what are all your Regiment Name variations

[Stephen S]

G'day Fellas,

This question has been in my mind for some time searching for English Regiments. My Aussie searches are fine because our units were number based, ie 11th Ligh Horse etc.

But your ones, strewth a bit of a struggle sometimes.

Try this:

Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Yeomanry OR Royal Gloucester Hussars OR 1/1 Gloucestershire Yeomanry OR The Gloucesters and so it goes on.

How many other units had this sort of name varieties ??

Go on lets start a list

Have a good weekend all

regards

Stephen

[Anthony Bagshaw]

The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment- Also known as The Sherwood Foresters

[henryww1]

Regiments of the British Army are simply numbered.

The problem you have identified is that with everything else....changes are sometimes required or forced by events and actions. It also depends on how far you want to go back in time.

Examples of this would be Irish and overseas serving Indian regts, that were included in the numbering scheme in the very distant past and have been disbanded.

The amalgamation of regts to form a new combined ones, for example the 16/5 the queens Royal lancers. The joining of two lancer regts into one... or as in two Essex regts with regional distnction East and West. The numbers have to change.

Then add the spirit of the regt and its traditions. These generated by pride in their achievements and locality create names to be overlaid on the numbers.

I like your idea but it would need to be contained into a spreadsheet and dated as per: new model army / army reforms / war raised regts / disbandments /amalgamations and so on..... We can start one but without defined goals we would not achieve a result of worth.

Let me know if we are going to do this and I will help with info, but we need a gate keeper for the information as we have far too many trails without an end product.

Warm regards

16th Lancer

[bantamforgot]

Hello Stephen,

Although we have recently had another restructure in the Army you could do no better than have a look at David Ascoli's book "A companion to the British Army" out of date as the regimental structure is now a dogs basket.

The book goes back to the inception of the Army & goes into the 60's, well worth a look.

ISBN 0 245 -53960-3 Published 1983 by Harrap Ltd. London

All the best mate.

Colin

[henryww1]

Yes I have this book and it is very good.

16th Lancer

[pmaasz]

Here's the one I'm connected with: The Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars aka Oxford(shire) Hussars aka Oxfordshire Yeomanry. That's for WW1 and thereabouts. Before that in the mid-19th c. it was the Queen's Own Regiment, Oxfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry, and before that the 1st Regiment Oxfordshire Yeomanry Cavalry. Post 1922 the title changed many times when the Regiment became variously part of the Royal Field Artillery, then Anti-Tank (RA) and currently is a Squadron (TA) of Royal Signals. Anyone researching a particular Regiment just has to learn to live with the ever-changing affiliations and titles. One of the best sources for resolving this complex puzzle is http://regiments.org

[PhilB]

Why did the amalgamated Lancers become 16/5 and not 5/16, as the 5th were presumably first formed?

[pbrydon]

It is very annoying, I know I have the explanation in a book somewhere,but I cant find the reference.

From memory it was either because the 16th had a longer history of unbroken service, or because of some past indescretion by the 5th.

I will continue to search for the right explanation

P.B.

[pbrydon]

Found it- in Gaylor

." a sixty year break ( in service ) in the last century made the 5th a junior partner " hence the 16/5th

Lancers

P.B.

[PhilB]

[bantamforgot]

The 5th. Lancers had a "wee bit of trouble" & when reformed were placed second to the 16th. hence the 16th/5th.

Colin

[Tyneside Chinaman]

Hi Stephen

to confuse you a little more

2nd Battalion The Durham Light Infantry started life as The 2nd Bombay European Regiment, and then became the 2nd European Regiment (Bombay Light Infantry), In 1862 became the 106th Bombay Light Infantry and then in 1881 joined with 1st battalion The Durham Light Infantry as the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry or 2/DLI or even 2/Durham LI.

please add this to your list

regards

tyneside Chinaman

[Stephen S]

Fellas,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Good on the British Army for trying to cover some much with their regimental names.

16th Lancer would not know how to be gate keeper, perhaps some of the 'generals' might know.

The info should prove handy especially looking up MIC. I typed in mann name variations to get a big list of names eventually for my unit.

If I had only tried the name I though was THE name I would not have achieved as much .

PMAASZ - this is what I mean with your unit name !!

regards

Stephen

[LANCER]

The 5th. Lancers had a "wee bit of trouble" & when reformed were placed second to the 16th. hence the 16th/5th.

Colin

HI

The 5th Lancers were disbanded in 1799 suspected of being associated with Irish Rebels.

Lancer

[squirrel]

Not WW1 but the prize for the longest name might have been claimed by this unit when they became part of one of the Territorial Battalions of the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968:

"D" London Irish Rifles Company (Volunteers), 4th Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers,

North Irish Milita.

[Stephen S]

Strewth Squirrel,

What would their football team be called !!?

Stephen

[regimentalrogue]

Regiments.org and the lists found here - http://regiments.org/regiments/index.htm#table - provide a very good reference to regimental names and lineages.

[squirrel]

Football team probably "The Emeralds" - they were much relieved when they became

D London Irish Rifles Company The London Regiment, in 1993.

[stevem49]

The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment- Also known as The Sherwood Foresters

Technically

By 1914 - The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)

In 1970 - The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot)

So headstones should have had The Sherwood Foresters but they have Notts & Derby Regiment.

I think many of the first historic titles would be added on to the new amalgamated regiments - hence long names.

The Notts bit started as Houghton's Regiment of Foot (56th Foot) in 1741 - 1748 Warburton's Regiment of Foot (45th Foot) - 1751 - 45th Foot. - 1782 - 45th (1st Nottinghamshire) Foot - 1866 - 45th (Nottinghamshire Regiment) Sherwood Foresters.

Derbyshire bit - easier - 1823 - 95th Foot, - 1825 - 95th or Derbyshire Foot.

1881 May - The two became The Derbyshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters)

1881 July - The Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment)

1902 redesignated - The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)

Of course now - it is a battalion within The Mercian Regiment until yet another politician comes along to play around with it

Clear as Mud!

stevem

[Greg]

Not only a British thing-

Irish Rifles 5th (Union Volunteer) Regiment 1896

New South Wales Irish Regiment (Volunteers) 1903

55th Battalion New South Wales Rifle Regiment 1930

Presumably its honours are now held by one of the current Royal New South Wales Regiment battalions

Bendigo Rifle Regiment 1859

Bendigo Volunteer Rifle Corps 1860

Bendigo Rifles and Castlemaine Rifles linked ot form Mount Alexander Battalion Nicknames Grey Battalion and Bendigo Greys

Mount Alexander Battalion Rifles 1872

4th Battalion Infantry 1883

7th or Mount Alexander Battalion Rifles

Mount Alexander Battalion Militia 1887

7th Infantry Battalion

7th Infantry Battalion, The North West Murray Borderers 1937

Greg

[ExREME]

If you look at this web site you'll find out how (and why) th enames built up and became so complicated.

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/028RGBW.htm

[CockyWeen]

G'day Fellas,

This question has been in my mind for some time searching for English Regiments. My Aussie searches are fine because our units were number based, ie 11th Ligh Horse etc.

But your ones, strewth a bit of a struggle sometimes.

Try this:

Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Yeomanry OR Royal Gloucester Hussars OR 1/1 Gloucestershire Yeomanry OR The Gloucesters and so it goes on.

How many other units had this sort of name varieties ??

Go on lets start a list

Have a good weekend all

regards

Stephen

Numerals at the begining are the battalion of the named regiment,ie 1st,2nd 3rd etc.Regiments are also numbered by seniority ie,my own regiment The Gordon Highlanders was the 92nd line regiment of foot,combined with the 75th reiment of foot. Yeomanry regiments are part time soldiers.The history of these began when {usualy} land owners {aritocracy} formed regiments using the workers of their great estates.I also served with ''G'' London Scottish company.1/51 Highland Volunteers {T.A.V.R.} 1=the battalion number there were 2 bts.51=the old highland divisional number allocated to the highlanders of the reserve forces in the late1960s. May I say your Aussie troops are GREAT.Iserved with them in tha ANZUK brigade Singapore in the 1970s.Good Luck CockyWeen. PS;I thought you were all Bruse or Sheilla down there?

[rghya]

Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Yeomanry OR Royal Gloucester Hussars OR 1/1 Gloucestershire Yeomanry OR The Gloucesters and so it goes on.

'Tis all to do with age and seniority dear boy and yes, when you've been around as long as some of us have, we are entitled to be pompous asses!

Over time, names change. Mostly due to fluctuations in size of unit; the vagaries of Government and the state of National crisis.

When it comes down to it we, the Regiment, have always been Reserve Cav. [Horses or Tanks] and after 200+ years we still are.......

By the way, you will note that we have a habit of fighting alongside Australians, perhaps this is something to do with us both liking horses or the 'Regular' British Cavalry don't like to associate with our Colonial Cousins. All the same we do seem to get on well.

Should you like more info on the RGH, please email, I do have a rather interesting photo taken during the "Palestine Games". { RGH v ALH tug-o-war / mounted}!!