The Royal Westminster Militia, later the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, was an auxiliary regiment raised in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a city and borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of central Greater London, including most of the West En ...

in the suburbs of London. Descended from the Westminster Trained Bands, which were on duty during the Armada campaign of 1588 and saw considerable service during 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 r ...

, the regiment underwent reorganisation in 1760 as part of the

Middlesex Militia The Middlesex Militia was an auxiliary military force in the county of Middlesex in South East England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands, in 1572 and their service during the Armada Crisis and in the English Civil War, the Militia ...

. From 1778 until 1918 the regiment served in home and colonial defence in all of Britain's major wars, and supplied thousands of reinforcements to the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. 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 me ...

was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two Acts of 1557, which placed the militia under the command of county Lords Lieutenant appointed by the monarch. This is seen as the starting date for the organised county militia in England. Although the militia obligation was universal, it was clearly impractical to train and equip every able-bodied man, so after 1572 the practice was to select only a proportion of men for the, who were mustered for regular drills.Grierson, pp. 6–7.

Trained Bands

Although the

was in the county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, its Trained Bands were listed among the 'Out-Liberties' of London. During the Armada crisis of 1588, Westminster and the other suburban parishes such as

St Giles-in-the-Fields St Giles in the Fields is the Anglican parish church of the St Giles district of London. It stands within the London Borough of Camden and belongs to the Diocese of London. The church, named for St Giles the Hermit, began as a monastery and ...

and

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the mediev ...

mustered a company consisting of 150

pikemen A pike is a very long thrusting spear formerly used in European warfare from the Late Middle Ages and most of the Early Modern Period, and were wielded by foot soldiers deployed in pike square formation, until it was largely replaced by bayon ...

and 300

caliver An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

men. During the

Westminster and the suburban parishes of Middlesex were included within the defences dug round London, and from 1643 their Trained Bands came under the London Militia Committee rather than the Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. The Westminster Liberty Regiment (also known as the 'Westminster Red Regiment') operated alongside the

London Trained Bands The London Trained Bands (LTBs) were a part-time military force in the City of London from 1559 until they were reconstituted as conventional Militia regiments in 1794. They were periodically embodied for home defence, for example in the army must ...

(LTBs), and like the City of London regiments raised an Auxiliary regiment to share the duties. The two Westminster regiments saw action during the cvil war at the

Siege of Basing House The siege of Basing House near Basingstoke in Hampshire, was a Parliamentarian victory late in the First English Civil War. Whereas the title of the event may suggest a single siege, there were in fact three major engagements. John Paulet ...

and the battles of

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

, Cropredy Bidge and Second Newbury.Westminster Liberty Rgt at BCW Project.
/ref>Westminster Auxiliary Rgt at BCW Project.
/ref>

Restoration Militia

After the Restoration of the Monarchy, the English Militia was re-established by the Militia Act of 1661 under the control of the king's lords-lieutenant, the men to be selected by ballot. This was popularly seen as the 'Constitutional Force' to counterbalance a 'Standing Army' tainted by association with the

New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...

that had supported

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

's military dictatorship, and almost the whole burden of home defence and internal security was entrusted to the militia.Holmes, pp. 94–100. Under Charles II the

Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex. From 1794 to 1965, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Middlesex. The office was abolished on 1 April 1965, with the creation of Greater London and the post of L ...

was always a professional soldier, first

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle JP KG PC (6 December 1608 – 3 January 1670) was an English soldier, who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support was cru ...

, later the 1st Earl of Craven (who was the son of a Lord Mayor of London). In times of national emergency when the king was absent from London (for example in 1682), Craven was made lieutenant-general of all the forces in London and Westminster. During the Popish Plot crisis in 1678, the militia were mobilised to guard London, Westminster, Southwark and the suburbs. Middlesex had three regiments including the Red Regiment of Westminster. In 1697 it was commanded by

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 ...

the Hon Philip Howard, former MP for

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, and consisted of 1400 men in 10 companies together with the Westminster Troop of Horse Militia under

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Anthony Rowe (actually two

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

s, with 46 an 101 men respectively). Although most of the militia declined after the

Peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne of ...

in 1713, the London Trained Bands remained fully active, and the Westminster units continued to appear at least as late as 1728 (the colonel in 1722 was Robert Gardiner).Linney-Drouet.
/ref>

1757 reforms

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 re-established county militia regiments, the men being conscripted by means of parish ballots (paid substitutes were permitted) to serve for three years. There was a property qualification for officers, who were commissioned by the lord lieutenant. An

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

and

drill sergeants A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia A ...

were to be provided to each regiment from the Regular Army, and arms and accoutrements would be supplied when the county had secured 60 per cent of its quota of recruits.Holmes, pp. 94–100. Middlesex was given a quota of 1600 men to raise,Western, Appendices A & B. but failed to do so – possibly because the Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex, the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...

, was

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

, who had opposed the Militia Acts. A patriotic ballad of the time declared:

All over the land they'll find such a stand,
From our English Militia Men ready at hand,
Though in Sussex and Middlesex folks are but fiddlesticks,
While an old fiddlestick has the command

(the 'old fiddlestick' was Newcastle, who was also powerful in Sussex). Claiming insufficient numbers of qualified officers, Newcastle suspended the execution of the Act in Middlesex for two years. However, opinion in the county shifted and in July 1760, the lieutenancy began forming three regiments (Eastern, Western and Westminster) and the arms and accoutrements were supplied from the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

on 7 and 12 August However, by then the war was going in Britain's favour and the threat of invasion had lifted: no further militia were required, and the Middlesex regiments were not actually embodied before the war ended in 1762. Parliament did however provide the money to continue training the militia in peacetime (two periods of 14 days or one period of 28 days each year).Frederick, p. 284.Parkyn.
/ref>

War of American Independence

The militia were called out in 1778 after the outbreak of 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 ...

, when the country was threatened with invasion by the Americans' allies, France and Spain. The three regiments of Middlesex Militia were embodied for the first time on 31 March 1778, the Westminsters mustered at

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

. On mobilisation the inspecting general reported that the officers of the Westminsters were few and poor. In 1779 they were described as 'mostly old and apparently ignorant: during parade they fell to the rear and left it to the sergeants to give orders'. The Peace of Paris ended the war in 1783, but the militia had already been disembodied in 1782. From 1784 to 1792 the militia were assembled for their 28 days' annual peacetime training, but to save money only two-thirds of the men were actually mustered each year.Davis, p. 112. By 1788, Thomas Sockwell had 30 years' service with the Westminster Regiment and had risen to the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. He was now the commanding officer, because both the colonel and

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. ...

had died. At their 1791 muster the Westminsters were described as 'the refuse of London' and 'little books' of seditious literature were circulating among them, while the officers were little better than the men.

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

The militia was already being embodied when

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. The

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted French First Republic, France against Ki ...

saw a new phase for the English militia: they 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, while their traditional local defence duties were taken over by the

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 ...

and mounted

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 ...

. The Westminster Regiment was 'ordered into actual service' (embodied) in 1793. The colonel,

John Fenton-Cawthorne John Fenton-Cawthorne (5 January 1753 – 1 March 1831) was a British Conservative politician, who served as MP for Lincoln between 1783 and 1796 and as MP for Lancaster for four terms in the early 19th century. Fenton-Cawthorne was born in 1 ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

, was later accused of withholding the 'Marching Guineas' he had received from the paymaster to the forces – the sum of 21 shillings to be paid through the company commanders to every militiaman on embodiment for his clothing and kit other than the basic uniform. The men complained to higher authority, and when the regiment was part of the force camped at

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

in October, the camp commander, Maj-Gen Francis Lascelles, was ordered to investigate. Cawthorne was ordered to pay the money he had received, but did nothing. He was also accused of taking money (usually £10) from balloted men in order to find substitutes, but paying a smaller bounty to the men he actually enlisted (some of whom had already deserted from the regiment before) and pocketing the difference. At the following summer's camp, at

Lydd Lydd is a town and electoral ward in Kent, England, lying on Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger settlements on the marsh, and the most southerly town in Kent. Lydd reached the height of its prosperity during the 13th century, when it was a co ...

in 1794, he forced men to pay for replacement clothing they did not need. The men complained again in September, and by November Gen

Sir William Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB PC (10 August 172912 July 1814) was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three bro ...

and Lt-Gen Lascelles again ordered Cawthorne to pay the Marching Guineas, without effect. While in camp near

Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * T ...

in the summer of 1795 he was found to be submitting 'false musters' (including on the roll the names of men who were not in the regiment, in order to pocket their pay). He was also found to have submitted the names of under-age boys to the county lieutenancy for commissions as ensigns; the boys were too young to do duty, and again Cawthorne was accused of pocketing the pay and allowances. He was brought before a

Court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

at Horse Guards in January 1796. The court consisted of 15 senior militia officers under the presidency of the

Earl of Powis Earl of Powis (Powys) is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 in favour of William Herbert, 3rd Baron Powis, a descendant of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c. 1501–15 ...

, colonel of the Montgomeryshire Militia. After a long and widely reported trial, the court found him guilty on seven of the 14 charges laid against him, and ordered him to be cashiered from the service. He was also expelled from Parliament as a result of the scandal (though he returned some years later). Fenton-Cawthorne was replaced as colonel of the regiment by James Clitherow, appointed on 25 July 1796. Middlesex was one of the 'black spots' for militia recruitment. In a fresh attempt to have as many men as possible under arms for home defence in order to release regulars, the Government created the Supplementary Militia, a compulsory levy of men to be trained in their spare time, to be incorporated in the Militia in emergency and to keep up the numbers. Middlesex's 's quota was fixed at 5820 men, the suburban subdivisions of Westminster, Holborn and Finsbury providing 4987. But in 1799 the Westminster Regiment was 745 men short of it establishment.Hay, pp. 150–52. The war ended with the

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on perio ...

in March 1802 and all the militia were stood down. However, the Peace of Amiens was shortlived and the regiments, whose training commitment had been increased from 21 to 28 days a year, were called out again in 1803.Hay, p. 148. In 1804 the Middlesex Militia were awarded the prefix 'Royal', the regiment becoming the Royal Westminster, or 3rd Middlesex Militia on 23 April.Hay, pp. 256–7.3rd Middlesex Militia at Regiments.org.
/ref> Legislation passed in 1798 and 1811 permitted English militia regiments to serve in Ireland for two years, During the French wars, the Westminster Militia served in England, Ireland, Scotland and

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

.Sleigh, p. 95.

Long peace

The militia was disembodied at the end of the Napoleonic War but most of it had to be embodied again in June 1815 during the short

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 ...

. Thereafter there was another long peace. Although officers continued to be commissioned into the militia and ballots were still held during the long peace after the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

, the regiments were rarely assembled for training and the permanent staffs of sergeants and drummers were progressively reduced. In 1840 the Royal Westminsters were still commanded by Col Clitherow, with Regimental Headquarters (HQ) at Brentford. Viscount Chelsea took over the colonelcy on 6 December 1841.

1852 reforms

The Militia 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 home defence service in three circumstances:Dunlop, pp. 42–5. * 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'. The existing militia regiments were reorganised, with most of the old officers and permanent staff pensioned off and replaced, and annual training was resumed. By now Regimental HQ was at

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

, moving to Turnham Green from 1855.''Army List'', various dates. In 1853 the Middlesex Militia were reorganised from three into five regiments, and the Westminsters were designated the 3rd or Royal Westminster Middlesex (Light Infantry) Militia.

Crimean War

War having broken out with Russia in 1854 and an expeditionary force sent to the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, the militia began to be called out for home defence. The Royal Westminsters were embodied on 6 February 1855 and the regiment was initially stationed at Turnham Green, moving to Plymouth by beginning of July It then volunteered for garrison duty overseas and was sent to

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

by October. There it was stationed at the

Citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

, and later on the island of

Vido Vido ( el, Βίδο) is an island of the Ionian Islands group of Greece. It is a small island (less than a kilometer in diameter) at the mouth of the port of Corfu. History The island was known to the ancients as Ptychia ( grc, Πτυχία ...

. The regiment embarked for home in June 1856 and was disembodied on 18 July 1856. For this service it was awarded 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 ...

Mediterranean.Leslie, p. 52. Thereafter the militia regiments were called out for their annual training. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war. Viscount Chelsea succeeded his father as the 4th Earl Cadogan in 1864, and the following year became the regiment's Honorary Colonel, but by now his eldest son George Cadogan, Viscount Chelsea was one of the majors. In September 1871 the British Army held Autumn Manoeuvres for the first time. 3rd Division was made up of militia regiments, the Royal Westminsters under the command of Lt-Col Terry serving in 3rd Brigade along with the 3rd Royal Surrey Militia and the 1st Tower Hamlets Militia (the 1st and 2nd Middlesex were in 1st Brigade, the 5th in 2nd Brigade). The regiments camped in the Aldershot area and were exercised round

Frensham Frensham is a village in Surrey, England, next to the A287 road, WSW of Guildford, the county town. Frensham lies on the right bank of the River Wey (south branch), only navigable to canoes, shortly before its convergence with the north branc ...

and

Chobham Common Chobham Common is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Chobham in Surrey. It is a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I and a national nature reserve. It is part of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area and t ...

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 their local regular and Volunteer battalions – for the Royal Westminsters this was with the 7th Foot (the

) in Sub-District No 49 (Middlesex & Metropolitan), along with the 4th Middlesex Militia and the 9th (Marylebone and West Middlesex), 40th (Central London Rifle Rangers) and 46th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers. 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.''Army List'', various dates.Spiers, ''Late Victorian Army'', pp. 126–7. Although often referred to as brigades, the sub-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 Royal Westminsters together with the 1st Royal East and 2nd Middlesex Militia constituted the 2nd Brigade of 3rd Division in

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

. The brigade would have mustered at

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

in time of war. Between 1877 and 1880 the Royal Westminsters moved their HQ from Turnham Green to the brigade depot at

Hounslow Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in Gr ...

, joining the other Regular and Militia battalions.

Royal Fusiliers

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 ...

of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, with the militia formally joining their linked regiments and the regiment became the 3rd (Royal Westminster Militia) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers on 1 July 1881 (the

Royal London Militia The Royal London Militia was an auxiliary regiment organised in the City of London during the French Revolutionary War from the former London Trained Bands. It later became part of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). After conversion to ...

became the 4th Bn and the 4th Middlesex Militia became the 5th Bn). At the same time the Royal Fusiliers took the subtitle 'City of London Regiment' 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. The 3rd Bn Royal Fusiliers was embodied from 9 March to 30 September 1885 during the Panjdeh Crisis. During the late 1890s several regiments recruiting from large conurbations, including the Royal Fusiliers in London and its suburbs, were increased from two to four regular battalions. The regiment was ordered to raise two additional battalions (numbered 3rd and 4th) in April 1898, and as a result the militia battalions were renumbered, the Royal Westminsters becoming 5th (Royal Westminster Militia) Battalion.

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

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 ...

in December 1899, most of the Regular Army was sent to South Africa, and many militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and to garrison certain overseas stations. The 5th Royal Fusiliers was embodied from 18 December 1899 to16 October 1900. It was embodied again on 6 May 1901 and volunteered for overseas service. The battalion arrived in South Africa on 27 June under the command of Col H.B. Weatherall with a strength of 24 officers, one warrant officer and 594 other ranks. It was quartered near

Kroonstad Kroonstad (Afrikaans directly translated "Crown City") is the third largest city in the Free State (after Bloemfontein and Welkom) and lies two hours' drive on the N1 from Gauteng. Maokeng is an area within Kroonstad, and is occasionally used ...

in the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...

with detachments manning the

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 ...

for about of the railway running north from the town, and some of the local defences. On 21 August the battalion was moved about south to Ventersburg Road Station where it took over all blockhouses from Bloomspruit Bridge to a mile south of Ventersburg.On 7 January 1902 a detachment went to do duty at Eengevonden, and on 16 February a larger detachment occupied the blockhouses near the

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 ...

Station. The war was ended by the

Treaty of Vereeniging The Treaty of Vereeniging was a peace treaty, signed on 31 May 1902, that ended the Second Boer War between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, on the one side, and the United Kingdom on the other. This settlement provided f ...

on 31 May, and on 19 June Battalion HQ entrained for

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 ...

, picking up the Eengevonden and Vet River Station detachments on the way. At Cape Town it was quartered at Green Point until it embarked for home on 4 July. The battalion was disembodied on 26 July 1902. During this service it lost two officers and 24 other ranks killed in action or died of disease. It was awarded the Battle Honour South Africa 1901–02 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', 'Orange Free State', 'Transvaal', 'South Africa 1901' and '1902'.

Special Reserve

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

and Volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by the

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

of 1908, the Militia was replaced by 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), a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for Regular units serving overseas in wartime, rather like the earlier Militia Reserve. The battalion became the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, on 9 August 1908.

World War I

On the outbreak of

the 5th Royal Fusiliers mobilised at Hounslow under Lt-Col Vivian Henry, a retired regular major, who had commanded the battalion since 4 May 1908. Within a few days it proceeded (with the 6th (Reserve) Bn) to its war station at

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, where it remained for the whole war in the Dover Garrison. As well as its defensive duties, its role was to equip the Reservists and Special Reservists of the Royal Fusiliers and send them as reinforcement drafts to the Regular battalions serving on the Western Front. The 5th and 6th (Reserve) Bns probably assisted in organising the 14th and 15th (Reserve) Bns of the Royal Fusiliers at Dover 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. The reserve battalions at times were each over 4000 strong. By June 1915, the 5th Bn alone had sent 80 officers and about 3000 men to the front. 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 5th Bn remained in existence until half its remaining personnel were drafted to 3rd Bn on 27 October 1919. The battalion was then disembodied on 15 November 1919, when the remaining half were drafted to 1st Bn.

Postwar

The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 but like most militia battalions the 5th Royal Fusiliers remained in abeyance after World War I. By the outbreak of

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 ...

in 1939, no officers remained listed for the battalion. The Militia was formally disbanded in April 1953.

Heritage & Ceremonial

Uniforms & Insignia

Until at least 1722 the Westminster Militia was known as the Red Regiment – as the Westminster Trained Bands had been – from the colour of its company flags. In 1722–28 the Westminster Troop of Horse Militia wore buff coats and was mounted on black or brown horses. When they were embodied in 1778 all the regiments of the Middlesex Militia had blue facings (usually associated with 'Royal' regiments), long before the 'Royal' title was conferred in 1804. The regimental badge was a shield displaying the

Portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

from the coat of arms of the City of Westminster and the three Saxon Seaxes of Middlesex; after it became Light Infantry in 1853 the shield was surmounted by a bugle-horn. The officers' oval shoulder-belt plate of about 1800–03 carried an eight-pointed star, in the centre of which was a Saxon crown above two shields, carrying the arms of Westminster and Middlesex respectively, and the early buttons had this design of crown and shields, with the letters 'R.W.M." between the shields. From 1855 to 1881 the officers' waist-belt plate carried the combined shield surmounted by the bugle horn, within a circle inscribed '3rd or Royal Westminster Militia'. Once the regiment became part of the Royal Fusiliers it adopted that regiment's cap badge and other insignia.

Precedence

During the War of American Independence the counties were given an order of precedence determined by ballot each year. For the Middlesex Militia the positions were:Baldry.
/ref> * 6th on 1 June 1778 * 28th on 12 May 1779 * 7th on 6 May 1780 * 30th on 28 April 1781 * 14th on 7 May 1782 The order balloted for at the start of the French Revolutionary War in 1793 remained in force throughout the war. Middlesex's precedence of 22nd applied to all three regiments. Another ballot for precedence took place at the start of the Napoleonic War: Middlesex was 20th. The militia order of precedence for the Napoleonic War remained in force until 1833. In that year the King drew the lots for individual regiments and the resulting list remained in force with minor amendments until the end of the militia. The regiments raised before the peace of 1763 took the first 47 places but the three Middlesex regiments raised in 1760 were included in the second group (1763–83), presumably because they were not actually embodied until 1778. The Royal Westminster Militia became 55th. The regimental number was only a subsidiary title and most regiments paid little attention to it.

Colonels

The following served as

Colonel of the Regiment Colonel (Col) is a rank of the British Army and Royal Marines, ranking below brigadier, and above lieutenant colonel. British colonels are not usually field commanders; typically they serve as staff officers between field commands at battalio ...

or as its Honorary Colonel: ''Colonels'' * Hon Philip Howard 1697 * Robert Gardiner, 1722 *

, cashiered 1796 * James Clitherow, appointed 25 July 1796, died 1841 *

Henry Cadogan, 4th Earl Cadogan Henry Charles Cadogan, 4th Earl Cadogan PC (15 February 1812 – 8 June 1873), styled Viscount Chelsea between 1820 and 1864, was a British diplomat and Conservative politician. He served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard between 1866 and 18 ...

appointed 6 December 1841 ''Honorary Colonels'' *

(who as Viscount Chelsea had been the regiment's CO) appointed 13 March 1865 * Col J.J. Glossop (Lt-Col Commandant from 10 August 18541854) appointed 23 July 1873 *

George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan (12 May 1840 – 6 March 1915), styled Viscount Chelsea from 1864 to 1873, was a British Conservative politician. Background and education Cadogan was the eldest son of Henry Cadogan, 4th Earl Cadogan, b ...

, KG, (who as Viscount Chelsea had been a major in the regiment) appointed 24 February 1886 *

Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher Reginald Baliol Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, (30 June 1852 – 22 January 1930) was an historian and Liberal politician in the United Kingdom, although his greatest influence over military and foreign affairs was as a courtier, member of public c ...

, GCB,

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

, appointed 18 August 1908

Memorial

The 5th (Reserve) Battalion is included in the inscription on the

Royal Fusiliers War Memorial The Royal Fusiliers War Memorial is a memorial in London, dedicated to the members of the Royal Fusiliers killed in the World Wars, Russian Civil War and subsequent conflicts, along with members of a number of London Regiment battalions kille ...

High Holborn High Holborn ( ) is a street in Holborn and Farringdon Without, Central London, which forms a part of the A40 route from London to Fishguard. It starts in the west at the eastern end of St Giles High Street and runs past the Kingsway and Sou ...

, London.

Battle Honours

The regiment was awarded the following

Battle Honours 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 ...

: * Mediterranean * South Africa 1900–02 Under Army Order 251 of 1910, the Special Reserve were to bear the same battle honours as their parent regiments, so the Mediterranean honour, which was peculiar to militia units, was extinguished.Leslie, p. xii.

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Anon, ''A Copy of the Proceedings of a Court Martial Holden for the Trial of John Fenton Cawthorne, Esq; Colonel of the Westminster Regiment of Middlesex Militia'', Parliamentary Papers 1796, 2nd Edn 1807; 2010 reprint: Farmington, MI: Gale Making of the Modern Law Print Editions: Trials, 1600–1926, .
Capt John Davis, ''Historical Records of the Second Royal Surrey or Eleventh Regiment of Militia'', London: Marcus Ward, 1877.
* Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938. * J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, . * 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, . * Lt-Col 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.
* Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: Samson Books, 1978/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, .
Lt-Col J.H. Leslie, ‘A Survey, or Muster, of the Armed and Trayned Companies in London, 1588 and 1599’, ''Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research'', Vol 4, No 16 (April–June 1925), pp. 62–71.

C.A. Linney-Drouet (ed), 'British Military Dress from Contemporary Newspapers, 1682–1799: Extracts from the Notebook of the Late Revd Percy Sumner', ''Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research'', Vol, 78, No 314 (Summer 2000), pp. 81–101.

Lawson Chase Nagel, ''The Militia of London, 1641–1649'', PhD thesis, Kings College London, 1982.

H.C. O’Neill, ''The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War'', London: Heinemann, 1922.

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.
* Keith Roberts, ''London And Liberty: Ensigns of the London Trained Bands'', Eastwood, Nottinghamshire: Partizan Press, 1987, . * Arthur Sleigh, ''The Royal Militia and Yeomanry Cavalry Army List'', April 1850, London: British Army Despatch Press, 1850/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 1991, . * 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, . * War Office, ''A List of the Officers of the Militia, the Gentlemen & Yeomanry Cavalry, and Volunteer Infantry of the United Kingdom'', 11th Edn, London: War Office, 14 October 1805/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2005, .* J.R. Western ''The English Militia in the Eighteenth Century: The Story of a Political Issue 1660–1802'', London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1965.

External sources

Anglo-Boer War

British Civil Wars, Commonwealth & Protectorate, 1638–1660 (the BCW Project)

History of Parliament Online

Imperial War Museum, War Memorials Register

{{British Militia Regiments Middlesex Militia Military units and formations in Middlesex Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Westminster

Military units and formations established in 1760 Military units and formations disestablished in 1953