Article Index

 

The units listed below are shown in the order of precedence as of July 1881.  Prior to 1881, infantry regiment were known by the numbers in the column on the right.  Where infantry units are followed by two numbers, the numbers represent regiments that were amalgamated to form the new unit.  For example, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were formed from the 102nd Royal Madras Fusiliers and the 103rd Royal Bombay Fusiliers.  This page also contains more information on Cardwell's reforms.

Except for the 15th Hussars and the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, every regiment or corps in the British Army served in the Boer War.  In the case of some infantry regiments, only one of their two battalions was present.

 


1st (King's) Dragoon Guards
2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)
3rd (The Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards
4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards
5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards
6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)
7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards
1st (Royal) Dragoons
2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)
3rd (The King's Own) Hussars
4th (The Queen's Own) Hussars
5th (Royal Irish) Lancers
6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons
7th (The Queen's Own) Hussars
8th (The King's Royal Irish) Hussars
9th (The Queen's Royal) Lancers
10th (The Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Hussars
11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
12th (The Prince of Wales's Royal) Lancers
13th Hussars
14th (The King's) Hussars
15th (The King's) Hussars
16th (The Queen's) Lancers
17th (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers
18th (Victoria Mary, Prince of Wales's Own) Hussars
19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars
20th Hussars
21st Lancers

 

 


Royal Regiment of Artillery
Corps of Royal Engineers

 


Grenadier Guards
Coldstream Guards
Scots Guards

 


Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) from 1st
Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) from 2nd
Buffs (East Kent Regiment) from 3rd
King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) from 4th
Northumberland Fusiliers from 5th
Royal Warwickshire Regiment from 6th
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) from 7th
King's (Liverpool Regiment) from 8th
Norfolk Regiment from 9th
Lincolnshire Regiment from 10th
Devonshire Regiment from 11th
Suffolk Regiment from 12th
(Prince Albert's) Somerset Light Infantry from 13th
Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) from 14th
East Yorkshire Regiment from 15th
Bedfordshire Regiment from 16th
Leicestershire Regiment from 17th
Royal Irish Regiment from 18th
Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) from 19th
Lancashire Fusiliers from 20th
Royal Scots Fusiliers from 21st
Cheshire Regiment from 22nd
Royal Welsh Fusiliers from 23rd
South Wales Borderers from 24th
King's Own Scottish Borderers from 25th
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) from 26th and 90th
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers from 27th and 108th
Gloucestershire Regiment from 28th and 61st
Worcestershire Regiment from 29th and 36th
East Lancashire Regiment from 30th and 59th
East Surrey Regiment from 31st and 70th
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry from 32nd and 46th
Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) from 33rd and 76th
Border Regiment from 34th and 55th
Royal Sussex Regiment from 35th and 107th
Hampshire Regiment from 37th and 67th
South Staffordshire Regiment from 38th and 80th
Dorsetshire Regiment from 39th and 54th
Prince of Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment) from 40th and 82nd
Welsh Regiment from 41st and 69th
Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) from 42nd and 73rd
Oxfordshire Light Infantry from 43rd and 52nd
Essex Regiment from 44th and 56th
Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment) from 45th and 95th
Loyal North Lancashire Regiment from 47th and 81st
Northamptonshire Regiment from 48th and 58th
(Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Berkshire Regiment from 49th and 66th
(Queen's Own) Royal West Kent Regiment from 50th and 97th
King's Own Light Infantry (South Yorkshire Regiment) from 51st and 105th
(King's) Shropshire Light Infantry from 53rd and 85th
(Duke of Cambridge's Own) Middlesex Regiment from 57th and 77th
King's Royal Rifle Corps from 60th
(Duke of Edinburgh's) Wiltshire Regiment from 62nd and 99th
Manchester Regiment from 63rd and 96th
(Prince of Wales's) North Staffordshire Regiment from 64th and 98th
York and Lancaster Regiment from 65th and 84th
Durham Light Infantry from 68th and 106th
Highland Light Infantry from 71st and 74th
Seaforth Highlanders (Rossshire Buffs) from 72nd and 78th
Gordon Highlanders from 75th and 92nd
(Queen's Own) Cameron Highlanders from 79th
Royal Irish Rifles from 83rd and 86th
(Princess Victoria's) Royal Irish Fusiliers from 87th and 89th
Connaught Rangers from 88th and 94th
(Princess Louise's) Sutherland and Argyll Highlanders from 91st and 93rd
Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) from 100th and 109th
Royal Munster Fusiliers from 101st and 104th

Royal Dublin Fusiliers from 102nd and 103rd

(Prince Consort's Own) Rifle Brigade.  [unnumbered since 1816]

 


Commissariat and Transport Corps
Army Hospital Corps
Army Ordnance Corps
Corps of Military Mounted Police
Corps of Army Schoolmasters
Army Chaplain's Department
Army Pay Department
Army Veterinary Department
Army Nursing Service 

 


1870

 

 

 

  • the War Office Act reorganised the War Office.  The various sections of the War Department were brought together
  • the Commander in Chief became subordinate to the Secretary for War
  • the Army Enlistment Act fixed the term of enlistment to 12 years, part on active service and part on reserve.  Before this, enlistment was for life
  • overseas service was limited to six years.  This was to be followed by six years in the reserve
  • the Martini-Henry rifle became the infantry's standard weapon

1871

 

  • purchasing of Commissions was abolished
  • selection and promotion of officers on merit
  • flogging in peacetime in the Royal Navy was suspended

1872

 

  • each regiment was to have two linked battalions.  One would serve overseas and one would serve at home
  • Britain was divided into 69 districts, each with its own county regiment.  The regiment was to bear the county name
  • it was hoped to boost recruitment by attaching regiments to local areas

1879

 

  • flogging in war time was suspended in the Royal Navy

1881

 

  • flogging was abolished in the army
  • regular and militia battalions were amalgamated into territorial regiments with local names and local depots

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