London Regiment
Encyclopedia
The London Regiment is a Territorial Army regiment
in the British Army
. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force
battalion
s in the newly formed County of London
, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry
in 1908 to form the Territorial Force
. This resulted from the impending insolvency of the Volunteer Force's voluntary civilian administration. The administration was taken over by the War Office
, and most volunteer units lost their unique identities, becoming territorial battalions of their regular army county regiment. The London corps were a notable exception, being grouped to form their own regiment, each retaining a measure of its original identity, and independent of any regular army regiment. Following the First World War, the Territorial Force was reorganised and renamed the Territorial Army. The London Regiment ceased to exist in 1938 with the battalions transferring to regular infantry regiments, the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers.
The London Regiment was reformed in 1992 through the regimentation of most of the remaining successors of the original regiment (except the Rifles
and the Artists' Rifles
). It is the only permanent infantry battalion in London District
and consists of an HQ and four rifle companies
.
They are:
Two companies of Royal Green Jackets
, F Company and G Company, formed part of the regiment between 1998 and 2004 thus the Artists' Rifles became the only former unit of the old London Regiment not represented in the regiment during that period (the heritage of the Artists' Rifles is maintained by 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve)). The Honourable Artillery Company
is also still separate but, although ordered to do so, never actually became part of the original London Regiment.
In October 2003 120 members of regiment were called up for active service in Operation Telic
. They were deployed in areas around Basra
in southern Iraq
in January 2004. This group made up a company known as CAMBRAI company as part of the Multi-National Division (South East), a UK commanded division. In May 2004 they were replaced by MESSINES company, this was made up from an HQ and two platoons from across the London Regiment, along with a platoon from the Royal Irish Rangers
.
Following the restructuring of the British Army in 2004
, it was announced that the Guards Division
would gain a TA battalion. This saw the London Regiment retaining its name and multi-badge structure, while transferring from the Queen's Division
to the Guards Division. The two RGJ companies were transferred to the Royal Rifle Volunteers in preparation for the formation of The Rifles
in 2007, leaving the remaining companies in their present multi-badge formation.
, which consisted principally of the 1st and 2nd London Divisions.
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. It was first formed in 1908 in order to regiment the various Volunteer Force
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s in the newly formed County of London
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
in 1908 to form the Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
. This resulted from the impending insolvency of the Volunteer Force's voluntary civilian administration. The administration was taken over by the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
, and most volunteer units lost their unique identities, becoming territorial battalions of their regular army county regiment. The London corps were a notable exception, being grouped to form their own regiment, each retaining a measure of its original identity, and independent of any regular army regiment. Following the First World War, the Territorial Force was reorganised and renamed the Territorial Army. The London Regiment ceased to exist in 1938 with the battalions transferring to regular infantry regiments, the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers.
The London Regiment was reformed in 1992 through the regimentation of most of the remaining successors of the original regiment (except the Rifles
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
and the Artists' Rifles
Artists' Rifles
The Artists Rifles is a volunteer regiment of the British Army. Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regiment saw active service during the Boer Wars and World War I, earning a number of battle honours; however, it did not serve outside of Britain during World War II, as...
). It is the only permanent infantry battalion in London District
London District (British Army)
London District is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. Established in 1870 as Home District, it was re-formed in 1905 as London District to be an independent district within the larger command structure of the army, and has remained so...
and consists of an HQ and four rifle companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
.
- HQ Company
- A (London Scottish) Company
- B (Queen's Regiment) Company
- C (City of London FusiliersRoyal Regiment of FusiliersThe Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...
) Company - D (London Irish RiflesLondon Irish RiflesThe London Irish Rifles is now known more formally known as "D Company, London Regiment" and is a volunteer Rifle Regiment with a distinguished history...
) Company
Two companies of Royal Green Jackets
Royal Green Jackets
The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division .-History:...
, F Company and G Company, formed part of the regiment between 1998 and 2004 thus the Artists' Rifles became the only former unit of the old London Regiment not represented in the regiment during that period (the heritage of the Artists' Rifles is maintained by 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve)). The Honourable Artillery Company
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
is also still separate but, although ordered to do so, never actually became part of the original London Regiment.
In October 2003 120 members of regiment were called up for active service in Operation Telic
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
. They were deployed in areas around Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
in southern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in January 2004. This group made up a company known as CAMBRAI company as part of the Multi-National Division (South East), a UK commanded division. In May 2004 they were replaced by MESSINES company, this was made up from an HQ and two platoons from across the London Regiment, along with a platoon from the Royal Irish Rangers
Royal Irish Rangers
The Royal Irish Rangers was a regular infantry regiment of the British Army.-Creation:...
.
Following the restructuring of the British Army in 2004
Delivering Security in a Changing World
The 2003 Defence White Paper, titled Delivering Security in a Changing World, set out the future structure of the British military, and was preceded by the 1998 Strategic Defence Review and the 2002 SDR New Chapter, which responded to the immediate challenges to security in the aftermath of the...
, it was announced that the Guards Division
Guards Division
The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Regiment.-Introduction:...
would gain a TA battalion. This saw the London Regiment retaining its name and multi-badge structure, while transferring from the Queen's Division
Queen's Division
The Queen's Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for has the regiments from the east of England and the remaining regiment of Fusiliers. The Queen's Division was formed in 1968 with the regimentation of the Home Counties Brigade, Fusilier Brigade and...
to the Guards Division. The two RGJ companies were transferred to the Royal Rifle Volunteers in preparation for the formation of The Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
in 2007, leaving the remaining companies in their present multi-badge formation.
Original London Regiment battalions
The London battalions formed the London DistrictLondon District (British Army)
London District is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. Established in 1870 as Home District, it was re-formed in 1905 as London District to be an independent district within the larger command structure of the army, and has remained so...
, which consisted principally of the 1st and 2nd London Divisions.
| Unit | Formerly | Headquarters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Vol Bn, The Royal Fusiliers (late 10th Middlesex RVC) | Bloomsbury Bloomsbury -Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland... |
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| 2nd (City of London) Battalion, LR (Royal Fusiliers) | 2nd Vol Bn, The Royal Fusiliers (late 23rd Middlesex RVC) | Westminster Westminster Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross... |
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| 3rd (City of London) Battalion, LR (Royal Fusiliers) | 3rd Vol Bn, The Royal Fusiliers (late 11th Middlesex RVC) | St Pancras | ||||
| 4th (City of London) Battalion, LR (Royal Fusiliers) | 4th Vol Bn, The Royal Fusiliers (late 1st Tower Hamlets RVC) | Shoreditch Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:... |
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| 1st London VRC (City of London Volunteer Rifle Brigade) [9th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Finsbury Finsbury Finsbury is a district of central London, England. It lies immediately north of the City of London and Clerkenwell, west of Shoreditch, and south of Islington and City Road. It is in the south of the London Borough of Islington. The Finsbury Estate is in the western part of the district... |
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| 6th (City of London) Battalion, LR (Rifles) | 2nd London VRC [10th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Finsbury | ||||
| 7th (City of London) Battalion, LR, | 3rd London VRC [11th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Finsbury | ||||
| 8th (City of London) Battalion, LR (Post Office Rifles Post Office Rifles The Post Office Rifles was a unit of the British Army, first formed in 1868 from volunteers. The unit evolved several times until 1921, after which the name was lost during one of many reorganisations.-Beginnings:... ) |
24th Middlesex VRC [7th Vol Bn, The Rifle Brigade] | Finsbury | ||||
| 1st Middlesex (Victoria and St. George's) VRC [4th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] and 19th Middlesex (St. Giles's and St. George's, Bloomsbury) VRC [6th Vol Bn, The Rifle Brigade] | Westminster | |||||
| 10th (County of London) Battalion, LR (Paddington Rifles); disbanded 1912 | 18th Middlesex VRC [4th Vol Bn, The Rifle Brigade] | |||||
| 11th (County of London) Battalion, LR (Finsbury Rifles) | 21st Middlesex (Finsbury) VRC [7th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Pentonville Pentonville Pentonville is an area of north-central London in the London Borough of Islington, centred on the Pentonville Road. The area is named after Henry Penton, who developed a number of streets in the 1770s in what was open countryside adjacent to the New Road... |
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| 12th (County of London) Battalion, LR (The Rangers) | 22nd Middlesex VRC (Central London Rangers) [8th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Holborn Holborn Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct... |
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| 2nd London Division British 47th (1/2nd London) Division The British 47th Division was a first-line Territorial Force division. Originally called the "2nd London Division" it was designated the 47th Division in 1915 and referred to as the "1/2nd London Division" after the raising of the second-line 60th Division... |
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| 4th (Kensington) Middlesex VRC [3rd Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Kensington Kensington Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is... |
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| 14th (County of London) Battalion, LR (London Scottish) | 7th (London Scottish) Middlesex VRC [1st Vol Bn, The Rifle Brigade] | Westminster | ||||
| 15th (County of London) Battalion, LR (Prince of Wales's Own Civil Service Rifles Prince of Wales's Own Civil Service Rifles The Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles were a regiment in the Volunteer Force and Territorial Force of the British Army from 1798 to 1921; they saw active service in the Boer War and World War I... ) |
The Prince of Wales's Own 12th Middlesex (Civil Service) VRC [5th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Westminster | ||||
| 16th (County of London) Battalion, LR (Queen's Westminster Rifles The Queen's Westminsters The Queen's Westminsters was a regiment of the British Territorial Army .-History:It was formed on 31 December 1921 as the 16th Battalion , The London Regiment by the amalgamation of the 15th Battalion , The London Regiment and the 16th The Queen's Westminsters was a regiment of the British... ) |
13th Middlesex (Queen's Westminster) VRC [6th Vol Bn, The King's Royal Rifle Corps] | Kensington | ||||
| 2nd Tower Hamlets VRC [9th Vol Bn, The Rifle Brigade] | Bow Bow, London Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:... |
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| 18th (County of London) Battalion, LR (London Irish Rifles London Irish Rifles The London Irish Rifles is now known more formally known as "D Company, London Regiment" and is a volunteer Rifle Regiment with a distinguished history... ), |
16th Middlesex (London Irish) VRC [3rd Vol Bn, The Rifle Brigade] | Chelsea Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above... |
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| 19th (County of London) Battalion, LR (St. Pancras) | 17th Middlesex (North Middlesex) VRC [3rd Vol Bn, The Middlesex Regiment] | Camden Town Camden Town -Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in... |
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| 20th (County of London) Battalion, LR (Blackheath and Woolwich) | 2nd Vol Bn, The Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) [ex 3rd Kent VRC] | Blackheath Blackheath, London Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west... |
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| 1st Surrey (South London) VRC [1st Vol Bn, The East Surrey Regiment] | Camberwell Camberwell Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:... |
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| 22nd (County of London) Battalion, LR (The Queen's) | 3rd Vol Bn, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) [ex 6th Surrey RVC] | Bermondsey Bermondsey Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:... |
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| 23rd (County of London) Battalion | 4th Vol Bn, The East Surrey Regiment [ex 7th Surrey RVC] | Battersea Battersea Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east... |
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| 24th (County of London) Battalion, LR (The Queen's) | 4th Vol Bn, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regt) [ex 8th Surrey RVC] | Southwark Southwark Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north... |
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| 25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion, London Regt. | 26th (Cyclist) Middlesex VRC [The Rifle Brigade] | Fulham Fulham Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London... |
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| 26th (County of London) Battalion | Title allotted to Infantry Battalion, Honourable Artillery Company Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"... but never used |
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| 27th (County of London) Battalion | Title allotted to The Inns of Court Regiment but never used | |||||
| 28th (County of London) Battalion, LR (Artists' Rifles Artists' Rifles The Artists Rifles is a volunteer regiment of the British Army. Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regiment saw active service during the Boer Wars and World War I, earning a number of battle honours; however, it did not serve outside of Britain during World War II, as... ), |
20th Middlesex (Artists) VRC [6th Vol Bn, The Rifle Brigade] | St Pancras | ||||
External links
- Territorial Army Near You Website showing the locations of currently-serving TA units and subunits