were reformed in 1920 as part of the renamed Territorial Army (TA). In April 1939, when it seemed clear war was likely to break out with Germany, the TA was doubled in size, with each existing unit forming a duplicate. When war broke out in September 1939, the four TA battalions were as follows: 4th (Westmorland and Cumberland) Battalion 5th (Cumberland) Battalion 6th (East Cumberland) Battalion 7th (Cumberland) Battalion Second World War Regular Army The 1st Battalion, Border Regiment formed part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in Europe from 1939–1940, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Horton Farrar. Originally part of the 4th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, it was exchanged with the 1/8th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers and became part of the 125th Infantry Brigade of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. Following the Battle of France, it was evacuated from Dunkirk. After returning to the United Kingdom, the battalion, now under Lieutenant Colonel Roger Bower, was transferred to the mountain warfare trained 31st Independent Infantry Brigade. In October 1941, the brigade was selected to be converted to glider infantry, part of the British Army's newly-formed airborne forces, and became the 1st Glider Brigade, part of the 1st Airborne Division. In this role, the battalion went to North Africa in May 1943 and in July it took part in Operation Ladbroke, part of the Allied invasion of Sicily, in which the battalion suffered heavy casualties, with some gliders being cast off too early due to inexperienced pilots and, as a result, many men were drowned. The battalion, which had gone to Sicily with a strength of 796 officers and men, returned to North Africa with just 200. Due to the heavy casualties, the battalion, now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Haddon in succession to Lieutenant Colonel G. C. Britten, did not participate in the Allied invasion of Italy and was sent to the United Kingdom towards the end of 1943. Not seeing action in Operation Overlord, in September 1944, the battalion, together with the rest of the 1st Airborne Division, fought in Operation Market Garden, a failed opening of an attempt to liberate the Netherlands and invade Germany before the end of 1944. The 1st Airborne Division was all but destroyed. The battalion suffered severe casualties and, for this reason, did not see active service for the rest of the war. The 2nd Battalion was serving