Royal Reserve Regiments

Last updated

Royal Reserve Regiments
British Army General Service Cap Badge.jpg
The English regiments of the Royal Reserve Regiments wore the same cap badge as the General Service Corps, the Royal Garrison Regiment, the Bermuda Militia Infantry and other units without a unique badge
Active1900-1901
Country(United Kingdom and colonies)
Branch Army
Type Infantry

The Royal Reserve Regiments were reserve infantry and cavalry regiments of the British Army in existence from 1900 to 1901.

The Second Boer War broke out in South Africa in October 1899. By December, the British army had seen several defeats in battle, and was unable to lift the sieges of Ladysmith, Mafeking and Kimberley as fast as had been communicated to the public. The government realised they needed considerably more troops to win the war, and larger parts of the regular army, militia and yeomanry regiments were sent to South Africa. Due to the manpower needs of the army, an appeal came from Queen Victoria in February 1900 for ex-soldiers to sign up for Home Defence duties. The following letter appeared in newspapers at the time, signed by Sir Arthur Bigge, Private Secretary to the Sovereign:

Osborne, Feb 17, 1900

To Field-Marshal the Viscount Wolseley KP, Commander in Chief

My Dear Lord Wolseley

As so large a proportion of the Army is now in South Africa, the Queen fully realizes that necessary measures must be adopted for home defence. Her Majesty is advised that it would be possible to raise for one year an efficient force from her old soldiers who have already served as officers, non-commissioned officers, or privates. Confident in their devotion to country and loyalty to her Throne, the Queen appeals to them to serve once more in place of those who for a time are absent from these islands, and who, side by side with the people of her colonies, are nobly resisting the invasion of her South African possessions. Her Majesty has signalled her pleasure that these battalions shall be designated 'Royal Reserve Battalions' of her Army.

Yours very truly

Arthur Bigge [1]

Shortly thereafter, Royal Reserve battalions were formed from veteran soldiers in the United Kingdom for Home Service. Time-expired warrant officers, non commissioned officers and other ranks between the ages of 21 and 45 would enlist for service in the United Kingdom for a period of one year [2] and receive a bounty of £22. [3]

For the cavalry, those enlisting were grouped into Reserve Regiments named after the different classes of mounted troops, as follows: [4]

For the infantry, these Royal Reserve Battalions were grouped into Royal Reserve Regiments, with the following titles:

Recruiting was enthusiastic, and by the second week of May 1900, 29,000 applications for enrolments had been received, and 14 battalions of infantry had been formed, comprising 128 officers and 15,321 men. In total, 18 battalions were raised, officered partly by those who were already compulsorily in the Reserve, and partly by ex-officers who voluntarily responded to the call "for Queen and Country". Many of the other ranks also enlisted on their one-year engagement from loyalty to the Queen, but quite a number principally joined up to claim the large bounty which was on offer.

The men were used for routine duties and ceremonial tasks, for example furnishing the guard at Osborne, and lining the route for the funeral of Queen Victoria. The task of keeping everyone occupied were reported to be rather difficult, however. [5]

The Regiments were disbanded at the end of 1901, when the Second Boer War drew to its close.

After the Royal Reserve Regiments were phased out, the Royal Garrison Regiment was formed, to relieve regular infantry battalions in overseas garrisons such as the Imperial fortresses of Malta (1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions) and Gibraltar (2nd Battalion). The garrison of the third Imperial fortress, 21-square mile Bermuda, which had been part of British North America and linked militarily with a fourth Imperial fortress, Nova Scotia, until the Confederation of Canada had transferred military control of that province, other than a small defensive British Army garrison for the Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax (from 1902 to 1905, the 5th Battalion, Royal Garrison Regiment]) 'til that transferred to the new Royal Canadian Navy along with the Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard in British Columbia in 1905) to the new Dominion government, had included two regular infantry battalions supported by three companies of the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps, before the Second Boer War (with a third regular battalion added during the war to guard prisoner-of-war camps on the islands of the Great Sound), and in the post war economy was reduced to one. Many of the RGR's members had previously been in one of the Royal Reserve Regiments.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragoon</span> Type of mounted soldiers

Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat with swords and firearms from horseback. While their use goes back to the late 16th century, dragoon regiments were established in most European armies during the 17th and early 18th centuries; they provided greater mobility than regular infantry but were far less expensive than cavalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeomanry</span> Designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve

Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the Canadian Army

The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the primary reserve. The RCR is ranked 1st in the order of precedence amongst Canadian Army infantry regiments, but in a quirk of the rules of seniority, its 4th battalion is 9th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Gibraltar Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is part of British Forces Gibraltar for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, which historically, along with Bermuda, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Malta, had been designated an Imperial fortress rather than a colony. It was formed in 1958 from the Gibraltar Defence Force as an infantry unit, with an integrated artillery troop. The regiment is included in the British Army as a defence engagement force. In 1999, the regiment was granted the Royal title. The regiment recruits from Gibraltar, the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Commonwealth.

The British Army is listed according to an order of precedence for the purposes of parading. This is the order in which the various corps of the army parade, from right to left, with the unit at the extreme right being highest. Under ordinary circumstances, the Household Cavalry parades at the extreme right of the line. Militia and Army Reserve units take precedence after Regular units with the exception of The Honourable Artillery Company and The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardwell Reforms</span> Reforms of the British Army

The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention to military affairs but he was keen on efficiency. In 1870, he pushed through Parliament major changes in Army organisation. Germany's stunning triumph over France in the Franco-Prussian War proved that the Prussian system of professional soldiers with up-to-date weapons was far superior to the traditional system of gentlemen-soldiers that Britain used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps</span> Military unit

The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps (BVRC) was created in 1894 as a reserve for the Regular Army infantry component of the Bermuda Garrison. Renamed the Bermuda Rifles in 1951, it was amalgamated into the Bermuda Regiment in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Permanent Active Militia</span> Military unit

Permanent Active Militia (PAM), also known as Permanent Force (PF), was the proper name of Canada's full-time professional land forces from 1855 to 1940, when it was reorganized into the Canadian Army. PAM was in effect Canada's standing army, consisting of one regular infantry regiment and two cavalry regiments in 1914.

There are 13 Cavalry Regiments of the British Army each with its own unique cap badge, regimental traditions, and history. Of the currently nine regular cavalry regiments, two serve as armoured regiments, three as armoured cavalry regiments, three as light cavalry, and one as a mounted ceremonial regiment. There are also four yeomanry regiments of the Army Reserve, of these, three serve as light cavalry and one as an armoured regiment. Each yeomanry light cavalry unit has been paired with a regular unit of the same role, the armoured yeomanry unit is paired with the two regular armoured units. All except the Household Cavalry are part of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry</span> Light infantry regiment of the British Army

The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Reserve</span> British Army reserve 1908–1919

The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the military reforms implemented by Richard Haldane, the Secretary of State for War, which also created the Territorial Force. Haldane originally intended that the Militia would provide the reserve, but opposition from its representatives forced him to abolish it and create the Special Reserve instead. Only 60 per cent of the Militia transferred into the new reserve, and it was consistently under strength, particularly in officers. Reservists enlisted for a six-year term of service, and had to undergo six months of basic training on recruitment and three to four weeks training annually. The Special Reserve was organised into battalions, providing a third for each of the regular army's 64 two-battalion infantry regiments and a fifth and sixth for the five four-battalion infantry regiments. In addition to providing replacements to the regular army, the Special Reserve was deployed on home defence duties guarding the coast and key installations during the First World War. The routine nature of its duties meant that scant attention was paid to it in regimental histories. After the war, the Special Reserve was abolished and the Militia was resurrected in 1921 to take on its former role. No effort was made to restart recruitment, and in 1924 the new Militia's functions were absorbed into the Supplementary Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Army during the Victorian Era</span>

The British Army during the Victorian era served through a period of great technological and social change. Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, and died in 1901. Her long reign was marked by the steady expansion and consolidation of the British Empire, rapid industrialisation and the enactment of liberal reforms by both Liberal and Conservative governments within Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bermuda Garrison</span> British military post

The Bermuda Garrison was the military establishment maintained on the British Overseas Territory and Imperial fortress of Bermuda by the regular British Army and its local militia and voluntary reserves from 1701 to 1957. The garrison evolved from an independent company, to a company of Royal Garrison Battalion during the American War of Independence, and a steadily growing and diversifying force of artillery and infantry with various supporting corps from the French Revolution onwards. During the American War of Independence, the garrison in Bermuda fell under the military Commander-in-Chief of America. Subsequently, it was part of the Nova Scotia Command until 1868, and was an independent Bermuda Command from then 'til its closure in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structure of the British Army</span> Organisation of the British Army

The structure of the British Army is being reorganised to the Future Soldier structure. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), with Army Headquarters which is located in Andover, Hampshire. Subordinate to that post, there is a Commander Field Army, and a personnel and UK operations command, Home Command.

The 4th Royal Lancashire Militia (The Duke of Lancaster's Own Light Infantry) was an auxiliary regiment raised in the county of Lancashire in North West England just before the Crimean War. It later became part of the South Lancashire Regiment. Although primarily intended for home defence, it saw considerable active service during the Second Boer War. After conversion to the Special Reserve (SR) under the Haldane Reforms it supplied reinforcements to the fighting battalions during World War I and carried out internal security duties in Ireland. After a shadowy postwar existence the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.

The 6th Royal Lancashire Militia was an auxiliary regiment raised in the county of Lancashire in North West England just before the Crimean War. It later became part of the Manchester Regiment. Although primarily intended for home defence, its battalions saw active service during the Second Boer War. Following conversion to the Special Reserve (SR) under the Haldane Reforms it supplied reinforcements to the fighting battalions during World War I. After a shadowy postwar existence the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.

The 7th Royal Lancashire Militia (Rifles) (7th RLM) was an auxiliary regiment raised in the county of Lancashire in North West England just before the Crimean War. It later became part of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Although primarily intended for home defence, its battalions saw active service during the Second Boer War. Following conversion to the Special Reserve (SR) under the Haldane Reforms it supplied reinforcements to the fighting battalions during World War I. After a shadowy postwar existence the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.

The Queen's Edinburgh Light Infantry Militia was an auxiliary regiment raised in and around the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. It was formed in 1798 and reformed in 1802, but had links with earlier Fencible and Volunteer units from the area. It served in home defence during the Napoleonic Wars and the Crimean War. Later it became a battalion of the Royal Scots and saw active service in South Africa during the Second Boer War. It served as a Special Reserve training unit in World War I, but after 1921 the militia had only a shadowy existence until its final abolition in 1953.

The Fifeshire Militia was an auxiliary regiment raised in Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1798. It served in home defence during the Napoleonic Wars and again during the Crimean War when it was converted into an artillery unit as the Fifeshire Artillery Militia. It served in home defence again during the Indian Mutiny and the Second Boer War. It was disbanded in 1909.

The 5th Middlesex Militia or Royal Elthorne Light Infantry was an auxiliary regiment raised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England just before the Crimean War. It later became part of the Middlesex Regiment. Primarily intended for home defence, it served in England and Ireland during Britain's major wars, and saw active service during the Second Boer War. It was converted to the Special Reserve under the Haldane Reforms and supplied reinforcements to the Royal Fusiliers' fighting battalions during World War I. After a shadowy postwar existence the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.

References

  1. ↑ "The War – The Queen and her old Soldiers". The Times. No. 36071. London. 21 February 1900. p. 10.
  2. ↑ Quoted in Scaife, Arthur Hodgkin The war to Date (1 March 1900) T.F. Unwin 1900
  3. ↑ "Supply [13th March] Report". Hansard. 19 March 1900. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  4. ↑ "The Royal Reserve Regiments and The Royal Garrison Regiment". 4 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.