WWI Infantry Regiment Library

Discover the British Army's First World War infantry regiments through our growing collection of specialist research hubs. Whether you're tracing a family member, interpreting a service number or exploring a regiment's history, each guide brings together battalion information, recruiting areas, service number systems and practical research advice to help you build a clearer picture of a soldier's wartime service.

What is the Library?

The WWI Infantry Regiment Library brings together our growing collection of First World War infantry regiment hubs in one place. Organised by region to reflect the British Army's traditional county recruiting system, the library makes it easy to explore the regiment most relevant to your family history research.

Each regiment hub has been developed as a practical research guide rather than a simple regimental history. Depending on the regiment, you will find explanations of possible enlistment periods, probable theatres of war, casualty data, service number systems, geographical recruiting hotspots, battalion structures, Pals Battalions, Territorial Force and New Army units and service number prefixes. Every hub also include a case study, research tips and guidance on interpreting surviving military records.

Together with the Army Service Explorer Tool, these hubs combine battalion history, service number research and regimental context to help family historians build a richer picture of a soldier's wartime experience. Every regiment page is designed to turn surviving records into meaningful insight, helping bring the story of Britain's First World War soldiers back to life.

Browse by Region

74 infantry regiments organised into nine regional libraries

A Scottish Saltire Flag representing the regiments of Scotland

Scotland's regiments combined Highland and Lowland traditions with some of the British Army's most distinctive military identities. Explore famous infantry regiments, historic recruiting areas, battalion structures and the stories behind Scotland's remarkable First World War service.

A white Yorkshire rose, representing the regiments of north east england

From Northumberland to Yorkshire, the North East's infantry regiments reflected proud county identities and industrial communities. Discover eight historic regiments, their recruiting traditions, battalion structures and First World War service.

A red rose, representing the regiments of north west england

Recruiting across Lancashire, Cheshire and the Border counties, these regiments served communities shaped by industry, ports and manufacturing. Explore nine historic infantry regiments and the local traditions that defined their wartime identities.

A Midlands flag representing those regiments from the area who fought in WWI

Stretching from Lincolnshire to Staffordshire, the Midlands produced infantry regiments drawn from both industrial towns and rural counties. Explore eight historic regiments, their battalions and the communities that supported them throughout the First World War.

A City of London flag representing those regiments from the area who fought in WWI

Unlike any other region, London's infantry included county regiments, rifle regiments and the famous London Regiment. Explore nine historic regiments whose recruiting districts and military traditions made the capital unique within the British Army.

An East Anglia flag representing those regiments from the area who fought in WWI

Covering the Home Counties and East Anglia, these regiments recruited from market towns, coastal communities and growing cities. Explore nine historic infantry regiments and discover how the region contributed to Britain's wartime army.

The flag of Wessex representing those West Country regiments from the area who fought in WWI

From Cornwall to Hampshire, the West Country combined famous county regiments with Britain's proud light infantry tradition. Explore seven historic regiments, their battalions and the military heritage that shaped south-west England.

A Welsh national flag to highlight the regiments from this area who fought in WWI

Recruiting across Wales and the historic Border counties, these regiments combined distinctive traditions with strong local identities. Explore six historic infantry regiments whose service reflected the unique character of this remarkable region.

A Shamrock to highlight the regiments from the Island of Ireland who fought in WWI

Organised around provinces, cities and historic recruiting districts, the infantry regiments of the Island of Ireland formed one of the British Army's most distinctive regional groupings. Explore seven historic regiments and their First World War service.

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40 out of 74 infantry regiments currently available

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Why Browse by Region?

The British Army's infantry regiments were not random collections of soldiers. Before and during the First World War, most regiments recruited from defined counties or groups of neighbouring counties, creating strong local identities that often remained with a soldier throughout his service. Understanding where a regiment recruited is one of the most powerful tools available to family historians, helping to narrow down likely units, explain enlistment patterns and place an ancestor within the community from which he volunteered.

Regional recruiting also influenced how regiments expanded during the war. As Kitchener's Army grew, neighbouring regiments frequently raised new Service Battalions at the same time, while Territorial Force units followed similar administrative practices. Although each regiment maintained its own service number system, common features such as prefixes, duplicate numbers and local recruitment schemes often appear across neighbouring regiments. Studying them together makes these patterns much easier to recognise and interpret.

This library has therefore been organised to reflect the historical structure of the British Army rather than simply providing an alphabetical list. Each regional section brings together regiments that shared recruiting districts, military traditions and, in many cases, similar administrative practices. By exploring regiments within their wider regional context, it becomes much easier to turn a name, number or battalion into a clearer understanding of a soldier's wartime story.

Featured Hubs

Explore a selection of our featured First World War regiment hubs. Each combines regimental history with practical research guidance, helping you better understand the soldiers who served within these historic units.

Middlesex Regiment

Nicknamed the "Die-Hards," it recruited heavily from north-west London and Middlesex towns such as Enfield and Hounslow.

Northumberland Fusiliers

One of Britain's oldest regiments, renowned for its distinguished fusilier heritage and exceptional wartime expansion.

Kings (Liverpool Regiment)

Best remembered for the famous Liverpool Pals battalions that were raised from the city's workplaces and communities.

Manchester Regiment

Raised from one of Great Britain's greatest industrial cities, including the renowned Manchester Pals service battalions.

London Regiment

A vast Territorial formation whose battalions reflected districts, professions and communities across the capital.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Technical Hubs

How accurate is the Army Service Explorer?

The Army Service Explorer is built using surviving military records, published research and statistical analysis of British Army service number allocations. Rather than making unsupported claims, it provides evidence-based interpretations and confidence levels, helping researchers understand both the strengths and limitations of the available data.

What is the difference between the Army Service Explorer and this library?

The Army Service Explorer is the interactive research tool. It helps users search by number, regiment, or regiment and battalion. The WWI Infantry Regiment Library supports that tool by providing readable research hubs for each regiment, explaining recruitment areas, battalion structures, numbering patterns, prefixes, Pals Battalions, Territorial units, campaigns and interpretation issues.

Why does the library include regiment hubs if the tool already searches by regiment and battalion?

The tool is designed for fast searching and structured results. The library gives the deeper explanation behind those results. Regiment hubs help explain why a service number may point to a particular unit, how battalion structures changed during the war, what prefixes or duplicate numbers may mean, and how local recruiting traditions shaped the records.

What makes these regiment hubs different from other First World War resources?

Most online resources tell you what a regiment did during the First World War. These regiment hubs are designed to explain how to research the soldiers who served in them.

Rather than simply presenting a regimental history, each hub brings together practical guidance on service number systems, battalion organisation, recruiting areas, Territorial Force and New Army formations, prefixes, duplicate numbering and the interpretation of surviving military records. Where possible, this is supported by real research examples and integrated with the Army Service Explorer to help researchers move from historical facts to evidence-based conclusions.

The aim is simple: not just to describe a regiment's history, but to help family historians understand what their ancestor's regiment, battalion or service number can actually tell them about their wartime service.

Start Exploring Britain's First World War Infantry Regiments

Launch the Army Service Explorer or continue browsing one of our regional regiment libraries.

Alternatively, click here to see how differently these units were structured in WWII