| Manchester Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Manchester Regiment during the First World War. | |
| Active | 1 July 1881 – 1 September 1958 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Line infantry |
| Garrison/HQ | Ladysmith Barracks,Ashton-under-Lyne |
| Anniversaries | Ladysmith, 23 February Kohima, 15 May Guadeloupe, 10 June Inkerman, 5 November |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HMKing George V (1930) HMQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1947) |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Edmund Richard Jeffreys (1881) John MacNeill Walter (1889) Sir Henry Radford Norman (1895) Vere Hunt Bowles (1899) William Osborne Barnard (1904) SirVere Bonamy Fane (1920) SirWilloughby Garnons Gwatkin (1924) Hon. SirHerbert Alexander Lawrence (1925) Wilfrid Keith Evans (1932) Francis Holland Dorling (1934) Charles Dawson Moorhead (1947) Eric Boyd Costin (1948) Thomas Bell Lindsay Churchill (1954) |
TheManchester Regiment was aline infantryregiment of theBritish Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the96th Regiment of Foot as the 1st and 2nd battalions; the6th Royal Lancashire Militia became the3rd (Reserve) and4th (Extra Reserve) battalions and theVolunteer battalions became the 5th,6th,7th, 8th, 9th and 10th battalions.
After distinguished service in both theFirst and theSecond World Wars, the Manchester Regiment was amalgamated with theKing's Regiment (Liverpool) in 1958, to form theKing's Regiment (Manchester and Liverpool), which was, in 2006, amalgamated with theKing's Own Royal Border Regiment and theQueen's Lancashire Regiment to form the presentDuke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border).
Between the 1860s and 1880s, the British Army underwent a period of reform implemented byEdward Cardwell andHugh Childers. Single-battalion regiments were amalgamated and regiments were affiliated with a geographical area.[1] The Manchester Regiment came into being on 1 July 1881 by the union of the63rd (West Suffolk) and96th Regiments of Foot.[2] They had been linked in 1873 by their allocation to the 16th Sub-district Brigade Depot inAshton-under-Lyne, near to Manchester.[3] 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 the6th Royal Lancashire Militia andrifle corps units fromLancashire.[3] By July, the regiment had the following under its command:[4][5]
The 1st Battalion was deployed to Egypt to take part in theAnglo-Egyptian War in 1882 and was then deployed toGibraltar in 1897. The 2nd Battalion was based inIndia from 1882 to 1897 and saw action on theNorth-West Frontier before departing forAden.[6]
Amidst growing tension between Boers and the British in the Transvaal, the 1st Manchester shipped to South Africa in September 1899. The battalion arrived inDurban,Natal Colony in early October, and was soon afterwards moved toLadysmith.[7] The war began on 11 October with a Boer invasion of the colony.[8] After Boer forces capturedElandslaagte railway station, the Manchesters had four companies sent byarmoured train toModderspruit. While disembarking there, the Manchesters and accompanyingImperial Light Horse came under ineffectual artillery fire.[7]
The 1st Manchesters, along with theGordon Highlanders and theImperial 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.[9]
On 2 November, Boer forces encircled and isolated the town of Ladysmith, beginning a118-day siege.[10] 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, PrivatesPitts andScott, who had continued to hold out for many hours when the others had been killed. Both received theVictoria Cross for their actions, giving the regiment its first two VCs. By 28 February, Ladysmith had finally been relieved by a force under the command of GeneralRedvers Buller.[11]
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The 2nd Manchesters was mobilized into a new8th Division going to South Africa for the war. 930 officers and men of the regiment left Southampton in theSS Bavarian in March 1900,[12] and in April arrived in Natal as reinforcements.[13] Both battalions participated in the offensive that followed the relieving of Ladysmith,Kimberley andMafeking. After the fall ofBloemfontein andPretoria, the Boer commandos transitioned toguerrilla warfare. The 2nd Manchesters operated in theOrange Free State, searching farms and burning those suspected of housing commandos.[14] The war ended with the signing of theTreaty of Vereeniging in May 1902.[15] The 2nd battalion stayed in South Africa throughout the war. Four months later 340 officers and men of the battalion leftCape Town on the SSMichigan in late September 1902, arriving at Southampton in late October, when they were posted toAldershot.[16]
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,[17] at which time the militia battalions were relabelled as the 5th and 6th battalions. The 3rd Battalion was stationed inSaint Helena andSouth Africa from August 1902,[18] while the 4th Battalion was stationed inCork. In 1906, the 3rd and 4th battalions both returned to the United Kingdom, where they were disbanded.[6]
The5th (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 the following month.[19] More than 800 officers and men returned to Southampton in July 1902, following the end of the war.[20]
The6th (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 SSGuelph in October 1902, following the end of the war, and was disbanded at the Ashton barracks.[21]
The 1st Manchesters left South Africa forSingapore in 1903. The following year, the 1st moved to India, where, in 1911, the battalion paraded at theDelhi Durbar, attended byKing George V andQueen Mary.[22] The 2nd Manchesters had returned to Britain in 1902, where it remained until the outbreak of theFirst World War in 1914.[23]
In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Force and the latter theSpecial Reserve.[24] The regiment now had two Reserve and six Territorial battalions:[25][4][26][23]
On the outbreak of war in August 1914 the 1st Battalion was part of the8th (Jullundur) Brigade of the3rd (Lahore) Indian Division, while the 2nd Battalion was part of14th Brigade in5th Division, stationed in Ireland.[26][23]
In August 1914 the two Special Reserve battalions went to their war station in theHumber 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.[26][23]
The Territorial battalions mobilised in August 1914 as part of theEast Lancashire Division. Shortly afterwards the Territorial Force was invited to volunteer for overseas service and the bulk of the East Lancashire Division did so. The division was sent toEgypt to relieve the Regular garrison for service on theWestern Front and was subsequently designated the42nd (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 a '2/' prefix (2/5th Manchestersetc) . The 2nd Line battalions of the Manchesters joined the66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division.[4][26][23][27][28][29][30][31]
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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-appointedSecretary of State for War,Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging 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'.[32][33] 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 the 11th (Service) Bn (K1),12th (Service) Bn (K2), 13th (Service) Bn (K3) and 14th (Reserve) Bn (K4).[4][26][23]
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. TheLord Mayor and City of Manchester raised eight battalions ofManchester Pals, which became 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.[4][26][23]
The 1st Battalion moved to France, landing atMarseille in September 1914.[26][23] Having been briefly attached to French cavalry, the 1st Battalion moved to the frontline on 26 October, relieving a battalion of theBedfordshire Regiment nearFestubert.[34] 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-LieutenantJames Leach. In the process of their methodical retaking of thetrench, the party killed eight, wounded two and captured 14 soldiers.[35] For their contribution to the defence of the Manchesters' trenches, Second-Lieutenant Leach and SergeantJohn Hogan were awarded theVictoria Cross.[36] Severe casualties were sustained by the 1st Manchesters and its brigade during theBattle of Neuve Chapelle. A succession of intensely fought battles followed, culminating in theSecond Battle of Ypres andBattle of Loos.[37]
The 2nd Manchesters embarked for France with the 5th Division in August 1914 and contributed to the rearguard actions that supported theBritish Expeditionary Force's (BEF) retreat following theBattle of Mons.[38] The battalion was engaged in the battles of theMarne, theAisne and"First Ypres".[39]
On 1 July 1916, thefirst day of theBattle of the Somme, the regiment had nine battalions committed, including theManchester Pals, the 16th (1st City), 17th (2nd City), 18th (3rd City) and 19th (4th City), all serving in the90th Brigade of the30th Division. The day proved to be the deadliest in the British Army's history, with more than 57,000 killed, wounded or missing.[40]
The regiment continued its involvement in the Somme Offensive. In late July, the 16th, 17th and 18th Manchesters attacked an area in the vicinity of the small village ofGuillemont. During the action, Company Sergeant-MajorGeorge 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.[41]
On 2 April 1917, the 2nd Manchesters attackedFrancilly-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 artistRichard Caton Woodville.[42] Later in the month, the Manchester Regiment fought in theArras Offensive.[43]
Preparations for anew offensive, the Third Battle of Ypres, in the Ypres sector had got under-way in June with a preliminary assault onMessines. The Manchester Pals' Brigade fought in the offensive's opening battle, at Pilckem Ridge, on 31 July.[44] Conditions during "Third Ypres" (orPasschendaele) reduced the battleground to an intractable morass.[45] During "Third Ypres", SergeantCoverdale, 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 was forced back due to bombardment from the British artillery, suffering nine casualties in the advance.[46]
After serving on the Western Front from July 1915 with17th (Northern) Division, including theYpres Salient and the battles of the Somme and Arras, 12th (Service) Battalion amalgamated with Regimental HQ and two squadrons of the Manchester-basedDuke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry (DLOY), who had been dismounted and retrained as infantry. From 24 September 1917 the battalion was redesignated12th (DLOY) Battalion, Manchester Regiment. It continued serving with 17th (N) Division until the Armistice, including the Battle of Passchendaele, theGerman Spring Offensive and theAlliedHundred Days Offensive.[4][26][23][47][48][49][50][51]
In March 1918, theGerman Army launched anall-out offensive in the Somme sector. Faced with the prospect of continuedAmerican reinforcement (who hadentered the war in April 1917) of the Allied armies, the Germans urgently sought a decisive victory on the Western Front.[52] On the morning of 21 March, the 16th Manchesters occupied positions in an area known as Manchester Hill, near toSt. 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 the 16th. Though encircled, the 16th continued to resist the assault, encouraged by its commanding officer, Lieutenant-ColonelWilfrith 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 to42nd Brigade HQ that "The Manchester Regiment will defend Manchester Hill to 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.[53] An attempt to retake the hill was later made by the 17th Manchesters, now part of21st Brigade, with heavy losses. Two more Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiment in the final months of the war. Also involved in the Spring Offensive were the 2/5th, 2/6th and 2/7th battalions, serving as part of199th (2/1st Manchester) Brigade, part of66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division, all battalions of theTerritorial Force.[26][23]
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 a number of enemy strong points near the village ofJoncourt. For his courage and leadership in the Joncourt action, he was awarded theMilitary Cross, an award he had always sought in order to justify himself.[54] On 4 November 1918, Wilfred Owen was killed in action during the crossing of theSambre–Oise Canal, exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of theArmistice of 11 November 1918 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant the day after his death.[55]
In September 1914, just before theOttoman Empire entered the war on Germany's side, six of the regiment's battalions joined the Egypt garrison.[56] They belonged to theEast Lancashire Division of the Territorial Force, which was selected to releaseRegular Army troops for service in active theatres.[57] Serving in the division were the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th battalions, with the latter two as part of theEast Lancashire Brigade (which also included two battalions, the 4th and 5th, of theEast Lancashire Regiment) and the other four theManchester Brigade. In May 1915, the division was numbered as the42nd (East Lancashire) Division and the brigades were numbered, the Manchester Brigade becoming127th (1/1st Manchester) Brigade and the East Lancashire Brigade the126th (1/1st East Lancashire) Brigade. In the same month, the divisionlanded at Cape Helles,Gallipoli to reinforce the British beachheads established during theinitial landings in April.[58]
The Manchesters disembarked at "V" and "W",[58] where, in the April landings, there had been at least 2,000 casualties.[59] The Manchester battalions took part in theThird Battle of Krithia on 4 June 1915. The 127th Brigade reached their first objective and advanced a further 1,000 yards, capturing 217 Ottomans in the process.[60]
During theBattle of Krithia Vineyard, the Manchesters suffered heavy losses and gained a Victoria Cross for gallantry by LieutenantForshaw 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 theHelles Memorial, 1,215 names of the Manchesters alone fill the memorial.[61]
The 1st Manchesters embarked for theMesopotamian campaign, accompanying the infantry element of the Indian Corps, from France in late 1915. The battalion took part in theBattle of Dujaila in March 1916, which was intended to relieve the British forces inKut-al-Amara, which was being besieged byOttoman forces. In the battle, the 1st Manchesters seized the trenches of the Dujaila Redoubt with the59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force); however, they were subsequently displaced by an Ottoman counter-attack, being forced back to their starting lines. During the withdrawal, PrivateStringer 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 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 toEgypt.[26][23]
The battalion then moved to Ottoman-controlledPalestine, 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, atMegiddo, on 19 September. Within three hours the Turkish lines, held by theTurkish 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.[62]
During a raid by GermanZeppelin L 21 on the night of 31 March - 1 April 1916, 31 soldiers of the 3rd Manchesters were killed when a bomb hit their billet atCleethorpes.[63][a][65]
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 theLancashire Fusiliers, were combined into 45th Provisional Battalion, which became 28th Manchesters on 1 January 1917. It served at home in73rd Division and was disbanded in 1918.[4][26][23][66][67] 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.[4][26][23] One of the last surviving First World War veterans,Netherwood Hughes, served in the 51st Battalion.[68] Ned Hughes died 4 April 2009 aged 108.[69]
In 1919, during theinterwar period, the 1st Manchesters returned to Britain for a year, later reinforcing the garrison in Ireland. In 1922, it garrisoned theChannel Islands before joining theBritish Army of the Rhine in Germany. It returned to Britain in 1927 and, in 1933, departed for theWest Indies. After being posted to Egypt in 1936, the 1st Manchesters was converted into a Vickers machine-gun battalion.[70] The battalion had to be rushed to theMandate 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-insurgencySpecial Night Squads.[70] In 1937, a company on detachment inCyprus provided a special guard for the Coronation parade. In 1938, the battalion moved toSingapore.[71]
Meanwhile, in 1920, the 2nd Manchesters became part of the garrison in Mesopotamia,[72] which had been acquired by Britain as amandate territory under the auspices of theLeague of Nations.[73] During an action nearHillah, CaptainHenderson reorganised his company, who were wavering in the face of a large force of tribesmen, then led the company in three attacks against 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 theVictoria Cross for his actions.[74] The battalion departed for India in 1922, where it remained until 1932. At the beginning of theSecond World War, it was stationed in Britain.[6]
TheTerritorial Force had been demobilised in 1919. It was reformed on 7 February 1920 and reorganised and renamed as theTerritorial Army the following year. The battalions of the Manchester Regiment were reformed, the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th continuing to serve in the127th (Manchester) Infantry Brigade, and the 9th and 10th with126th (East Lancashire) Infantry Brigade (alongside the 4th and 5thEast Lancashire Regiment), both brigades still being part of42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. However, in 1921, the 6th and 7th battalions were amalgamated as the6th/7th Battalion and later converted to become the65th (The Manchester Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Royal Artillery.[75]
On 31 October 1938, during the period of rearmament preceding the Second World War, the 10th (Territorial Army) Battalion was converted to armour, becoming the 41st Battalion,Royal Tank Corps, later41st (Oldham) Royal Tank Regiment. A 'second line' battalion, which was formed at Oldham in 1939, became the47th (Oldham) Royal Tank Regiment.[76][77]
When theGerman Armyinvaded France in May 1940, the 2nd, 5th and 1/9th Manchesters formed part of theBritish Expeditionary Force - the 2nd and 1/9th were Machine Gun battalions.[78] The 2nd Battalion, aRegular Army unit, was the MG Battalion of the2nd Infantry Division, the 5th was serving with 4thEast Lancashire Regiment and 1stHighland Light Infantry in the127th Infantry Brigade,42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division and the 1/9th was withIII Corps GHQ Troops. Despite putting up a stubborn defence, the BEF went into retreat, the Manchesters being engaged along the way. Much of the BEF converged onDunkirk, 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.[79]
In November 1941, the 5th Manchesters, along with the rest of the division (which became42nd Armoured Division), was converted to armour as the111th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Manchester Regiment), serving alongside the107th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (King's Own) and the110th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Border) in the11th 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.[80][81] 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 atBalmoral Castle while theRoyal Family was in residence and then served as a machine-gun battalion with55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division until the end of the war.[82][83]
In November 1941, the 2/9th Manchesters, a 2nd LineTerritorial Army duplicate of the 1/9th and a Machine Gun Battalion, was transferred to theRoyal Artillery and converted into the 88th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. (Sometime after this, the 1/9th Battalion was redesignated as the 9th Battalion.) The 88th Anti-Tank Regiment was part of the49th (West Riding) Infantry Division until July 1943 when it transferred elsewhere and, in January 1944, the regiment was transferred to45th (Holding) Division where it converted to the 88th Training Regiment, Royal Artillery.[84]
The 6th Battalion, created on 31 July 1939 as a duplicate of the 5th Battalion, was serving as part of the199th Infantry Brigade, initially part of the66th Infantry Division, alongside the 7th Manchesters and the 2/8th Battalion of theLancashire 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 the original battalion, which had beenlost at Singapore in February.[85] In October 1943, the new 1st Battalion transferred to the53rd (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 theinitial invasion had begun on 6 June,D-Day. With the rest of the 53rd Division, the battalion saw fierce fighting in theBattle of Normandy and took part in a number of engagements in the area aroundCaen, scene of muchbitter fighting, which wascaptured by British and Canadian forces on 9 July, and later fought in theBattle of Falaise.[86] The battalionadvanced across Northern France, reachingAntwerp in Belgium in early September. The 1st Manchesters, along with the rest of the 53rd (Welsh) Division, moved toTurnhout, before advancing later that month into the Netherlands, where the 1st and 7th Manchesters saw heavy action, with the 7th, now as part of the52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, fighting in theBattle of the Scheldt under command of theFirst Canadian Army. The 1st Manchesters, afterentering German territory in the face of the Wehrmacht's defences,crossed the Rhine with the 53rd Division in late March.[86] The 7th Manchesters with 52nd Division saw its last fighting inBremen, when that city was captured on 26 April. The 1st Battalion ended the war inHamburg when that city surrendered on 3 May.[6]
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 toMalta and was replaced in the brigade by the 1st Highland Light Infantry, a Regular Army unit.[87] In August, the battalion became part of theNorthern Infantry Brigade, later redesignated 2nd Malta Infantry Brigade and, finally,232nd Infantry Brigade. In late July 1943, the 8th Manchesters was transferred to the20th Indian Infantry Brigade, part of the10th Indian Infantry Division, then serving in theMiddle East. Both the 8th and 9th Manchesters took part in theItalian campaign. The 9th Battalion was part of the4th Indian Infantry Division and later, from 15 July 1944 until 31 August 1945, formed the Support Battalion of theBritish 46th Infantry Division. The 9th Manchesters saw much action during theBattles for the Gothic Line in August–September 1944, including theBattle of Montegridolfo. After service in Greece during thecivil war and a return to Italy for the last weeks of the campaign there, it reachedGraz, Austria by the end of the war.[88]
Stationed inSingapore from 1938, the 1st Battalion, Manchesters, as part of the2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade, saw action during theJapanese invasion of the island in February 1942. After a bitter defence,Lieutenant-GeneralArthur Percival signed thesurrender of Singapore on 15 February. About 80,000 British andCommonwealth personnel becamePOWs of theImperial Japanese Army. The 1st Battalion was reformed in theUnited Kingdom by the redesignation of the 6th Battalion.[85]
In 1942, the 2nd Manchesters was sent to thesub-continent with the rest of the British 2nd Infantry Division, being stationed first inBritish India, then Burma in 1944. The battalion was involved in theBattle of Kohima in fierce fighting with the Japanese. It fought in subsequentactions in Burma until April 1945, when it returned to India.[89]
The 1st Manchesters remained in Germany as part of theBritish 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.[90] Soon afterwards, the 1st Battalion was posted to Germany, being first based atWuppertal. On the regiment joining theWest Berlin garrison in 1950, detachments performed guard duty atSpandau Prison.[90] The battalion proceeded, in 1951, toMalaya aboard the troopshipEmpire Hallande. In three years of service during theMalayan Emergency, the Manchesters had 15 menkilled in action.[91]
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 theKing's Regiment (Liverpool) to create theKing's Regiment.[92]
The Museum of the Manchester Regiment, which had previously been based at Ladysmith Barracks, moved toAshton Town Hall in 1987.[93] The museum remains closed while the town hall is being redeveloped.[94]
The regimentalcollect was:[95]
O Lord our God whose name only is excellent and thy praise above heaven and earth we thank thee for the men of the Manchester Regiment who counted not their lives dear unto themselves but laid them down for their friends, beseeching thee to give them a part in those good things which thou has prepared for all whose names are written in the Book of Life. And grant to us that having them always in remembrance we may imitate their faithfulness and with them inherit, the new name which thou has promised to them that overcome; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The battle honours of the regiment were as follows:[85]
Colonels-in-Chief were:[25]
Colonels of the regiment were:[25]
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| Preceded by | Manchester Regiment 1881–1958 | Succeeded by |