5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool)

The 5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) (5th King's) was a volunteer unit of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force (TF) (the Territorial Army (TA) from 1921).

The battalion traced its heritage to the raising in 1859 of rifle volunteer corps which were soon consolidated into the 1st Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC). Under the Childers Reforms, the 1st Lancashire RVC was affiliated with the King's Regiment (Liverpool), and became the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the regiment. The battalion was transferred to the new Territorial Force when the latter was established in 1908 as the 5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool).

During the First World War, those who volunteered for overseas service in 1914 were sent to France as the 1/5th King's. The second-line battalion, the 2/5th King's, were also sent to France and were broken up in 1918. A third-line reserve battalion, the 3/5th King's, was formed in 1915 and later became the 5th (Reserve) Battalion. Both remaining battalions were disbanded in 1919 and the 5th Battalion was reconstituted in 1920. It briefly became the 5th (Rifle) Battalion during the interwar period but dropped the title and was mobilised for the Second World War in 1939. After demobilisation in 1945 it was amalgamated with the 9th King's and reconstituted as the 5th Battalion in 1947. When the TA was reduced in 1967, the 5th King's became a company of the Lancastrian Volunteers.

Origins
The 1st Lancashire RVC was raised beginning on 28 June 1859. It included three companies, and began forming in 1859. The 38th Lancashire RVC was formed in the Fairfield area on 20 January 1860 and was known as the 1st Sub-division until March. The 45th Lancashire RVC was formed in Liverpool on 27 February 1860. The 1st, 22nd, 38th, 45th, 66th, and 69th Lancashire RVCs were grouped together under the 1st Administrative Battalion of the Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, formed in Liverpool in May 1860. These units were consolidated on 27 December 1861 to form the eight-company 1st Lancashire RVC, together with the 14th Lancashire RVC at Edge Hill. The 74th Lancashire RVC of Liverpool was also absorbed in 1862. A cadet corps of the RVC was formed in April 1865, but disbanded in 1884. The RVC became a volunteer battalion of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) under the Childers Reforms on 1 July 1881 with ten companies, and was redesignated as the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the regiment on 1 March 1888. Two more companies were sanctioned in 1883, followed by a thirteenth in 1900. When the Territorial Force was established, the battalion became part of it and was reorganised as the 5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool) on 1 April 1908, assigned to the Liverpool Brigade of the West Lancashire Division. It was headquartered at 65 St. Anne Street in Liverpool, which served as the drill hall for the eight-company battalion.

1/5th King's
The 5th Battalion was mobilised on 4 August 1914 with the outbreak of the First World War, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J. M. McMaster. It was renumbered as the 1/5th Battalion in March 1915 to distinguish it from the second-line battalion. The battalion entered Ath on 11 November, when the Armistice took effect. It was demobilised on 13 June 1919.

2/5th King's
The 2/5th Battalion was formed in 1914. It was broken up between the 2/6th (Rifle), 2/7th, 11th (Service) (Pioneers), and 12th (Service) Battalions of the King's on 1 February 1918.

3/5th King's
The 3/5th Battalion was formed in May 1918 at Liverpool. It was redesignated the 5th (Reserve) Battalion on 8 April 1916. It absorbed the 6th (Reserve) (Rifle) Battalion on 1 September of that year. The battalion was disbanded on 12 June 1919 in the United Kingdom.

Interwar period and Second World War
The 5th King's were reconstituted on 7 February 1920 as part of the TA. They were planned to have been amalgamated with the 6th King's by 1922 but the order was rescinded. The battalion was briefly redesignated the 5th (Rifle) Battalion but the subtitle was removed on 10 August 1937. For the Second World War, the 5th King's were mobilized on 1 September 1939. The battalion served with the 165th Infantry Brigade of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division from 3 September 1939 to 16 April 1943, remaining in the United Kingdom. Between 18 July and 1 November 1943, it was part of the 163rd Infantry Brigade of the 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division in the United Kingdom. For the Sword Beach landings, the battalion was assigned to No. 5 Beach Group as its infantry. The 5th King's would continued to serve as army and corps troops within the 21st Army Group for the rest of the war. After the end of the war, upon demobilization, the battalion was placed in a state of suspended animation.

Postwar
The 5th and 9th King's were amalgamated on 1 January 1947 to reconstitute the 5th King's. Its successor in the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve from 1967 was B (King's) Company, Lancastrian Volunteers.

Honorary Colonels
The Earl of Derby served as honorary colonel of the battalion during its existence.