Museum Display Information
The Great War 1914-1918
The King’s Own
At the outbreak of war in August 1914 the King’s Own composed of two
Regular, two Territorial and a Special Reserve Battalion. By the end of
the war it had expanded to 17 Battalions, ten of which saw active
service. During the war over 44,000 men served with the Regiment. Of
which nearly 7,000 died. Many more were injured, some of whom died
directly of their wounds.
[Colour postcard ‘God be with you till we meet again]
The 1st Battalion was mobilised on 4th August 1914 in Dover, where it
was then stationed. On the 22nd August the Battalion arrived in France
and spent the rest of the war on the Western Front.
The 2nd Battalion was in India when war broke out. They were recalled to
England and from January to November 1915 they served on the Western
Front, until they were moved to Salonika in Eastern Europe.
Both the 4th and 5th Battalions were mobilised in August, and a large
proportion of the officers and men volunteered for overseas service.
They were initially used on home defence before leaving for the Western
Front, the 5th Battalion in February 1915, and the 4th Battalion in May
1915. It was not until 1916 that the 55th (West Lancashire) Division was
reformed in France and the two battalions once again served alongside
each other.
[“On 2nd September 1914 news flashed to Lancaster that 200 men were
wanted to replace 100 old and unfit men in the battalion. There was a
terrific rush to form up and before nightfall the list was closed. Many
were turned away. In the current fervour of patriotic excitement ‘The
Lancaster Observer’ dubbed these new recruits ‘The Gallant 200’ and the
name stuck.
The photo shows the ‘gallants’ parading on Giant Axe Field, Lancaster.
They were advised to wear caps as being more suited for drill purposes.
I am 17th from left on front row.
The battalion went to France 14th February 1915 was throughout almost
the whole of the 2nd Battle of Ypres and by Whitsuntide 1915 of the 1020
officers and men over 800 had become casualties. Of the 200 shown here
about 35 still existed. These are official figures, not rhetoric.”
Private H Barrow - 5th Battalion KO Pals KO1091/01 KO Neg -]
[In the absence of uniforms men were issued with blue and orange ribbons
KO Exhibit]
[Call up papers of No. 1191 Pte A Bamber. KO1463/10]
[The ‘gallants’ at the Wagon Works, Lancaster with a Vickers machine
gun, 13th August 1914. KO Neg 166]
[The march to war. The ‘gallants’ leave their billets to march to Castle
Station where they entrained from Didcot. 14th August 1914. KO Neg 167]
[The ‘gallants’ went first to Didcot to guard the railway. Here they are
involved in potato peeling. KO Neg -] [The Barrow motor lorry was used
to draw rations from Oxford. KO Neg 169]
[Civilian bikes were bought in Reading for the battalion. Photographed
in June 1915 these were the only four to have survived the 2nd Battle of
Ypres. Private H Barrow is third left. KO Neg -]
The Territorials were also able to raise second and third line
battalions in 1914 and 1915, and on doing so the two original battalions
were re-designated the 1/4th and 1/5th Battalions (TF). Of the second
and third line units, only the 2/5th Battalion went overseas to the
Western Front in the 170th Brigade of 57th Division (TF) on 5th February
1917.
The 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion was mobilised in August 1914 and
during the war processed thousands of trained men for Regular and
Service Battalions overseas, including men returning from convalescence.
The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Battalions were raised from volunteers in
1914. These Battalions served on the Western Front, Eastern Europe, and
Iraq. [Men of the 7th Battalion are seen training with a wooden machine
gun in early 1915. The shortage of guns, ammunition and other equipment
was worse felt on the front line in France. KO Neg 211 or 217 or 218]
[Shortage of army supplies even affected badges and insignia. Private
Williamson is seen with a temporary ‘8 KOR’ lapel badge. KO Neg -]
The 11th Battalion was the last to be raised, in June 1915, this was a
'Bantam Battalion' so called because it accepted men below the official
height requirement and accepted many miners from the central Lancashire
coal field. They served in France and Flanders from June 1916 to 1918.
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