The Northampton and Rutland Militia was a

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

regiment in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

from 1860 to 1881, when it was transferred into the

Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Ow ...

. The regiment was formed in 1860 by the amalgamation of the

Northampton Militia The Northampton Militia was a militia regiment in the United Kingdom from 1763 to 1860, when it was amalgamated into the Northampton and Rutland Militia. The regiment was formed in 1763. It was embodied in 1778, at which time it was ranked the 36 ...

and the

Rutland Militia The Rutland Militia was a militia regiment in the United Kingdom from 1759 to 1860, when it was amalgamated into the Northampton and Rutland Militia. The regiment was formed at Oakham in 1759, and consisted of only two companies. In 1803 it was r ...

, and was ranked as the 48th regiment of militia. In 1874 the regiment was split into two battalions, and in 1881, under 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 ...

, these were transferred into

The Northamptonshire Regiment The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment (Duchess of Gloucester's Ow ...

as the 3rd and 4th Battalions. In 1899 these were amalgamated into a single battalion, the 3rd, which was embodied in January 1900 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 ...

. It was disembodied at the end of that year, but re-embodied in April 1902, when it left for service in South Africa. Following the end of the war two months later, 635 officers and men of the 3rd battalion left

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 the SS ''Scot'' in early September, and returned to Northampton after arrival in the United Kingdom later the same month. During 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 ...

in 1908 the battalion was transferred 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 ...

, and was embodied on mobilisation in 1914 for the

First World War 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 ...

. As with all Special Reserve battalions, it served as a regimental depot, and was disembodied following the end of hostilities in 1919. The battalion nominally remained in existence throughout the

Second World War 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 ...

, but was never activated, and was finally disbanded in 1953.

References

Northampton and Rutland Militia
regiments.org Militia of the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1860 Military units and formations of the Second Boer War Military history of Rutland Military units and formations in Northamptonshire Military units and formations disestablished in 1881 {{UK-mil-unit-stub