Regular Infantry Regiments

An Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcards is the standard reference book on embroidered silk postcards. It contains references to over 2600 different cards with over 270 illustrations. The section on Regular Infantry Regiments of the Line lists 549 cards. The cards listed below are additional cards discovered since the book was published. The latest additions are shown in RED.

There were 69 Regular Infantry Regiments in the British Army in the First World War with full-time soldiers. Before the First World War, most regiments had two battalions of about 1000 men: traditionally, one was stationed at home, the other overseas in the British Empire, and then they changed over. The Rifle Brigade, the Royal Fusiliers, and the Middlesex Regiments had four battalions. In times of war, the regiments expanded by recruiting additional battalions.

The regiments had long and glorious histories as Regiments of Foot, many of which were amalgamated to form the County Regiments in 1881. They were numbered in order of precedence (known as: The Line), except for The Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade which came out of The Line in 1816. Numbering sometimes appears on cards, but usually only up to the 24th, The South Wales Borderers. The numbers are usually shown in Roman numerals. There are a few very rare cards that give the old Regiment of Foot number.

Many cards have battle honours associated with the Regiment from previous wars, especially the Napoleonic Wars and the Indian Wars, or areas where they were regularly stationed, such as Gibraltar. A few cards are known with battle honours from the First World War, which helps to date when they were first produced.

Many regiments have been formed (or re-formed) since the First World War, and this process still continues. After the war, embroidered silk postcards were becoming less popular, but a few of the new regiments did have cards. These are extremely rare as not many were produced, but they are in my listings: the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (1919) and the Royal Ulster Rifles (1920) are shown in the images below the listings.

At least 760 different embroidered silk postcards have been recorded for Infantry Regiments. A representative example of every regiment in the First World War period is shown below the listings of the newly discovered cards.

Information and images on this site are © Ian Collins 2021.

No part may be reproduced, stored, transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.

The Alexandra Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment

ALEXANDRA PRINCESS OF WALES'S OWN 1875

THE ALEXANDRA PRINCESS OF WALES'S OWN YORKSHIRE REGIMENT YORK

XIX ALEXANDRA PRINCESS OF WALES'S OWN YORKSHIRE REGT GREEN HOWARDS 1875

The Black Watch, The Royal Highlanders BLACK WATCH THE ROYAL HIGLANDERS (sic)

BLACK WATCH THE ROYAL HIGHLANDERS THE ROYAL HIGHLANDERS

THE BLACK WATCH EGYPT DINNA FORGET

THE BLACK WATCH ROYAL HIGHLANDERS

The Border Regiment THE BORDER REGT BEST XMAS WISHES

The Buffs, The East Kent Regiment THE BUFFS EAST KENT REGIMENT

The Cameronians, The Scottish Rifles 1916

SR

THE CAMERONIANS FRAE ANE YE KEN

THE SCOTTISH RIFLES DINNA FORGET

The Cheshire Regiment 22 CHESHIRE REGIMENT TO MY DEAR PAL

The Connaught Rangers CONNAUGHT RANGERS TCR

The Dorsetshire Regiment DORSETSHIRE MARABOUT

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT GIBRALTAR MARABOUT

THE DORSETSHIRE REGT GIBRALTAR MARABOUT

THE DORSETSHIRE REGT MARABOUT

The Duke of Cambridge's Own Middlesex Regiment

DCO RG ALBUHERA

MIDDLESEX REGT MIDDLESEX REGT SOUTH AFRICA 1900-02

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry CORNWALL DUKE OF CORNWALL LI

CORNWALL FRANCE 1917

DO CORNWALL'S LIGHT INFTY ONE AND ALL

The Duke of Edinburgh's Wiltshire Regiment

WILTSHIRE REG

The Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S WEST RIDING

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S REGT WEST RIDING HINDOOSTAN

The Durham Light Infantry DLI DLI

DLI DURHAM

DLI THE DURHAM LIGHT INFTY 1914 1916 GREETINGS FROM FRANCE

DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY 68TH 106TH

THE DURHAM LIGHT INFY

The East Lancashire Regiment EAST LANCASHIRE EL EGYPT

EAST LANCASHIRE ELR EGYPT GREETINGS FROM

EAST LANCASHIRE ELR EGYPT GREETINGS FROM 1916

EAST LANCASHIRE TELR EGYPT

The East Surrey Regiment EAST SURREY REGT

EAST SURREY ESR

EAST SURREY TESR

The East Yorkshire Regiment XV THE EAST YORKSHIRE REGT

The Essex Regiment THE ESSEX REGT EGYPT HEARTY GREETINGS FROM HARROGATE

The Gloucestershire Regiment G.R. 28. 61.

The Gordon Highlanders THE GORDON HIGHLANDERS GORDON HIGHLANDERS

The Hampshire Regiment HAMPSHIRE REGT THE HAMPSHIRE REGT

THE HAMPSHIRE REGT THR

The Highland Light Infantry HIGHLAND LIGHT INFTY

HLI FRAE ONE YE KEN

HLI SOMEWHERE IN THE FIELD

The King's Liverpool Regiment KING'S REGT

THE KINGS

THE KING'S LIVERPOOL RT GREETINGS FROM

THE KING'S LIVERPOOL RT TO MY DEAR MOTHER

THE KING'S TK

THE KING'S 1914

The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment THE KING'S OWN CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM

The King's Own Scottish Borderers KOSB

THE KING'S O. SCOTTISH BORDERERS

TKO SCOTTISH BORDERERS

The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry KOYLI YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY GREETINGS FROM INDIA

KO YORKSHIRE LI LOVING THOUGHTS

KO YORKSHIRE LI YLI

The King's Royal Rifle Corps 60th RIFLES

KING'S R. RIFLES

KRRC ROYAL RIFLE CORPS

ROYAL RIFLE CORPS

The King's Shropshire Light Infantry KSLI SHROPSHIRE

KING'S LIGHT INFANTRY SHROPSHIRE

The Lancashire Fusiliers LANCASHIRE FUSS EGYPT

XX THE LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS

The Leicestershire Regiment XVII LEICESTERSHIRE TLR HINDOOSTAN

The Lincolnshire Regiment LINCOLNSHIRE EGYPT GREETINGS FROM FRANCE 1914 1916

X LINCOLNSHIRE REGT EGYPT WELL DONE LINCOLNS!

The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE WITH BEST LOVE

The Manchester Regiment MANCHESTER 1914 1916 GREETINGS FROM FRANCE

THE MANCHESTER REGT 1916

THE MANCHESTER REGT EGYPT SOUVENIR DE FRANCE

The Northamptonshire Regiment NORTHAMPTONSHIRE GIBRALTAR TALAVERA

NORTHAMPTON REGT NORTHAMPTONSHIRE GIBRALTAR TALAVERA

The Northumberland Fusiliers NF NF

NORTHUMBERLAND FUS NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS

NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS 1914-1916

NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS 1914-1916 GREETINGS FROM FRANCE

The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry

OXFORDSHIRE & BUCKINGHAMSHIRE L. INFANTY. OXFORD AND BOX (sic)

The Prince Albert's Somerset Light Infantry PA SOMERSET JELLALABAD

PA SOMERSET LIGHT INFTY JELLALABAD

The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment, The Royal Canadians

THE LEINSTER REG CENTRAL INDIA NIAGARA S AFRICA 00-02

THE LEINSTER LEINSTER REGT ROYAL CANADIANS

The Prince of Wales's North Staffordshire Regiment

N.ST. REGT

NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE

PCE WALES NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT

THE PRINCE OF WALES'S NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE

The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment

WEST YORKSHIRE W. YORKSHIRE REGT

WEST YORKSHIRE WYR

W. YORKSHIRE REGT

The Prince of Wales's Volunteers, The South Lancashire Regiment

THE PRINCE OF WALES'S VOLUNTEERS EGYPT

THE PRINCE OF WALE'S VOLUNTEERS EGYPT SOUTH LANCASHIRE

The Princess Charlotte of Wales's Royal Berkshire Regiment

ROYAL BERKSHIRE ROYAL BERKSHIRE CHINA

The Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

ARGYLL & SUTHLAND HIGHLANDERS GREETINGS FROM

ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS 1916 GREETINGS FROM

The Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS

The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment QUEEN'S REGIMENT

THE QUEENS EGYPT

THE QUEENS WEST SURREYS EGYPT 1 JUNE 1704

THE QUEEN'S TO YOU DEAR

The Rifle Brigade, The Prince Consort's Own

RIFLE BRIGADE RB WATERLOO PENINSULA

RIFLE BRIGADE THE RIFLE BRIGADE WATERLOO PENINSULA

THE PRINCE CONSORTS OWN RIFLE BRIGADE RB WATERLOO

THE PRINCE CONSORTS OWN RIFLE BRIGADE PENINSULA PYRENEES WATERLOO

THE RIFLE BRIGADE WATERLOO PENINSULA GREETINGS FROM

THE RIFLE BRIGADE WATERLOO PENINSULA GREETINGS FROM 1916

T-PRINCE-CONSORTS-O RIFLE BRIGADE WATERLOO PENINSULA

T PRINCE CONSORTS O THE RIFLE BRIGADE PENINSULA

The Royal Dublin Fusiliers THE ROYAL DUBLIN FUSS

The Royal Fusiliers, The City of London Regiment

(Badge only)

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS INNISKILLING RIF

The Royal Irish Regiment RIR THE ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT GREETINGS FROM

The Royal Irish Rifles ROYAL IRISH RIFLES GREETINGS FROM

The Royal Munster Fusiliers THE ROYAL MUNSTER FUSILIERS

The Royal Scots, The Lothian Regiment THE ROYAL SCOTS THE ROYAL SCOTS

The Royal Scots Fusiliers ROYAL SCOTCH FUSILIERS

ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS TRSF

The Royal Ulster Rifles THE ROYAL ULSTER RIFLES

The Royal Warwickshire Regiment VI (Badge only)

ROYAL WARWICKSH REG

THE ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT GREETINGS FROM RWR

THE ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT GREETINGS FROM RWR 1916

THE ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE RT

The Royal Welsh Fusiliers ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS LOVE TO ALL

ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS REMEMBER OF THE WAR EUROPEAN

The Seaforth Highlanders, The Ross Shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS GREETINGS FROM

The South Staffordshire Regiment SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE GREETINGS FROM FRANCE 1914-1916

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE S S REGT

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE TSSR

The Welsh Regiment ROYAL WELSH REGIMENT

THE WELCH REGIMENT

The York and Lancaster Regiment YORK & LANCASTER

YORK AND LANCASTER SOUVENIR FROM FRANCE EUROPEAN WAR 1914-1916

A representative example of an embroidered silk postcard for every British Infantry Regiment is shown below. At least 760 different cards exist in this category.

The territorial Hertfordshire Regiment was amalgamated into the regular Bedfordshire Regiment in 1919. This is the only card ever seen for the new regular army regiment.

The Buffs were the East Kent Regiment.

The full title of the regiment is: The Cameronians, The Scottish Rifles.

The Duke of Cambridge's Own Middlesex Regiment was formed from the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot in the reorganisation of the British Army in 1811. Their nickname was "The Die Hards".