Family History

Enquiries about men who served in:

The King's Regiment,
The King's Liverpool Regiment
The Manchester Regiment

For all enquiries and interest in the King's Regiment, the King's Liverpool Regiment and the Manchester Regiment, the best background reading is the  Regimental History, 'Difficulties be Damned'.  Print an order form here.

Family History research can be greatly helped by visiting a number of web sites of which www.ancestry.co.uk is a reputable and effective example.

Look below if you want to know about the service details of an individual who has served in one of the three Regiments named above.

If you have followed the guidance given below and you already found out as much information as you can, contact the City Office Liverpool of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment for information about any battle or campaign in which your relative was involved.  Regimental Headquarters has no information about individuals, only about the actions of various units.

If you want to know about the Regiment as a whole, visit the Museum of the Manchester Regiment in Tameside.  The King's Regiment Museum in Liverpool is closed for rebuilding.

He served before 1920.
He served after 1920.
He was killed - where is his grave?
I am not sure is he was in your Regiment.
What archives does the Regiment have?
I want to know about medals.
Can a Museum tell me more?

Return to the top of the page

He served before 1920

If he served before 1920, his records have been moved to the National Archives (formerly the Public Records Office) at Kew, London.  However only about one third survived the bombing of the Army Records Centre in the Second World War so you may be disappointed.

The documents that survived the bombing are known as the 'burnt documents'.  Many records are now on line.  Go to http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/stories/150.htm?homepage=news  Officers documents are in WO 76 and soldiers documents are in WO 363.  Many other interesting military records are contained in the WO series of sections.

Access to the records other than on line is by a personal visit only.  The National Archives do not answer postal or e-mail enquiries.  If you cannot get there in person, the  Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives can help you to find reputable professional researchers but these people will charge a fee.  The National Archives are situated at Ruskin Avenue, Richmond, Kew, Surrey TW9 4DU.

To establish in outline the involvement of a particular battalion of the Regiment in the First World War, go to 'The Long, Long Trail' website.  Here you will find a comprehensive breakdown of all the battalions of the Regiment into their Divisions, Corps and Armies. 

The full history of the Regiment in this period is given in the Regimental History.

Return to the top of the page

He served after 1920

If he served after 1920 and before 1996, his records remain with the Army Personnel Centre.  

These are not yet in the public domain.  Records are released to direct relatives only. Give known details especially his army number and the last regiment in which he served. Many records were lost during bombing in the last war. There is a non-refundable search fee.  Write to:

Army Personnel Centre
Historic Disclosures, Mailpoint 400
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
Glasgow
G2 8EX

Fewer battalions of the King's Regiment (Liverpool) and the Manchesters fought in the Second World War than the first.  A number of Territorial Army Battalions had been converted to Royal Artillery, Royal Engineer and Royal Tank Regiment roles.  The full details are given in the Regimental History.

The Army Personnel Centre can also assist in tracing soldiers either still serving or those who have discharged in the last 5 to 6 years (or later if they are still on the Army Reserve List). The Army Personnel Centre cannot undertake to divulge the current location and/or the address of individuals, but will undertake to forward a letter where an individual can be positively identified.

The letter to the individual should be placed in a sealed envelope with the name and a first class postage stamp on the envelope and forwarded to the following address, together with a covering letter giving as many of the following details of the individual to be contacted as possible. Unfortunately no guarantee can be given that the individual being traced will respond.

• Full Name
• Date of birth or approximate age
• Army Regimental Number
• Regiment or Corps
• Dates of service

Return to the top of the page

He was killed - where is his grave?

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for the maintenance of war graves of those who were killed or died in the First and Second World War.  Where there is no known grave, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will maintain a memorial, usually near the battle where the individual fell.

Comprehensive details of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission are given on the Internet site at: http://www.cwgc.org and their records may be searched.  Regimental Headquarters has the same detail for the King's and the Manchester Regiments.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Marlow Road, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 7DX 
Tel: 01628 634221

Graves of those who were killed on other operations in the 20th and 21st Centuries remain the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence if overseas and either the Ministry of Defence or the family if in the United Kingdom.  Contact Regimental Headquarters for details.

Return to the top of the page

I am not sure if he was in your Regiment

Today's King's Regiment was formed on amalgamation in 1958 from the King's Regiment (Liverpool) and the Manchester Regiment.  In the First World War, the King's Regiment (Liverpool) was known as the King's Liverpool Regiment or just the Liverpool Regiment (L'pool R for short).  In 1921 the name was changed to King's Regiment (Liverpool).

The two Regiments were given their modern names in 1881 when the 8th or King's Regiment of Foot became the King's Liverpool Regiment and the 63rd and 96th Regiments of Foot became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Manchester Regiment.

You may be able to identify a cap badge in an old photograph.
 

The white horse of Hanover over a scroll inscribed King's has been the badge of the King's Liverpool Regiment in various forms since 1881

The Fleur de Lys of France has been used in various forms by the Manchester Regiment since 1881.  However all First World War Manchesters photographs will show the cap badge of the day which was:

The City Arms of Manchester.  This was replaced in the 1920s when the Manchester Regiment made the Fleur de Lys their cap badge.
 

The Liverpool Rifles.  The 'Liverpool Rifles' were the 6th Battalion (Territorial Force) of the King's Liverpool Regiment.  They began life as a battalion of the Lancashire Rifle Volunteers in the middle of the 19th Century.  They became the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment in 1881.  They were converted to the anti-aircraft role as Royal Engineers in the 1930s.

The Liverpool Irish. The Liverpool Irish began as a battalion of the Lancashire Rifle Volunteers in the middle of the 19th Century.  In 1881 they became the 5th (Irish) Volunteer Battalion of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment, becoming the 8th (Irish) Battalion (Territorial Force) of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) in 1908. The Battalion was disbanded in Normandy in 1944.  The procedure for Liverpool Irish enquiries should follow the guidelines given throughout this fact sheet.

The Liverpool Scottish.  The Liverpool Scottish began as the 8th (Scottish) Volunteer Battalion of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment). It became the 10th Battalion (Territorial Force), then between 1937 and 1992 was part of the Corps of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders and its successor Highland regiments. In 1992 the remaining company rejoined the Corps of the King’s Regiment while still retaining its affiliation with the modern Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons). The Liverpool Scottish now exists as a sub-unit of the King’s and Cheshire Regiment.  A significant Liverpool Scottish archive is held separately from the main Regimental collection in the Liverpool Scottish Museum collection. Full details are contained on their web site at http://www.liverpoolscottish.org.uk  Enquiries may be addressed to the curator of the Liverpool Scottish Museum care of RHQ KINGS, New Zealand House, Water Street, Liverpool, L2 8TD, Fax No 0151 236 0439 or e-mail ilriley@liverpoolscottish.org.uk

The ‘Liverpool Pals’. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th City Battalions of the Regiment were raised in 1914 and then renumbered as 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Battalions of the King’s (Liverpool Regiment). Details of their history may be found in the book ‘Liverpool Pals’ by Graham Maddocks, published by Leo Cooper, ISBN 0-85052-340-0. This is still in print and copies will be found in public libraries or can be ordered from:

Ray Westlake Military Books,
53 Claremont, Malpas, Newport, Gwent NP9 6PL
Tel: 01633 854135

Otherwise, the procedure for Liverpool Pals enquiries should follow the guidelines given throughout this page.

Return to the top of the page

What archives does the Regiment have?

King's Regiment and King's Liverpool Regiment Archives.  The King's Regiment archives are held in the Maritime Museum Archives Section at the Albert Dock Liverpool.  Details are given on a separate page.

Manchester Regiment Archives.  The Manchester Regiment Archives are held in the Tameside Local Studies and Archives Service Unit in Stalybridge.  Detailed lists of holdings and contact details are held on a separate page.

The City Office Liverpool of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment holds all published histories of the King's Liverpool Regiment.  We hold a number of other books relevant to the operations of the Regiment in the 20th Century, together with all regimental journals since first publication in the 1920s.  We also hold the list of officers and Soldiers who died in the First World War and the Distinguished Conduct Medal citations of those awarded in the First World War.

The City Office Manchester of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment similarly holds books and documents relating to the service of men in the Manchester Regiment in the 20th Century.

We do not hold personal service records.  See details above.

Return to the top of the page

I want to know about medals

The Victoria Cross

23 Victoria Crosses have been awarded to members of the Regiment, the most recent being posthumously to Captain George Henderson VC in Mesopotamia in 1919.  Citations are held in the City Office Liverpool of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.  A small book of photographs of the Regiment's VC winners together with their citations is available for sale at the Regimental shop. 

• Campaign medals.  First World War medal cards are now on line at the National Archives website.  Search here.

• DSO/MC. During the First World War the DSO and MC could be awarded in the half yearly honours lists without citation, and in periodical lists with citation. In some cases the action for which the award was granted was described in what had come to be known as "Deeds Supplements" to the London Gazette. The researcher therefore has three possibilities:

  • An award in a half yearly lists - in which the Gazette entry is the authority for award and as with all half yearly award citations, remains confidential. In practice, however, the citations for awards in the First World War half yearly list have long since been lost or destroyed. 

  • An award which carries its citation in the original announcement (i.e. only one London Gazette entry need be traced).

  • An announcement which constitutes authority for the award followed by a later statement of the action (citation) in a "Deeds Supplement". In this case, two London Gazette entries must be traced.

• DCM. The DCM was awarded in half yearly lists and in periodical lists. Unlike the DSO/MC, DCMs in half yearly lists have citations which were published later in "Deeds Supplements". Thus the researcher has two possibilities as in 5b and 5c above, with half yearly awards falling into the 5c category. All King’s Regiment DCM citations for 1914-18 are held in RHQ.

• MM. A list of all 1914-1918 MMs is held in RHQ.

  • MMs were announced in the London Gazette but citations never accompanied the announcements. MM citations 1914-1918 were not retained in official records and none are available as such at the Army Medal Office or at the National Archives.

  • Many citations for units in the 55th West Lancashire Division only were retained by the General Officer Commanding, Major General Jeudwine, and subsequently went to the Liverpool Central Library.  However they are not accessible by search there.  If your relative served in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 1/5th, 1/6th, 1/7th, 1/8th, 1/9th or 1/10th Battalion The King's Liverpool Regiment, the citation may still exist and a searchable database has been created by a private researcher, Mr Ken Lees.  He is willing to send details if contacted at Lees.Ken@btinternet.com

  • The only hope of tracing details of the action for which any other MM was awarded is to identify the date and consult the appropriate battalion history. However it would be unusual to find an entry.

• Mention in Despatches. Authority for award was the entry in the London Gazette. No citations were published and none had been retained except in the 55th Division papers as detailed for MMs above. The only possibility of tracing is as with an MM as detailed above.  Again Mr Lees is willing to answer questions regarding the 55th Division only.

• Foreign Orders and Decorations. "Permission to accept and wear" was invariably published in the London Gazette; no other details were published and none have been officially retained. The chances of identifying the action for which a Foreign Award was granted are very slim.

• Medal Enquiries. It will be seen from the above that the most likely source of information on Gallantry awards dating from the First World War will be the London Gazette and the National Archives. The former is well indexed and should be particularly helpful. For DCMs, consult the City Office Liverpool of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment..

Medals for Service After 1918. For details of medal entitlement after 1918 contact the Army Medals Office:

Officer in Charge
The Army Medal Office
Building 250
RAF Innsworth
Innsworth
Gloucester
Gloucestershire
GL3 1EZ

Medals not yet Issued.  If there was an entitlement and the medals were not originally issued, it is likely that the Army medal office will issue to the individual who is entitled or if he is deceased, to the next of kin.

Lost Medals.  The Army Medals Office cannot usually replace lost medals.  Instead, Regimental Headquarters has the names and addresses of reputable medal suppliers who can make exact replicas, including ribbons.  Contact the City Office Liverpool of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment for further details.

Second World War Gallantry and Other Awards.  Second World War citations have now largely been handed over to the National Archives. All enquiries should initially be made to them. The National Archives cannot undertake research on behalf of members of the public. Enquirers must either visit the office themselves, bringing with them some documentary proof or identity in order to obtain a reader’s ticket, or employ a professional record agent to do the research on their behalf; names of such agents can be supplied by the National Archives. Enquiries (but not research questions) on 0181 392 5200.

Return to the top of the page

Can a museum tell me more?

Possibly - but you will first be directed in your research along the lines above.  You can contact one of our three museums, the Imperial War Museum or the National Army Museum.

When it reopens in 2009, the Regimental Museum will tell story of the Regiment from 1685 to the present day.

The Museum of the Manchester Regiment tells the story of the Manchester Regiment from 1758 to 1958.

The Liverpool Scottish Museum tells the story of the Liverpool Scottish from 1900 to the present day.

The Imperial War Museum covers warfare in the 20th Century up to the present day.

The National Army Museum tells the story of the British Army.

Return to the top of the page