The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms.
The reorganisation was effected by General Order 41/1881, issued on 1 May 1881, amended by G.O. 70/1881 dated 1 July, which created a network of multi-battalion regiments. In England, Wales and Scotland, each regiment was to have two regular or "line" battalions and two militia battalions. In Ireland, there were to be two line and three militia battalions. This was done by renaming the numbered regiments of foot and county militia regiments. In addition, the various corps of county rifle volunteers were to be designated as volunteer battalions. Each of these regiments was associated by headquarters location and territorial name to its local "Regimental District". The reforms became effective on 1 July.
From 1881, regimental seniority numbers were officially abolished and battalions came to be known by their number within the regiment and the regimental district name. Unofficially, the regiments were still referred to by their numbers by their officers and men, as tradition, and several regiments, such as "The Buffs" (the Royal East Kent Regiment), the Cameron Highlanders, and "the Black Watch", lobbied to keep their distinct names as part of their battalion titles.
In practice, it was not always possible to apply the scheme strictly: the Cameron Highlanders initially had only one regular battalion, while several regiments had more or fewer militia regiments than specified by the initial scheme. In addition, the King's Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) had no local regimental districts, and their affiliated militia and volunteer battalions were selected not on a territorial basis, but due to their "rifle" traditions. This structure lasted until 1948, when every regiment of line infantry had its regular battalions decreased to one, with only the three original Guards Division regiments retaining two regular battalions.
Also in 1881, short service was increased to seven years with the colours, and five with the reserve, of the twelve-year enlistment period that the Cardwell Reforms had introduced. See Lord Childers: 'In the second place, we propose that the terms of enlistment should remain 12 years, as now, but that the period with the colours should be seven instead of six years...'. He also introduced the ability for time-served soldiers to extend service in the reserve by four years, albeit classed as the second division, or Section D, of the First Class Army Reserve. See Lord Childers: 'The Bill is a very simple one, and it has been in print for some time. [Regulation of the Forces Act.] It contains certainly two important clauses – one to enable the Chelsea Commissioners to grant certain pensions... and the other to enable the Crown to increase the Reserve by allowing men, after their 12 years' engagement, to volunteer for four years more into a second Reserve. See Lord Childers: 'The only clause of importance was the 5th, which related to the Reserves, and which enabled a second Reserve to be formed for four years of men who had completed their 12 years' engagement. The remainder of the Bill would not require much discussion.'.
Standardisation of uniforms and colours
For reasons of economy and efficiency, an attempt was made to have the facings of uniforms standardised. (Facings are the lining of uniform jackets, made from material of the regimental colours; turning back the material at the cuffs, lapels and tails exposed the lining, or "facing".): 'Royal' regiments would have dark blue facings English and Welsh regiments would have white facings Irish regiments would wear green facings (in effect only the Connaught Rangers, as all other Irish regiments were 'Royal') Scottish regiments would have yellow facings.
Officers' uniforms had lace in distinctive national patterns: rose pattern for England and Wales thistle for Scotland shamrock for Ireland.
In the case of regular battalions, the lace was gold, while that of the militia battalions was silver. There were also attempts to assimilate regimental insignia and remove "tribal" uniform distinctions. This was less successful, as regimental tribalism and tradition caused much criticism. Two regiments that displayed a strong reaction were the 75th and the 92nd that were grudgingly joined together to become the Gordon Highlanders. The 75th went so far as to commission a marble monument to themselves in Malta where they were based at the time. They had spent so long away from Scotland that they were effectively an English unit that had to relearn how to wear kilts. The 92nd, though they lost much less identity in the amalgamation, staged a mock funeral procession to themselves, complete with a full-size coffin with the number '92' on it.
During 1890, The Buffs succeeded in being allowed to resume the wearing of buff facings, initially at regimental expense and design. Within a few years, a number of other regiments had replaced white facings with traditional colours. After 1935, the ruling on blue facings for royal regiments effectively lapsed. That year, in celebration of his silver jubilee, King George V designated three regiments as royal. In each case, they were "permitted to retain their present facings". During 1939, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who had worn blue facings since 1881, were issued buff regimental colours "by request and gracious permission". In 1946, three more infantry regiments were designated as "royal" for services during World War II. Of these, only the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment replaced its (white) facings with blue.
Regiments created Original title Changes Regular battalions Militia battalions Volunteer battalions Regimental district Facings The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)1921: The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)Army Order 509/1920, in effect 1 January 19211st, or The Royal Scots Regiment (2 battalions)The Edinburgh (or Queen's) Regiment of Light Infantry MilitiaCity of Edinburgh Rifle Volunteer Brigade (3 battalions)2nd Edinburgh Rifle Volunteer Corps 2nd Midlothian (Midlothian and Peebles-shire) Rifle Volunteer Corps 1st Berwickshire RVC 1st Haddington RVC 1st Linlithgowshire RVCBerwickshire, City of Edinburgh, County of Edinburgh, Haddingtonshire, LinlithgowshireBlueThe Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)1921: The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)2nd (Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)2nd Royal Surrey Militia2nd Surrey RVC 4th Surrey RVC 6th Surrey RVC 8th Surrey RVCPart of Surrey (including Bermondsey, Croydon, Guildford and Southwark)BlueThe Buffs (East Kent Regiment)1935: The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)Army Order 110/19353rd (East Kent, The Buffs) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)East Kent MilitiaA new 4th Battalion was also formed2nd Kent (East Kent) RVC 5th Kent (Weald of Kent) RVCPart of Kent (including Ashford, Canterbury, Dover and Ramsgate)White, changed to buff in 1890The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)1921: The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)4th (King's Own Royal) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)1st Royal Lancashire Militia (Duke of Lancaster's Own) (2 battalions)10th Lancashire RVCPart of Lancashire (including Barrow-in-Furness, Lancaster, Morecambe and Ulverston)BlueThe Northumberland Fusiliers1935: The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers5th (Northumberland) (Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)The Northumberland Light Infantry Militia1st Northumberland (Northumberland and Berwick-on-Tweed) RVC 2nd Northumberland RVC 1st Newcastle upon Tyne RVCNorthumberland (including Berwick-upon-Tweed)White, changed to gosling green in 1899The Royal Warwickshire Regiment1963: The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers6th (Royal 1st Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)1st Warwickshire Militia 2nd Warwickshire Militia1st Warwickshire (Birmingham) RVC 2nd Warwickshire RVCWarwickshireBlueThe Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) 7th (Royal Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)Royal London Militia 3rd or Royal Westminster Middlesex (Light Infantry) Militia 4th or Royal South Middlesex MilitiaOriginally the 5th Middlesex RVC, 9th Middlesex RVC and 22nd Middlesex RVC; reallocated to King's Royal Rifle Corps 1882/3 Replaced by: 10th Middlesex RVC, 11th Middlesex RVC and 23rd Middlesex RVC;1st Tower Hamlets Rifle Volunteer Brigade added 1904City of London, part of Middlesex (the Tower division, Bloomsbury and Westminster)BlueThe Liverpool Regiment1881: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 1921:The King's Regiment (Liverpool)8th (the King's) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (Duke of Lancaster's Own Rifles)1st Lancashire RVC Liverpool Rifle Brigade (5th Lancashire RVC) 13th Lancashire RVC 15th Lancashire RVC 18th Lancashire (Liverpool Irish) RVC 19th Lancashire (Liverpool Press Guard) RVC 1st Isle of Man RVCPart of Lancashire (including Bootle, Liverpool and Southport) and the Isle of ManBlueThe Norfolk Regiment1935: The Royal Norfolk Regiment9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)1st or West Norfolk Militia 2nd or East Norfolk Militia1st Norfolk (City of Norwich) RVC 2nd Norfolk RVC 3rd Norfolk RVC 4th Norfolk RVCNorfolkWhite, changed to yellow in 1905The Lincolnshire Regiment1946:The Royal Lincolnshire RegimentArmy Order 167/194610th (North Lincoln) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)Royal North Lincolnshire Militia Royal South Lincolnshire Militia1st Lincolnshire RVC 2nd Lincolnshire RVCLincolnshireWhite, changed to royal blue in 1946 and to blue in 1949Army Order 136/1949The Devonshire Regiment 11th (North Devon) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)1st or East Devon Militia 2nd or South Devon Militia1st Devonshire (Exeter and South Devon) RVC 2nd Devonshire (Prince of Wales's) RVC 3rd Devonshire RVC 4th Devonshire RVC 5th Devonshire RVCDevonWhite, changed to Lincoln green in 1905The Suffolk Regiment 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)West Suffolk Militia Cambridgeshire Militia1st Suffolk RVC 6th Suffolk (West Suffolk) RVC 1st Cambridgeshire (Cambridge, Essex and Huntingdonshire) RVC 2nd Cambridgeshire (Cambridge University) RVCCambridgeshire and Suffolk, also Huntingdonshire until 1900White, changed to yellow in 1899Prince Albert's Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment)1882: The Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry) 1912: Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry) 1921: The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's)13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)1st Somersetshire Light Infantry Militia 2nd Somersetshire Light Infantry Militia1st Somersetshire RVC 2nd Somersetshire RVC 3rd Somersetshire RVCSomersetBlueThe Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment)1921: The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own)14th (Buckinghamshire) (Prince of Wales's Own) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)2nd West York Light Infantry Militia 4th West York Militia1st Yorkshire, West Riding RVC 3rd Yorkshire, West Riding RVC 7th Yorkshire, West Riding RVCPart of the West Riding of Yorkshire (including Bradford, Harrogate, Leeds and Ripon) and the county and city of YorkWhite, changed to buff in 1900The East Yorkshire Regiment1935: The East Yorkshire Regiment (The Duke of York's Own)15th (York, East Riding) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)East York Militia1st Yorkshire, East Riding, RVC 2nd Yorkshire, East Riding, RVCEast Riding of YorkshireWhiteThe Bedfordshire Regiment1919: The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire RegimentArmy Order 269/191916th (Bedfordshire) Regiment of Foot (2 battalions)Bedfordshire Light Infantry Militia Hertfordshire Militia1st Hertfordshire RVC 2nd Hertfordshire RVC