Editing Infantry of the British Army (section)

===Recruitment===
[[File:British Army Infantry Recruiting areas.png|thumb|right|Recruiting areas of British line infantry regiments]]
Traditionally, regiments that form the combat arms of the British Army (cavalry and infantry) recruit from specific areas of the country. Infantry regiments had been assigned specific areas from which they would recruit from by the mid eighteenth century. These were formalised under the [[Cardwell Reforms]] that began in the 1860s. Under this scheme, single battalion infantry regiments were amalgamated into two battalion regiments, then assigned to a depot and associated recruiting area (which would usually correspond to all or part of a county). The recruiting area (usually) would then become part of the regiment's title. It was this that gave rise to the concept of the "county regiment", with the local infantry regiment becoming part of the fabric of its local area.

Over time, regiments have been amalgamated further, which has led to recruiting areas of individual regiments increasing in size. Often, these amalgamations have been between regiments whose recruiting areas border each other. However, there have been occasions where regiments of a similar type, but from widely different areas, have been amalgamated. Two modern examples have been the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (amalgamated from the county regiments of Northumberland, Warwickshire, [[City of London]] and Lancashire, all of which were regiments of [[fusiliers]]) and The Light Infantry (amalgamated from the county regiments of Cornwall, Somerset, Shropshire, South Yorkshire and Durham, all of which were regiments of [[light infantry]]).

Since September 2007, when the most recent reforms were completed, the infantry has consisted of 18 separate regiments. The five regiments of foot guards recruit from their respective [[home nations]] (with the exception of the Coldstream Guards, which recruits from the counties through which the regiment marched between Coldstream and London). Scotland, Ireland and Wales each have a single regiment of [[line infantry]] from which they recruit (though the battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland recruit from the areas they recruited from when they were separate regiments), while England has seven line infantry and rifles regiments. The Parachute Regiment recruits nationally, while the Royal Gurkha Rifles recruits most of its serving personnel from [[Nepal]], and the [[Royal Gibraltar Regiment]] recruits from the [[UK]] and [[Commonwealth nations]]

Before the [[Second World War]], infantry recruits were required to be at least {{convert|5|ft|2|in|m}} tall. They initially enlisted for seven years with the colours and a further five years with the reserve. They trained at their own regimental depot.<ref>[[War Office]], ''His Majesty's Army'', 1938</ref>