Royal Leicestershire Regiment The Royal Leicestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army , with a history going back to 1688 . It saw service for three centuries , before being amalgamated into The Royal Anglian Regiment in 1964 . History . 1688 - 1881 . On 27 September 1688 a commission was issued to Colonel Solomon Richards to raise a regiment of foot . From 1688 to 1751 the regiment was known by the name of its various colonels . The regiment saw service in the Flanders from 1694 to 1697 , before moving to Ireland . In 1701 the regiment moved to the continent of Europe , and took part in the War of the Spanish Succession . In 1709 the unit returned to England , moving to Minorca in 1725 . In 1751 a royal warrant assigned numbers to the regiments of the line , and the unit became the 17th Regiment of Foot . It saw service during the French and Indian War at Louisbourg in 1758 , Ticonderoga in 1759 , and in Caribbean engagements in 1761 and 1762 . Following that war it also saw duty during Pontiac ' s Rebellion before eventually returning to England in 1767 . The 17th were again in service during the American War of Independence , landing in Boston on New Year ' s Day 1776 . The regiment ' s performance at the Battle of Princeton was commemorated in the addition of an unbroken laurel wreath to its insignia . Several companies were captured at the Battle of Stony Point by a daring night - time bayonet charge by " Mad " Anthony Wayne . The regiment moved to Nova Scotia before returning to England in 1786 . A royal warrant dated 31 August 1782 bestowed county titles on all regiments of foot that did not already have a special designation " " to cultivate a connection with the County which might at all times be useful towards recruiting " " . The regiment became the 17th ( Leicestershire ) Regiment of Foot . The regiment was increased to two battalions in 1799 and both battalions served in the Netherlands before the second was disbanded in 1802 . In 1804 the 17th moved to India , and remained there until 1823 . In 1825 the regiment was granted the badge of a " royal tiger " to recall their long service in the sub - continent . The Regiment was posted to New South Wales from 1830 - 1836 . The regiment returned to India in 1837 , and then took part in the First Afghan War from 1838 to 1842 . The 17th next came under fire in the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856 . In 1858 a second battalion was raised . The battalions served in Afghanistan , Burma , Canada . 1881 - 1914 . The Childers reforms of 1881 created multi - battalion regiments . Each regiment had a designated regimental district and also incorporated the local militia and rifle volunteers . Regiments of foot were no longer to have numbers , but were to bear a territorial title . The Leicestershire Regiment was accordingly formed on 1 July 1881 . The regimental depot was at Glen Parva , and the regiment consisted of : The 1st and 3rd battalions fought in the Second Boer War 1899 - 1902 . The 2nd Battalion was stationed as a garrison regiment at Gibraltar from early 1900 . In 1908 , with the creation of the Territorial Force , the 1st Volunteer Battalion formed the 4th and 5th Battalions ( TF ) . There was a minor controversy in the same year , when new colours were issued to the 1st Battalion to replace those of the 17th foot . A green tiger had been shown on the old colours and the regiment refused to take the new issue into use . The issue was resolved when the regiment received permission for the royal tiger emblazoned on the regimental colours to be coloured green with gold stripes . 1914 - 1918 . In the First World War , the regiment increased from five to nineteen battalions which served in France and Flanders , Mesopotamia and Palestine . The regiment lost approximately 6 , 000 dead in the four years of war . 1918 - 1939 . The regiment reverted to its pre - war establishment in 1919 . The 1st Battalion was involved in the Irish War of Independence 1920 - 1922 , before moving to various overseas garrisons including Cyprus , Egypt and India . The 2nd Battalion was in India , Sudan , Germany and Palestine . In 1931 the regimental facing colour was changed from white to pearl grey . Previous to 1881 the 17th foot had " greyish white " facings . The 3rd ( Militia ) Battalion was placed in " suspended animation " in 1921 , eventually being formally disbanded in 1953 . In 1936 the 4th Battalion was converted to an anti - aircraft unit of the Royal Engineers , later part of the Royal Artillery . The size of the Territorial Army was doubled in 1939 , and consequently the 1 / 5th and 2 / 5th Battalions were formed from the existing 5th . 1939 - 1945 . Battalions of the regiment served in many theatres of the war , including Burma , Greece , Italy , North Africa , North West Europe and Norway . 1945 - 1964 . In 1946 the regiment was granted " royal " status , becoming the Royal Leicestershire Regiment . In 1948 , in common with all other infantry regiments , the 2nd Battalion was abolished . The 5th Battalion ( TA ) had been reformed in 1947 . In 1948 the regiment became part of the Forester Brigade , sharing a depot with at Warwick with The Royal Warwickshire Regiment , The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment and The Sherwood Foresters . Glen Parva was downgraded to regimental headquarters . The 1st Battalion served in the Korean War from 1951 to 1952 . They subsequently moved to England ( exercising the freedom of the City of Leicester in 1952 ) , Germany , Sudan , where they operated with the Sudan Defence Force and departed on 16 August 1955 , Cyprus , Brunei and Aden . In 1961 the territorial 5th Battalion absorbed the anti - aircraft successor to the former 4th Battalion to become the 4th / 5th Battalion . In 1963 the Forester Brigade was dissolved , with the Royal Leicesters and Royal Lincolns moving to the East Anglian Brigade where they joined the 1st , 2nd and 3rd East Anglian Regiment s . Amalgamation as a battalion of The Royal Anglian Regiment . On 1 September 1964 the regiments of the East Anglian Brigade became The Royal Anglian Regiment . The 1st Battalion , Royal Leicestershire Regiment became the 4th ( Leicestershire ) Battalion , The Royal Anglian Regiment . The " Leicestershire " subtitle was removed on 1 July 1968 and the battalion was disbanded in 1975 . The Royal Leicestershire heritage was included in the new regiment ' s button design , which features the royal tiger within an unbroken wreath . The 4th / 5th Battalion , Royal Leicestershire Regiment continued to exist as a territorial unit of the Royal Anglians until its disbandment in 1967 . Battle honours . The regiment was awarded the following battle honours : The Royal Tiger superscribed " Hindoostan " . " Nine Years ' War " " Seven Years ' War " " First Anglo - Afghan War " " Crimean War " " Second Anglo - Afghan War " " Second Boer War " " First World War " . " Second World War " . " Korean War : "