#territorial army

[theworldatwar]

Men from the 8th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers (Territorial Army) take a break from a training exercise - England 1939. They would later form part of first, the LDV (Local Defence Volunteers) and finally from 1940, the Home Guard

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“What To Wear While Manning A Bren Gun,” Toronto Star. April 25, 1939. Page 1. ---- Topper and all, a ‘city man’ pauses in his lunch hour stroll before London’s Mansion house, home of the lord mayor, for a quick course of instruction in operating a Bren machine-gun. The demonstrator is a member of the Territorials, who use stunts like this for recruiting.

[historicalfirearms]

The London Cyclists 

This recruitment poster, painted by artist Ernest Ibbetson in 1912, for the 25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion of the London Regiment. Formed in 1888, as a Territorial Army battalion, the 25th Cyclist Battalion became part of the London Regiment in 1908 with the reorganisation of the Territorial Force. 

The poster depicts the advanced party of a company from the battalion, with three men dismounted and advancing while firing and reloading. The scene behind them is depicted as a quintessential British village. The poster calls for “A Few Smart Men Wanted” to join the battalion, it advises them to visit the battalion headquarters to enquire. 

The cyclists are pictured armed with Charger Loading Lee-Enfields loading from leather ammunition pouches. It’s also interesting to note the men are wearing spats rather than puttees and the soldier in the foreground has three Volunteer ‘Efficient Service’ stars on his cuff, such is Ibbetson’s attention to detail. The poster appeals to the ideal of volunteer soldiers protecting an idealised vision of their homeland. By the outbreak of war in 1914, the British Territorial Force and the Special Reserve had grown to ~470,000 reservists. The battalion was finally disbanded in 1922.

Source

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[historicalfirearms]

Home Service Force

The Home Service Force (HSF) is a little known volunteer defence force, similar to the Home Guard established during the Second World War, formed from British military veterans during the 1980s. The first HSF units were stood up in September 1982, these trial units proved popular and the force was rapidly expanded. 

Established in during a phase of a deterioration in relations between the Soviet Union and the West, the HSF was intended to defend key points and installations against potential enemy sabotage or special forces raids in the event of war with the Communist Bloc. 

The force expanded in 1985 with dozens of regional units being established, each attached to an associated parent battalion or regiment for logistic and administration purposes. (A full list of these can be found here.) By the late 1980s the HSF had reached 5,000 strong. HSF units were frequently based at local Territorial Army (TA) Centres, which themselves were affiliated to parent units.

The men enlisted for a four year period and trained for two drill nights per month and eight weekends per year with additional training exercises with regular units. In these exercises the HSF units regularly excelled. To join the HSF applicants required a minimum of two years service in any branch of the British military, including Cadet Forces instructors. The initial age limit was 50 but this was later raised to 60. As a result many members of the HSF were seasoned veterans of numerous conflicts including Korea, Malaya, Kenya, Aden, Northern Ireland and the Falklands. 

The HSF platoons were equiped much as a regular British Army platoon of the day was with L1A1 SLRs, L4 Bren guns and L7 GPMGs. Later some were also issued with new L85A1s. The HSF platoons did not have their own regimental insignia and wore the caps and badges of their affiliated regular parent unit. It was not until the HSF was disbanded that they were later granted a unit crest, a dagger through the letters ‘HSF’, for the Home Service Force Association.

After a decade and the end of the Cold War, the decision was taken to disband the Home Service Force in 1992, with the last units standing down in 1993. 

Sources:

Images: 1 2 3 

‘History Of The Home Service Force‘, HSF Association, (source)

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[majorkalshiclasses88]

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[rohandhhirya]

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[aakhirtak]

Two Army Jawans Kidnapped in Anantnag, One Escapes

Two Army Jawans Kidnapped in Anantnag, One Escapes with Gunshot Wounds In Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, an Indian Army soldier was kidnapped by terrorists in the early hours of Wednesday, October 9. Senior army officials reported that two soldiers, belonging to the 161 unit of the Territorial Army, were abducted from a forest area during an anti-terror operation launched on October 8.…

Two Army Jawans Kidnapped in Anantnag, One Escapes

[sarkaaribharti]

Territorial Army Explained 2023 : भारतीय सेना में पार्ट-टाइम सैनिक कैसे बनें 2023

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