The sheer scale and complexity of the battles of the 1st World War presented new problems over the award of Battle Honours. Battles lasted for weeks or months rather than the day or two of earlier actions. The area covered and number of troops involved, particularly in the major battles of the Western Front, eclipsed anything previously seen. With both the scale and widespread geographical areas of Regimental involvement, the number of Battle Honours that could fairly be claimed was obviously going to be too great to be accommodated on the Regimental Colour on which all pre-1914 Honours were carried. The solution adopted for the Western Front was to award a Battle Honour to cover the major operation and then additional Battle Honours for the supporting actions which contributed to the operation. An example is the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 which was marked with the Honour Ypres 1915 (to differentiate from Ypres 1914, 1917 and 1918 all of which were awarded as separate Honours) with four supporting Honours, Gravenstafel, St Julien, Frezenberg and Bellewaarde. A further change was that, for the first time, Battle Honours were awarded for a defeat, thus both “Mons” and “Retreat from Mons” appear among those won by the Regiment. Once the list of Battle Honours was agreed by the Honours and Distinctions Committee of the War Office, each Regiment was allowed to select ten, from the total of those awarded, to be carried on the then King’s Colour. These would appear in bold type in the Army List with the remaining in ordinary type.

The Regiment was awarded seventy-nine Battle Honours out of a total of one hundred and sixty eight that were designated. These covered all the campaigns and battles and the many operational theatres in which the Service Battalions of the Regiment served. A Regimental Committee then made recommendations to the War Office for the ten that were to be carried on the King’s Colour. Of these seven were from the Western Front and three, Struma 1918, Gallipoli 1915-16 and Palestine 1917-18 represented the other major operational areas where the battalions of the Regiment served The full list, with the battalions that served there, is shown below. The ten Battle Honours subsequently emblazoned on the King’s Colour are shown in heavy type and capitals. The supporting actions for the main battles have been slightly inset and, where they cover the main battle over a number of years such as Ypres 1915, 1917 and 1918 have been placed within the relevant year with the main action bracketed for guidance:

Battle Honour Battalion (s)
Mons 2nd
LE CATEAU  2nd
Retreat from Mons 2nd
MARNE 1914 2nd
MARNE 1918 8th, 9th, 13th (for supporting actions see below)
Aisne 1914 2nd
La Bassee 1914 2nd
Neuve Chapelle 8th
YPRES 1915 1st, 9th
Gravenstafel 1st, 9th
St Julien 1st, 9th
Frezenburg 1st, 9th
Bellewaarde 1st, 2nd, 9th
YPRES 1917 2nd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th (for supporting actions see below)
YPRES 1918 11th, 12th, 17th
Aubers 8th
Festubert 1915 8th
LOOS 11th, 12th, 17th
SOMME 1916 2nd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th
 Albert 1916, 1918 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th (for 1918 Battalions see below)
 Bazentin 2nd, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th
 Pozieres 13th, 15th, 16th
 Flers-Courcelette 13th
 Le Transloy 11th, 12th, 13th
 Ancre Heights 5th/6th
 Ancre 1916, 1918 2nd, 5th/6th, 8th, 9th (for 1918 Battalions see below)
SOMME 1918 2nd, 4th, 5th/6th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th (for supporting actions see below)
ARRAS 1917 2nd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th
 Scarpe 1917, 1918 2nd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th,16th (for 1918 Battalions see below)
 Arleux 2nd, 15th, 16th
ARRAS 1918 (See Somme 1918)
(Ypres 1917) (See above)
 Pilckem 8th, 9th, 13th
 Langemarck 1917 8th, 9th, 13th
 Menin Road 2nd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th
 Polygon Wood 2nd
 Poelcappelle 11th, 12th, 17th
Passchendaele  2nd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th
Cambrai 1917 8th, 9th
(Somme 1918) (See above)
 St Quentin 2nd, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th
 Rosieres 8th, 9th
 Arras 1918 2nd, 4th, 5th/6th, 7th, 8th, 13th
 Ancre 1918 2nd, 4th, 5th/6th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th
LYS 2nd, 8th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th
 Estaires 2nd, 8th, 15th, 16th
 Messines 1918 11th, 12th
 Hazebrouck 2nd, 8th
 Bailleul 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th
 Kemmel 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th
 Bethune 2nd
 (Marne 1918) (See above)
 Soissonnais-Ourcq 9th, 13th
 Tardenois 8th
Amiens 5th/6th
Bapaume 1918 2nd, 5th/6th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 17th
Albert 1918 2nd, 4th, 5th/6th, 7th
(Scarpe 1918) 4th, 7th, 8th
Drocourt-Queant 4th, 7th
Hindenburg Line 2nd, 4th, 5th/6th, 7th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th
 Canal du Nord 2nd, 4th, 7th
 St Quentin Canal 2nd, 5th/6th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th
 Beaurevoir 5th/6th
(Ypres 1918) (See above)
Courtrai 11th, 12th, 17th
Selle 2nd, 8th
Sambre 5th/6th
France and Flanders 1914-18 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th/6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th
STRUMA 1st
Macedonia 1915-18 1st
Helles 4th, 5th, 7th
Landing at Helles 5th
Krithia 4th/7th, 5th
Suvla 5th
Scimitar Hill 5th
GALLIPOLI 1915-16 4th, 5th, 7th
Romani 4th, 7th
Egypt 1915-16 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th
Gaza 4th, 7th
El Mughar 4th, 7th
Nebi Samwil 4th, 7th
Jaffa 4th, 7th
PALESTINE 1917-18 4th, 7th
Archangel 1918-19 2/10th