Museum of the Manchester Regiment
History
Battle Honours of The Manchester Regiment
Prior to 1914
The Sphinx, super scribed "Egypt".
Guadeloupe 1759, Egmont op Zee, Peninsula, Martinique 1809
Guadeloupe 1810, New Zealand, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol
Afghanistan 1879-80, Egypt 1882
Defence of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902
WWI - 42 Battalions
1st Battalion
La Bassee 1914, Armentieres 1914, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Ypres 1915 St Julien, Aubers, Bazentin, Megiddo, Sharon, Tigris 1916, Kut, Baghdad.
2nd Battalion
Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914 La Bassee 1914 Armentieres, Ypres 1915, Gravenstafel, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Somme 1916 Albert 1916, Sambre, Ancre 1918, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, St Quentin Canal
5th Battalion
Helles, Krithia, Rumani, Albert, Ypres 1917, Somme 1918, Bapaume, Arras, Ancre, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Cambrai 1918, Selle, Sambre.
2nd/5th Battalion
Ypres 1917, Poelcapelle, St Quentin, Somme 1918
6th Battalion
Helles, Krithia, Rumani, Ypres 1917, Arras 1918, Somme 1918, Albert 1918 Bapaume1918, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Cambrai, Selle
2nd/6th Battalion
Ypres 1917, Poelcapelle, St Quentin, Rosieres
7th Battalion
Helles, Krithia, Rumani,Ypres 1917, Arras 1918, Somme 1918, Albert 1918 Bapame 1918, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord
2nd/7th Battalion
Ypres 1917, Poelcapelle, St Quentin, Rosieres
8th Battalion
Helles, Krithia, Rumani, Ypres 1918, Somme 1918, Bapaume, Arras 1918
Ancre 1918, Albert 1918, Bapaume 1918, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord
Cambrai 1918, Selle, Sambre
2nd/8th Battalion
Ypres 1917, Poelcapelle
9th Battalion
Krithia, Rumani, Ypres 1917
2nd/9th Battalion
Ypres 1917, Poelcapelle, Somme 1918, Rosieres, Hindenburg Line, Cambrai
10th Battalion
Helles, Krithia, Rumani, Somme 1918, Bapaume, Albert 1918, Canal du Nord, Selle
2nd/10th Battalion
Ypres 1917, Poelcapelle
11th Battalion
Suvla, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Somme 1916, Flers Courcelette, Thiepval Ancre Heights, Messines 1917, Ypres 1917, Langemarck 1917, Broodseinde Hindenburg Line, Cambrai
12th Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Delville Wood, Arras 1917, Ypres 1917, Passchendale Somme 1918, St Quentin, Bapaume, Amiens, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line Epechy, Selle, Sambre
13th Battalion
Doiran 1917
16th Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Transloy, Arras 1917, Ypres 1917, Pilckem, Somme 1918 St Quentin, Lys, Kemmel, Ypres 1918, Courtrai
17th Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Transloy, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Ypres 1917, Pilckem Somme 1918, St Quentin, Lys, Kemmel
18th Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Transloy, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Ypres 1917, Pilckem, Passchendale
19th Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Arras 1917, Scarpe 1917, Ypres 1917
20th Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Bazentin, Guillemont, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Polygon Wood Broodseinde, Passchendale, Beaurevoir, Selle
21st Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917 Broodseinde Passchendale, Beaurevoir, Cambrai 1918, Selle, Sambre, Piave
22nd Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Guillemont,
Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Piave, Vittorio Veneto
23rd Battalion
Somme 1916, Ypres 1917
24th Battalion
Somme 1916, Albert, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Guillemont, Bullecourt
Ypres 1917, Polygon Wood, Menin Road, Piave, Vittorio Veneto
WWII - 7 Battalions
During World War II the Regiment was granted 50 Battle Honours to add to its existing 88 honours.
Of particular interest is the fact that the Regiment was not awarded the battle honour ‘ Dunkirk ' although the 2nd, 5th and 9th Battalions all laid claim to this. However the honour was only awarded to those who actually fought as formed units at Dunkirk. This ruled out the Regiment's claim although all the Manchester units had fought hard in this rearguard action to make the Dunkirk evacuation possible.
Similarly with the award ‘Lower Maas '. In this action every company of the 1st Battalion was engaged continuously with 53rd (Welsh) Division in the battle for s'Hertogenbosch. However the capture of the town was not designated by the Battle Nomenclature Committee as a special engagement. Therefore ‘ Lower Maas ' was the honour that embraced this particular battle.
None are shown against the 5th Battalion which, although it fought in France with the BEF in 1940, spent the remainder of the war on defence duties within the UK. Neither are any shown against the short-lived 2/9th Battalion.
1st Battalion
Singapore Island, Malaya 1941- 42
New 1st Battalion
Caen, Esquay, Falaise, Nederrijn, Lower Maas, Venlo Pocket, Ourthe, Rhineland Reichswald, Coch, Weeze, Rhine, Ibbenburen, Aller, North-West Europe 1944-45
2nd Battalion
Dyle, Withdrawal to Escaut, St Omer - La Bassee, North - West Europe 1940
North Arakan Kohima, Pinwe, Schwebo, Myinmu Brigehead
Irrawaddy, Burma 1944-45
7th Battalion
Scheldt, Walcheren Causeway, Flushing, Roer, Weeze, Rhine, Ibbenburen Dreirwalde Bremen, Northwest Europe 1944-45
8th Battalion
Malta 1940 and Italy 1944
9th Battalion
Defence of Arras, Ypres - Commines Canal, Gothic Line, Monte Gridolfo Coriano, San Clemente, Cemmano Ridge, Montilgallo, Capture of Forli
Lamone Crossing, Defence of Lamone Bridgehead, Rimini Line, Montescudo Desena, Italy 1944