Regiments and Corps

The Colours of the Welsh Guards being paraded at Horse Guards, 2015

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The regimental system

The regiment or corps is the key administrative component of the British Army. Each has its own long history, traditions and insignia. To its soldiers, the regiment is a military family that provides comradeship and a unique identity.

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96th Regiment of Foot

This infantry unit was raised in 1824. It served with the British Army until the 1881 reforms, when it was merged with the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment to form The Manchester Regiment.

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Other rank’s cap badge, Coldstream Guards, c1910

The Coldstream Guards

Formed in 1650, this is the oldest continuously serving regiment of the regular British Army. As well as guarding the monarch, its soldiers have served as infantry in almost every major campaign fought by the Army.

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Royal Army Chaplains’ Department

Formed in 1796, this corps provides religious and pastoral support to soldiers. Its officers, all ordained priests, have taken part in most British Army deployments.

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Helmet plate, officer, 1st West India Regiment, c1880

The West India Regiments

Raised in the 1790s to defend Britain's Caribbean colonies, the West India Regiments fought as infantry in several campaigns. They remained a part of the British Army until disbandment in 1927.

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Beret badge, The South Lancashire Regiment, c1950

The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers)

This infantry regiment was formed in 1881. It continued in British Army service until 1958, when it was merged into The Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers).

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Shako plate, 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment, c1855

40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot

This infantry unit was formed in 1717. It continued in service until the 1881 British Army reforms, when it became part of The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).

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82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales’s Volunteers)

This infantry unit was raised in 1793. It continued in British Army service until the 1881 reforms, when it became part of The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment).

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Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps

This medical unit provided nursing services to British Army personnel across the world. Although formed in 1902, its origins dated back to Florence Nightingale's pioneering nursing work during the Crimean War. In 2024, it merged with two other corps to form the Royal Army Medical Service.

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