Commonwealth forces and the Chinese in May . On the night of 20 May , Chinese forces commenced a sustained bombardment of the Hook , defended by the Duke of Wellington ' s Regiment . Two days later , a company from the King ' s conducted a nighttime diversionary raid on Chinese positions known as " Pheasant " . During the raid , Second - Lieutenant Caws ' 5 Platoon , intended to execute the actual attack , inadvertently stumbled upon an uncharted minefield , suffering 10 wounded from a strength of 16 . The attack had to be abandoned , forcing the company to withdraw with its wounded back to British lines under the protection of artillery . The King ' s moved to the right sector of the Hook on 27 May , excepting " D " Company ' s 10 Platoon and " B " Company ( as reserve ) which became attached to the Dukes . At 1953 hours , on 28 May , the battle began when a heavy artillery barrage targeted the Dukes ' positions . Within minutes , the first of four successive Chinese waves attacked . Two King ' s platoons had to be moved forward to reinforce the Point 121 position , which soon after came under attack by two infantry companies . After the attack was repulsed with the assistance of Commonwealth artillery , the Chinese directed their attention to the King ' s on Point 146 . As their troops assembled at Pheasant at around 2305 , 1st King ' s Lieutenant - Colonel A . J . Snodgrass called in artillery , Centurion tank , and machine - gun fire that effectively destroyed the battalion - sized formation . Fighting continued until the British cleared the remaining troops from the Hook at approximately 0330 . British casualties numbered 149 , including 28 killed , while Chinese losses were estimated to be 250 killed and 800 wounded . The 1st King ' s left Korea for Hong Kong in October , by which time the battalion had suffered 28 dead and 200 wounded . Of some 1 , 500 men that served with the King ' s in Korea , 350 were regular soldiers , the rest being conscripts on national service . The King ' s moved to Britain in 1955 , were posted to West Germany the following year , and made its final return home in 1958 . Amalgamation . The 1957 Defence White Paper ( known as the " Sandys Review " after Secretary of State for War Duncan Sandys ) announced the government ' s intention to reduce the army ' s overseas responsibilities and abolish national service . Regiments and other units were resultingly rationalised through amalgamation or disbandment . The decision to merge the King ' s and Manchesters dismayed many serving and retired personnel . The regiments did , however , share an historical connection through the 63rd ( West Suffolk ) Regiment of Foot , constituted as the 8th Foot ' s second battalion in 1756 and redesignated the 1st Battalion , Manchester Regiment in 1881 . In June , at Brentwood , the colours of the two regiments were paraded for the last time in the presence of Queen Elizabeth , The Queen Mother . The King ' s Regiment ( Manchester and Liverpool ) formally came into being on 1 September 1958 . On 1 July 2006 , the successor regiment amalgamated , joining with two others to form the Duke of Lancaster ' s Regiment . The surviving territorial battalion of the King ' s ( Liverpool ) , the 5th , retained its identity until reduced to " B " Company , Lancastrian Volunteers in 1967 . The lineage of 5th King ' s later became perpetuated by " A " Company on its formation in 1992 . The company became an integral component of the 4th Battalion , Duke of Lancaster ' s Regiment in 2006 and contained the Liverpool Scottish Platoon .