Cap badge Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army from 1881 to 1970. Today, the regiment's lineage is continued by The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the 1st Loyals were part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, attached to the 1st Infantry Division. The 1st Loyals would remain with the 2nd Brigade throughout the war, participating in the fighting in France in 1940, including acting as part of the rearguard for the Dunkirk evacuation. Eventually, the 1st Loyals would see action in Tunisia in 1943, and Italy.

Upon the commencement of hostilities in 1939, the 2nd Loyals found themselves stationed in the Far East as part of Singapore Fortress's Malaya Brigade. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 2nd Loyals fought in Malaya as part of the delaying action during the Battle of Malaya. Eventually, the 2nd Loyals surrendered along with the rest of the Singapore garrison on 15 February 1942. The survivors spent the rest of the war as POWs Japan.

Following the destruction of the 2nd Loyals with its surrender at Singapore, the battalion was reformed in Britain. The 10th Loyals were re-designated as 2nd Loyals on 28 May 1942. Eventually the battalion was deployed as part of 20th Indian Infantry Brigade of the 10th Indian Infantry Division in Italy during the closing phases of the Italian campaign

Territorial battalions

In addition to the two regular battalions, the Loyal Regiment also had three Territorial Army battalions (4th, 5th, and 6th Battalions) at the start of the war. The 5th Battalion was converted at in 1941 into a Reconnaissance Corps unit for the 18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division and re-designated as the 18th Battalion Reconnaissance Corps. The 18th Recce (5th Loyals) was transferred with the rest of the 18th (East Anglian) Division as reinforcements for Singapore. They arrived at Singapore late in the campaign without much of their equipment and were used as regular infantry until the surrender on 15 February 1942. Like the men of the 2nd Loyals captured in Singapore, the men spent the rest of the war as prisoners of the Japanese.

The 6th Loyals were also converted in 1941 from their infantry role. Like the 5th Loyals, they were converted and re-designated as 2nd Reconnaissance Regiment, joining the 2nd Infantry Division on 30 April 1941. With the rest of the division, it was transferred to Indian where it would be engaged against the Japanese Army, notably in India at Kohima and then as part of Slim's offensive to re-capture Burma.

Service Battalions[edit]

The 7th Battalion of The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) was a wartime infantry unit raised at the regimental headquarters, Fulwood Barracks, Preston, on 4 July 1940. The bulk of the regiment's recruits were men from Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire, who had been called up for military service. The regiment was initially based in Caernarvon, North Wales. It was later on anti-invasion duties in Liverpool, the Scarborough coast, Darlington and Redcar. On November 13, 1941, the battalion was converted to the 92nd (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. 92 LAA Regt RA landed in Normandy as part of 3rd British Infantry Division on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and performed notable service during Operation Tonga in defence of Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge. 92 LAA was disbanded in 1946.

The 9th Battalion was converted to armour in 1941, becoming 148th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. They continued to wear their Loyals cap badge on the black beret of the RAC.