The 5th Middlesex Militia or Royal Elthorne Light Infantry was an auxiliary regiment raised in
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 ...
in the
Home counties
The home counties are the counties of England that surround London. The counties are not precisely defined but Buckinghamshire and Surrey are usually included in definitions and Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent are also often inc ...
of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
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
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...
. Primarily intended for home defence, it served in England and
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 ...
during Britain's major wars, and saw 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 ...
. It was converted 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 ...
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 ...
and supplied reinforcements to the Royal Fusiliers' 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 ...
. 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, but between periods of national emergency the militia was regularly allowed to decline.
[Grierson, pp. 6–7.]
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. Middlesex was given a quota of three regiments to raise, but failed to do so until the war was nearly over. In peacetime the militia assembled for 28 days' annual training. The Middlesex Militia were first 'embodied' for permanent service in home defence in 1778 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 ...
, and served throughout the
French Revolutionary
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 consider ...
and
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
[Holmes, pp. 94–100.][Western, Appendices A & B.]
In 1797 an additional ballot was carried out to raise men for the 'Supplementary Militia' to be trained in their spare time, to reinforce the standing militia regiments if required and to form additional temporary regiments. Middlesex had to find an additional 5280 militiamen and form two new regiments, but when the first training of the Middlesex Supplementary Militia was held, very few men appeared. One of the new regiments may have been numbered the 5th Middlesex Militia but if it was ever formed it had disappeared by 1799.[
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
A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...
increasingly saw as a prime source of recruits. They served in coast defences, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, for internal security, and later for limited overseas service, primarily for garrison duties in Europe. However, 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 militia were disembodied and once again was allowed to decline in the years of the long peace that followed.[
]
Royal Elthorne Militia
The 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'.
The following year the Middlesex Militia was expanded from three to five regiments. The recruiting area of the 2nd Royal West Middlesex Militia
The Royal West Middlesex Militia, later the Edmonton Royal Rifle Regiment, was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. It later became part of the King' ...
was effectively split, with the new 5th Regiment taking over the north-western part of the county in Elthorne Hundred
Elthorne was a hundred (ancient subdivision) of the historic county of Middlesex, England.
Toponymy
The name is a standard contraction in Old English of El(ɘ's) thorn – El likely being a man, perhaps one of the eorls (earls) in the sam ...
(one of the ancient subdivisions of 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 neighbourin ...
, centred on Uxbridge and roughly coinciding with the modern London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon () is the largest and westernmost borough in West London, England. It was formed from the districts of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the ceremonial county ...
) while the existing 2nd regiment took over Edmonton Hundred
Edmonton is one of six hundreds (obsolete subdivisions) of the historic county of Middlesex, England. A rotated L-shape, its area has been in the south and east firmly part of the urban growth of London. Since the 1965 formation of London boro ...
, the most northerly division of Middlesex, then centred on Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
. The existing regiment was therefore redesignated the '2nd or Edmonton Royal Rifle Regiment of Middlesex Militia', and the new regiment was the 5th or Royal Elthorne Regiment of Middlesex Militia raised on 16 May 1853 at Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...
under 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 Hon Frederick Child Villiers, a former 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 ...
in the Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
and lieutenant-colonel in the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot
The 73rd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1780. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 42nd Regiment of Foot to form the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) in 1881.
History
Formation
The re ...
.[''London Gazette'', 20 May 1853.]
/ref>[''Hart's'', 1855.][Parkyn.]
/ref>[Hay, pp. 382–3.][Frederick, p. 212.] All of the regiment's 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 ...
and captains had previous experience in the Regular Army.[
The 4th Middlesex Militia (the Royal South Middlesex) was formed the same month, giving Middlesex a total of five regiments:][Money Barnes, Appendix II.]
* 1st or Royal East Middlesex Militia
The Royal East Middlesex Militia was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. It later became part of the Middlesex Regiment. Primarily intended for home ...
* 2nd Middlesex, or Edmonton Royal Rifle Regiment
The Royal West Middlesex Militia, later the Edmonton Royal Rifle Regiment, was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. It later became part of the King ...
* 3rd Middlesex, or Royal Westminster Light Infantry
* 4th or Royal South Middlesex Militia
The 4th Middlesex or Royal South Middlesex Militia was an auxiliary regiment raised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England just before the Crimean War. It later became part of the Royal Fusiliers. Primarily intended for home defence, it ser ...
* 5th Middlesex, or Royal Elthorne Light Infantry Militia
Crimean War and Indian Mutiny
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 Elthorne LI was embodied on 5 February 1855 at Uxbridge.[ Villiers resigned the command and the senior major, Lodge Murray Prior, formerly of the ]12th Lancers
The 12th (Prince of Wales's) Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army first formed in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. The regiment survived the immediate post-war ...
, was promoted to Lt-Col Commandant on 4 May.[''Army List'', various dates.]
By November the regiment had joined the Royal East Middlesex Militia
The Royal East Middlesex Militia was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. It later became part of the Middlesex Regiment. Primarily intended for home ...
at Aldershot Camp
Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the villag ...
, where the huts were only just completed. During the early part of 1856 the militia regiments concentrated at Aldershot carried out collective training, and were reviewed by Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
. The war ended when the Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
was signed on 30 March: the concentration at Aldershot was broken up in June and regiments returned to their headquarters. The Royal Elthorne LI was disembodied on 12 June 1856.[
A number of militia regiments were also called out to relieve regular troops required for ]India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
during the Indian Mutiny
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
, and the Royal Elthorne LI was embodied on 1 October 1857.[ By the beginning of December the regiment was at ]Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
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 ...
. In July 1858 it had moved to 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
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 ...
, where it remained until the end of the year when it moved into Dublin and then to Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
before the end of January 1859. It returned to Dublin in June. The regiment left Ireland for Aldershot during November 1859, where it remained until it was disembodied on 31 March 1860.[
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.][
In September 1871 the British Army held Autumn Manoeuvres for the first time. 3rd Division was made up of militia regiments, the 5th Middlesex under Lt-Col John Hunter (promoted to the command on 13 February 1869) serving in 2nd Brigade along with the 1st and 2nd Royal Surrey Militia (the 1st and 2nd Middlesex were in 1st Brigade, the 3rd in 3rd 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 ...
s.[
]
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, the militia were brigaded with their local Regular and Volunteer
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 ...
battalions. For the 5th Middlesex this was in Sub-District No 50 (Middlesex & Metropolitan) in Home District, grouped with the 57th Foot and the 77th Foot
The 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line regiment of the British Army, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cam ...
, together with the Royal East Middlesex Militia and several Rifle Volunteer Corps. 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 battalions 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.[Spiers, ''Late Victorian Army'', pp. 126–7.]
Following 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 ...
a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the ''Army List'' from December 1875. This assigned places in an order of battle to Militia units serving Regular units in an 'Active Army' and a 'Garrison Army'. The 5th Middlesex Militia's assigned war station was with the Garrison Army in the Sheerness
Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
Division of the Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
and Medway
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
defences.[
The sub-districts were intended to establish a brigade depot for their linked battalions: by 1877 Sub-District No 50 had still not done so at its intended site at ]Hounslow Barracks
Cavalry Barracks is a former British Army installation located north of Hounslow Heath in Hounslow, west London. Hounslow was one of 40 new barracks established around the country in the wake of the French Revolution, to guard against the dual t ...
. Instead the regulars used Woolwich
Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...
while the militia used Warley Barracks
Warley Barracks was a military installation at Warley near Brentwood in Essex.
History
The local common was used as a military camp in 1742, with thousands of troops camped there during the summer months. It was an ideal base, as it was less th ...
in Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, the 5th Middlesex retaining its regimental HQ at Uxbridge. However, by 1880 all the linked battalions had moved into Hounslow Barracks, which was shared with 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 ...
.[
]
Middlesex 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 ...
took Cardwell's reforms further, with the linked battalions forming single regiments. From 1 July 1881 the 57th and 77th Regiments became the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)
The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Ref ...
, with the 5th Middlesex Militia becoming the 3rd (Royal Elthorne Militia) Battalion (at the same time the 1st or Royal East Middlesex Militia became the 4th Bn).[Money Barnes, pp. 199–200.] In 1904 the Middlesex Regiment established its own regimental depot at Mill Hill Barracks,[
During the late 1890s several regiments recruiting from large conurbations, including the Middlesex Regiment in the London suburbs, were increased from two to four battalions. When the new 3rd and 4th regular battalions for the Middlesex were authorised in March 1900 the militia battalions were renumbered accordingly, with the 3rd becoming the 5th (Royal Elthorne 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, the militia reserve was called out to reinforce them, and many militia units were embodied to replace them for home defence and to garrison certain overseas stations. The 5th Bn Middlesex was embodied from 4 May to 15 October 1900.[
However, the war dragged on and reinforcements were needed. The 5th Middlesex was
embodied again on 6 January 1902, and volunteered for overseas service][ The battalion embarked for South Africa with a strength of 27 officers and 825 other ranks under the command of Lt-Col Vilett Rolleston. It arrived 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 15 March and went to Vryburg
Vryburg () is a large agricultural town with a population of 48,400 situated in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality of the North West Province (South Africa), North West Province of South Africa. It is the seat and the industrial ...
, and then to Mafeking with detachments at Maribogo, Kraaipan and Maritzani. Later the battalion headquarters moved to Maritzani, where part of the battalion took over duty on the Maritzani blockhouse
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 ...
line. Afterward Battalion HQ moved to Maribogo, with detachments at Bulawayo
Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...
and Crocodile Pool. The war having ended, the battalion assembled at Mafeking on 27 August where it entrained for Cape Town and embarked for home on 30 August.[ It was disembodied on 8 September 1902.][
During its short service in South Africa the battalion lost eight non-commissioned officers and men killed in action or died of disease. 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 the clasps for 'Transvaal', 'Cape Colony' and '1902', and the battalion 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 ...
South Africa 1902.[
]
Special Reserve
After the Boer War, there were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (militia, yeomanry and volunteers) 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 ...
as 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 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 ...
, a semi-professional force similar to the previous militia reserve, whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for regular units serving overseas in wartime. The 5th (Royal Elthorne Militia) Bn became the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, Middlesex Regiment on 2 August 1908.[
]
World War I
On the outbreak of 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 ...
, the battalion mobilised at Mill Hill on 4 August 1914 under Lt-Col C.S. Collison, a retired regular officer, commanding since 2 August 1912.[James, pp. 92–3.] That month together with the 6th Bn it went to its war station in the Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
& Medway
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
Garrison, where it remained for the whole of the war, first at Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
, then from March 1916 at Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
, finally In 1917–18 at Gillingham.[
The 5th Battalion's role was to equip the Reservists and Special Reservists of the Middlesex Regiment and send them as reinforcement drafts to the Regular battalions serving overseas (the 1st, 2nd and 4th on the Western Front, the 3rd at ]Salonika
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
). Once the pool of reservists had dried up, the 5th Bn trained thousands of raw recruits for the active service battalions. The 14th and 15th (Reserve) Battalions were formed in October 1914 alongside the 5th and 6th Bns in the Medway towns to provide reinforcements for the '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 ...
' battalions of the Royal West Kents.[
Under War Office Instruction 106 of 10 November 1915 the battalion was ordered to send a draft of 109 men to the new Machine Gun Training Centre at ]Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
where they were to form the basis of a brigade machine-gun company of the new Machine Gun Corps
The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use tank ...
. In addition, 10 men at a time were to undergo training at Grantham as battalion machine gunners. The order stated that 'Great care should be taken in the selection of men for training as machine gunners as only well educated and intelligent men are suitable for this work'.
The battalion continued working 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 ...
in November 1918. On 2 August 1919 half the remaining personnel were transferred to the 3rd Bn, then on 15 August the other half went to the 1st Bn and the 5th (Reserve) Bn was disembodied.[
]
Postwar
The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 but like most militia units the 5th Middlesex 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 5th Bn. The Militia was formally disbanded in April 1953.[
]
Heritage & ceremonial
Uniforms & Insignia
As a 'Royal' regiment the Elthorne LI wore 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 ...
on its scarlet coats.[Parkyn.]
/ref> The regimental badge was a light infantry bugle-horn. From 1855 to 1881 the officers' waistbelt plate had a silver bugle-horn surmounted by the Royal cypher in gilt, contained within a circle bearing the title '5th Royal Elthorne Middlesex Militia' in gilt letters. The officers' and men's buttons had the Roman numeral V between the strings of a bugle-horn, contained within a crowned garter inscribed with the title, the whole superimposed on a silver cut star.[ The V' was later omitted, and may have been replaced by the initials 'R.E.M.'.][
In 1881 the battalion adopted the white facings and insignia of the new Middlesex Regiment. However, in 1902 the entire regiment adopted the lemon-yellow facings associated with the 77th Foot.][
]
Precedence
In earlier days the relative precedence of militia regiments was determined by ballot, and the same number applied to all the regiments in the county. Permanent numbers for individual regiments were balloted in 1833. In 1855 the new regiments formed after the 1852 Act were awarded later numbers, but the 5th Middlesex received 28th (replacing the Pembroke Militia, which had been converted to Militia Artillery). It therefore outranked the 1st Middlesex, leading to their relative precedence as 3rd and 4th (later 5th and 6th) battalions of the Middlesex Regiment.[Davis, pp. 251–4.]
Honorary Colonels
After retirement, the following Lieutenant-Colonels Commandant of the regiment were appointed as its Honorary Colonel:[
* Lt-Col James Hunter, appointed 9 July 1879
* Col Charles Bashford, appointed 6 October 1897
* Col Villet Rolleston, former CO, appointed 10 March 1903, reappointed to SR 2 August 1908
]
See also
* 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 ...
* Royal East Middlesex Militia
The Royal East Middlesex Militia was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. It later became part of the Middlesex Regiment. Primarily intended for home ...
* Royal West Middlesex Militia
The Royal West Middlesex Militia, later the Edmonton Royal Rifle Regiment, was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. It later became part of the King' ...
* Royal Westminster Militia
The Royal Westminster Militia, later the 5th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, was an auxiliary regiment raised in the City of Westminster in the suburbs of London. Descended from the Westminster Trained Bands, which were on duty during the ...
* Royal South Middlesex Militia
The 4th Middlesex or Royal South Middlesex Militia was an auxiliary regiment raised in Middlesex in the Home counties of England just before the Crimean War. It later became part of the Royal Fusiliers. Primarily intended for home defence, it ser ...
* Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...
* Militia (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 Specia ...
* 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 ...
Footnotes
Notes
References
W.Y. Baldry, 'Order of Precedence of Militia Regiments', ''Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research'', Vol 15, No 57 (Spring 1936), pp. 5–16.
* ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage,'' 100th Edn, London, 1953.
* Col John K. Dunlop, ''The Development of the British Army 1899–1914'', London: Methuen, 1938.
* Sir John Fortescue, ''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, ISBN 1-85117-007-3.
* 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, ISBN 0-947898-81-6.
* 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.
* Richard Holmes, ''Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors'', London: HarperPress, 2011, ISBN 978-0-00-722570-5.
* Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: Samson Books, 1978, ISBN 0-906304-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-84342-197-9.
* Roger Knight, ''Britain Against Napoleon: The Organization of Victory 1793–1815'', London: Allen Lane, 2013/Penguin, 2014, ISBN 978-0-141-03894-0.
* Maj R. Money Barnes, ''The Soldiers of London'', London: Seeley Service, 1963.
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, ISBN 0-582-48565-7.
* Edward M. Spiers, ''The Late Victorian Army 1868–1902'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992/Sandpiper Books, 1999, ISBN 0-7190-2659-8.
* ''Instructions Issued by the War Office During November 1915'', London: HM Stationery Office.
* J.R. Western, ''The English Militia in the Eighteenth Century: The Story of a Political Issue 1660–1802'', London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1965.
* Everard Wyrall, ''The Die-Hards in the Great War'', Vol I, ''1914–1916'', London: Harrisons, 1926/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, ISBN 978-1-84734-574-5.
{{British Militia Regiments
Middlesex Militia
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 ...
Military units and formations in Middlesex
Military units and formations in Uxbridge
Military units and formations established in 1853