The 5th Lancashire RVC was the senior unit included in the Liverpool-based 2nd Administrative Battalion Lancashire Rifle Volunteers when it was formed in May 1860 (dates are of first commissions issued):[3][4][5][6][7] In March 1862 the 2nd Admin Battalion was consolidated as a single unit under the title of its senior subunit, the 5th (Liverpool Rifle Brigade) RVC.

[10] Volunteers served in the Second Boer War, gaining the battalion its first Battle Honour: South Africa 1900–1901.

[11] When the Volunteer Force was subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms in 1908, the 2nd Volunteer Battalion became the 6th Battalion (Rifles) King's Regiment (Liverpool), with its HQ and A to H Companies at Princes Park Barracks, Upper Warwick Street, Liverpool.

However, the West Lancashire Division did not go to war as a single formation: its infantry battalions volunteered for Foreign Service and went to the Western Front separately as reinforcements for the British Expeditionary Force.

[16][17][19] Later the 2/6th King's was brought up to war readiness in the 2nd Liverpool Brigade of 2nd West Lancashire Division and a Third Line battalion (3/6th) was formed as reserve to provide drafts to the 1/6th and 2/6th.

[14][15][17][21][22] Soon after the battalion's arrival, 15th Brigade was temporarily transferred to the Regular 28th Division, but returned to the 5th in time for the fighting around Ypres in April 1915.

[24] Poison gas was used during the preliminary German attack, facilitating the assault against positions held by the 2nd Duke of Wellington's Regiment.

Demobilisation proceeded during January 1919 and the division had dwindled to small numbers by the end of April 1919 as men went home.

[14][19] In July 1916 the 57th Division moved to Aldershot Command for final training, with 2/6th Battalion at Bourley, and then at Inkerman Barracks, Woking, from 27 September 1916.

Demobilisation began in January 1919 and by March the units had been reduced to cadres, the last of which left for England on 25 June.

The men of the 6th (Rifle) Bn joined with those from the 5th King's to form 43rd Provisional Battalion in the defences of East Anglia.

Part of the new role of the former provisional units was physical conditioning to render men fit for drafting overseas, and 25th Kings landed at Calais as a 'Garrison Guard' battalion in May 1918.

[6] The 6th (Rifle) Battalion, King's Regiment reformed in the TF (Territorial Army (TA) from 1921) on 7 February 1920.

[33] In the 1930s the increasing need for anti-aircraft (AA) defence for Britain's cities was met by converting TA infantry battalions to that role.

On 10 December 1936 the 6th (Rifle) Battalion was converted into a searchlight unit of the Royal Engineers (RE) as 38th (The King's Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, RE (TA), with HQ, 351 and 352 AA Companies at The Drill Hall, Mather Ave, Liverpool, and 350 and 353 AA Companies at Princes Park Barracks.

[53][54][55][56][57][58] Intelligence indicated that the Germans could start launching V-1 flying bombs against London at any time from January 1944 onwards, and AA Command began bring S/L units south to thicken up the defences as part of Operation Diver.

These raids were met by intense AA fire and Royal Air Force night-fighters, which scored an impressive number of 'kills' in conjunction with radar-controlled S/Ls.

[58][59] AA Command was now being forced to release manpower for the planned Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord), and all Home Defence searchlight regiments were reduced by one battery.

[34][59][60] The beginning of the V-1 campaign against London came on 13 June, a week after Overlord was launched on D Day, and Operation Diver was put into effect.

After a poor start the guns and fighters began to gain a measure of control over the flying bombs, and by the end of the first phase of the operation, after 21st Army Group had overrun the launch sites in Northern France in September, 1800 night fighter interceptions had been achieved, of which 142 were due to S/L illumination.

[59][61] By January 1945 21st Army Group fighting in North West Europe was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry.

[62] At the same time the German Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the UK could be discounted.