1881-1899
Between the 1860s and 1880s, the British Army underwent a period of reform implemented by Edward Cardwell and Hugh Childers. Single-battalion regiments amalgamated and were affiliated with a geographical area. The Manchester Regiment came into being on 1 July 1881 by the union of the 63rd (West Suffolk) and 96th Regiments of Foot. They had been linked in 1873 by their allocation to the 16th Sub-district Brigade Depot in Ashton-under-Lyne, near to Manchester. The 2nd Battalion, as the 96th Foot, had been raised in the town of Manchester in 1824. Eight additional battalions were gained through the incorporation of the 6th Royal Lancashire Militia and rifle corps units from Lancashire.
India featured prominently in the early history of the regiment. The 1st Battalion had been based there for a decade before departing for Egypt and thence to Britain in 1883, while the 2nd Battailon arrived in 1882 after service in Malta and Egypt. In the volatile North-West Frontier, the battalion participated in two expeditions against warring tribes in 1891.
In 1897, the 1st and 2nd Manchesters were posted to Gibraltar and Aden respectively, the latter battalion relocating to Manchester a year later.
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