London Regiment (1908–1938)

The London Regiment was an infantry regiment in the British Army, part of the Territorial Force (renamed the Territorial Army in 1921). The regiment saw service in the First World War and was disbanded in 1938, shortly before the Second World War, when most of its battalions were converted to other roles or transferred elsewhere, and reformed in 1993. The London Guards date their formation to that of this regiment in 1908.

History 1908

The regiment was first formed in 1908 to regiment the 26 Volunteer Force battalions in the newly formed County of London, each battalion having a distinctive uniform. The London battalions formed the London District, which consisted principally of the 1st and 2nd London Divisions.

First World War Now part of the Territorial Force, the London Regiment expanded to 88 battalions in the First World War. Of these, 49 battalions saw action in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Flanders, six saw action in the Gallipoli campaign, 12 saw action at Salonika, 14 saw action against the Turks in Palestine, and one saw action in Waziristan and Afghanistan.

Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, the formation of Reserve or 2nd-Line units for each existing Territorial Force unit was authorised. They were distinguished by a '2/' prefix from their parent unit (prefixed '1/'). Initially these were formed from men who had not volunteered for overseas service, and the recruits who were flooding in. Later they were mobilised for overseas service in their own right and new 3rd Line units were created to supply drafts to the two service battalions. Unusually, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th London Battalions each sent three battalions overseas and formed 4th Line reserve units. Thus the 26 pre-war battalions of the London regiment became 82 battalions.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.

In June 1915, men of Territorial Force units who had only volunteered for Home service were formed into composite Provisional Battalions for coast defence. In 1916 the Military Service Act swept away the Home/Overseas service distinction and the provisional battalions took on the dual role of home defence and physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas. For example, the 100th Provisional Battalion was formed from Home Service men of 173rd (3/1st London) Brigade (3/1st, 3/2nd, 3/3rd and 3/4th Bns London Regiment). 104th and 105th Provisional Battalions were assigned to the Honourable Artillery Company (which was nominally a battalion of the London Regiment but never accepted that identity), whilst 100th–103rd and 106th–108th Provisional Battalions were assigned to the London Regiment in general.Grimwade, p. 117.Grey, pp. 87–8.

Post-war The London Regiment was reformed in the Territorial Army in the 1920s and its individual battalions were granted battle honours in 1924. However, the regiment ceased to exist in 1938 and the battalions were all transferred to regular infantry regiments, the Royal Artillery or the Royal Engineers. For example, 5th Battalion became 1st Battalion, London Rifle Brigade, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own).

The London Regiment was reformed in 1993 through the re-regimentation of some of the remaining successors of the original regiment (not including, for example, the Artists Rifles or Kensington Regiment (Princess Louise's)), which were part of a number of different TA infantry units: In 2021, under the Future Soldier it was announced that the London Regiment would be re-designated as 1st Battalion London Guards by February 2024.

List of battalions UnitRVC identityVolunteer Battalion identityHeadquarters1938 identity1st London Division1st London Brigade1st (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)10th Middlesex RVC1st Volunteer Battalion, Royal FusiliersBloomsbury (Handel Street)8th (1st City of London) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers2nd (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)23rd Middlesex RVC2nd Volunteer Battalion, Royal FusiliersWestminster (Tufton Street)9th (2nd City of London) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers3rd (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)11th Middlesex RVC3rd Volunteer Battalion, Royal FusiliersSt Pancras (Edward Street)10th (3rd City of London) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers4th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)1st Tower Hamlets RVC4th Volunteer Battalion, Royal FusiliersShoreditch (Shaftesbury Street)60th (City of London) Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery2nd London Brigade5th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade)1st London VRC (City of London Volunteer Rifle Brigade)9th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsFinsbury (Bunhill Row)1st Battalion, London Rifle Brigade, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)6th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (City of London Rifles)2nd London VRC 10th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsFinsbury (Farringdon Road)31st (City of London Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers [later 31st (City of London Rifles) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery]7th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment3rd London VRC 11th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsFinsbury (Sun Street)32nd (7th City of London) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers [later 32nd (7th City of London) Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery]8th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Post Office Rifles)24th Middlesex VRC 7th Volunteer Battalion, Rifle BrigadeFinsbury (Bunhill Row)n/a3rd London Brigade9th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen Victoria's), Berkeley Square1st Middlesex (Victoria and St. George's) VRC4th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsWestminster (Davies Street)Queen Victoria's Rifles, King's Royal Rifle Corps19th Middlesex (St. Giles's and St. George's, Bloomsbury) VRC6th Volunteer Battalion, Rifle Brigade10th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Paddington Rifles); disbanded 191218th Middlesex VRC 4th Volunteer Battalion, Rifle BrigadePaddington (Harrow Road)n/a10th (County of London) Battalion (Hackney), London Regimentn/aformed in 1912 to replace the Paddington RiflesHackney (The Grove)5th (Hackney) Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment11th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Finsbury Rifles)21st Middlesex (Finsbury) VRC 7th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsPentonville (Penton Street)61st (Middlesex) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery12th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (The Rangers)22nd Middlesex VRC (Central London Rangers) 8th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsHolborn (Chenies Street)The Rangers, King's Royal Rifle Corps2nd London Division4th London Brigade13th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Kensington)4th (Kensington) Middlesex VRC3rd Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsKensington (Iverna Gardens)Princess Louise's Kensington Regiment, Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own)14th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Scottish)7th (London Scottish) Middlesex VRC 1st Volunteer Battalion, Rifle BrigadeWestminster (Buckingham Gate)London Scottish, Gordon Highlanders15th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles)The Prince of Wales's Own 12th Middlesex (Civil Service) VRC5th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsWestminster (Somerset House)n/a16th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles)13th Middlesex (Queen's Westminster) VRC 6th Volunteer Battalion, King's Royal Rifle CorpsKensington (Buckingham Gate)Queen's Westminsters, The King's Royal Rifle Corps [Later 11th & 12th (Queen's Westminsters) Battalions, King's Royal Rifle Corps]5th London Brigade17th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Poplar and Stepney Rifles)2nd Tower Hamlets VRC9th Volunteer Battalion, Rifle BrigadeBow (Tredegar Road)Tower Hamlets Rifles, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) [later 9th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) (Tower Hamlets Rifles); 656th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery (Rifle Brigade)]18th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Irish Rifles)16th Middlesex (London Irish) VRC3rd Volunteer Battalion, Rifle BrigadeChelsea (Duke of York's Headquarters)London Irish Rifles, Royal Ulster Rifles19th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (St. Pancras)17th Middlesex (North Middlesex) VRC 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Middlesex RegimentCamden Town (High Street)33rd (St. Pancras) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers [later 33rd (St. Pancras) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Artillery]20th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich)3rd Kent VRC2nd Volunteer Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)Blackheath (Holly Hedge House)34th (The Queen's Own Royal West Kent) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers [later 34th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (Queen's Own Royal West Kent)]6th London Brigade21st (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles)1st Surrey (South London) VRC1st Volunteer Battalion, East Surrey RegimentCamberwell (Flodden Road)35th (First Surrey Rifles) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers [later 35th Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (First Surrey Rifles)]22nd (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen's)6th Surrey RVC3rd Volunteer Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)Bermondsey (Jamaica Road)6th (Bermondsey) Battalion, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)23rd (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment7th Surrey RVC4th Volunteer Battalion, East Surrey RegimentBattersea (St John's Hill) 42nd (7th (23rd London) Bn, The East Surrey Regiment) Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment24th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Queen's)8th Surrey RVC4th Volunteer Battalion, Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)Southwark (New Street)7th (Southwark) Battalion, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)Others25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion, London Regiment.26th (Cyclist) Middlesex VRCRifle BrigadeFulham (Fulham House)n/a26th (County of London) BattalionTitle allotted to Infantry Battalion, Honourable Artillery Company but never used 27th (County of London) BattalionTitle allotted to the Inns of Court Regiment but never used 28th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Artists Rifles)20th Middlesex (Artists) VRC6th Volunteer Battalion, Rifle BrigadeSt Pancras (Dukes Road)Artists Rifles, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) [later 163 Officer Cadet Training Unit]29th (City of London) Battalion30th (City of London) Battalion31st (County of London) Battalion32nd (County of London) Battalion33rd (City of London) Battalion London Regiment (Rifle Brigade)34th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (King's Royal Rifle Corps)

London Regiment (1908–1938)

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