Hertfordshire Militia
Hertfordshire Trained Bands Hertfordshire Militia 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment | |
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Active | 1572–1 April 1953 |
Country | Kingdom of England (1558–1707) Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1953) |
Branch | Militia |
Role | Infantry |
Size | 1–3 Regiments |
Garrison/HQ | Hertford Militia Barracks |
Nickname(s) | 'Hartfordshire Militia' |
Mascot(s) | A hart |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | James Cecil, 1st Marquess of Salisbury James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury Lt-Col John Stanhope Collings-Wells, VC |
The Hertfordshire Militia was an auxiliary
Early history
The
This system remained in place under the early Tudors and the shire levies were occasionally mustered by Hundreds for inspection of the men and arms. Henry VIII ordered a Great Muster in 1539, when Hertford Town and Hertford Hundred mustered the following:[10][11]
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Hertfordshire Trained Bands
The legal basis of the militia was updated by two acts of 1557 covering musters (
Hertfordshire was one of the southern counties called upon to send troops to suppress the Rising of the North in 1569. Although the militia obligation was universal, this assembly confirmed that it was clearly impractical to train and equip every able-bodied man. After 1572 the practice was to select a proportion of men for the Trained Bands (TBs), who were mustered for regular training, though Hertfordshire was short of experienced captains to train them. Although the trained bands were exempt from foreign service, they and their armouries were frequently drawn upon to supply and arm levies (usually untrained substitutes) employed overseas.[10][19][20][21]
Armada Campaign
In 1584 Hertfordshire mustered its full quota of 400 'shot' (armed with calivers or arquebuses), 500 bowmen, and 100 'corslets' (armoured pikemen).[22] The Armada Crisis in 1588 led to the mobilisation of the trained bands, when Hertfordshire furnished 1500 trained men, organised into companies under captains, and 1500 untrained men (often employed as pioneers).[10][23][24] The Hertfordshire Trained Bands were on duty in London in 1601 to guard against disorder during the Earl of Essex's trial and subsequent execution.[25] They were also among the trained bands camped in the London suburbs to ensure a peaceful transition on the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.[26]
Bishops' Wars
With the passing of the threat of invasion, the trained bands declined in the early 17th Century. Later,
Civil War
Control of the trained bands was one of the major points of dispute between Charles I and Parliament that led to the English Civil War. In 1641 the moderate Earl of Salisbury of Hatfield House was named as a suitable person to command the men of Hertfordshire.[10] Once open war broke out in 1642 neither side made much use of the trained bands beyond securing the county armouries for their own full-time troops.[30] Hertfordshire's TBs saw more service than most. The county was included in Parliament's Eastern Association to supply troops, supplies and finance. After Parliament's army seized Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire on 27 October 1643, it was garrisoned by two regiments of the London Trained Bands (LTBs) and a Hertfordshire regiment under Sir John Garrard until a permanent garrison could be recruited from the Eastern Association.[31][32]
Parliament commissioned
In September 1645 the Hertfordshire Trained Band Horse, apparently numbering 500, served in a force under Col Richard Graves of the New Model Army marching from Thame towards Cheshire, but may have gone home before the Battle of Rowton Heath.[28]
Once Parliament had established full control in 1648 it passed new Militia Acts that replaced lords lieutenant with county commissioners appointed by Parliament or the Council of State. At the same time the term 'Trained Band' began to disappear in most counties. Under the Commonwealth and Protectorate the militia received pay when called out, and operated alongside the New Model Army to control the country.[36][37]
Hertfordshire Militia
After the
The Hertfordshire Militia were called out on anti-invasion duties in 1666 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and on 4 September the same year 200 Hertfordshire militiamen were sent to help fight the Great Fire of London, equipped with pickaxes, ropes and buckets.[10] For the gentry service in the militia was both an honour and a burden. For the 1666 embodiment the acting Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Viscount Fanshawe only selected those of the Hertfordshire Cavalry Militia who had voted the 'wrong' way in the previous election.[41][42]
The militia returns of 1697 show that Hertfordshire had one regiment commanded by the Lord Lieutenant, the Earl of Essex, with 10 companies of foot (1025 men) and three Troops of horse (183 men) commanded by Captains Henry Gore, John Charlton and Gilbert Hookate.[10][43][b]
The Militia passed into virtual abeyance during the long peace after the
Seven Years' War
Under threat of French invasion during the Seven Years' War a series of Militia Acts from 1757 re-established the county militia regiments, raised by conscription by means of parish ballots, or paid substitutes, to serve for three years. Hertfordshire's quota was set at 560 men in one regiment. There was considerable opposition to the militia ballot: in many places the JPs were prevented from drawing up lists of those liable to serve, and trouble broke out in Hertfordshire on 5 September. At Berkhamsted the magistrates argued with the bomb for several hours before adjourning and surrendering the lists they had made. At Hertford the meeting was undisturbed, but people threatened to tear down the magistrates' houses if they made any more. At Royston the magistrates were intimidated from meeting at all.[48][49] Nevertheless the county regiment was one of the first to achieve 60 per cent of its establishment and received its arms from the Tower of London on 5 March 1759. It was embodied for service on 11 October that year. (From 1759 to its transfer to the Special Reserve in 1908, the regiment styled itself the 'Hartfordshire Militia', reflecting the correct pronunciation (and its choice of a Hart for its cap badge) but this spelling was never officially recognised.[48]) At first the regiment was dispersed across a number of locations and to do his rounds the regimental surgeon had to cover 36 miles (58 km). After serving in home defence for two years the regiment was disembodied in January 1763 once a peace treaty had been agreed. In peacetime, the reformed militia regiments were supposed to be assembled for 28 days' annual training.[10][44][50][51][52][53]
American War of Independence
The Hertfordshire Militia was called out in May 1778 after the outbreak of the
In June 1780 during the Gordon Riots the regiment was camped in Hyde Park and deployed on the streets of London.[10] By this date troops were inoculated against Smallpox: in 1781 100 of the Hertfordshires required inoculation, which rendered them unfit for service for about three weeks.[57] A peace treaty having ended the American war, the Hertfordshire Militia was disembodied in October 1783.[10][44] To help his discharged men re-enter civilian life, the Earl of Salisbury employed 200 of them on the improvements he was making to his Hatfield estate.[58] From 1784 to 1792 the militia were assembled for their 28 days' annual training, but to save money only two-thirds of the men were actually called out each year.[59][60]
French Wars
The militia were called out in January 1793 shortly before Revolutionary France declared war on Britain. The Hertfordshire Militia was embodied at St Albans in February, still under the command of the Marquess of Salisbury.[10][44][50][61] During the French Wars the militia were employed anywhere in the country for coast defence, manning garrisons, guarding prisoners of war, and for internal security, while the regulars regarded them as a source of trained men if they could be persuaded to transfer. Their traditional local defence duties were taken over by the part-time Volunteers and mounted Yeomanry.[62][63]
In March 1793 the Hertfordshire Militia was deployed to the Sevenoaks area and later to Ipswich and Warley, returning to winter quarters around Hertford in October. It marched out again in May 1794 and spent the summer under canvas, camped on Warley Common. It was billeted in the Chelmsford area for the winter.[61] A steep rise in food prices in 1795 led to trouble in many militia regiments. During the year the Hertfordshires were involved in food riots while stationed in Chichester.[64] In June 1795 the regiment was part of a large camp at Warley, Essex, under Lt-Gen Cornwallis.[65] In April 1797 the Hertfordshires were stationed at Harwich in Essex, and provided a guard of honour when the Prince of Wurttemberg arrived by sea to marry Princess Charlotte.[66] In 1797 the regiment returned to Ipswich and then in 1798 it moved to Reading Street Barracks at Ashford, Kent, where it remained until October 1799, when it marched to Beaconsfield.[61]
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, and to be incorporated in the Militia in emergency. Hertfordshire's additional quota was fixed at 500 men, bringing the establishment of its regiment up to 1060.[52][67][68] In May 1800 the regiment was stationed in the St Albans area to take part in a Royal Review at Hatfield, after which it moved to Colchester. In July 1801 it was sent to guard the great Prisoner-of-war camp at Norman Cross. In December it went to winter quarters in the Hertford district until it was disembodied in April 1802 after the Treaty of Amiens.[10][44][50][61]
The Peace of Amiens was short-lived and the regiment was re-embodied at St Albans in May 1803.
Hertfordshire Local Militia
Although the volunteer corps had been reformed after the resumption of the war, their quality varied widely and their numbers steadily declined. One of the chief reasons to join was to avoid the militia ballot. They were supplemented from 1808 by the Local Militia, which were part-time and only to be used within their own districts. If their ranks could not be filled voluntarily the militia ballot was employed.[70][71][72][73] [74] Three regiments were organised in Hertfordshire, largely from the existing volunteers units, and commanded by the local members of parliament (MPs):[61][75]
- Midland Battalion – headquarters (HQ) at Hitchin, covering the Hundreds of Odsey, Edwinstree (part), Broadwater and Hitchin. Absorbed the Hitchin Volunteer Infantry, the Hertfordshire Rifles and the 1st Regiment Hertfordshire Volunteer Infantry. The Colonel-Commandant was the Hon Thomas Brand (later Lord Dacre), MP for Hertfordshire, who had commanded the Kimpton Rifles in the earlier Volunteers. The battalion usually carried out its training at Hitchin, but in 1809 it trained at Stevenage. The regulars tried to attract recruits from the local militia, but between June 1809 and November 1811 the Midland Battalion supplied just four.
- Eastern Battalion – HQ at Hertford, covering the Hundreds of Hertford, Braughing and Edwinstree (part). Absorbed the Standon Volunteer Infantry and the 2nd Regiment Hertfordshire Volunteer Infantry. The Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant was Nicolson Calvert of Hunsdon, MP for Hertford.
- Western Battalion – HQ at St Albans, covering the Hundreds of Cashio and Dacorum. Absorbed the Loyal Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and Watford Volunteer Infantry. Commanded by Lt-Col Sir John Sebright, 7th Baronet, MP for Hertfordshire.
There was a mutiny of the Hertfordshire Local Militia at St Albans in 1810 when the men demanded extra pay while training. They broke open the local prison but the ringleaders were caught and five of them received sentences of between 100 and 150 lashes. The Local Militia was stood down in 1814.[61]
Ireland
The 'Interchange Act' passed in July 1811 allowed English militia regiments to serve in Ireland for two years, and the Hertfordshires volunteered accordingly. The regiment embarked in September that year, being stationed at Castle Barracks, Limerick, and at Carlow, with detachments at Leitrim and Athy. It returned to England in June 1813, and after a short stay at Ipswich was guarding the French prisoners at Norman Cross from September 1813 to July 1814. By now Napoleon had abdicated and the war seemed to be over; the Hertfordshire Militia was disembodied at Hertford on 29 July. It was not re-embodied during the short Waterloo Campaign.[10][44][50][61][76]
After the Battle of Waterloo there was another long peace. Although officers continued to be commissioned into the militia and ballots were still held, the regiments were rarely assembled for training (only in 1820, 1821, 1825 and 1831) and the permanent staffs of sergeants and drummers were progressively reduced.[48][77] The 2nd Marquess of Salisbury succeeded his father as colonel of the regiment.[78]
1852 reforms
The
- 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'.
In August 1852 the
War broke out with Russia in 1854 and an expeditionary force was sent to the
Militia battalions now had a large
Cardwell Reforms
Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the
4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment
The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, formally turning the militia regiments into battalions of their linked regular regiments. Consequently, the regiment became the 4th (Hertfordshire Militia) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment on 1 July 1881 (the Bedfordshire Militia being the 3rd Bn).[10][44][48][87][88][90]
A permanent barracks was erected for the battalion in London Road, Hertford, in 1883–4.[91] In 1889 the 4th (Herts) Bn was brigaded with 3rd Bedfords and 3rd and 4th Suffolks for royal review at Aldershot.[92] In October 1892, when the regiment's honorary colonel was the former (and future) Prime Minister, the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, his eldest son Viscount Cranborne was appointed Lt-Col in command.[88]
Second Boer War
After the disasters of Black Week at the start of the Second Boer War in December 1899, most of the regular army was sent to South Africa, and many militia units were called out to replace them for home defence. The 4th Bedfords were embodied on 16 January 1900 and volunteered for service in South Africa. The battalion embarked on 27 February in the transport Goorkha, with a strength of 25 officers and 451 other ranks (ORs) under the command of Lord Cranborne.[10][44][88][93][94][95][96][97]
The battalion disembarked at
The battalion remained at Fourteen Streams until 26 June when it went to Mafeking on 1 August. Here it formed a Mounted infantry company that served with Lord Methuen's column for most of 1901, taking part in many engagements. At the end of the war the battalion returned home and was disembodied on 11 June 1902. It had lost 32 ORs killed or died of disease during the campaign.[44][10][88][94]
The battalion was awarded the
Special Reserve
After the Boer War, the future of the militia was called into question. There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by the Secretary of State for War, St John Brodrick. However, little of Brodrick's scheme was carried out.[99][100] Under the more sweeping Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve (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.[48][101][102][103] The battalion became the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, on completion of its annual training on 14 June 1908.[44][90][94]
World War I
Mobilisation
On the declaration of war on 4 August 1914 the 3rd and 4th SR battalions of the Bedfords went to Felixstowe and took up their war station in the Harwich garrison.[94][104][105][106] The Marquess of Salisbury (formerly Viscount Cranborne) was still officially in command of the 4th Bn at the time.[88] At Felixstowe the SR battalions carried out the dual tasks of garrison duty and preparing reinforcement drafts of regular reservists, special reservists, recruits and returning wounded for the regular battalions of the Bedfords serving on the Western Front. They organised the 9th and 10th (Reserve) Bns (see below) in the Harwich Garrison to carry out the same role for the Kitchener's Army battalions of the Bedfords. Later, however, the 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion was one of only a few SR battalions that was employed for combat during World War I.[94][104]
4th (Extra Reserve) Battalion
On 10 July 1916 the battalion was at
After a few weeks in France, Lt-Col R.P. Croft (who had been a major when the battalion mobilised in 1914) was relieved as CO on 4 September and replaced by Maj A.E. Greenwell (the senior captain in 1914), with Capt (acting Maj) John Stanhope Collings-Wells as second-in-command.[111] Collings-Wells had been commissioned into the 4th (Hertfordshire Militia) Bn on 17 September 1904 and promoted to captain on 3 January 1907.[88][112] He went to France as a reinforcement for the 2nd (Regular) Bn on 6 November 1914 and had been wounded on 12 January 1915 and evacuated to the UK.[113] He was promoted to temporary major on 30 January 1916 and was serving as commander of A Company in 4th Bn when it landed in France in July 1916.[106][107][114] Collings-Wells took over command of the battalion as acting Lt-Col on 20 October 1916.[106][107][115]
The reformed division, both veteran units and newly-joined ones such as the SR battalions, was thoroughly trained for operations on the Western Front, with companies of 4th Bedfords attached to the Hawke and Hood (RN) battalions for their first tours of duty in the front line at
Ancre
63rd (RN) Division's first offensive operation, the
After rest and training at Nouvion, 63rd (RN) Division marched back to the Ancre and was in action on the Ancre Heights in January and February 1917. 190th Brigade did not take part in the Actions of Miraumont (17–18 February), but 4th Bedfords had suffered 68 killed, 90 wounded and 48 missing (mostly believed killed) in the previous 10 days of fighting.[107][108][109][119][120] On 23 February the Germans began their withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich). Patrols from 7th RF discovered this next day, and 4th Bedfords were ordered to push forward fighting patrols. On the morning of 25 February 63rd (RN) Division followed up through Miraumont until it was relieved by a fresher division later in the day.[94][107][121][122]
Arras
In March the division marched north for the forthcoming Arras Offensive. It stood fast on the opening day (9 April), and remained in reserve until 14 April when 4th Bedfords went up to the line by motor buses. Next day the battalion suffered almost 60 casualties in a reconnaissance towards the village of Gavrelle. It was back in the line of 22 April for next day's attack (the Second Battle of the Scarpe). The battalion's objective was Gavrelle, which it captured and then held against fierce counter-attacks, even though 7th RF covering its left flank had been held up by uncut barbed wire. The battalion had suffered over 270 casualties and was relieved at midnight.[94][107][108][109][123][124]
For the next attack (the
Collings-Wells was awarded a DSO for his leadership at Gavrelle on 23 and 24 April and at Oppy on 29 April.[107][113][128]
Winter 1917–18
The division remained in the now-quiet Oppy Wood sector from July to September and was not committed to the offensive again until the final stage of the Third Ypres Offensive, the Second Battle of Passchendaele. 4th Bedfords were bussed to Ourton on 24 September and began training for the next attack. On 25 October the battalion went into the line in the Canal Bank sector near Ypres, and next day part of 63rd (RN) Division tried to advance up the valley of the Lekkerboterbeek stream through knee-deep mud. It tried again on 30 October, this time on higher ground above the Lekkerboterbeek. 190th Brigade attacked at 05.50, with 4th Bedfords in the centre, 7th RF on its left and 1st Artists Rifles on its right. Although the adjacent Canadian Corps was successful, 190th Bde was held up by the boggy ground of the Paddebeek stream and could only advance 150–200 yards (140–180 m). Men lay out in the mud all day and the next night until the battalion was relieved at 19.00 on 31 October having suffered 54 killed, 157 wounded and 23 missing.[94][107][108][109][129][130][131]
After resting and refitting, at Eringhem and Houtkerque, the 4th Bedfords moved south with 63rd (RN) Division to join Third Army and by 21 December was holding the support trenches on Highland Ridge where the German counter-attack after the Battle of Cambrai had been halted. The battalion was in camp at Havrincourt Wood when Germans attacked again on 30 December and was moved up to the line at one hour's notice, moving into the front line next day, where it suffered a few casualties while 1st Artists Rifles and 7th RF made a bloody counter-attack towards Marcoing.[107][108][109][132][133][134][135] The battalion spent January 1918 taking turns in the front line and suffering casualties, many from Mustard gas. On 9 February the 4th Bedfords were reinforced by a draft of 11 officers and 299 ORs from the 8th (Service) Bn of the Bedfords, a Kitchener battalion that was being disbanded. However, on 13 March the battalion was heavily shelled with mustard gas and five officers and 264 ORs had to be evacuated suffering from the effects.[104][107]
Spring 1918
When the
During the day the Germans had occupied Albert, and that night they began advancing out of the town. 190th Brigade was alerted to counter-attack at 03.00 on 27 March, and 4th Bedfords took up positions east of Albert. At 07.30 it attacked the railway with good artillery support, but was driven back shortly after 10.00. The Germans secured a foothold in Aveluy Wood but were halted when 190th Bde was brought up again. By now the brigade was too weak to counter-attack, and the fighting died down. Lieutenant-Col Collings-Wells was killed during the battalion's attack and was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross (VC) for his actions on 21 and 27 March. The senior surviving officer, Capt L.G. Plumbley, took over temporary command of 4th Bedfords, which were relieved at 03.30 on 28 March and marched to billets at Forceville. Between 21 and 28 March the battalion, already weakened, had lost 21 killed, 88 wounded, and 124 missing.[94][106][107][113][141][142][143]
Although completely exhausted, 63rd (RN) Division, remained close to the line in reserve while waiting for reinforcements – initially 4th Bedfords got just 17 ORs from the 26th (3rd
63rd (RN) Division took no further part in the Spring fighting while its battalions were slowly brought back to strength. It was pulled out of the line on 22 April when 4th Bedfords marched to Talmas, north of Amiens and began training and providing working parties. It returned to the front line in the Acheux Wood/Aveluy Wood sector on 7 May and alternated spells in the front line with billets in Forceville or tents in Toutencourt Wood. Lieutenant-Col F.W. Smith, DSO, DCM, assumed command of the battalion on 20 May, but was evacuated sick a month later and Maj A.G. Haywood, MC, took over as acting Lt-Col on 26 June.[107]
Hundred Days Offensive
The Allies had launched their Hundred Days Offensive on 8 August. The battalion underwent training in early August, then marched to Souastre, south-west of Arras, where it went into the line at 'Leeds Trench' on 20 August for 63rd (RN) Division's attack (the Battle of Albert). The battalion found the march-in difficult because the road was blocked by lorries and tanks. Zero hour was 04.55 on 21 August, and the leading formations found themselves attacking through a thick fog; by the time 63rd (RN) Division advanced (4th Bedfords moved off at 05.25) the fog was thickened by smoke and the advance became confused. However, the battalion advanced astride a convenient trench to maintain direction, with the support of five tanks. They dealt with parties of the enemy who had been missed by the leading formations, then found that the attack had been held up short of the objective (the Achiet-le-Grand–Miraumont railway). 190th Brigade was ordered to consolidate the line achieved. Next morning 4th Bedfords drove back some parties of Germans but the adjacent 7th RF found their positions turned by a strong counter-attack and had a stiff fight. Arrangements to air-drop ammunition to the forward positions did not work well – it fell in No man's land and in the wood – and 4th Bedfords had to lend ammunition to 7th RF until supplies were brought up at 18.00. The division was relieved that night and 4th Bedfords went back to Leeds Trench.[94][107][108][109][148][149][150]
The supporting artillery having been pulled forward, 63rd (RN) Division renewed the attack on 25 August, attempting to capture Thilloy, Ligny Thilloy and Riencourt-lès-Bapaume, near Bapaume. The two attacking brigades were held up and 190th Bde in support was sent to secure the right flank, which was exposed to machine gun fire. Next day the attack was renewed, with 4th Bedfords formed up 700 yards (640 m) behind the attacking brigades, but they failed to make progress. At 11.00 on 27 August 63rd (RN) Division made another attempt on Thilloy and Ligny Thilloy. This time 190th Bde was to lead the attack and 4th Bedfords formed up in a sunken road known as 'Red Cut'. The barrage at Zero fell short, causing casualties among the assembled troops, who ran into machine gun fire as soon as they left Red Cut, especially from the right flank where 21st Division's attack had been cancelled at the last moment. Only a short advance could be made before the battalion was pinned down by machine gun and sniper fire. The assault was resumed at 18.00 after a 1 11⁄2 hour bombardment by heavy artillery and following a renewed field gun barrage. Again, some of the heavy shells fell short, causing casualties among B Company in the centre. Some of C Company on the left went right through Thilloy, but the battalion's centre and right were again held up by flanking fire, and the survivors of C Company withdrew to avoid being surrounded. By the end of the day the battalion was back in Red Cut, the only suitable defensive position against counter-attacks. The CO blamed the failure on the cancellation of 21st Division's supporting attack, and wrote bitterly that if the requested tanks had been available a single battalion could have achieved the objectives. 7th Royal Fusiliers alongside 4th Bedfords had been virtually destroyed and their regimental historian described the operation as 'a disastrous day'. On 28 August 4th Bedfords marched out to Miraumont and 190th Bde did not take part in the division's next few operations.[107][151][152]
After a period of training, 4th Bedfords were back in the line near
63rd (RN) Division was then pulled out and sent north by train to join First Army near
A detachment represented 4th Bedfords at Gen Sir Henry Horne's official entry into Mons on 15 November and at the end of the month the battalion left Harmignies for Erquennes where it went into winter quarters. The division had been informed that it would not form part of the army of occupation (British Army of the Rhine). Although many men rejoined the battalion, demobilisation, first of key workers, then more generally, began in December and by April 1919 the units had been reduced to a cadre.[94][107][108]
10th (Reserve) Battalion
After
After the war ended it was converted into 53rd (Service) Battalion, and in April 1919 it was sent to join the occupation forces in Germany as part of 102nd Brigade in Eastern Division of British Army of the Rhine. The division was disbanded in October 1919 and the battalion returned to the UK to be disbanded at Ripon on 19 March 1920.[44][163]
Postwar
The SR resumed its old title of Militia in 1921 and then became the
Heritage and ceremonial
Uniforms and insignia
A 'Green' regiment (ie one bearing green company colours) served with Browne in early 1645 and this may have been one of the Hertfordshire Trained Bands regiments.[28]
From its reformation in 1759 the Hertfordshire Militia wore red uniforms with buff facings; in 1780 these were depicted as light pinkish-buff. The regiment retained buff facings throughout its independent existence. In 1759 the regimental colour bore the coat of arms of the county of Hertfordshire on a buff field.[78][88][90][164] The uniform of all three Local Militia battalions was also red with buff facings.[75] When the Bedfordshire Regiment was formed in 1881 the 4th Battalion gave up its former buff facings and adopted the standard white facings of an English county regiment.[88][94]
The regiment's cap badge was a hart (male deer) crossing a ford – a pun on 'Hertford' (pronounced Hartford). The buttons carried a crowned garter inscribed 'Harts Militia' (sic).[90] By around 1880 the Hertfordshire Militia had adopted a hart as its mascot.[165] The Bedfordshire Regiment combined the hart badge with that of the 16th Foot. The full dress helmet plate featured a Maltese cross superimposed on an eight-pointed star, in the centre of which was the hart crossing a ford. A similar design was used for the cap badge adopted in 1898, with the addition of a garter around the central device, and a scroll with the regiment's title. The collar badge was also the hart in a ford.[166][167]
Precedence
In September 1759 it was ordered that militia regiments on service were to take precedence from the date of their arrival in camp. In 1760 this was altered to a system of drawing lots where regiments did duty together. During the War of American Independence the counties were given an order of precedence determined by ballot each year. For the Hertfordshire Militia the positions were:[50][51][168]
- 32nd on 1 June 1778
- 19th on 12 May 1779
- 2nd on 6 May 1780
- 23rd on 28 April 1781
- 13th on 7 May 1782
The militia order of precedence balloted for in 1793 (Hertfordshire was 44th) remained in force throughout the French Revolutionary War. Another ballot for precedence took place in 1803 at the start of the Napoleonic War, when Hertfordshire was 33rd. This order continued 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; Hertfordshire was placed at 30th, and this was retained when the list was revised in 1855[61][90][168]
Memorials
There is a memorial tablet on the wall of the public library in Old Cross, Hertford, to the men of the town who volunteered for service in the Second Boer War with the 4th Bn Bedfordshire Regiment, '(Harts Militia)' (sic), the Hertfordshire Imperial Yeomanry and the 1st (Hertfordshire) Volunteer Bn, Bedfordshire Regiment.[169]
Hertford's World War I and II memorial carries a sculpture of the White Hart on a cenotaph.[170]
The battalion's World War I service is commemorated by the Royal Naval Division War Memorial on Horse Guards Parade.[171]
See also
- Trained Bands
- Militia (English)
- Militia (Great Britain)
- Militia (United Kingdom)
- Special Reserve
- Bedfordshire Regiment
Footnotes
- ^ It is incorrect to describe the British Militia as 'irregular': throughout their history they were equipped and trained exactly like the line regiments of the regular army, and once embodied in time of war they were fulltime professional soldiers for the duration of their enlistment.
- ^ Some sources mistakenly give this as the date of foundation of the Hertfordshire Militia.[44]
- ^ However, the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (as it had now become) did have a number of Supplementary Reserve officers Category B attached to it.
Notes
- ^ Fortescue, Vol I, p. 12.
- ^ Fissell, pp. 178–80.
- ^ Grierson, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Hay, pp. 60–1
- ^ Holmes, pp. 90–1.
- ^ Maitland, pp. 162, 276.
- ^ Oman, pp. 110, 359–60.
- ^ Morris, pp. 92–7.
- ^ Nicholson, Appendix VI, p. 252.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Hay, pp. 286–9.
- ^ Hay, p. 67.
- ^ Beckett, Amateur Tradition, p. 20.
- ^ Boynton, Chapter II.
- ^ Cruickshank, p. 17.
- ^ Fissell, pp. 184–5.
- ^ Fortescue, Vol I, p. 125.
- ^ Hay, p. 88.
- ^ Maitland, pp. 234–5, 278.
- ^ Boynton, pp. 13–7, 91–2, 96, Appendix I.
- ^ Cruickshank, pp. 24–5.
- ^ Fissell, pp. 183–90.
- ^ Boynton, Appendix I.
- ^ Beckett, Amateur, pp. 24–5.
- ^ Hay, pp. 91–3.
- ^ Davis, pp. 61–2.
- ^ Beckett, Wanton Troopers, p. 25.
- ^ Fissell, pp. 43–4, 174–8, 206–8, 246–63.
- ^ a b c d Hertfordshire TBs at the BCW Project (archived at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ Fissell, pp. 264–70.
- ^ Cruickshank, p. 326.
- ^ Beckett, Wanton Troopers pp. 59, 105–7.
- ^ Nagel, pp. 138, 153–8.
- ^ Beckett, Wanton Troopers p. 107.
- ^ Nagel, pp. 192–4, 197–203.
- ^ Toynbee & Young, pp. 105–8.
- ^ Beckett, Wanton Troopers pp. 151–3.
- ^ Hay, pp. 99–104.
- ^ Fortescue, Vol I, pp. 294–5.
- ^ Hay, pp. 104–6.
- ^ Maitland, p. 326.
- ^ Western, p. 64.
- ^ Fanshawe at History of Parliament.
- ^ Hay, pp. 114, 119.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Frederick, pp. 229–31.
- ^ Fortescue, Vol II, p. 133.
- ^ Hay, pp. 243–5, 261.
- ^ Western pp. 56–7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sainsbury, pp 1–2.
- ^ Western, pp. 127–61, 293.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sainsbury, Table 1, p. 3.
- ^ a b Western, Appendix A.
- ^ a b Western, Appendix B.
- ^ Western, p. 395.
- ^ Herbert.
- ^ Western, pp. 189, 263–4.
- ^ Western, p. 379.
- ^ Western, p. 396.
- ^ Western, pp. 286–7.
- ^ Davis, p. 112.
- ^ Fortescue, Vol III, pp. 530–1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Busby.
- ^ Holmes, pp. 94–100.
- ^ Knight, pp. 78–9, 111, 255.
- ^ Knight, p. 79.
- ^ Burgoyne, p. 22.
- ^ Hussey, p. 163.
- ^ Hay, pp. 150–52.
- ^ Western, pp. 220–3, 254.
- ^ Brown.
- ^ Fortescue, Vol VI, pp. 38–40, 180–3.
- ^ Fortescue, Vol VII, pp. 34–5, 334.
- ^ Grierson, pp. 9–12.
- ^ Knight, p. 238.
- ^ Western, p. 240.
- ^ a b Sainsbury, p. 7.
- ^ Hay, p. 152.
- ^ Davis, pp. 205–18.
- ^ a b c d Hart's, various dates.
- ^ Dunlop, pp. 42–5.
- ^ Grierson, pp. 27–8.
- ^ Spiers, Army & Society, pp. 91–2.
- ^ Hay, pp. 155–6.
- ^ Dunlop, pp. 42–52.
- ^ Grierson, 84–5, 113, 120.
- ^ Spiers, Late Victorian Army, pp. 97, 102, 126–7.
- ^ Burgoyne, p. 84.
- ^ a b Sainsbury, p. 3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Army List, various dates.
- ^ Spiers, Army & Society, pp. 195–6.
- ^ a b c d e Parkyn.
- ^ Hertford at Drill Hall Project.
- ^ Webb, p. 441.
- ^ Amery, Vol III, pp. 21–2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Sainsbury, pp. 4–5.
- ^ Spiers, Army and Society, p. 239.
- ^ Spiers, Late Victorian Army, p. 309.
- ^ "The War - The Militia". The Times. No. 36077. London. 28 February 1900. p. 6.
- ^ Amery, Vol IV, p. 218.
- ^ Dunlop, pp. 131–40, 158-62.
- ^ Spiers, Army & Society, pp. 243–2, 254.
- ^ Dunlop, pp. 270–2.
- ^ Frederick, pp. vi–vii.
- ^ Spiers, Army & Society, pp. 275–7.
- ^ a b c d e f James, pp. 59–60.
- ^ a b Bedfordshires at Long, Long Trail.
- ^ a b c d e f 4th Bn at Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x 4th Bedfords' War Diary 1916–19, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/3118/2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 117–28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 63d (RN) Division at Long, Long Trail.
- ^ Cave, pp. 106–8.
- ^ 4th Bedfords' War diary 1916, summarised at Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War.
- ^ London Gazette, 16 September 1904.
- ^ a b c Collings-Wells at Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War.
- ^ London Gazette, 14 April 1916.
- ^ London Gazette, 28 December 1916.
- ^ Cave, pp. 108–25.
- ^ Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 485–91, 504–6, 510.
- ^ O'Neil, pp. 147–50.
- ^ Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 71–2, 81–2.
- ^ O'Neil, p. 154.
- ^ Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 95–100.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 152–3.
- ^ Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 221, 293, 349, 398–400.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 166–7.
- ^ Falls, 1917, Vol I, pp. 418–22.
- ^ Inglis, pp. 196–8.
- ^ O'Neil, pp. 169–70.
- ^ London Gazette, 20 July 1917.
- ^ Edmonds, 1917, Vol II, pp. 351, 354–5.
- ^ Gregory, pp. 168–71. 178–9.
- ^ O'Neil, pp. 201–3.
- ^ Miles, 1917, Vol III, pp. 275–7.
- ^ Gregory, pp. 172–3.
- ^ O'Neill, p. 225.
- ^ Edmonds, 1918, Vol I, p. 44.
- ^ Blaxland, pp. 66–7, 73–4.
- ^ Edmonds, 1918, Vol I, pp. 42, 131, 219, 304–5, 372–80, 421–2, 429, 431–4, 475–81.
- ^ Gregory, p. 179.
- ^ Middlebrook, pp. 97–8, 110, 140.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 230–49.
- ^ Edmonds, 1918, Vol I, pp. 520–1.
- ^ Edmonds, 1918, Vol II, pp. 34–5.
- ^ O'Neill, p. 249.
- ^ Edmonds, 1918, Vol II, pp. 106, 113, 132–4.
- ^ James, p. 47.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 255–6.
- ^ James, p. 69.
- ^ Blaxland, p. 204.
- ^ Edmonds, 1918, Vol IV, pp. 186–92, 205–6, 228.
- ^ O'Neill, pp. 289–91.
- ^ Edmonds, 1918, Vol IV, pp. 270–2, 301–2, 324–5.
- ^ O'Neill, p. 300.
- ^ Blaxland, p. 229.
- ^ Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 33–5, 52, 120.
- ^ Gregory, pp. 180–3.
- ^ O'Neill, p. 318.
- ^ Blaxland, pp. 247–8.
- ^ Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 206–10.
- ^ O'Neill, p. 320.
- ^ Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 512, 535.
- ^ Becke, Pt 3b, Appendix I.
- ^ James, Appendices II & III.
- ^ Rinaldi.
- ^ Carman.
- ^ Sainsbury, p. ix, Plate 3.
- ^ Kipling & King.
- ^ Churchill.
- ^ a b Baldry.
- ^ IWM WMR Ref 19325.
- ^ IWM WMR Ref 1160.
- ^ IWM WMR Ref 11858 .
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