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The Legion of Frontiersmen is a civilian organisation formed in
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
in 1905 by Roger Pocock, a former constable with the
North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...
and
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 Sou ...
veteran. Prompted by fears of an impending invasion of Britain and the
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
, the organisation was founded to be a field intelligence corps that would watch over and protect the boundaries of the Empire. Headquartered in London, the Legion of Frontiersmen formed branches throughout the Empire to prepare enlistees for war and to foster vigilance in peacetime. Despite efforts, the Legion never achieved significant official recognition; in part because many Commonwealth nations' laws prohibit militia groups. Casualties in the
First World War 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, ...
devastated the Legion of Frontiersmen, and except for a brief resurgence in the interwar period, a series of schisms and sectarianism prevented attempts to reinvigorate the movement. In the late 1930s, the Legion of Frontiersmen in Canada was formally affiliated with the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
, but after a schism split within the Canadian Frontiersmen, the RCMP severed formal ties. Various Legion of Frontiersmen groups still exist throughout the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...
, but as a whole, it has been unable to define its niche post
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 opposing ...
; especially because the organisation generally refuses to provide information about its activities to prospective applicants.


First World War

During the First World War, the Legion of Frontiersmen helped raise and fill the ranks of the
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patric ...
, the 19th Alberta Dragoons, the 49th Battalion - Canadian Expeditionary Force (today's
Loyal Edmonton Regiment The Loyal Edmonton Regiment (4th Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry), or L EDMN R, is a Primary Reserve infantry unit of the Canadian Armed Forces based in Edmonton, Alberta. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment is part of 3rd Canadian ...
), the 210th Battalion (Frontiersmen), - Canadian Expeditionary Force, the 25th (Frontiersmen) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, and the Newfoundland Regiment. Despite the nature of the organisation, many of its members had no military experience and were probably no better (or worse) than other recruits to other wartime raised units.


Uniforms

The earliest official description of an authorized uniform for a Canadian unit is noted in ''The Frontiersman'', (December 1912, page 223) describing Vernon and Okanagan Command’s uniform as follows: “Shirt Tunic – To be of substantial material, colour navy blue; leather buttons; nickel shoulder chains. Breeches or (Trousers) – Any shade of khaki. Footwear – Brown leather; any combination that affords cover as high as the calves. Headdress – Straight brim Stetson, any shade of brown, with leather band and regimental crest and monogram. Accessories – Brown leather fringed gauntlets; silk blue and white “bird’s-eye” neckerchief; regulation LF holster.”


Decorations

Branches of the legion, in different parts of the Commonwealth award medals within their units and occasionally to external branches, commands, or units. The Australian Division awards a decoration called the "Australian Medal of Merit" and within the organisation has used the
post nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...
AMM. On occasion, such medal names and use of post nominal letters has caused controversy.Australian and New Zealand Military Imposters


Members

* Patrick William Forbes *
William Le Queux William Tufnell Le Queux ( , ; 2 July 1864 – 13 October 1927) was an Anglo-French journalist and writer. He was also a diplomat (honorary consul for San Marino), a traveller (in Europe, the Balkans and North Africa), a flying buff who officiat ...
*
Basil Lubbock Alfred Basil Lubbock MC (9 September 1876 – 3 September 1944 at Monks Orchard, Seaford) was a British historian, sailor and soldier. He was a prolific writer on the last generation of commercial sailing vessels in the Age of Sail. He was an e ...
* Pocock, (Henry) Roger Ashwell * Ethel Pritchard *
Charles G. D. Roberts Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts (January 10, 1860 – November 26, 1943) was a Canadian poet and prose writer. He was one of the first Canadian authors to be internationally known. He published various works on Canadian exploration and na ...
* John Shiwak * Francis Morphet Twisleton * Arthur Owen Vaughan * John Bruce


Sources

* Christopher M. Andrew, ''Secret Service: The Making of the British Intelligence Community''. London: Trafalgar Square, 1985. *Robert H. MacDonald, ''Sons of the Empire: The Frontier and the Boy Scout Movement, 1890–1918''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993. *John Fisher. ''Gentleman Spies: intelligence agents in the British Empire and beyond.'' Stroud, UK: Sutton, 2002. *Geoffrey A. Pocock. ''One Hundred Years of the Legion of Frontiersmen.'' Chichester, UK: Phillimore, 2004.


References


External links


History of the Frontiersmen

Australian Division



NZ Command Pro Patria

Scottish Command 1st Highland Brigade LOF Vols (Yeomanry)

Countess Mountbatten's Own

3e Régiment de Lanciers

Canadian Corps of Frontiersmen

Far East Command
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legion Of Frontiersmen 1905 establishments in the United Kingdom Civil defence organisations based in the United Kingdom Civil–military relations Mutual organizations Political organisations based in the United Kingdom Paramilitary organisations based in the United Kingdom Patriotic societies