Order of Formation III Trivia Quiz

The Royal Irish Regiment was originally formed in April 1684 through the regimentation of a number of independent infantry companies in Ireland by the Earl of Granard. Following service at the Battle of Namur in 1695, in which the regiment took part in the capture of the Terra Nova earthwork, King William III ordered that the regiment be renamed as the Royal Regiment of Foot of Ireland; in 1751, as part of the new system of ranking infantry regiments in an order of precedence, the regiment became the 18th Regiment of Foot. The 18th saw service in North America during both the Seven Years War and the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century, and was in the Crimea in the 1850s, as well as active service in many other theatres throughout the 19th century. Under the 1881 Childers Reforms, the regiment, which was not amalgamated with another as it already consisted of a pair of battalions, was renamed as the Royal Irish Regiment, serving as the country regiment for Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny.

The Royal Irish Regiment saw extensive service during the First World War, raising a total of six additional battalions to add to the two regular ones. Following the end of the war, as part of the settlement establishing the Irish Free State, the Royal Irish Regiment, along with the four other infantry regiments from the south of Ireland, was disbanded on 31 July 1922. The regiment's cap badge features a traditional Irish harp surmounted by a crown, with the regiment's name in a scroll.

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was one of the new regiments formed on 1 July 1881 under the Childers Reforms, which saw all line infantry and rifles regiments in the British Army increased to two battalions through the amalgamation of pairs of single battalion regiments - the new regiment was formed through the amalgamation of the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot, which became the 1st Battalion, and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry, becoming the 2nd Battalion. The new regiment's name came from a combination of the two, as the 90th was also known as the "Scottish Rifles".

The regiment saw service during the Second Boer War, and extensive service in the First World War, eventually fielding a total of 28 battalions on the Western Front and in the Middle East. The regiment was also particularly active during the Second World War, with a total of 13 battalions serving in different theatres, with the 1st Battalion playing a significant role as part of the Chindit campaign in the Far East. In 1948, the 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated as part of reductions of the army; the battalion saw further service in Malaya during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s. As part of the reductions of the army announced in 1967, the Cameronians elected to disband rather than amalgamate with another regiment - the 1st Battalion was eventually disbanded on 14 May 1968, with its recruiting areas of Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway taken on by the King's Own Scottish Borderers, while its Regimental Headquarters finally closed in 1987. The regiment's cap badge features a star (known in heraldry as a 'mullet') and a bugle horn, a traditional symbol of light infantry regiments, between two thistle branches, representing the regiment's Scottish origins.

The York and Lancaster Regiment was one of the new regiments formed on 1 July 1881, when all infantry regiments were expanded to two battalions through amalgamations of pairs of single battalion regiments. The new regiment came about through the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Foot and the 84th (York and Lancaster) Foot. Initially planned to be named as the Hallamshire Regiment, after an area of West Yorkshire that was known as Hallamshire, the proposed name was rejected by the amalgamating regiments as not identifying the new regiment with its county. So, following a vote of all of the regimental officers, it was decided that the new regiment would retain the name of the 84th Foot, becoming one of the few infantry regiments without a county in its name.

The York and Lancaster Regiment saw extensive service throughout the Empire in the period leading up to the First World War, with both battalions serving for long periods in India, and active service in both Sudan and South Africa. An additional 20 battalions were raised by the regiment for service in the First World War, with eight seeing action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The regiment also raised a number of additional battalions during the Second World War, seeing action in all theatres. In 1948, the two regular battalions were merged as part of reductions of the infantry, seeing further service during the Suez Crisis in 1956. Further reductions of the army announced in 1967 saw the York and Lancaster Regiment elect to disband rather than amalgamate with another regiment. The 1st Battalion was finally disbanded on 7 December 1968, with its South Yorkshire recruiting area taken by the Light Infantry, and the Regimental Headquarters eventually closed in 1987. The regiment's cap badge consisted of a tiger, from the 65th Foot, and a Tudor Rose and ducal coronet from the 84th Foot, within a laurel wreath and scroll containing the regiment's name.

The Connaught Rangers was formed on 1 July 1881 as one of the new regiments brought about as part of the Childers Reforms that expanded infantry regiments to a pair of battalions by amalgamating existing regiments. The new regiment was formed through amalgamating the 88th (Connaught Rangers) Foot and the 94th Regiment of Foot, taking the traditional name of the 88th, and serving as the local regiment for counties in the Irish province of Connacht. The Connaught Rangers saw service in both India and South Africa following the regiment's formation, with the 1st Battalion seeing action at Spion Kop and the Relief of Ladysmith during the Second Boer War.

During the First World War, the regiment raised an additional four battalions in addition to the two regular units, which saw extensive service both on the Western Front and in the Middle East. The 2nd Battalion saw such extensive losses during the early stages of the war that it was forced to be disbanded in November 1914, not being raised again until 1919, when one of the special service battalions raised for war service was renamed as the new 2nd Battalion. As part of the settlement establishing the Irish Free State, the Connaught Rangers, along with the four other infantry regiments from the south of Ireland, was disbanded on 31 July 1922. The regiment's cap badge features a traditional Irish harp surmounted by a crown, with the regiment's name in a scroll.

The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) was formed on 1 July 1881 as a result of the Childers Reforms. The regiment came about through the amalgamation of the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadians) Foot, a regiment originally raised in Canada, and the 109th Foot (Bombay Infantry). Although neither had a specific Irish heritage, the new regiment was formed to be the new local regiment for counties in the province of Leinster. During its early years of service, the regiment's battalions served in India and the West Indies, before seeing active service in South Africa during the Second Boer War.

During the First World War, the Prince of Wales's raised five additional battalions to join the two regular ones, and saw action on the Western Front and in both the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Following the end of the war, as part of the settlement establishing the Irish Free State, the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment, along with the four other infantry regiments from the south of Ireland, was disbanded on 31 July 1922. However, in recognition of the regiment's Canadian heritage, the officers of the 1st Battalion gave their regimental silver to the Canadian government in trust "until such time as the Battalion is again raised". The regiment's cap badge features the Prince of Wales's Feathers and motto ("Ich Dein"), the traditional badge of the Prince of Wales, with the words "The Leinster" in a scroll.

The Royal Munster Fusiliers was formed on 1 July 1881 under the Childers Reforms, which saw all of the British Army's infantry regiments expanded to two battalions. The regiment was formed through the amalgamation of the 101st Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) and the 104th Foot (Bengal Fusiliers), both of which were originally part of the East India Company's forces, before transferring to the British Army. Despite the Indian origins of its antecedents, the new regiment was appointed as the local regiment for Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick. Both regular battalions saw service in South Africa during the Second Boer War, before returning to traditional peacetime duties following its conclusion, with one battalion stationed at home and one overseas.

The Royal Muster Fusiliers eventually raised a total of eleven battalions for service in the First World War, primarily on the Western Front and the Gallipoli Peninsula. Following the end of the war, as part of the settlement establishing the Irish Free State, the Royal Munster Fusiliers, along with the four other infantry regiments from the south of Ireland, was disbanded on 31 July 1922. The regiment's cap badge features a fired grenade, which is a traditional badge used by fusilier regiments, upon which is found a Bengal tiger, recognising the regiment's two antecedents both originating in Bengal; the regiment's name was located on a scroll beneath the tiger.

The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was formed on 1 July 1881, one of the regiments formed as part of the Childers Reforms that saw all of the army's line infantry regiments expanded to two battalions. The regiment was formed through the amalgamation of the 103rd Foot (Royal Bombay Fusiliers) and 102nd Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers). Although both regiments were originally formed as part of the East India Company forces, they were assigned to Irish recruiting districts after becoming part of the British Army, serving as the local regiment for Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Carlow. Part of the new regiment's early history saw both battalions seeing active service in South Africa during the Second Boer War, including during the Relief of Ladysmith. The regiment was one of a number of Irish regiments involved, and their actions saw Queen Victoria order that shamrock be presented for wear in the headdress of Irish regiments on St Patrick's Day to commemorate their service in South Africa.

The Royal Dublin Fusiliers raised an additional nine battalions for service during the First World War, primarily serving on the Western Front and in the Middle East. Following the end of the war, as part of the settlement establishing the Irish Free State, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, along with the four other infantry regiments from the south of Ireland, was disbanded on 31 July 1922. The regiment's cap badge features a fired grenade, which is a traditional badge used by fusilier regiments, upon which are found a tiger and an elephant, both of which were awarded as distinctions to the Royal Bombay Fusiliers during its service with the East India Company; the regiment's name was located on a scroll beneath the grenade.

The Guards Machine Gun Regiment traces its origins to August 1915, when the Guards Division was formed, which included three independent machine gun companies; a fourth was added in March 1917. These four companies were regimented into a single battalion that was called the Machine Gun Guards in April 1917. The battalion undertook the same role as similarly formed battalions of the larger Machine Gun Corps, but was officially separate as it was formed exclusively from the five regiments of foot guards. As a result, in May 1918, King George V issued a Royal Warrant ordering that the Machine Gun Guards battalion be re-designated as a new foot guards regiment, named as the Guards Machine Gun Regiment and ranked as the sixth regiment of foot guards.

In June 1918, the regiment was expanded into a multi-battalion unit - the original battalion became the new regiment's 4th Battalion, while the 1st and 2nd Life Guards, and the Royal Horse Guards, all of which were regiments of the Household Cavalry, were converted to machine gun units and became the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions. The regiment saw extensive service on the Western Front during the closing months of the First World War as part of the 1st Army and the Guards Division. Upon the end of the war, the first three battalions returned to their original cavalry roles, while the 4th Battalion was disbanded in February 1919. The regiment was retained with its original four companies during 1919, taking part in the King's Birthday Parade in June alongside the other five foot guards regiments, before the regiment was officially disbanded in February 1920. The regiment's cap badge features a pair of crossed Vickers machine guns behind the Order of the Garter belt, surmounted by the crown, with George V's monogram in the centre, and a scroll with the regiment's name underneath.