York and Lancaster Regiment

York and Lancaster Regiment
Cap badge of the York and Lancaster Regiment.
Active	1881–1968
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Line infantry
Size	1–2 Regular battalions 2–6 Volunteer and Territorial battalions Up to 12 hostilities-only battalions
Part of	Yorkshire Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Pontefract Barracks, Pontefract
Nickname(s)	The Tigers Cat and Cabbage Young and Lovelies
Motto(s)	Honi soit qui mal y pense
March	Quick: The York and Lancaster, The Jockey of York Slow: Regimental Slow March of the York and Lancaster
Mascot(s)	Cat (unofficial)
Commanders
Colonel of the Regiment	Herbert Plumer

The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot and the 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot. The regiment saw service in many small conflicts and both World War I and World War II until 1968 when the regiment chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment, one of only two infantry regiments in the British Army to do so, with the other being the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles).

The regiment was formed on 1 July 1881 through the amalgamation of two regiments of foot and a militia regiment:

Under the original scheme of amalgamation announced in March 1881 the title of the new regiment was to be The Hallamshire Regiment. This reflected the fact that the regimental district included an area of West Riding of Yorkshire known as Hallamshire. The proposed title was unpopular with the amalgamating units, who sought a more "suitable title... which at the same time would identify the Regiment with the county (Yorkshire), which the word 'Hallamshire' entirely fails to do." Four different titles were proposed, and following a vote of the officers of all four battalions, the title York and Lancaster Regiment was chosen. The regiment inherited the title "York and Lancaster" from the 84th Foot to which had been awarded in 1809. The 84th was one of the few Regiments of Foot lacking a county designation and the title was given in recognition of the fact that the unit had been raised in York in 1793, with a second battalion in Preston, Lancashire in 1808.

The new regiment saw service in both Egypt and Sudan immediately after its formation, and also during the Second Boer War, when it took part in the Relief of Ladysmith.