The City of London Imperial Volunteers (CIV) was a British corps of volunteers 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 the outbreak of the

in October 1899, volunteer corps were established in most counties of the United Kingdom to provide officers and men for service in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. In December a proposal was put forward that the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

should sponsor a volunteer troop of soldiers to take part in the conflict. The Lord Mayor, Alfred James Newton was approached by Colonel Boxall on the subject and within days he had reached agreement with various City livery companies, bankers, merchants and the Court of Common Council to support and fund the venture. A corps of Imperial volunteers to be raised and equipped by the City of London was authorized by Royal Warrant dated 24 December 1899 with the name City of London Imperial Volunteers - CIV for short. The corps included an infantry division, a mounted infantry division, and a field battery (artillery) division. The infantry and mounted infantry divisions were composed of about 1,400 men recruited mainly from existing volunteer regiments in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, while the artillery division was composed of about 150 men recruited from the

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

and the

City of London Artillery The 1st London Artillery Brigade or City of London Artillery was a Volunteer Force (Great Britain), volunteer field artillery unit of the British Army, part of the Territorial Force and later the Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Territorial Army, ...

forming a battery of four 12½ pounder quick-firing guns, manufactured by Messrs Vickers' Sons & Maxim. There was also a cyclist section, which was mainly in charge of despatches. The first volunteers were registered at the Guildhall on 1 January 1900. All the officers and men received the

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of London before departure. Most of the men proceeded to South Africa in January and February 1900, returned in October the same year, and the corps was disbanded on 1 December 1900. The January 1900 contingent sailed aboard the SS ''Garth Castle'' of Castle Line. The later contingent, comprising the HAC battery of four guns, sailed (with other territorial units from Oxford and Ireland) in the SS ''Montfort'' of

Canadian Pacific Line CP Ships was a large Canadian shipping company established in the 19th century. From the late 1880s until after World War II, the company was Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships. Many immigrants travelled on CP ships fr ...

on 3 February 1900. The corps was part of the huge force assembled to relieve Kimberley on 15 February 1900, and came under fire for the first time during actions at

Jacobsdal Jacobsdal is a small farming town in the Free State province of South Africa with various crops under irrigation, such as grapes, potatoes, lucerne, and groundnuts. The town was layout in 1859 by Christoffel Jacobs on his farm Kalkfontein, and t ...

the following day. Colonel

Henry Mackinnon General Sir William Henry Mackinnon, (15 December 1852 – 17 March 1929) was a British Army General during World War I. Military career Educated at Rose Hill School and then Harrow School, Henry Mackinnon was commissioned into the Grenadier ...

served as colonel commandant of the corps, with Major Gilbert McMicking in charge of the field battery, Lieutenant-Colonel

Hugh Cecil Cholmondeley Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

in charge of mounted infantry, and Arnold Keppel, Earl of Albemarle in charge of infantry. Field Marshal Lord Roberts accepted the honorary colonelcy of the corps after they had served under him following the relief of Kimberley, formalized on 10 March 1900.

References

{{reflist

Bibliography

* ''In The Ranks of the C. I. V.'' (1900) by Erskine Childers * Annual Army list, militia list and yeomanry cavalry list for 1901, Lieutenant-General H. G. Hart (Hart's Army list 1901) * ''The HAC in South Africa'' (1903) by Basil Williams Military units and formations established in 1899 Military units and formations in London Military units and formations of the Second Boer War 1900 disestablishments Honourable Artillery Company