Liverpool Scottish Museum Archive

The Wrong Battalion

This is not the Battalion You are looking For...

I feel a bit like obi wan kenobi here. While doing some work on the Kingsman the Journal of The Liverpool King’s Regiment. I found a short Second World War history of the 10th (H.D.) Bn. The King’s Regiment (Liverpool). Now I knew that at this time the Liverpool Scottish were part of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, but initial enquiries kept referring back to the 10th (Scottish) The King’s Regiment (Liverpool), was the H.D. Highland Division? Had the Kingsman honoured its old battalion? The battalion's record however did not match what I knew about the Liverpool Scottish's Second World War History. A bit more digging ( I asked Ian Riley) revealed H.D. Stood for Home Defence and not Highland Division. It appears the King's had simply recycled the 10th for this newly raised battalion. I can see how some non-military family history researcher could be confused, indeed I was my self, by the vaguely similar name.

This page therfore exists for two reasons. Firstly to repeat - the battalion formed in 1940 called 10th (H.D.) Bn. The King’s Regiment (Liverpool) are NOT and were never part of the Liverpool Scottish. That being said the second reason is the short unglamorous history of this battalion is unlikely to be recorded any where else, so below is a transcript of the article from the Kingsman.

10th (H.D.) Bn. The King’s Regiment (Liverpool).

6 Jan. 1940.	Formed from 103 Group Local Defence Force. The Battalion was on a modified Infantry Battalion establishment. Role : Defence of vulnerable points throughout West Lancashire. Commander: The late Lt.-Col. G. Rollo.
May, 1940.	Command of Battalion changed to Lieut. Colonel J. R. Wilson.
Sept., 1940	15th and 70th Battalions formed from 10th Battalion.
Dec., 1940.	Battalion moved to Reading area.
Feb., 1941.	Battalion Headquarters moved to Marlow, Bucks., Area. Role : Defence of aerodromes and aircraft factories.
Sept., 1941.	Battalion moved to Newbury.
Oct., 1941.	Battalion moved to Hungerford.
Nov., 1941.	Battalion moved back to Newbury. The role remained the same.
May, 1942.	The Battalion was selected for special defence duty in the Swanage area and moved to that area.
June, 1942.	Battalion concentrated in Camp at Corfe and assigned new role and redesignated 30th (Counter Attack) Battalion The King’s Regiment. Establishment and Arms as for a normal Infantry Battalion. Whilst at this Camp command of Battalion taken over by Lieut. Colonel W. B. Moorhead.
Aug., 1942.	Moved to Weymouth Area in new role. News received that Battalion had become redundant and selected for disbandment.
Sept., 1942.	Moved to Portland on defence duties.
Dec., 1942.	Moved to Dorchester, Dorset, for disbandment.
Mar., 1943.	Disbandment completed.

To reiterate The 10th (H.D.) Bn. The King’s Regiment (Liverpool) were never part of the Liverpool Scottish. For any further information please contact Karen O'Rourke (curator of The King's Regimental Colletion) Museum of Liverpool

 

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