The universal obligation to military service in the Shire levy was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two acts of 1557 (4 & 5 Ph.

It was an important element in the country's defence at the time of the Armada in the 1580s, and control of the militia was one of the areas of dispute between King Charles I and Parliament that led to the English Civil War.

It was formally embodied for service on 10 March 1798, increased to 12 companies in June and on 17 August that year it was placed on a permanent footing as the 2nd Royal Lancashire Militia (2nd RLM).

[4][17][19][21] During the summer of 1805, when Napoleon was massing his 'Army of England' at Boulogne for a projected invasion, the regiment was part of an infantry brigade under Maj-Gen Sir Baldwin Leighton, 6th Baronet defending County Durham.

Although most of the militia was disembodied after the Treaty of Fontainebleau in April 1814, the 2nd RLM was still in Ireland when Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to power in France in 1815.

The three regiments of Lancashire Militia, which happened to be stationed together at Dublin, were allowed to recruit back to full strength by ballot and 'by beat of drum'.

Stanley (later 14th Earl of Derby) was commissioned as major on 1 October 1820[4][30]) and the ballot was regularly held, the selected men were rarely mustered for drill.

[30][36] War having broken out with Russia in 1854 and an expeditionary force sent to the Crimea, the Militia were called out for home defence and service in overseas garrisons.

For the two battalions of the 2nd RLM this was Sub-District No 13 (County of Lancaster) in Northern District alongside the 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot, and a number of Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps.

[38][39][40][41][42] Although often referred to as brigades, the sub-districts were purely administrative organisations, but in a continuation of the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875.

[37][43][42][44] After the disasters of Black Week at the start of the Second Boer War in December 1899, most of the Regular Army was sent to South Africa, and many militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and to garrison certain overseas stations.

There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by St John Brodrick as Secretary of State for War.

It joined 9th (Sirhind) Brigade of the 3rd (Lahore) Division at Robecq on 9 March and had a peripheral part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle that began next day.

[51][52][54] This battle, the first serious attack by the BEF since Trench warfare had set in, was the preliminary for a planned offensive against the dominating height of Aubers Ridge.

The leading brigades were badly mauled by artillery fire as they crossed Hill Top ridge, and as they reached the enemy barbed wire the Germans released a gas cloud.

As before, they ran into a hail of artillery fire as they crossed Hill Top ridge, and even with the supports coming up only part of the attacking line reached Canadian Farm and the bottom of the valley.

A lodgement had been made in the Hindenburg Line and the brigade was ordered to force its way southwards along the trench system, mainly with grenades, and meet up with 100th Bde attacking in the Sensée Valley.

98th Brigade went in again a week later to continue the work, again attacking at an unusual time (just after the Germans' lunch) and 4th King's bombed their way down across the Sensée to meet the 19th Bde.

[62][74][75] The BEF's next offensive would be in Flanders, with the main attack at Ypres while forces were gathered on the coast at Nieuport to take advantage of the expected breakthrough.

33rd Division was sent to Nieuport on 31 July, and spent a month there, troubled by aerial bombing at night, shelling with Mustard gas, and regular trench raiding by both sides.

Early on 12 April 98th Bde moved to Dranouter as reserve for 19th (Western) Division, and was then ordered to occupy the 'Green Line' (rear defences) to be ready to counter-attack.

But the situation around Méteren was critical, with the line held only by machine gunners, signallers and cooks, and the brigade was marched across to rejoin the headquarters of 33rd Division.

[81][82] However, on 16 April the Germans launched an attack out of the morning fog, annihilated a company of 4th King's and captured Méteren from the 2nd New Zealand Entrenching Battalion.

Nevertheless, the divisional pioneer battalion (18th Middlesex) and the 11th Field Company Royal Engineers made a spirited counter-attack with the bayonet to support 4th King's, and shored up the line behind the village.

[84][85][86][87] When the division had rested and absorbed reinforcements, it went back into the line in the area of RidgeWood, about 3 miles (4.8 km) SSW of Ypres, where there was almost constant low-intensity fighting associated with the French at nearby Mont Kemmel.

[62][63][91][92] For the Battle of the Canal du Nord on 29 September, 33rd Division was supposed to be occupying Villers-Guislain and ground vacated by the Germans under pressure from the flanks.

98th Brigade advanced in line before dawn, with 4th King's maintaining contact with the neighbouring divisions, but as the troops followed their Creeping barrage they were checked by Germans filtering back into Villers-Guislain.

The Royal Engineers bridged the river and the division crossed in force on 13 October before being relieved to prepare for the next setpiece attack (the Battle of the Selle).

On 6 and 7 November the brigade pushed on again against weak opposition: the guns were across the river by now and their barrages were sufficient to clear rearguards from the villages and woods.

In that year the King drew the lots for individual regiments and the resulting list remained in force with minor amendments until the end of the militia.