The Regiment
THE DUKE OF LANCASTER’S REGIMENT
(King’s, Lancashire and Border)
We are the Infantry Regiment of the North West of England, a family Regiment, a Regiment proud of our county birthrights.
We are Kingsmen, soldiers of the Duke of Lancaster, our Colonel-in-Chief, our Sovereign.
We are the Lions of England.
A KINGSMAN
We are proud that our private soldiers are entitled to use the official rank of Kingsman. It is his spirit that epitomises the Regiment:
A Kingsman, regardless of rank, demonstrates professional excellence and fighting spirit through courage, loyalty, initiative and resourcefulness. It is a point of pride to say:
“I am a Kingsman”.
Ethos
The Duke of Lancaster’s ethos is to seize the initiative. Kingsmen are expected to think for themselves and to rise to any challenge, fearing no difficulties and shaping events. He is the courageous, adaptable fighting man who questions the orthodox, is comfortable in chaos and delivers success.
Motto
NEC ASPERA TERRENT
DIFFICULTIES BE DAMNED
Our Motto is our watchword.
THE REGIMENT
We date from 1680. Today’s regiment was formed on the 1st July 2006 from the merger of three historic regiments of the North West: The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment, The King’s Regiment and The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment.
The Duke of Lancaster’s predecessor regiments have won 59 Victoria Crosses and 2 George Crosses. 13 of our 303 battle honours are unique, and we are the only regiment of any army at any time in history to carry battle honours from every inhabited continent on our Colours. More details about our Regimental History can be found here.
REGIMENTAL ORGANISATION
The serving element of the Regiment consists of a Regimental Headquarters (RHQ), one Regular and a Reserve Battalion. In addition, the Regiment is an extended Family Regiment with a strong and supportive home base, notably our affiliated cadet units and the 28 cities and towns across the North West that have granted it their Freedom. We also have historic links with the Royal Navy and long-standing military alliances and affiliations with regiments across the commonwealth and in other nations.
A short Aide Memoire detailing key aspects of the Regiment and our history can be found here.
The Colonel in Chief
Her Majesty The Queen was Colonel in Chief and supreme in all matters relating to the Regiment. Beneath Her is the Colonel of the Regiment, known as ‘The Colonel’. He is the Head of the Regimental Family and President of the Regimental Association. He is responsible for safeguarding the long-term health and success of the Regiment.
The Colonel of the Regiment
Colonels do not form part of the operational Chain of Command (CoC) from the Defence Council. Rather, they are honorific appointments with directed roles and responsibilities fulfilled under the authority of CGS as Head of the Army. Their institutional governance function within CGS’ direction is to ‘sense and warn’ and support the operational aspect of the Regiment.
The Colonel’s main responsibilities are:
- Cultivating the soul and ethos of the Regimental family.
- Maintaining esprit de corps.
- Promoting Regimental interests.
The Colonel is assisted in his duties, mainly representational, by the Deputy Colonel.
Deputy Colonel
The Deputy Colonel will assist the Colonel with his duties as necessary. Other senior serving Regular officers of the Regiment may be appointed by the Colonel to carry out specific duties on his behalf.
The Honorary Colonel 4th Battalion
The Honorary Colonel has no executive powers, but has ‘the right to be consulted, to encourage, and to warn’. He will foster esprit-de-corps and promote the interests of the Reserve Battalion. He is a member of the Regimental Board and Trustees.
Regimental Board/Council/RHQ
The Colonel of the Regiment is Chairman of the Regimental Board, which consists of the trustees of the Regimental Charity (trustees are: ex -officio the Colonel of the Regiment, Honorary Colonel, and the Commanding Officers of the Regiment’s three battalions and up to 8 co-opted members) and others as invited.
The Board’s role is to provide advice and support to the Colonel. The Board meet twice annually in Spring and Autumn. This will normally be a combined meeting, but where specific charity matters are being discussed, decisions are reserved for the trustees alone as the Regimental Council. The Regimental Secretary will be secretary of all meetings.
A subordinate Executive Committee focuses on nearer term military issues, particularly, recruiting, retention and structure. It will normally meet before the Board. The Regimental Secretary is secretary for all meetings.
Regimental Headquarters manages day to day regimental business. It is headed by the Regimental Secretary who is in effect the Regiment’s Chief of Staff and Chief Executive of its charity.
THE REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION
The Regimental Association is commonly referred to as ‘The Association’. It embraces all members of the Regiment, serving and veteran, with the aim of promoting regimental efficiency and offering support when needed. The Colonel is President of the Association. You can find more information about the Regimental Association here.
THE REGIMENTAL CHARITY
The Regiment has its own charity which provides funds to support the work of the Association. You can find out more about the Charity here.
REGIMENTAL HANDBOOK
Full details of the Regiment’s organisation, traditions, procedures and dress etc are found in The Duke of Lancaster’s Regimental Handbook.