Militia of Ireland and Scotland

Act passed to enable militia to serve abroad as militia with their own officers. Three strong battalions joined the British army in France.

1816. Local militia and Ballot Act suspended.

General militia disembodied.

182o-21-25. Militia called out for training.

1831. Militiamen raised by ballot in accordance with Order in Council, 27th of December 1830. This was the last occasion on which the ballot was put in force.

In the later stages of the great French war the tendency of the government was to use the general militia rather as a reservoir producing drafts (in the end whole units) for service abroad, and the local militia as the real defensive force. After the peace of 1815 the militia was allowed practically to fall into abeyance, and although the permanent staff was maintained, it had no duties to perform. It was not until 1852, after an unsuccessful attempt to resuscitate the local militia, that the general militia of England was reorganized under a system of voluntary enlistment with the ballot in reserve, Scotland and Ireland being included in Larger powers respecting the militia were conferred upon the Crown, and during the Crimean War the queen was authorized to embody the militia whenever a state of war existed with any foreign power. In that war the militia was embodied and did gar rison duty not only in the United Kingdom but in the Mediter ranean garrisons, thus enabling the authorities to send most of the available regular troops to the scene of hostilities. It further contributed many officers and some 30,00o men to the line. Dur ing the Indian Mutiny it filled scarcely less useful functions when again called out.

In 1871 an important constitutional change was made. It was part of the new army system inaugurated in that year that the control of the militia should be removed from the lord-lieutenant of the county and vested wholly in the Crown. It now virtually ceased to exist as a distinct body, and in 1881 it became a part of the regular forces with a limitation as to the time and area and other conditions of service. Militia battalions were united with the line battalions to form "territorial" regiments. The officers, who were commissioned by the Crown, were in 1877 made subject at all times to military law. Non-commissioned officers and men were only so subject when embodied or out for training. The period of engagement was for six years, re-engagements for periods of four years up to the age of 45 being permitted. Bounties were paid to militiamen at various rates upon enlistment, conclusion of train ing, re-engagement, enlistment into reserve or special service sec tion, and other special circumstances. The annual training varied with the different branches of the service. The usual term for in fantry was 27 days, 56 days being the legal maximum. The militia depots occupied as a rule the same barracks, and officers and men wore (with slight distinctions) the same uniform as the regulars.

The militia reserve consisted of men selected from the ranks of the militia for special enlistment for service in the regular army when called upon in emergencies, in the following proportions to the establishments of the various corps : Artillery, one-third ; en gineers and infantry, one-fourth ; medical staff corps, one-half.

The term "militia" reserve was therefore a complete misnomer, and the force so called was purely an army reserve. The special service section of the militia was formed by royal warrant in 1898, and consisted of (I) militia units and (2) individual militiamen. A militia unit was considered as available for special service if not less than 75% of the officers and men present at training made a voluntary offer to engage for special service in any part of the world. Liability for service was limited to 12 months. The result of this special section was not up to 1900 satisfactory.

During and after the South African War, while militia recruit ing for the regulars showed a constant increase compared with preceding years, the strength of the militia itself decreased year after year. Its militia character had been diminishing ever since the creation of the "militia reserve" and the close affiliation of the force to the regular army. For good or evil, then, it had become in the first place a draft-producing agency, and on the reorganization of the forces of the Crown into two lines by Mr. Haldane the old "constitutional force" was frankly reorganized as a reserve for the line, enlistment and training conditions remaining somewhat sim ilar to those in vogue in the militia, but the liability for service abroad becoming the first and most important condition in the "special reservist's" enlistment.

Test of the War.

The new Special Reserve was soon to be tested highly. For the World War had hardly begun in 1914 before the casualties and the consequent demand for drafts immeasurably exceeded all calculations. While the Territorial Force and the New Armies were maintained from their own reserve sources of man-power, the requirements of the regular army were such that in the later stages of the war many of its battalions were officered entirely by officers trained in the Special Reserve. Some 67,307 officers and 1,763,253 other ranks were sent overseas as drafts to the infantry alone. The Special Reserve performed a three fold task, for besides supplying drafts it was relieving the Terri torial Force of the duty of guarding the coast and provided part of the nucleus of trained soldiers on whom the New Armies were built. In addition, six infantry battalions and thirteen R.E. companies were sent out as units.

After the war, as a concession to feeling, the time-honoured title of "The Militia" was revived, and the War Office took the step of allotting one battalion to each regular regiment and invited county authorities to recommend officers for command. But the retrenchment of expenditure caused the postponement of any action, and the militia remains a mere title in the Army List, with a few officers nominally on its strength and the solemn annual announcement that "no militia training will be carried out this year." The increasing mechanization of the army is, however, tending to reduce the need for and the suitability of such a force, and its place has to some extent been taken by the formation of a Supplementary Reserve consisting mainly of technical personnel.