Second World War: The Preston Rifles, later the 4th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, was a volunteer unit of the British Army from 1859 until the 1950s.

[3][4][5][7][8] The corps became part of the 6th Administrative Battalion of Lancashire RVCs formed in September 1861, the other units being the 44th at Longton, the 59th at Leyland, and the 61st (two companies) at Chorley.

[7][10] In the reorganisation of the Volunteers in 1880, the whole 6th Admin Bn was consolidated on 16 March as the 11th Lancashire RVC with the following dispositions:[3][7] Its uniform was scarlet with white facings.

[2][3][7] The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 introduced a Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war.

[7] During the Second Boer War the battalion formed a service company of volunteers to serve alongside the Regulars, earning the Battle honour South Africa 1900–1902.

[17][18] Annual training for the West Lancashire Division had just begun at Kirkby Lonsdale when war was declared on 4 August 1914, and the units at once returned to their headquarters for mobilisation.

[18][19][20] On 15 August 1914, the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units.

[2][17][22][23][24][25] The 1/4th Bn mobilised at 9 Avenham Lane, Preston, and moved on 22 August to Swindon in Wiltshire, and then in November to Sevenoaks in Kent.

The battalion attempted to dig in, but by midnight, with the Commanding Officer (CO), Lt-Col R. Hindle, wounded and German counter-attacks coming in, it was forced to withdraw, finally getting back to its own lines in the early morning mist of 16 June.

[24][30] In late June and July the battalion held trenches in the Laventie sector, and then in August the 51st (Highland) Division took over part of the line near the Ancre from the French.

[17][18][22][26][28][32][33] During the early summer the division carried out a number of trench rais to divert attention from the Somme sector where a great offensive was being prepared.

On 28 June the division laid on an elaborate daylight raid in which six battalions including 1/4th Loyals took part, with gas and smoke discharged on a two-mile frontage.

Unfortunately, Hop Alley was held more strongly than anticipated, with several machine guns, and an unknown trench (later called Haymarket) caused confusion and delay.

Although the Loyals captured all their objectives, including five batteries of 7.7 cm field guns, the Germans counter-attacked at 14.35 once the protective artillery barrage had ended and before the line could be consolidated.

[44][45] The division now moved south to recuperate in the Somme sector, but on 18 November the 1/4th Loyals were near Guillemont Farm when the enemy opened a hurricane bombardment and attacked.

[46] On 28 November there were indications that the enemy intended to attack newly won ground at Cambrai, and the 1/4th Loyals were brought up from reserve to Vaucellette Farm to be ready to counter-attack and ensure that the Villers Ghislain Spur was held.

Villers Ghislain was retaken, but German pressure all along the line was intense, and eventually the battalion fell back and dug in at Vaucellette Farm.

When the second phase of the German offensive began on 9 April (the Battle of Estaires) the brigade was holding the line from the La Bassée Canal to north of Givenchy, with 1/4th Loyals on the left.

Soon the strongpoints at Moat Farm and Givenchy Church were surrounded, and some Germans even entered battalion HQ, but the situation was quickly restored.

[24][52][53] By the end of September the Allied successes elsewhere in the Hundred Days Offensive meant that the Germans were preparing to retreat from in front of 55th Division.

[58][59] The following day the 1/4th Loyals, after a bombardment, seized a small wood at the western end of the Faubourg St Martin suburb.

The division joined II ANZAC Corps and the battalion was introduced to trench warfare at Sailly-sur-la-Lys by 1st Bn New Zealand Rifle Brigade.

[68] In mid-September 57th Division was withdrawn from the line and underwent a month's training before moving to the Ypres Salient to participate in the Second Battle of Passchendaele.

The battalion attacked at 13.00 on 29 August, and took its first objective, the Hendecourt–Bullecourt road, without an artillery barrage and with its left flank unprotected, and then moved on to Greyhound Trench.

[73][74] This battalion was formed at Preston on 10 May 1915 from a nucleus provided by the 2/4th Bn and assembled on 1 June 1915 at Weeton Camp, near Kirkham, Lancashire.

[2][17][22][76][77] The men of the TF who had not signed up for overseas service were separated from their units in 1915 and formed into Provisional Battalions for coast defence.

[2][18][86] In the 1930s the increasing need for anti-aircraft (AA) defence for Britain's cities was addressed by converting a number of TA infantry battalions into searchlight (S/L) regiments.

[2][7][88][89][90] It consisted of HQ and three S/L batteries (435, 436 and 437) at The Drill Hall, Stanley Street in Preston, and was attached to the Royal Artillery while remaining part of the Loyals.

[111] On 5 July 1943, having completed training, 150th LAA Rgt under the command of Lt-Col S.C. Guillan, TD, joined 103 AA Bde in Cornwall.

[2][89][118][119][122][123] On 30 March 1916, units of 55th (1st West Lancashire) Division were ordered to adopt distinguishing cloth badges just below the collar on the back of the service dress jacket.