Straits Settlements Volunteer Force

Last updated
Straits Settlements Volunteer Force
Active1922–1942 [1] ;
1948–1954
CountryFlag of the British Straits Settlements (1904-1925).svg Straits Settlements
BranchFlag of the British Army (1938-present).svg Volunteer Reserves
Type Reserve rifle infantry
Role Infantry
Size4 battalions
Part ofFlag of Malaya (1896-1950).svg Malaya Command
Garrison/HQ Singapore
Engagements World War II

The Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (SSVF) was a military reserve force in the Straits Settlements, while they were under British rule. While the majority of the personnel were from Singapore, some lived in other parts of the Settlements, including Penang, Province Wellesley, Malacca and Labuan.

Contents

History

Volunteer troops training with a Lewis machine gun, November 1941 Singapore Volunteer Force training November 1941.jpg
Volunteer troops training with a Lewis machine gun, November 1941

The SSVF had its origins in the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps (SVRC), formed in 1854. The SVRC was disbanded in 1887 and an artillery corps named, the Singapore Volunteer Artillery Corps (SVA) was formed in 1888. In 1915 it helped suppress the mutiny of Sepoys in Singapore. The SSVF was officially formed in 1922, following the amalgamation of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps, Malacca Volunteer Corps, and Labuan Volunteer Defence Detachment. In 1928, the SSVF infantry was re-organised into 4 battalions. The 1st and 2nd battalions consisted of members of the Singapore Volunteer Corps (1,250 men), the 3rd battalion consisted of the Penang & Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps (916 men) and the 4th Battalion consisted of the Malacca Volunteer Corps (675 men). Besides the infantry, the rest of the SSVF consisted of the Singapore Royal Artillery, Singapore Royal Engineers, Singapore Armoured Car Company and 3 ambulance units. [2] [3]

World War II

As international tensions heightened during the 1930s, an increasing number of men of the various nationalities in the Settlements predominantly European, Malay, Chinese, Indian and Eurasian joined the SSVF. It included naval, air force, special operations, irregular units (such as Dalforce) and home guard units. The SSVF including four infantry battalions took part in the Battle of Singapore in 1942, and most of its members were captured on 15 February 1942 when their positions were overrun. The SSVF was reconstituted in 1948. In 1954, the Singapore Volunteer Corps was absorbed into the Singapore Military Forces when the SSVF was disbanded.

Formation

By World War II, there were four infantry battalions under SSVF. [4] The battalions were :

Units under Straits Settlements Volunteer Force
BattalionUnit's crestUnit's NameHeadquartersStrength
1st Battalion SSVF Badge of the Singapore Volunteer Corps.svg Singapore Volunteer Corps Beach Road, Singapore 1,250 men
2nd Battalion SSVF
3rd Battalion SSVF Badge of the Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps.svg Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps George Town, Penang 916 men
4th Battalion SSVF Badge of the Malacca Volunteer Corps.svg Malacca Volunteer Corps Malacca 675 men

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straits Settlements</span> British colony in Southeast Asia (1826–1946)

The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the British Raj in 1858 and then under direct British control as a Crown colony in 1867. In 1946, following the end of World War II and the Japanese occupation, the colony was dissolved as part of Britain's reorganisation of its Southeast Asian dependencies in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Army</span> Branch of the South African National Defence Force

The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army, who is subordinate to the Chief of the SANDF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rejimen Askar Wataniah</span> Military unit

The Rejimen Askar Wataniah is the military reserve force of the Malaysian Army.

The 28th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation which served during the First World War, the Second World War, The Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Malaya Infantry Brigade</span> Military unit

The 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade was a regular infantry brigade formed in 1939 with its headquarters in Singapore immediately after the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. The Brigade participated in the Battle of Singapore against the Japanese until the surrender of the garrison in February 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Overseas Expeditionary Force</span> Military formations of South Africa in World War I

The South African Overseas Expeditionary Force (SAOEF) was a volunteer military organisation in World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Volunteer Corps</span>

The Singapore Volunteer Corps or the Singapore Special Constabulary, was a militia unit established in 1854 as the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps. The Corps underwent several reorganisations and was known by various names throughout its history. It was renamed the People's Defence Force, the predecessor of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1965.

The Malaya Command was a formation of the British Army formed in the 1920s for the coordination of the defences of British Malaya, which comprised the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States and the Unfederated Malay States. It consisted mainly of small garrison forces in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Taiping, Seremban and Singapore.

Singapore has had an history of armed conflict and personnel dating to the colonial period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial forces of Australia</span> This page intentionally has no description

Until Australia became a Federation in 1901, each of the six colonies was responsible for its own defence. From 1788 until 1870 this was done with British regular forces. In all, 24 British infantry regiments served in the Australian colonies. Each of the Australian colonies gained responsible government between 1855 and 1890, and while the Colonial Office in London retained control of some affairs, and the colonies were still firmly within the British Empire, the Governors of the Australian colonies were required to raise their own colonial militias. To do this, the colonial Governors had the authority from the British crown to raise military and naval forces. Initially these were militias in support of British regulars, but British military support for the colonies ended in 1870, and the colonies assumed their own defence. The separate colonies maintained control over their respective militia forces and navies until 1 March 1901, when the colonial forces were all amalgamated into the Commonwealth Forces following the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia. Colonial forces, including home raised units, saw action in many of the conflicts of the British Empire during the 19th century. Members from British regiments stationed in Australia saw action in India, Afghanistan, the New Zealand Wars, the Sudan conflict, and the Boer War in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of Malaysia</span>

Malaysia's armed forces, which encompasses three major branches, originate from the formation of local military forces in the first half of the 20th century, during British colonial rule of Malaya and Singapore prior to Malaya's independence in 1957. The branches have undergone several restructuring, but fundamentally includes the army, navy and air force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Royal Malaysia Police</span>

The Royal Malaysia Police trace their existence to the Malacca Sultanate in the 1400s and developed through administration by the Portuguese, the Dutch, modernization by the British beginning in the early 1800s, and the era of Malaysian independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Colonial Auxiliary Forces</span>

The British Colonial Auxiliary Forces were the various military forces of Britain's colonial empire which were not considered part of the British Army proper.

The 2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade was a regular infantry brigade formed in 1940 with its headquarters in Singapore following the wartime expansion and reinforcement of Malaya Command. The Brigade participated in the Malayan Campaign and the Battle of Singapore against the Japanese until the surrender of the garrison in February 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monmouthshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The Monmouthshire Regiment was a Territorial infantry regiment of the British Army. Originating in units of rifle volunteers formed in Monmouthshire in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and both World War I and World War II before losing its separate identity in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">148th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

The 148th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army that served in both the First and briefly in the Second World War as part of the 49th Infantry Division and disbanded after the war.

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

The Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) is a uniformed volunteer auxiliary branch of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was established on 13 October 2014 to allow Singaporean women, first generation permanent residents and naturalised citizens, all of whom would otherwise not be subject to an obligation to serve national service, to contribute their part towards Singapore's defence. It also aims to strengthen support for national service by understanding the duties of national servicemen.

The 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group was a Commonwealth formation of the Far East Strategic Reserve, based in Malaysia from 1955 to 1971 of which elements participated in the Malayan Emergency, Indonesia Confrontation and the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth Ordnance Services in Malaya and Singapore</span>

With the adoption of the Singapore strategy in the 1920s as a key cornerstone of Imperial Defence, Singapore and Malaya became the major British bases in the East, not only to defend British possessions in Asia, but also the dominions of Australia and New Zealand, who also contributed a large portion of the construction costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps</span> Military unit

The Penang and Province Wellesley Volunteer Corps, also known as Penang Volunteer Corps and Penang Volunteer Rifle was a militia unit in Malaya. It was established on 1 March 1861 and together with Singapore Volunteer Corps and Malacca Volunteer Corps, they were a part of the Crown Colony of the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (SSVF). The Penang Volunteer Rifle was the 3rd Battalion SSVF while Singapore is 1st and 2nd Battalion SSVF and Malacca was the 4th Battalion SSVF. After the expulsion of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, the Penang Volunteer Rifle became the oldest military unit established in Malaysia.

References

  1. "33rd Newsletter March 2013" (PDF). Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association. 24 March 2013. p. 3. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. "The History of The Volunteers". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 24 August 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. "Singapore Volunteer Corps was first in Empire". The Straits Times. 1 June 1957. p. 9. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  4. Fell, Rosemary. "The Malayan Volunteer Forces". COFEPOW. Retrieved 2020-04-27.

Bibliography

  • Eternal Vigilance, the Price of Freedom; compiled by Foong Choon Hon, translated by Yuen Chen Ching; Asiapac Books, Singapore; 2006
  • Lee Geok Boi; The Syonan Years - Singapore under Japanese Rule 1942 - 1945; National Archives of Singapore; 2005