Militia And Volunteers

Volunteers - Local Links

Private in Marching Order and Field Officer in Review Order, 1899.

It is not easy to trace the lineage of these Volunteer Corps through to modern times. The 2^nd Surrey Rifle Volunteer Corps (part of the administrative 1^st Battalion) initially drew its recruits from the Croydon, Crystal Palace and Caterham areas and became The 1^st Volunteer Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment in 1883. (In 1900 Volunteers served with the regular 2^nd Battalion in South Africa.) It was redesignated The 4^th Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment in 1908. In the same year, the 5^th Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment was formed; this sprang from the 3^rd Administrative Battalion and its soldiers came from Guildford, Reigate, Dorking, Godstone and Farnham. The other related Volunteer Corps also changed their titles in 1908. The 2^nd Administrative Battalion eventually became The 6^th Battalion The East Surrey Regiment and other Corps became the 21^st (1^st Surrey Rifles), 23^rd, and 24^th (County of London) Battalions of The London Regiment and The 5^th Battalion The East Surrey Regiment. This lineage is difficult to follow and numbers and names were to change again in later years; however, their territorial connections remained as strong and important as ever throughout their history.

Private from the same Corps. He is armed with the Martini-Henry Rifle. The Sergeant has a sword Bayonet.

Further Changes

From 1872, the Militia and the Volunteers were collectively called “The Auxiliary Forces” and in the following year, the period of service in the Militia and Reserve was extended from five to six years and thereafter annually for a month. In 1873, a closer bond was made between the Regular Forces and the Auxiliary Forces; Infantry regional sub-districts were assigned for recruiting purposes, two regular battalions, two militia battalions and the local volunteers. In 1881, the 1^st Royal Surrey Militia became The 3^rd Battalion The East Surrey Regiment, The 2^nd Royal Surrey Militia became The 3^rd Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment and the 3^rd Royal Surrey Militia became The 4^th Battalion The East Surrey Regiment.

In 1908, the title “Militia” finally disappeared, though some exceptions to this ruling still exist in the Army today. In 1907, the Volunteers became the Territorial Force and gained related battalion titles in 1908, while the Militia was transferred to The Special Reserve. During the First World War practically all of the reinforcements for the regular 1^st and 2^nd Battalions were drawn from the 3^rd (former Militia) Battalions, then styled “The Special Reserve”. In 1921, it was decided that one Militia battalion should be maintained for each regiment of regular infantry and the Territorial Force became the Territorial Army.

 

 

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