Museum of the Manchester Regiment

Present Day

The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment is the infantry regiment of the North-West of England. It consists of two Regular Army Battalions (1 LANCS and 2 LANCS) and one Army Reserve Battalion (4 LANCS).The Regiment was formed on 1st July 2006, by the amalgamation of the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, the King's Regiment which had been formed in 1958 between the Manchester Regiment and the King’s Liverpool Regiment, and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment. Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Lancaster, is our Colonel in Chief.

The 1st Battalion is based, with its families, at Somme Barracks, Catterick. The battalion has just returned from serving on Operations in Afghanistan. 1 LANCS is a Light Role battalion, which operates mainly on foot, with minimal transport. It is equipped with the full range of small arms, mortars, anti-tank weaponry and surveillance equipment

The 2nd Battalion is also a Light Role Infantry Battalion based with its families in Weeton Barracks (near Blackpool) under the command of the 1st Mechanized Brigade. As a Light Role Battalion It specialises in moving on foot, meaning that soldiers and officers need to be fit, robust and determined. The Battalion is trained to conduct offensive and defensive combat operations in all types of terrain, from built-up areas to the jungle.

The 4th Battalion is the Regiment's Army Reserve Battalion and has it's Headquarters based at Kimberley Barracks in Preston. The Battalion is made up of five companies based across the North-West of England. The Battalion has supported both regular army battalions in Afghanistan during their tours in 2013.

The Band of The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, based in Liverpool, encompasses talent from a mixture of ex-regular Army musicians, civilian professional musicians, music teachers and music students from the North West of England. The band performs music at many high-profile military events in the North West.

For more details about the title and the Duchy of Lancaster, visit www.army.mod.uk