The 4th Administrative Battalion, based at Stockport, comprised the following units:[3][4][5][clarification needed][6] On 5 November 1860 Capt F.D.P.

He was succeeded on 5 May 1866 by Lt-Col William John Legh, MP, and he in turn by Samuel W. Wilkinson (of the 19th RVC) on 25 January 1873.

[3][4][5][clarification needed][6] When the RVCs were consolidated in 1880, the 4th Admin Bn initially became the 13th Cheshire and Derbyshire RVC, then the 4th Cheshire RVC, with the following organisation:[4][5][clarification needed][6] In 1862 the 4th Administrative Battalion built an impressive drill hall in Stockport, now known as the Stockport Armoury.

[5][clarification needed][11][12] A detachment of volunteers from the battalion served in the Second Boer War, winning the unit its first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–1902.

Its 1st Line left the Welsh Division at Northampton and joined the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France on 10 November 1914 to act as GHQ Troops, doing various duties in the rear areas.

All the Regular divisions on the Western Front were desperately weak following earlier fighting and required any help they could get simply to hold the line during the winter months.

[20][21][23][24][25][26] On 1 March 1915 the battalion returned to its role as GHQ Troops, and for the rest of the year carried out guard and other duties at Rouen, Abbeville, and Dieppe.

[28][29] 39th Division moved to the Somme sector in late August, and on 3 September it attacked along the River Ancre at Beaumont-Hamel, but again most of 118th Bde was not directly involved.

For the next three weeks the division held a long section of the front line, carrying out active Trench warfare without attacking.

[25][28][30][31] On 14 October, as part of the Battle of the Ancre Heights, the 39th Division made its own set-piece attack to complete the Capture of Schwaben Redoubt.

The attack went in at 14.45, with two battalions of 118th Bde advancing over open ground towards the redoubt while 1/6th Cheshires extended the line on the left.

118th Brigade formed up in the dark and morning fog, clear of the Schwaben Reboubt behind jumping-off tapes laid by the Royal Engineers.

But once the advance began the battalions found it difficult to keep up with the Creeping barrage through the litter of shattered trenches and lost direction in the fog.

1/6th Cheshires worked their way down Mill Trench to St Pierre Divion, which the battalion then put into a state of defence against the inevitable German counter-attacks.

With assistance from the Royal Engineers and divisional pioneers the battalion established strongpoints in the river valley, with outposts at the mill and at Beaucourt Station.

[25][35][36] In mid-November 1916 39th Division was relieved and marched north to the Ypres Salient, where after rest it took its turns in the front line, with its continuous trench warfare and raiding.

[37] The first phase of the offensive (the Battle of Pilckem Ridge) was launched at 03.50 on 31 July, with 118th Bde acting as divisional reserve.

Immediately after crossing the Zonnebeke–Langemarck road 1/6th Cheshires came under heavy machine gun fire from their right rear, where a neighbouring brigade had been delayed.

However, a major German counter-attack soon came in and the rest of 118th Bde could not hold their positions, leaving the left of 1/6th Cheshires exposed.

At 22.00 that night 118th Bde was ordered back through the rest of the division to regroup in the original British starting line; its battalions had lost roughly 70 per cent of their attacking strength.

This time the division had sidestepped northwards to make an attempt on the troublesome Tower Hamlets Ridge, but 118th Bde got stuck in the Bassevillebeek valley, where men had to pull each other out of the deep mud.

The brigade lost its creeping barrage and was stopped short of its objective by machine guns and counter-attacks.

The division had fought through most of the Spring Offensive so far, and had been sent to hold the previously quiet Chemin des Dames ridge for a rest.

The ground between the spurs was swept by German artillery fire and 21st Bde was halted, which stopped the whole divisional advance.

Next day 30th Division was ordered to clear the enemy from the west bank of the River Scheldt, and 21st Bde reached the top of the St Genois Spur by 11.00.

Next day the Allied cavalry passed through its lines in pursuit and hostilities ended when the Armistice with Germany came into force at 11.00.

The division was concentrating at Northampton, but lack of equipment made organisation and training of the 2nd Line units a slow process.

It was now obvious that 68th (2nd W) Division was never going to be ready for overseas service, and the 2nd Line TF infantry battalions began to be replaced by training units.

[4][5][clarification needed] A new 6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, was formed as a duplicate of the 7th Bn just before the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

[59] The battalion's colours were laid up for safekeeping in St George's Church, Stockport, during World War I; they were then taken to France and carried in the Allied Peace Procession on 14 July 1919.