In 1685, the rebellion sparked by the Duke of Monmouth gave King James II reason to expand his army. One of the nine new regiments of foot, which resulted, was raised by Sir Edward Hales, in Kent, and was termed "Hales's Regiment". The Regiment served in Flanders in various campaigns against the French between 1693 and 1696 and gained its first Battle Honour at the siege and capture of Namur in 1695. In 1694 the Regiment took precedence as the 14th Regiment of Foot.
In 1715 the Regiment moved to Scotland to help suppress the Jacobite Rebellion and played a major part in defending Gibraltar during the Spanish siege of February - June 1727, where it remained garrisoned for the next 15 years. In 1745 the Regiment was ordered to Flanders, fighting at Fontenoy before being hastily recalled to Scotland in response to the '45 Rebellion. The Regiment fought at Falkirk and Culloden as "Price's Regiment" after the then Commanding Officer, becoming the 14th of Foot in 1751.
Service in various posts followed, including assisting customs officers to suppress smuggling, more garrison duty in Gibraltar and a fever ridden tour of the West Indies before moving to North America for the War of Independence. The 14th fought at Great Bridge, Virginia in 1775, before returning home two years later. For the next four years the Regiment served as marines in the Channel and West India fleets. In 1782 the 14th was re-titled "The 14th (Bedfordshire) Regiment". The onset of the French Revolution and the subsequent French invasion of the Netherlands caused British troops to be sent in, under the Duke of York, to protect trade interests. Much marching and counter marching ensued before the 14th gained its second battle honour in a week of fighting around Lille. Returning to England in 1795, the Regiment was then posted to the West Indies where it remained on duty until 1803
With the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803, the British Army was expanded and the 14th formed a second battalion in Belfast in 1804. The 1st Battalion spent much of the war on garrison duty in Bengal. In 1808-9, the 2nd Battalion joined the Peninsular Army and gained the Battle Honour "Corunna". In 1809 the Regiment was re-titled "The 14th (Buckinghamshire) Regiment". The 2/14th saw service in the Walcheren Campaign and was disbanded in 1817. A third battalion was formed in 1813 and fought at Waterloo in 1815, as part of the 4th Brigade of the 4th Division, on the extreme right of the allied line. The Battalion held their position all day, forming square when the French Cavalry attacked during the afternoon. The 3/14th was disbanded in 1816. Apart from taking part in campaigns against the French in Mauritius in 1810 and the Dutch in Java in 1811, the latter adding another Battle Honour, the 1/14th served in India for 25 years, until 1831.
After five years in England, the 14th moved to the West Indies, Canada, Malta and in February 1855 the Regiment was ordered to Balaclava and then to Sebastopol from March - September. In 1876 the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, presented new Colours to the 1st Battalion and conferred on the 14th the honoured title of "The Prince of Wales's Own". In 1858 a second battalion was raised once more and took part in the Maori Wars of 1860-6 and the Second Afghan War 1879-80.
After the Cardwell Reforms in 1881, the 14th was initially given the title of "The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own)" in May, which was changed to "The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment)" the following July. The Depot of the 14th Regimental District was established at York.
In 1899 The 2nd Battalion of The West Yorkshire Regiment was sent to South Africa and after a number of engagements two members of the Battalion were awarded the Victoria Cross- Captain (later Colonel) Mansel-Jones in February 1900 and Sergeant Traynor in February 1901.
In August 1914, the 1st Battalion went to France with the original British Expeditionary Force and was in action within seven weeks of the declaration of war. The numerous battalions of The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) fought at Neuve-Chappelle, Loos, the Somme, Passchendaele, Ypres, Marne, Cambrai and Gallipoli. During the Great War, The West Yorkshire Regiment grew in strength until it numbered 37 battalions, four Victoria Crosses were awarded to members of the Regiment and 66 Battle Honours were bestowed. In all, 13 000 officers and other ranks gave their lives for their country. Their names appear in the Roll of Honour in the Regimental Chapel of York Minster.
Between the wars the various battalions served in Germany, India, Kurdistan, Sudan, Palestine, Jamaica and Bermuda. In the Second World War, The 1st Battalion served in the Far East, The 2nd Battalion served in Africa and subsequently in the Far East and the various other battalions served in Iceland, France, Antwerp, the Scilly Isles, the Falkland Islands and as Home Defence.
In 1948 the 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated and were stationed in Austria. They then moved to Egypt and on to Malaya. After a tour of duty in Northern Ireland in 1955-56, the 1st Battalion took part in the Suez Operation and was then stationed in Dover until the amalgamation in July 1958.