 The Cardwell – Childers reforms from the 1860s to the 1880s substantially reorganised the British Army , principally by amalgamating single @-@ battalion regiments to form regiments of multiple battalions . The King 's , which already had two regular battalions , did not amalgamate , but did adopt a new title on the numbering system 's abolition . Thus , on 1 July 1881 , the two battalions of the 8th ( The King 's ) Regiment of Foot became the 1st and 2nd Battalions , The King 's ( Liverpool ) Regiment . The 8th Foot had been associated with Liverpool since 1873 , when it became allocated to the town 's 13th Brigade Depot . Regular regiments gained auxiliary battalions through the integration of the militia and volunteers , of which nine from Lancashire and the Isle of Man transferred to the King 's and ultimately became part of the Special Reserve and Territorial Force . 
