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107-467: The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th Regiment of Foot as the 1st and 2nd battalions; the 6th Royal Lancashire Militia became the 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) battalions and

214-569: A '2/' prefix (2/5th Manchesters etc ) . The 2nd Line battalions of the Manchesters joined the 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division . Meanwhile on 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular Army, and the newly-appointed Secretary of State for War , Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging

321-415: A breakdown in cohesion was assured, especially in uneven or wooded terrain. As a result, the line was mostly used as a firing formation, with troops moving in column formations and then deploying to the line at their destination. Usually, columns would be adopted for movement and melee attacks. Line infantry was trained in the manual of arms evolutions, the main objectives of which were fast deployment of

428-518: A company of voltigeurs , who were expected to act as skirmishers as well being able to deploy into line. In the Russian Empire, light infantry was forming at a very fast pace; by the end of the 18th century, regiments of light infantry totaled 40,000 soldiers ( Jaeger ). The armament of light infantry was very different from the armament of linear infantry. They were armed with high-quality muskets, as well as pistols (for close combat). After

535-616: A further 1,000 yards, capturing 217 Ottomans in the process. During the Battle of Krithia Vineyard , the Manchesters suffered heavy losses and gained a Victoria Cross for gallantry by Lieutenant Forshaw of the 1/9th Battalion. The evacuation of Cape Helles lasted from December 1915 to January 1916. The Manchester battalions suffered many casualties during the Dardnalles Campaign. At the Helles Memorial , 1,215 names of

642-489: A line, rapid shooting, and manoeuvre. Line infantry quickly became the most common type of infantry in European countries. Musketeers and grenadiers , formerly elite troops , gradually became part of the line infantry, switching to linear tactics. Over time the use of line infantry tactics spread outside of Europe, often as a result of European imperialism. In European colonies and settlements with small populations from

749-650: A number of enemy strong points near the village of Joncourt . For his courage and leadership in the Joncourt action, he was awarded the Military Cross , an award he had always sought in order to justify himself. On 4 November 1918, Wilfred Owen was killed in action during the crossing of the Sambre–Oise Canal , exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and

856-500: A pied (light infantry), one of Grenadiers and one of Carabiniers . Similar differentiations were made in the majority of European armies of the period, although English-speaking authors sometimes use the designation "line infantry" when referring to the ordinary infantry of some other countries where the exact term was not in use. The term was also used by US units during the Second World War, as shown by this quote from

963-469: A preliminary assault on Messines . The Manchester Pals' Brigade fought in the offensive's opening battle, at Pilckem Ridge, on 31 July. Conditions during "Third Ypres" (or Passchendaele ) reduced the battleground to an intractable morass. During "Third Ypres", Sergeant Coverdale , of the 11th (Service) Battalion, killed three snipers, rushed two machine gun positions, then reorganised his platoon to capture another position, though after advancing some distance

1070-572: A report of the 782nd Tank Battalion in late April 1945: On the 22nd of April, the Battalion moved from Oberkotzau, Germany to Wunsiedel , Germany. Here the attachment of the line companies to the Regimental Combat Teams of the 97th Division was completed. We separated, not coming together again until the war was over. Company "A" joined the 303rd at Rehau, Germany: Company "B" joined the 386th at Arzburg, Germany: and Company "C"

1177-435: A small part of the infantry branch of most armies, because of their vulnerability to hostile cavalry. Pikemen formed the majority of infantrymen and were known as heavy infantry. A significant part of infantry consisted of old-style musketeers, who did not use the linear tactics, instead skirmishing in open formation. However, by the middle of the 17th century, musketeers deployed in line formation already provided about half of

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1284-486: A way of instilling discipline and unit cohesion . Members of the US Army utilize the term "line company" (informally) in light infantry battalions to differentiate those companies (generally A–D) that perform the traditional infantry role from the support companies (generally F and HHC) charged with supporting the "line companies". The Marine Corps does the same for all its infantry units. In this vein, officers assigned to

1391-594: The 110th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Border) in the 11th Armoured Brigade . The men continued to wear their Manchester Regiment cap badge on the black beret of the RAC as did all infantry units converted in this way. However, 111 RAC was disbanded in November 1943 and 5th Manchesters reconstituted as an infantry battalion. In the summer of 1944, the battalion acted as the Royal Bodyguard at Balmoral Castle while

1498-497: The American Civil War . The Austro-Prussian War in 1866 showed that breech-loading rifles , which gave the individual shooter a greatly increased rate of fire as well as the capability to reload from a prone position, were greatly superior to muzzle loaded rifles. In the 1860s, most German states and Russia converted their line infantry and riflemen into 'united' infantry, which used rifles and skirmish tactics. After

1605-825: The Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882 and was then deployed to Gibraltar in 1897. The 2nd Battalion was based in India from 1882 to 1897 and saw action on the North-West Frontier before departing for Aden . Amidst growing tension between Boers and the British in the Transvaal, the 1st Manchester shipped to South Africa in September 1899. The battalion arrived in Durban , Natal Colony in early October, and

1712-518: The Battle of Normandy and took part in a number of engagements in the area around Caen , scene of much bitter fighting , which was captured by British and Canadian forces on 9 July , and later fought in the Battle of Falaise . The battalion advanced across Northern France , reaching Antwerp in Belgium in early September. The 1st Manchesters, along with the rest of the 53rd (Welsh) Division, moved to Turnhout , before advancing later that month into

1819-606: The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) until it returned to Britain in 1947, where it was joined by the 2nd Battalion. On 1 June 1948, the two battalions amalgamated in the presence of the regiment's colonel-in-chief, Queen Elizabeth . Soon afterwards, the 1st Battalion was posted to Germany, being first based at Wuppertal . On the regiment joining the West Berlin garrison in 1950, detachments performed guard duty at Spandau Prison . The battalion proceeded, in 1951, to Malaya aboard

1926-655: The Franco-Prussian War , both the German Empire and the French Third Republic did the same. However, Great Britain retained the name "line infantry", although it used rifled muskets from 1853 and breech loading rifles from 1867, and switched from closed lines to extended order during the Boer wars . The growing accuracy, range, and rate of fire of rifles, together with the invention of

2033-669: The Imperial Light Horse , took part in the subsequent assault. The fighting was heavy, with the Boers pouring accurate fire into the advancing British troops. Under increasingly heavy fire, the battalion halted its advance. The Manchester became the main vanguard of the frontal assault, having originally been tasked with a left-flank attack on the Boer hills. Once the battalion closed in, the Boers withdrew to their main line of defence. On 2 November, Boer forces encircled and isolated

2140-630: The Maxim machine gun in 1883, meant that close order line infantry would suffer heavy losses before being able to close with the enemy, while the defensive advantages given to line infantry against cavalry became irrelevant with the effective removal of offensive cavalry from the battlefield in the face of the improved weaponry. With the turn of the 20th century, this slowly led to infantry increasingly adopting skirmish style light infantry tactics in battle, while retaining line infantry drill for training. Although linear battle tactics had become obsolete by

2247-676: The Northern Infantry Brigade , later redesignated 2nd Malta Infantry Brigade and, finally, 232nd Infantry Brigade . In late July 1943, the 8th Manchesters was transferred to the 20th Indian Infantry Brigade , part of the 10th Indian Infantry Division , then serving in the Middle East . Both the 8th and 9th Manchesters took part in the Italian campaign . The 9th Battalion was part of the 4th Indian Infantry Division and later, from 15 July 1944 until 31 August 1945, formed

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2354-529: The Royal Family was in residence and then served as a machine-gun battalion with 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division until the end of the war. In November 1941, the 2/9th Manchesters, a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate of the 1/9th and a Machine Gun Battalion, was transferred to the Royal Artillery and converted into the 88th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. (Sometime after this,

2461-706: The Second Battle of Ypres and Battle of Loos . The 2nd Manchesters embarked for France with the 5th Division in August 1914 and contributed to the rearguard actions that supported the British Expeditionary Force 's (BEF) retreat following the Battle of Mons . The battalion was engaged in the battles of the Marne , the Aisne and "First Ypres" . On 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of

2568-779: The Volunteer battalions became the 5th, 6th , 7th , 8th, 9th and 10th battalions. After distinguished service in both the First and the Second World Wars , the Manchester Regiment was amalgamated with the King's Regiment (Liverpool) in 1958, to form the King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool) , which was, in 2006, amalgamated with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment to form

2675-408: The matchlock muskets of some line infantry were equipped with bayonets . Bayonets were attached to the muzzles and were used when line troops entered melee combat. They also helped to defend against cavalry. At the end of the 17th century, a solution was sought to a flaw within the design of matchlock muskets. Since the matchlock musket used a slow burning piece of twine known as a slow match ,

2782-472: The 1/9th Battalion was redesignated as the 9th Battalion.) The 88th Anti-Tank Regiment was part of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division until July 1943 when it transferred elsewhere and, in January 1944, the regiment was transferred to 45th (Holding) Division where it converted to the 88th Training Regiment, Royal Artillery. The 6th Battalion, created on 31 July 1939 as a duplicate of the 5th Battalion,

2889-514: The 10th (Territorial Army) Battalion was converted to armour, becoming the 41st Battalion, Royal Tank Corps , later 41st (Oldham) Royal Tank Regiment . A 'second line' battalion, which was formed at Oldham in 1939, became the 47th (Oldham) Royal Tank Regiment . When the German Army invaded France in May 1940, the 2nd, 5th and 1/9th Manchesters formed part of the British Expeditionary Force -

2996-568: The 11th (Service) Bn (K1), 12th (Service) Bn (K2), 13th (Service) Bn (K3) and 14th (Reserve) Bn (K4). The flood of volunteers overwhelmed the ability of the army to absorb and organise them, and by the time the Fifth New Army (K5) was authorised, many of its constituent units were being organised as " Pals battalions " under the auspices of mayors and corporations of towns up and down the country. The Lord Mayor and City of Manchester raised eight battalions of Manchester Pals , which became

3103-499: The 16th Sub-district Brigade Depot in Ashton-under-Lyne , near to Manchester. The 2nd Battalion, as the 96th Foot, had been raised in the town of Manchester in 1824. Eight additional battalions were gained through the incorporation of the 6th Royal Lancashire Militia and rifle corps units from Lancashire . By July, the regiment had the following under its command: The 1st Battalion was deployed to Egypt to take part in

3210-476: The 16th, 17th and 18th Manchesters attacked an area in the vicinity of the small village of Guillemont . During the action, Company Sergeant-Major George Evans , of the 18th, volunteered to deliver an important message, having witnessed five previous, fatal attempts to do so. He delivered his message, running more than half a mile despite being wounded. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 2 April 1917,

3317-417: The 16th. Though encircled, the 16th continued to resist the assault, encouraged by its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Wilfrith Elstob . During the course of the battle, Elstob single-handedly repulsed a grenadier attack and made a number of journeys to replenish dwindling ammunition supplies. At one point, he sent a message to 42nd Brigade HQ that "The Manchester Regiment will defend Manchester Hill to

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3424-508: The 16th–23rd (Service) Bns of the Manchester Regiment, subtitled '1st City', '2nd City', etc . Meanwhile the Mayor and Town of Oldham raised the 24th (Service) Bn (Oldham Pioneers). Later the 25th–27th (Reserve) Bns were formed from the depot companies of the Pals battalions. The 1st Battalion moved to France, landing at Marseille in September 1914. Having been briefly attached to French cavalry,

3531-574: The 1st Battalion moved to the frontline on 26 October, relieving a battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment near Festubert . Three days later, a heavy bombardment preceded an attack by a German force directed against the 2nd Battalion, Manchesters and the 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment . Despite capturing a trench line, the Germans were unable to capitalise due to the actions of a platoon commanded by Second-Lieutenant James Leach . In

3638-669: The 1st Battalion, Manchesters, as part of the 2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade , saw action during the Japanese invasion of the island in February 1942. After a bitter defence, Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival signed the surrender of Singapore on 15 February. About 80,000 British and Commonwealth personnel became POWs of the Imperial Japanese Army . The 1st Battalion was reformed in the United Kingdom by

3745-638: The 1st Manchesters was converted into a Vickers machine-gun battalion. The battalion had to be rushed to the Mandate of Palestine when the Arab populace erupted in revolt. In difficult conditions, the battalion suffered four killed and contributed a number of men to the counter-insurgency Special Night Squads . In 1937, a company on detachment in Cyprus provided a special guard for the Coronation parade. In 1938,

3852-646: The 2nd Manchesters attacked Francilly-Selency , in which C Company captured a battery of 77 mm guns and a number of machine-guns. Two paintings were made of this action by the military artist Richard Caton Woodville . Later in the month, the Manchester Regiment fought in the Arras Offensive . Preparations for a new offensive , the Third Battle of Ypres, in the Ypres sector had got under-way in June with

3959-530: The 2nd and 1/9th were Machine Gun battalions. The 2nd Battalion, a Regular Army unit, was the MG Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division , the 5th was serving with 4th East Lancashire Regiment and 1st Highland Light Infantry in the 127th Infantry Brigade , 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division and the 1/9th was with III Corps GHQ Troops. Despite putting up a stubborn defence, the BEF went into retreat,

4066-612: The 387th at Waldsassen, Germany. The British Army retains the traditional distinction between "Guards", "Line Infantry" and "the Rifles" on ceremonial occasions for historical reasons. It is linked to the order of precedence within the British Army and regimental pride, so for example Colonel Patrick Crowley states in the "introduction" in A Brief History of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (2015): The examples of valour, adherence to duty, and fortitude, continue to inspire

4173-613: The 3rd Manchesters were killed when a bomb hit their billet at Cleethorpes . As the war continued the Manchesters organised a number of other battalions for service away from the front lines. In 1915 the Home Service men of the TF battalions of the Manchesters and the Lancashire Fusiliers , were combined into 45th Provisional Battalion, which became 28th Manchesters on 1 January 1917. It served at home in 73rd Division and

4280-404: The 4th and 5th East Lancashire Regiment ), both brigades still being part of 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division . However, in 1921, the 6th and 7th battalions were amalgamated as the 6th/7th Battalion and later converted to become the 65th (The Manchester Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery . On 31 October 1938, during the period of rearmament preceding the Second World War,

4387-645: The 51st Battalion. Ned Hughes died 4 April 2009 aged 108. In 1919, during the interwar period , the 1st Manchesters returned to Britain for a year, later reinforcing the garrison in Ireland. In 1922, it garrisoned the Channel Islands before joining the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. It returned to Britain in 1927 and, in 1933, departed for the West Indies . After being posted to Egypt in 1936,

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4494-714: The 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th battalions, with the latter two as part of the East Lancashire Brigade (which also included two battalions, the 4th and 5th, of the East Lancashire Regiment ) and the other four the Manchester Brigade . In May 1915, the division was numbered as the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division and the brigades were numbered, the Manchester Brigade becoming 127th (1/1st Manchester) Brigade and

4601-558: The American Civil War, both Union and Confederate armies had only a few line regiments equipped with the old-style smooth-bore muskets. However, France, due to Napoleon III, who admired Napoleon I, had 300 line battalions (comprising an overwhelming majority) even in 1870. Although the French line infantry received Chassepot rifles in 1866, it was still being trained in the use of close formations (line, column and square), which

4708-549: The Austrian army abandoned their pikes. In 1703, the French army did the same, in 1704 the British and 1708 the Dutch. In 1699–1721, Peter I converted almost all Russian foot-regiments to line infantry. The abandonment of the pike, together with the faster firing rate made possible by the introduction of the new flintlock musket and paper cartridge , resulted in the replacement of the deeper formations of troops more suitable for

4815-681: The East Lancashire Brigade the 126th (1/1st East Lancashire) Brigade . In the same month, the division landed at Cape Helles , Gallipoli to reinforce the British beachheads established during the initial landings in April. The Manchesters disembarked at "V" and "W", where, in the April landings, there had been at least 2,000 casualties. The Manchester battalions took part in the Third Battle of Krithia on 4 June 1915. The 127th Brigade reached their first objective and advanced

4922-779: The German Jäger ), armed with rifled carbines and trained in aimed shooting and use of defilades . In Britain, much of the light infantry was armed with smooth-bore muskets, only a few regiments used rifled muskets. In France, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , the division into the Guard, line infantry and light infantry formally continued to exist, line and "light" regiments had identical weaponry (smooth-bore fusils) and tactics. (Napoleon preferred smooth-bore weaponry for their faster reload speeds.) However, each battalion in both line and "light" regiments included

5029-407: The Manchesters alone fill the memorial. The 1st Manchesters embarked for the Mesopotamian campaign , accompanying the infantry element of the Indian Corps, from France in late 1915. The battalion took part in the Battle of Dujaila in March 1916, which was intended to relieve the British forces in Kut-al-Amara , which was being besieged by Ottoman forces. In the battle, the 1st Manchesters seized

5136-447: The Manchesters being engaged along the way. Much of the BEF converged on Dunkirk , where hundreds of ships evacuated more than 330,000 soldiers back to Britain. Of the surviving men of the 2nd Manchesters, more than 300 men were evacuated. Fewer than 200 remained, fighting until being either captured or killed. The 5th and 1/9th were also evacuated, having suffered light casualties. The evacuation ended on 3 June. Captain Jack Churchill ,

5243-464: The Netherlands, where the 1st and 7th Manchesters saw heavy action, with the 7th, now as part of the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division , fighting in the Battle of the Scheldt under command of the First Canadian Army . The 1st Manchesters, after entering German territory in the face of the Wehrmacht's defences, crossed the Rhine with the 53rd Division in late March. The 7th Manchesters with 52nd Division saw its last fighting in Bremen , when that city

5350-400: The Russian light infantry were equipped with the M1854 rifle, the remainder retaining smoothbore percussion muskets. In the second half of the 19th century, the development of mass production and new technologies, such as the Minié ball , allowed European armies to gradually equip all their infantrymen with rifled weapons, and the percentage of line infantry equipped with muskets fell. In

5457-403: The Sixth Coalition , the training of regular French line infantry recruits was limited due to the relentless attack of the Coalition Forces. A recruit was trained by firing only two cartridges and four blanks. There was also light training of forming several formations. However, training large quantities of elite line infantry was generally a complicated process. In the middle of the 16th century,

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5564-416: The Somme , the regiment had nine battalions committed, including the Manchester Pals , the 16th (1st City), 17th (2nd City), 18th (3rd City) and 19th (4th City), all serving in the 90th Brigade of the 30th Division . The day proved to be the deadliest in the British Army's history, with more than 57,000 killed, wounded or missing. The regiment continued its involvement in the Somme Offensive. In late July,

5671-405: The Support Battalion of the British 46th Infantry Division . The 9th Manchesters saw much action during the Battles for the Gothic Line in August–September 1944, including the Battle of Montegridolfo . After service in Greece during the civil war and a return to Italy for the last weeks of the campaign there, it reached Graz , Austria by the end of the war. Stationed in Singapore from 1938,

5778-448: The Territorial Force was invited to volunteer for overseas service and the bulk of the East Lancashire Division did so. The division was sent to Egypt to relieve the Regular garrison for service on the Western Front and was subsequently designated the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division . Those men who were ineligible for overseas service, together with the volunteers who were flooding in, were formed into second line units distinguished with

5885-417: The Turkish lines, held by the Turkish Eighth Army , had been broken. Open warfare defined the theatre. During the Megiddo offensive, the cavalry advanced more than 70 miles in 36 hours. The 1st Manchesters took part in further engagements until the Armistice with the Ottoman Empire, remaining in the area until 1919. During a raid by German Zeppelin L 21 on the night of 31 March - 1 April 1916, 31 soldiers of

5992-456: The Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve . The regiment now had two Reserve and six Territorial battalions: On the outbreak of war in August 1914 the 1st Battalion was part of the 8th (Jullundur) Brigade of the 3rd (Lahore) Indian Division , while the 2nd Battalion was part of 14th Brigade in 5th Division , stationed in Ireland. In August 1914

6099-412: The battalion moved to Singapore . Meanwhile, in 1920, the 2nd Manchesters became part of the garrison in Mesopotamia, which had been acquired by Britain as a mandate territory under the auspices of the League of Nations . During an action near Hillah , Captain Henderson reorganised his company, who were wavering in the face of a large force of tribesmen, then led the company in three attacks against

6206-421: The battalion was redesignated 12th (DLOY) Battalion, Manchester Regiment . It continued serving with 17th (N) Division until the Armistice, including the Battle of Passchendaele, the German Spring Offensive and the Allied Hundred Days Offensive . In March 1918, the German Army launched an all-out offensive in the Somme sector. Faced with the prospect of continued American reinforcement (who had entered

6313-463: The beginning of the Second World War , it was stationed in Britain. The Territorial Force had been demobilised in 1919. It was reformed on 7 February 1920 and reorganised and renamed as the Territorial Army the following year. The battalions of the Manchester Regiment were reformed, the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th continuing to serve in the 127th (Manchester) Infantry Brigade , and the 9th and 10th with 126th (East Lancashire) Infantry Brigade (alongside

6420-478: The best shooting soldiers fight in loose ranks and cover their battalions from the enemy skirmishers. The total number of light infantry reached 40% of the entire field infantry. The sharp increase in the number of light infantry greatly influenced their quality of training and equipment. The Russian infantry of 1854 comprised 108 regiments, of which 42 were line infantry. The remainder were specialized or elite units such as Guards, Grenadiers and Jägers. Only part of

6527-550: The commands of the officers. This disrupted the system, while the gunsmoke prevented accurate shooting. Such a shootout in clouds of smoke could occur for an extended period of time and the result was unpredictable. In addition, at the time of the “hot” shootout, the soldiers were so engaged and focused on shooting that they were not watching out for an attack of cavalry from the flank. For these reasons, experienced officers tried to avoid such uncertain exchanges and restrained their soldiers from premature firing in order to get as close to

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6634-480: The current officers and soldiers of the modern Regiment, who are proud to belong to the most senior English Regiment of the Line. The Canadian Army also retained these traditional distinctions, and its infantry regiments were organized, titled, and uniformed in full dress as foot guards , fusiliers , light infantry, line infantry, rifles, and kilted infantry regiments. The infantry of most 21st-century armies are still trained in formation manoeuvre and drill , as

6741-412: The end of the war, and was disbanded at the Ashton barracks. The 1st Manchesters left South Africa for Singapore in 1903. The following year, the 1st moved to India, where, in 1911, the battalion paraded at the Delhi Durbar , attended by King George V and Queen Mary . The 2nd Manchesters had returned to Britain in 1902, where it remained until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. In 1908,

6848-477: The enemy’s line as possible so that they could deliver several devastating volleys at a short distance. In some cases, it was possible to defeat the enemy with just one volley at close range. The line was considered the fundamental battle formation as it allowed for the largest deployment of firepower. Against surrounding enemy cavalry, line infantry could swiftly adopt square formations to provide protection. Such squares were hollow (consisting of four lines), unlike

6955-440: The first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. Volunteers poured into the recruiting offices across the country and were formed into 'Service' battalions of the county regiments. So many came forward that the 'K1' battalions were quickly filled and the recruitment of the 'K2' , 'K3' and 'K4' units quickly followed. The Manchesters formed

7062-412: The following month. More than 800 officers and men returned to Southampton in July 1902, following the end of the war. The 6th (Militia) Battalion (until February 1900 known as the 4th battalion) was embodied in May 1900, disembodied in October that year, and later re-embodied for service in South Africa. More than 640 officers and men returned to Southampton by the SS Guelph in October 1902, following

7169-399: The foot troops in most Western European armies. Maurice of Nassau was noted as the first large scale user of linear tactic in Europe, introducing the 'counter-march' to enable his formations of musketeers to maintain a continuous fire. After the invention of the bayonet, musketeers could finally defend themselves from the enemy's horsemen, and the percentage of pikemen fell gradually. In 1699,

7276-406: The home country, line infantry forces were often raised from the local population, with the British East India Company 's sepoys perhaps being the most historically significant example. Line tactics required strict discipline and simple movements practiced to the point where they became second-nature. During training, the drill and corporal punishments were widely used. During 1814, in the War of

7383-399: The infantry was aligned into long thin lines, shoulder to shoulder, and fired volleys . A line consisted of two, three, or four ranks of soldiers. The soldiers were expected to fire volleys at the command of officers, but in practice this happened only in the first minutes of the battle. After one or two volleys, each soldier charged his musket and fired at his own discretion, without hearing

7490-403: The last", to his men he had told them "Here we fight, and here we die". The 16th Manchesters effectively ceased to exist as a coherent body. Lieutenant-Colonel Elstob was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. An attempt to retake the hill was later made by the 17th Manchesters, now part of 21st Brigade , with heavy losses. Two more Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiment in the final months of

7597-497: The melee-oriented pikemen with shallower lines that maximized the firepower of an infantry formation. Besides regular line infantry, there were elite troops (royal guards and other designated elite regiments) and the light infantry . Light infantry operated in extended order (also known as skirmish formation) as opposed to the close order (tight formations) used by line infantry. Since the late 18th century, light infantry in most European countries mostly consisted of riflemen (such as

7704-815: The militia battalions were relabelled as the 5th and 6th battalions. The 3rd Battalion was stationed in Saint Helena and South Africa from August 1902, while the 4th Battalion was stationed in Cork . In 1906, the 3rd and 4th battalions both returned to the United Kingdom, where they were disbanded. The 5th (Militia) Battalion (until February 1900 known as the 3rd battalion) was embodied in May 1900, disembodied in October that year, and re-embodied in May 1901 for service in South Africa, for which it embarked

7811-467: The movement of units. In Russia, Great Britain, France, Prussia, and some other states, linear tactics and formation discipline were maintained into the late 19th century. With the invention of new weaponry, the concept of line infantry began to wane. The Minié ball , an improved rifle ammunition, allowed individual infantrymen to shoot more accurately and over greatly increased range. Men walking in formation line-abreast became easy targets, as evidenced in

7918-412: The new fusils retained the name "musket". Both muskets and fusils were smoothbore , which lessened their accuracy and range, but made for faster loading, lesser amount of bore fouling and more robust, less complicated firearms. The accuracy of smooth-bore muskets was in the range of 300–400 yd (270–370 m) against a line of infantry or cavalry. Against a single enemy, however, the effective range

8025-557: The offensive that followed the relieving of Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking . After the fall of Bloemfontein and Pretoria , the Boer commandos transitioned to guerrilla warfare . The 2nd Manchesters operated in the Orange Free State , searching farms and burning those suspected of housing commandos. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging in May 1902. The 2nd battalion stayed in South Africa throughout

8132-425: The only known man to kill an enemy with a longbow in the Second World War, was serving with the Manchester Regiment during this period. In November 1941, the 5th Manchesters, along with the rest of the division (which became 42nd Armoured Division ), was converted to armour as the 111th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Manchester Regiment) , serving alongside the 107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (King's Own) and

8239-478: The original battalion, which had been lost at Singapore in February. In October 1943, the new 1st Battalion transferred to the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division , where it was to remain for the rest of the war. On 27 June 1944, the 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment landed in France, 21 days after the initial invasion had begun on 6 June, D-Day . With the rest of the 53rd Division, the battalion saw fierce fighting in

8346-407: The pikemen's and old-style musketeers' square. Troops in skirmish formation, though able to take cover and use initiative, were highly vulnerable to cavalry and could not hold ground against advancing infantry columns. Line infantry provided an "anchor" for skirmishers and cavalry to retreat behind if threatened. Movement in line formation was slow, and unless the battalion was superbly trained,

8453-485: The present Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) . Between the 1860s and 1880s, the British Army underwent a period of reform implemented by Edward Cardwell and Hugh Childers . Single-battalion regiments were amalgamated and regiments were affiliated with a geographical area. The Manchester Regiment came into being on 1 July 1881 by the union of the 63rd (West Suffolk) and 96th Regiments of Foot. They had been linked in 1873 by their allocation to

8560-512: The process of their methodical retaking of the trench , the party killed eight, wounded two and captured 14 soldiers. For their contribution to the defence of the Manchesters' trenches, Second-Lieutenant Leach and Sergeant John Hogan were awarded the Victoria Cross . Severe casualties were sustained by the 1st Manchesters and its brigade during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle . A succession of intensely fought battles followed, culminating in

8667-618: The redesignation of the 6th Battalion. In 1942, the 2nd Manchesters was sent to the sub-continent with the rest of the British 2nd Infantry Division, being stationed first in British India , then Burma in 1944. The battalion was involved in the Battle of Kohima in fierce fighting with the Japanese. It fought in subsequent actions in Burma until April 1945, when it returned to India. The 1st Manchesters remained in Germany as part of

8774-572: The regiment its first two VCs. By 28 February, Ladysmith had finally been relieved by a force under the command of General Redvers Buller . The 2nd Manchesters was mobilized into a new 8th Division going to South Africa for the war. 930 officers and men of the regiment left Southampton in the SS Bavarian in March 1900, and in April arrived in Natal as reinforcements. Both battalions participated in

8881-445: The rifle companies are referred to as "line officers" while billeted to positions such as Platoon Leaders and Commanding and Executive Officers. James Pitts (VC) James Pitts VC MSM (26 February 1877 – 18 February 1955) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Pitts

8988-580: The second half of the nineteenth century, regiments in several European armies retained the "line infantry" (or cavalry) title. This designation had come to mean an army's regular or numbered regiments, as opposed to specialist or elite formations. Accordingly, the distinction had become a traditional title or classification without significance regarding armament or tactics. For example, the Belgian Army order of battle in 1914 comprised 14 regiments of Infanterie de Ligne (line infantry), three of Chasseurs

9095-603: The time under an extremely heavy fire, keeping up their fire and a smart look-out though the Boers occupied some sangars on their immediate left rear. Private Scott was wounded. He later achieved the rank of corporal and served in World War I He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1918. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Museum of the Manchesters, Ashton-under-Lyne , England. In 2019,

9202-414: The town hall is being redeveloped. The regimental collect was: Line infantry Line infantry mainly used three formations in its battles: the line, the square, and the column. With the universal adoption of small arms (firearms that could be carried by hand, as opposed to cannon) in infantry units from the mid-17th century, the battlefield was dominated by linear tactics , according to which

9309-438: The town of Ladysmith, beginning a 118-day siege . On 6 January 1900, a contingent of 16 soldiers of the 1st Manchesters came under attack at Wagon Hill, near to Caeser's Camp. Against superior numbers, the detachment held its position for 15 hours. Only two survived, Privates Pitts and Scott , who had continued to hold out for many hours when the others had been killed. Both received the Victoria Cross for their actions, giving

9416-555: The town, Kut surrendered to Ottoman forces on 29 April 1916. The 1st Manchesters would take part in further actions in Mesopotamia, but in March 1918 the battalion moved to Egypt . The battalion then moved to Ottoman-controlled Palestine , still part of the 3rd (Lahore) Division, to take part in the campaign there against the Ottomans. They fought in the last major offensive there, at Megiddo , on 19 September. Within three hours

9523-501: The trenches of the Dujaila Redoubt with the 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force) ; however, they were subsequently displaced by an Ottoman counter-attack, being forced back to their starting lines. During the withdrawal, Private Stringer held his ground single-handedly, securing the flank of his battalion. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. British and Indian forces suffered 4,000 casualties. After five failed attempts to relieve

9630-478: The tribesmen, being severely wounded in the second attack, though carrying on for the third and final counter-attack. He carried on fighting until he succumbed to a loss of blood and collapsed. Aided by one of his men, who helped him to stand, Henderson told his company, "I'm done now, don't let them beat you." He was shot again, which killed him. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions. The battalion departed for India in 1922, where it remained until 1932. At

9737-604: The troopship Empire Hallande . In three years of service during the Malayan Emergency , the Manchesters had 15 men killed in action . With the exception of a brief return to Britain, the 1st Battalion, Manchesters remained part of BAOR until 1958. In the same year, the regiment was amalgamated with the King's Regiment (Liverpool) to create the King's Regiment . The Museum of the Manchester Regiment, which had previously been based at Ladysmith Barracks, moved to Ashton Town Hall in 1987. The museum remains closed while

9844-451: The twine sometimes would accidentally set fire to the gunpowder reservoir in the musket prematurely setting off the gunpowder, resulting in serious injury or death to the operator. For this reason and others, matchlock muskets began to be replaced by lighter and cheaper infantry fusils with flintlocks , weighing 5 kg (11 lb) with a caliber of 17.5 mm (0.69 in), first in France and then in other countries. In many countries,

9951-540: The two Special Reserve battalions went to their war station in the Humber Garrison where they carried out the dual tasks of garrison duties and preparing reinforcement drafts of regular reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the two regular battalions. The Territorial battalions mobilised in August 1914 as part of the East Lancashire Division . Shortly afterwards

10058-477: The unsuccessful army reforms of Paul I, the number of light infantry in the Russian army was significantly reduced and made up only 8% of the entire field infantry. However, the Russian army soon returned to the trend of increasing the number of light infantry, begun in the 18th century. By 1811, 50 light infantry regiments were formed in the Russian army. In addition, each linear battalion was required to have 100 of

10165-548: The war in April 1917) of the Allied armies, the Germans urgently sought a decisive victory on the Western Front. On the morning of 21 March, the 16th Manchesters occupied positions in an area known as Manchester Hill, near to St. Quentin . A large German force attacked along the 16th's front, being repulsed in parts, but completely overwhelming the battalion elsewhere. Some positions lost were recaptured in counter-attacks by

10272-540: The war. Also involved in the Spring Offensive were the 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th battalions, serving as part of 199th (2/1st Manchester) Brigade , part of 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division , all battalions of the Territorial Force . The later-prominent war poet, Wilfred Owen served with the 2nd Battalion, Manchesters in the later stages of the war. On 1 October 1918, Owen led units of it to storm

10379-511: The war. Four months later 340 officers and men of the battalion left Cape Town on the SS Michigan in late September 1902, arriving at Southampton in late October, when they were posted to Aldershot . When the Boers proved more resilient than predicted, a number of regiments recruited in large centres of population formed additional regular battalions. The Manchester Regiment formed the 3rd and 4th Battalions in February 1900, at which time

10486-672: Was 22 years old, and a private in the 1st Battalion, The Manchester Regiment , British Army during the Second Boer War when the following deed in Natal took place for which he and Private Robert Scott were awarded the VC: During the attack on Caesar's Camp, in Natal, on the 6th January, 1900, these two men occupied a sangar , on the left of which all our men had been shot down and their positions occupied by Boers, and held their post for fifteen hours without food or water, all

10593-473: Was captured on 26 April. The 1st Battalion ended the war in Hamburg when that city surrendered on 3 May. The 8th (Ardwick) Battalion had been serving alongside the 5th Manchesters in the 127th Brigade of the 42nd Division until 5 May 1940, when the battalion was transferred to Malta and was replaced in the brigade by the 1st Highland Light Infantry, a Regular Army unit. In August, the battalion became part of

10700-467: Was changed only after the dethronement of Napoleon III. This was common practice in all conventional Western armies until the late 19th century, as infantry tactics and military thinking had yet to catch up with technological developments. In the years after the Napoleonic Wars, line infantry continued to be deployed as the main battle force, while light infantry provided fire support and covered

10807-510: Was disbanded in 1918. A 29th Battalion was formed in June 1918, but within days was absorbed into 16th (1st City) Bn. The 1st Garrison Battalion served in India, and the 2nd (Home Service) Garrison Bn at home. In addition, three training battalions were organised in 1917 for progressive training of recruits: 51st (Graduated), 52nd (Graduated) and 53rd (Young Soldier) Bns. One of the last surviving First World War veterans, Netherwood Hughes , served in

10914-661: Was forced back due to bombardment from the British artillery, suffering nine casualties in the advance. After serving on the Western Front from July 1915 with 17th (Northern) Division , including the Ypres Salient and the battles of the Somme and Arras, 12th (Service) Battalion amalgamated with Regimental HQ and two squadrons of the Manchester-based Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry (DLOY), who had been dismounted and retrained as infantry. From 24 September 1917

11021-468: Was no more than 50–100 yd (46–91 m). It should be borne in mind that ordinary linear infantrymen were poorly trained in aimed shooting, due to the expense of gunpowder and lead (modern reenactors achieve much better results by firing smooth-bore muskets). Line infantrymen were trained in rapid reloading. The recruit was expected to load 3 rounds a minute, while an experienced soldier could load 4–6 rounds per minute. In battle conditions, this number

11128-582: Was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant the day after his death. In September 1914, just before the Ottoman Empire entered the war on Germany's side, six of the regiment's battalions joined the Egypt garrison. They belonged to the East Lancashire Division of the Territorial Force, which was selected to release Regular Army troops for service in active theatres. Serving in the division were

11235-485: Was reduced and after the first few minutes of combat, no more than 2 rounds per minute could be expected even from well trained troops. The bulk of the line infantry had no protective equipment, as armor that could provide protection from musket fire were considered too expensive and heavy. Only the former elite troops could keep by tradition some elements of protection, for example, the copper mitre caps of grenadiers. Initially, soldiers equipped with firearms formed only

11342-400: Was serving as part of the 199th Infantry Brigade , initially part of the 66th Infantry Division , alongside the 7th Manchesters and the 2/8th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers . On 23 June 1940, the 66th Division was disbanded and the 199th Brigade was transferred to the 55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division. On 5 May 1942, the battalion was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, to replace

11449-495: Was soon afterwards moved to Ladysmith . The war began on 11 October with a Boer invasion of the colony. After Boer forces captured Elandslaagte railway station, the Manchesters had four companies sent by armoured train to Modderspruit . While disembarking there, the Manchesters and accompanying Imperial Light Horse came under ineffectual artillery fire. The 1st Manchesters, along with the Gordon Highlanders and

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