The 5th Royal Lancashire Militia (5th RLM) was an auxiliary regiment raised in the county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

just before the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. It later became part of the

East Lancashire Regiment The East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, a line infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot and 59th (2nd Nott ...

. Although primarily intended for home defence, it saw two years' active service during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

. After conversion to the

Special Reserve 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 Haldane Reforms, military reforms im ...

(SR) under the

Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the ...

it supplied reinforcements to the fighting battalions during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and carried out internal security duties in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. After a shadowy postwar existence the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.

Background

The universal obligation to military service in the

Shire levy A shire levy was a means of military recruitment in medieval England and Scotland. As opposed to a levy of noble families, a shire levy was effected within a geographical administrative area (a shire), entailing the mobilisation of able-bodied men ...

was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two Acts of 1557, which placed selected men, the '

Trained Bands Trained Bands were companies of part-time militia in England and Wales. Organised by county, they were supposed to drill on a regular basis, although this was rarely the case in practice. The regular army was formed from the Trained Bands in the ev ...

', under the command of Lords Lieutenant appointed by the monarch. This is seen as the starting date for the organised county militia in England. It was an important element in the country's defence at the time of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

in the 1580s, and control of the militia was one of the areas of dispute between King Charles I and

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

that led to the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. The English Militia was re-established under local control in 1662 after the Restoration of the monarchy, and the Lancashire Militia fought in King William III's campaign in Ireland in 1690–91, and against the Jacobite Risings in

1715 Events For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...

and

1745 Events January–March * January 7 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Austrian Army, under the command of Field Marshal Károly József Batthyány, makes a surprise attack at Amberg and the winter quarters of the Bavaria ...

. However, between periods of national emergency the militia was regularly allowed to decline.Grierson, pp. 6–7.LRO, ''Handlist 72''.
/ref>Royal Lancashire Militia at Lancashire Infantry Museum.
/ref> Under threat of French invasion during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

a series of Militia Acts from 1757 reorganised the county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. In 1760 Lancashire's quota was set at 800 men in one regiment, which received the title Royal Lancashire Militia in 1761.Frederick, p. 119.Holmes, pp. 94–100. These reformed regiments were 'embodied' for permanent service in home defence until the end of the Seven Years' War and again during the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. In peacetime they assembled for 28 days' annual training. The militia were re-embodied shortly before

Revolutionary France The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

declared war on Britain on 1 February 1793.

French wars

Lancashire's militia quota set in 1760 was small in proportion to its population, which soared during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. By 1796 it represented only one man in every 43 of those eligible. But in that year an additional ballot was carried out to raise men for the 'Supplementary Militia' to reinforce the standing militia regiments and to form additional temporary regiments. Lancashire's quota was increased to five regiments, and recruitment became difficult. The 4th Royal Lancashire Supplementary Militia was raised on 18 May 1798 under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Peter Patten. The regiment may have assembled eight companies but it never reached full establishment and attempts to convert it into a permanent 5th Royal Lancashire Militia failed when the men refused to serve in Ireland.Frederick, pp. 186–7. The supplementary militia was abolished in 1799, the remaining balloted men in Lancashire being distributed to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Royal Lancashire Militia to fill vacancies.2nd–5th Royal Lancashire Militia (1st–4th Supplementary Militia) 1797–1816 at School of Mars.
/ref> During the French wars, the militia were embodied for a whole generation, and became regiments of full-time professional soldiers (though restricted to service in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

), which the regular army increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, and for internal security, such as the time of the

Luddite The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver s ...

disturbances. The three regiments of Lancashire militia were serving in Ireland during the final

Waterloo campaign The Waterloo campaign (15 June – 8 July 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North (France), Army of the North and two Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied army and a Prussian army. Initially the French army was commanded by ...

and were finally disembodied in 1816. Once again, the militia was allowed to decline in the years of the long peace that followed.

5th Royal Lancashire Militia

The long-standing

Militia of the United Kingdom The Militia of the United Kingdom were the military reserve forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Union in 1801 of the former Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland. The militia was transformed into the Speci ...

was revived by the Militia Act of 1852, enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on a county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the militia ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then for 21–28 days per year, during which the men received full army pay. Under the Act, militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time service in three circumstances:Dunlop, pp. 42–52. * 1. 'Whenever a state of war exists between Her Majesty and any foreign power'. * 2. 'In all cases of invasion or upon imminent danger thereof'. * 3. 'In all cases of rebellion or insurrection'. With the threat of war against Russia, the three Lancashire regiments were ordered to recruit up to their full establishment of 1200 men. Additional infantry and artillery militia regiments were also formed in Lancashire at this time including the 5th Royal Lancashire Militia (5th RLM) raised at

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

on 22 March 1853 under the command of

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Commandant

Charles Towneley Charles Townley FRS (1 October 1737 – 3 January 1805) was a wealthy English country gentleman, antiquary and collector, a member of the Towneley family. He travelled on three Grand Tours to Italy, buying antique sculpture, vases, coins, manu ...

Towneley Hall Towneley Park is owned and managed by Burnley Borough Council and is the largest and most popular park in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The main entrance to the park is within a mile of the town centre and the park extends to the south east, cov ...

(commissioned on 16 March 1853), with his brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

as one of the

majors Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying ...

.''Hart's'', various dates.Hay, pp. 331–3.Parkyn.
/ref> Soon there were seven militia infantry regiments in Lancashire, each with a defined recruiting area after 1855: the 5th at Burnley also recruited from

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

Colne Colne () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. Located northeast of Nelson, north-east of Burnley, east of Preston and west of Leeds. The town should not be confused with the unrelated Colne Val ...

, Middleton,

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

and Rossendale.

Crimean War

The 5th RLM had already been embodied on 6 March 1854 before war broke out with Russia in 1854. An expeditionary force having been sent to the Crimea, the militia were required for home defence and service in overseas garrisons. From May 1855 the 5th RLM did duty at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

and then crossed to

, where it served at

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and then

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

. It was disembodied on 1 May 1856. Thereafter the militia regularly carried out their peacetime annual training. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war.Spiers, ''Late Victorian Army'', pp. 97, 102, 126–7. Charles Towneley retired from command of the 5th RLM on 23 March 1863, when he was appointed Honorary Colonel and his brother John succeeded him as Lt-Col.''Army List'', various dates.

Cardwell reforms

Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the

Cardwell Reforms 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 ...

of 1872, Militia regiments were brigaded with regular and Volunteer battalions in a regimental district sharing a permanent depot at a suitable county town. Seven double-battalion or paired single-battalion regular regiments were assigned to Lancashire, and each was linked with one of the militia regiments. The militia now came under the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

rather than their county lords lieutenant, and officers' commissions were signed by the Queen. The 5th RLM was linked with the 30th (Cambridgeshire) and 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiments of Foot in Sub-District No 15 (Lancashire), with the depot at

Burnley Barracks Burnley Barracks was a military installation at Burnley in Lancashire, England. Built for cavalry, but later used for infantry and storage, military activities at the barracks declined in the late 19th century. Background The time of the French ...

. It was intended for the 5th RLM to raise its own 2nd Battalion, but this never happened. Although often referred to as brigades, the regimental districts were purely administrative organisations, but in a continuation of the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the ''Army List'' from December 1875. This assigned regular and militia units to places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for the 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The 5th, 6th and 7th Royal Lancashire Militia formed 2nd Brigade of 3rd Division,

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Ar ...

Melrose, Scottish Borders Melrose ( gd, Maolros, "bald moor") is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It lies within the Eildon committee area of Scottish Borders Council. History The original Melrose was ''Mailros'', mean ...

3rd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment

The

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation was ...

completed the Cardwell process by incorporating the militia battalions into the expanded county regiments. On 1 July 1881 the 30th and 59th Foot became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the

at Burnley with the 5th Royal Lancashire Militia as its 3rd Battalion. In 1898 the East Lancashires gave up Burnley Barracks and moved to

Fulwood Barracks Fulwood Barracks is a military installation at Fulwood in Preston, Lancashire, England. History The barracks were built between 1842 and 1848 as a base, initially at least, for the 2nd Battalion 60th Rifles following the chartist riots. In 186 ...

at Preston, which ist shared with the

Loyal North Lancashire Regiment The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) (until 1921 known as the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Lancashire Reg ...

. Militia battalions now had a large

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

of permanent staff (about 30). Around a third of the recruits and many young officers went on to join the Regular Army.

Second Boer War

After the disasters of

Black Week Black Week refers to the week of 10–17 December 1899 during the Second Boer War, when the British Army suffered three devastating defeats by the Boer Republics at the battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso. In total, 2,776 British ...

at the start of the

in December 1899, most of the regular army was sent to South Africa, followed by many militia reservists as reinforcements. Militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and a number volunteered for active service or to garrison overseas stations. The 3rd East Lancashires were embodied on 24 January 1900 and briefly did duty at

The Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the f ...

outside Dublin. Having volunteered for overseas service, the battalion embarked for South Africa on 16 February 1900 with a strength of 26 officers and 674 other ranks (ORs) under the command of Maj Richard Milne-Redhead (later promoted with effect from that date). After arriving at

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

on 13 March the battalion was stationed for six weeks at

De Aar De Aar is a town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It has a population of around 42,000 inhabitants. It is the second-most important railway junction in the country, situated on the line between Cape Town and Kimberley. The junctio ...

and then sent to

Norvalspont Norvalspont is a small town in Pixley ka Seme District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The name is Afrikaans for ''Norval’s ferry'', and named after an enterprising Scot who constructed a ferry here in 1848. The sett ...

. Lieutenant-Col Milne-Redhead then returned to England for a while and Lt-Col John Parker took over command. On 27 April the battalion was ordered to march without its heavy baggage to

Edenburg Edenburg is a town situated about south of Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. , it had a population of 14,566. Background Edenburg was proclaimed a town in 1863 and received municipal government in 1891. The town is 85 ...

, but ''en route'' its destination was changed to Glen, north of

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State (province), Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legisla ...

and the battalion found itself ahead of the main body of the army. Two companies escorted artillery to Karree, the most forward point held. On 16 May the battalion was ordered to

Brandfort Brandfort, officially renamed Winnie Mandela in 2021, is a small agricultural town in the central Free State province of South Africa, about 60 km northeast of Bloemfontein on the R30 road. The town serves the surrounding farms for supplies ...

, leaving two companies at Glen and two at Karree. Sickness had set in at De Aar and now many of the men were down with

Enteric fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...

, while some casualties were suffered from Boer sniping during June. In August the battalion was reinforced by a 100-man draft of recruits considered too young to join their line battalions; these stayed with 3rd East Lancs until January 1902. On 22 August Lt-Col Milne-Redhead resumed command and shortly afterwards the battalion was ordered to provide a company garrison at Eensgevonden and to send 200 men to reinforce that at

Vet River The Vet River ( af, Vetrivier) is a westward-flowing tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. Its sources are between Marquard and Clocolan and the Vet River flows roughly northwestwards to meet the Vaal at the Bloemhof Dam near Hoopsta ...

. On 11 September a force of 1500 Boers was detected trying to cross the railway line, and the 3rd East Lancs provided strong posts between Brandfort and Allemans Siding, where a force (including a detachment of 3rd East Lancs) was waiting for them. However, the Boers turned away, crossing the railway elsewhere, though losing their baggage in the process. By 30 September the battalion was distributed along of railway between Smaldeel and Glen. In January 1901 the companies were redistributed and the battalion formed

Mounted infantry Mounted infantry were infantry who rode horses instead of marching. The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry. According to the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', "Mounted rifles are half cavalry, mounted infantry merely specially m ...

(MI) sections for scouting and clearing the farms. A gun detachment was trained to man a captured

Krupp gun The Krupp gun is a family of artillery pieces that was used by several world armies from the nineteenth century onwards. History In 1811, Friedrich Krupp founded his cast-steel factory ''Gusstahlfabrik'', but it was his son, Alfred Krupp, who atta ...

at Smaldeel. The post at Houtenbeck was attacked on 20 February but the Boers were driven off. On 21 April a post on the

Winburg Winburg is a small mixed farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. It is the oldest proclaimed town (1837) in the Orange Free State, South Africa and thus along with Griquastad, one of the oldest settlements in South Africa lo ...

railway held by

Lance-Sergeant Lance sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) is an appointment in the armies of the Commonwealth and formerly also a rank in the United States Army. Commonwealth Lance-sergeant in the armies of the Commonwealth was an appointment given to a corporal so they c ...

T. Wilson with eight men was attacked for five hours before the Boers withdrew. In June the battalion, with headquarters at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, occupied a chain of

blockhouses A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

that had been built between Smaldeel and Riets Spruit, and the men were continuously in action against small parties of Boers trying either to cross or to damage the railway. On 16 August Lt-Col Milne-Redhead returned to England and Lt-Col Parker took over command. The battalion moved to Smaldeel on 28 January 1902, where it entrained for Cape Town on 20 February. It embarked for England on 1 March and on arrival was disembodied on 25 March 1902. During its two-year tour of duty the battalion lost 50 ORs killed or died of disease. It was granted the

Battle Honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

South Africa 1900–02 and the participants received the

Queen's South Africa Medal The Queen's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British and Colonial military personnel, and to civilians employed in an official capacity, who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Altogether twenty-six clasps wer ...

with clasps for 'Cape Colony' and 'Orange Free State', and the

King's South Africa Medal The King's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to all British and Colonial military personnel who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa, and who were in the theatre on or after 1 January 1902 and who had completed 18 m ...

with clasps for 'South Africa 1901' and 'South Africa 1902'. Lieutenant-Col Milne-Redhead received a CMG.

Special Reserve

After the Boer War, the future of the Militia was called into question. There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia,

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army, British Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve, descended from volunteer British Cavalry, cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of ...

and

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

) to take their place in the six army corps proposed by

St John Brodrick William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl of Midleton, KP, PC, DL (14 December 185613 February 1942), styled as St John Brodrick until 1907 and as Viscount Midleton between 1907 and 1920, was a British Conservative and Irish Unionist Alli ...

Secretary of State for War The Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The Secretary of State for War headed the War Office and ...

. However, little of Brodrick's scheme was carried out. Under the sweeping

of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the

, a semi-professional force similar to the previous Militia Reserve, whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for regular units serving overseas in wartime.Frederick, pp. vi–vii. The battalion became the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, on 27 July 1908.

World War I

The Special Reserve was mobilised on the outbreak of

on 4 August 1914. 3rd Battalion, East Lancashire, embodied at Preston under the command of Lt-Col C.J. Lloyd-Carson (CO since 9 June 1914) and on 8 August proceeded to its war station at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

. It carried out the dual tasks of garrison duties and preparing reinforcement drafts of regular reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the two regular battalions serving on the Western Front. In October and November 1914 the 3rd Bn probably also assisted in the formation of 10th (Reserve) Battalion, East Lancashires, at Plymouth from

Kitchener's Army The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, as Kitchener's Mob, was an (initially) all-volunteer portion of the British Army formed in the United Kingdom from 1914 onwards following the outbreak of hostilities in the Fi ...

volunteers. On 1 June 1917 the 3rd Bn moved for the summer to

Saltburn-by-the-Sea Saltburn-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Saltburn, is a seaside town in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England, around south-east of Hartlepool and southeast of Redcar. It lies within the historic boundaries of the North Ridi ...

and

Marske-by-the-Sea Marske-by-the-Sea is a village in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the coast, between the seaside resorts of Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea, although it is not ...

in the Tees Garrison; it remained at Saltburn until the end of the war. However, after the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

the battalion went to Ireland and in 1919 it was stationed in

Buttevant Buttevant ( or ''Ecclesia Tumulorum'' in the Latin) is a medieval market town, incorporated by charter of Edward III of England, Edward III, situated in North County Cork, Ireland. While there may be reason to suggest that the town may occup ...

carrying out duties in support of the civil power during the Partition crisis. The battalion was disembodied on 7 August 1919, when the remaining personnel were drafted to the 2nd Bn.

Postwar

The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 and then became the Supplementary Reserve in 1924, but almost all militia battalions remained in abeyance after World War I. Until 1939 they continued to appear in the ''Army List'', but they were not activated during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and were all formally disbanded in April 1953.

Commanders

The following served as commanding officer of the regiment: * Lt-Col Comdt

, appointed 16 March 1853, retired 23 March 1863 * Lt-Col John Towneley, promoted 23 March 1863 * Lt-Col J.H. Thursby, former lieutenant in the 90th Foot, appointed 23 November 1870 * Lt-Col Le Gendre Starkie, formerly 2nd RLM, promoted 3 September 1879 * Lt-Col John Erdeswick Butler-Bowdon, promoted 19 December 1891, resigned 28 March 1900''London Gazette'', 27 March 1900.
/ref> * Lt-Col Richard Milne-Redhead, promoted wef 16 February 1900, retired October 1901 * Lt-Col John Parker, retired regular major, appointed 11 October 1901 * Lt-Col C.J. Lloyd-Carson, promoted 9 June 1914 The following served as Honorary Colonel: * Charles Towneley, former CO, appointed 23 March 1863 * John Towneley, former CO, appointed 6 December 1876 * Sir John Thursby, 1st Baronet, former CO, appointed 30 July 1879 * Col John Erdeswick Butler-Bowdon, former CO, appointed 28 June 1908

Uniforms & Insignia

The uniform of the Royal Lancashire Militia was scarlet with the blue

facings A facing colour is a common tailoring technique for European military uniforms where the visible inside lining of a standard military jacket, coat or tunic is of a different colour to that of the garment itself.René Chartrand, William Younghusba ...

appropriate to 'Royal' regiments. The ORs' jackets of the short-lived 4th Supplementary Militia of 1798–99 was the same as that of 'Old Lancaster ' (''ie'' the 1st Royal Lancashire Militia), but no badge or button designs are recorded for this short-lived regiment. The badge of the 5th RLM formed in 1853 was the

Red Rose of Lancaster The Red Rose of Lancaster (blazoned: ''a rose gules'') was the heraldic badge adopted by the royal House of Lancaster in the 14th century. In modern times it symbolises the county of Lancashire. The exact species or cultivar which it represents i ...

; on the buttons it was displayed beneath a crown and within a spray of palm leaves. When the 5th RLM joined the East Lancashires in 1881, it adopted that regiment's white facings and insignia.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. *

Sir John Fortescue John Fortescue may refer to: * Sir John Fortescue (judge) (c. 1394–1479), English lawyer and judge, MP for Tavistock, Totnes, Plympton Erle and Wiltshire * Sir John Fortescue of Salden (1531/1533–1607), third Chancellor of the Exchequer of Eng ...

, ''A History of the British Army'', Vol I, 2nd Edn, London: Macmillan, 1910. * Sir John Fortescue, ''A History of the British Army'', Vol II, London: Macmillan, 1899. * Sir John Fortescue, ''A History of the British Army'', Vol III, 2nd Edn, London: Macmillan, 1911. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * H.G. Hart, ''The New Annual Army List, and Militia List'' (various dates from 1840).
Col George Jackson Hay, ''An Epitomized History of the Militia (The Constitutional Force)'', London:United Service Gazette, 1905/Ray Westlake Military Books, 1987
ISBN 0-9508530-7-0. * Richard Holmes, ''Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors'', London: HarperPress, 2011, . * Lt-Col James Moncrieff Grierson (Col Peter S. Walton, ed.), ''Scarlet into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War'', London: Sampson Low, 1899/London: Greenhill, 1988, . * Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: Samson Books, 1978/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, . * Roger Knight, ''Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization of Victory 1793–1815', London: Allen Lane, 2013/Penguin, 2014, .
H.G. Parkyn, 'English Militia Regiments 1757–1935: Their Badges and Buttons', ''Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research'', Vol 15, No 60 (Winter 1936), pp. 216–248.
* Edward M. Spiers, ''The Army and Society 1815–1914'', London: Longmans, 1980, . * Edward M. Spiers, ''The Late Victorian Army 1868–1902'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992/Sandpiper Books, 1999, {{ISBN, 0-7190-2659-8.
Maj R.J.T. Williamson & Col J. Lawson Whalley, ''History of the Old County Regiment of Lancashire Militia'', London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1888.

External sources

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, Lancashire Infantry Museum

Lancashire Record Office, ''Handlist 72''

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''

Richard A. Warren, ''This Re-illuminated School of Mars: Auxiliary forces and other aspects of Albion under Arms in the Great War against France''

Towneley Hall Society
Lancashire Militia

Military units and formations in Lancashire Military units and formations in Burnley Military units and formations established in 1853 Military units and formations disestablished in 1881