Lancastrian Brigade

The Lancastrian Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular infantry battalions of northwest England.

After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry depots, each bearing a letter. The depots were territorially organised, and Infantry Depot D at Carlisle was the headquarters for the county regiments of Cumberland, Lancashire and Westmorland. In 1948, the depots adopted names and this depot became the Lancastrian Brigade, with all regiments being reduced to a single battalion at the same time.

The Lancastrian Brigade was formed on 14 July 1948, combining the depots of eight regiments:

• The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
• The King's Regiment (Liverpool)
• The Lancashire Fusiliers
• The East Lancashire Regiment
• The Border Regiment
• The South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers)
• The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire)
• The Manchester Regiment

Under the Defence Review announced in July, 1957, the infantry of the line was reorganised, and by 1959 the Brigade was reduced to four battalions:

• On April 1, 1958 the Lancashire Fusiliers were transferred to the newly formed Fusilier Brigade
• On July 1, 1958 the East Lancashire Regiment and South Lancashire Regiment were amalgamated as the Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers)
• On September 1, 1958 the King's Regiment (Liverpool) and the Manchester Regiment were merged as the King's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool),
• On October 1, 1959 the King's Own Royal Regiment and the Border Regiment were merged to form the King's Own Royal Border Regiment.

From 1958 all regiments in the Brigade adopted a common cap badge: the red rose of Lancaster within a laurel wreath and ensigned by the royal crest, with a scroll inscribed Lancastrian.

On July 1, 1968 the Lancastrian Brigade was united with the Yorkshire and North Irish Brigades, to form the King's Division.

Organization

Structure of the brigade over time. Including the regiment, battalion, and time the battalion was in the brigade:

• The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1959)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948)
  • 5th Battalion (Reserve) — (1947-1961)
  • 4th/5th Battalion (Reserve) — (1961-1967)
  • 4th/5th Battalion (Territorial) — (1967-1968)
• The King's Liverpool Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1958)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948)
  • 5th (Rifle) Battalion — (1946-1947)
  • 5th Battalion — (1947-1967)
• The Lancashire Fusiliers (Transferred to Fusilier Brigade in April 1958)
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1958)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948/1952-1955)
  • 1/5th (Bury) Battalion — (1946-1947)
  • 5th (Bury) Battalion — (1947-1967)
  • 1/8th Battalion — (1946-1947)
• The East Lancashire Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1958)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948)
  • 4th Battalion — (1946-1967)
  • 4th Battalion (Territorial) — (1967-1968)
• The Border Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1959)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948)
  • 4th (Westmorland and Cumberland) Battalion — (1947-1967)
  • 4th Battalion (Territorial) — (1967-1968)
  • 5th (Cumberland) Battalion — (1946-1947)
• The South Lancashire Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1958)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948)
  • 1/4th Battalion — (1946-1947)
  • 4th Battalion — (1947-1967)
• The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1968)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948)
  • 5th Battalion — (1946-1947)
  • 5th Battalion (Territorial) — (1947-1967)
• The Manchester Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1946-1958)
  • 2nd Battalion — (1946-1948)
  • 8th (Ardwick) Battalion — (1947-1967)
  • 9th Battalion — (1947-1967)
• The King's Manchester and Liverpool Regiment (Later renamed King's Regiment in 1968)
  • 1st Battalion — (1958-1968)
  • 5th Battalion — (1958-1967)
  • 8th (Ardwick) Battalion — (1958-1967)
  • 9th Battalion — (1958-1967)
• The Prince of Wales' Lancashire Volunteers
  • 1st Battalion — (1958-1968)
  • 4th Battalion (East Lancashire) — (1958-1968)
  • 4th Battalion (South Lancashire) — (1958-1967)
• The King's Own Royal Border Regiment
  • 1st Battalion — (1959-1968)
  • 5th Battalion (King's Royal) — (1959-1961)
  • 4th/5th Battalion (King's Royal) — (1961-1967)
  • 4th (Cumberland and Westmorland) Battalion (Borders) — (1959-1967)
• The Manchester Regiment (Ardwick and Ashton) Territorials — (1967-1968)
• Lancastrian Volunteers (Territorials) — (1967-1968)