Volunteer Force

The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created in 1859 in response to the perceived threat of invasion by France and fears of a wider European war. The force did not see active service as units, although detachments fought with the regular army during the Second Anglo-Boer War. In 1908 the Volunteer Force was merged with the Yeomanry (a volunteer cavalry force) to form the Territorial Force which fought as an integral part of the British Army during the First World War and was the forerunner of the modern Territorial Army.

On 12 May 1859 the Secretary of State for War issued a circular letter to lieutenants of counties in England, Wales and Scotland, authorising the formation of volunteer rifle corps and of artillery corps in defended coastal towns. The purpose of the rifle corps was to harass the invading enemy’s flanks, while artillery corps were to man coastal guns and forts. Although not mentioned in the circular letter, engineer corps were also formed, principally to place underwater mines for port defence. Stretcher-bearers attached to the rifle corps subsequently formed volunteer medical detachments affiliated to the Army Medical Corps.

In 1872, under the provisions of the Regulation of the Forces Act 1871, jurisdiction over the volunteers was removed from the county lieutenants and placed under the Secretary of State for War. Volunteer units became increasingly integrated with the regular army. This culminated in the Childers Reforms of 1881 which nominated rifle volunteer corps as volunteer battalions of the new “county” infantry regiments, which also consisted of regular and militia battalions within a defined regimental district. Over the next few years many of the rifle volunteer corps adopted the “volunteer battalion” designation and the uniform of their parent regiment. This was far from universal, however, with some corps retaining their original names and distinctive dress until 1908.

The artillery volunteers were similarly remodelled as reserve formations of the Royal Artillery, eventually being redesignated as Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) in 1902, while the Engineer Volunteers became Royal Engineers (Volunteers).

In the London area volunteer units were organised by lieutenancy counties or areas:

• The City of London
• The Tower Hamlets (the Tower Division of Middlesex where the Constable of the Tower of London acted as lord lieutenant)
• Kent
• Middlesex
• Surrey

Although the County of London was created in 1889 the volunteer units continued to use the former county designations until the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908.

See also

• List of Volunteer Force Units in London in 1893