Royal Norfolk Regiment

Norfolk Regiment Royal Norfolk Regiment
Cap badge of the Royal Norfolk Regiment.
Active	1685[1]–1959
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Line infantry
Size	2 Regular battalions 1–2 Militia and Special Reserve battalions Up to 4 Territorial and Volunteer battalions Up to 12 Hostilities-only battalions
Garrison/HQ	Gorleston Barracks, Great Yarmouth (1881–1887) Britannia Barracks, Norwich (1887–1959)
Nickname(s)	"The Holy Boys" "The Fighting Ninth" "The Norfolk Howards"
Motto(s)	Firm
Facings	Yellow
March	Rule Britannia
Anniversaries	Almanza, 25 April
Battle honours	see below
Insignia
Shoulder titles	"Royal Norfolk"

The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named the 9th Regiment of Foot.

It was formed as the Norfolk Regiment in 1881 under the Childers Reforms of the British Army as the county regiment of Norfolk by merging the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot with the local Militia and Rifle Volunteers battalions.^[2]

The Norfolk Regiment fought in the First World War on the Western Front and in the Middle East. After the war, the regiment became the Royal Norfolk Regiment on 3 June 1935. The regiment fought with distinction in the Second World War, in action in the Battle of France and Belgium, the Far East, and then in the invasion of, and subsequent operations in, North-west Europe.

In 1959, the Royal Norfolk Regiment was amalgamated with the Suffolk Regiment, to become the 1st East Anglian Regiment (Royal Norfolk and Suffolk); this later amalgamated with the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Own Royal Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire), the 3rd East Anglian Regiment (16th/44th Foot) and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment to form the Royal Anglian Regiment, of which A Company of the 1st Battalion is known as the Royal Norfolks.