| Show THE BRITISH MILITARY SYSTEM there have been frequent references in the news dispatches of late to the various classes of reserves and auxiliary troops which form part of the british military system such as the militia the yeomanry the militia reserves and the volunteers inasmuch however as the names by which these auxiliaries are called particularly the militia and the volunteers have a very different meaning in the united states from thac which they convey in great britain an explanation of the organization and status of the various forces which make up the british army will be helpful to american readers the militia of great britain is a force maintained for the purpose of augmenting the standing army in case of imminent national danger it may be embodied that is to say placed in active military service within the confines of the united kingdom by royal proclamation the occasion for the embodiment of the militia must first be communicated to parliament it that body shall be in session if not parliament must be convened within ten days after the issue of the royal proclamation british militia officers are appointed and promoted by the sovereign but obtain their final appointment on the recommendation of the lord lieutenants of the various counties the rank and file is ordinarily recruited by voluntary enlistment for a period of six years but it the quota of any county shall not be maintained it must be made up by a ballot i e a draft tor the militia in the parishes of the counties thus deficient in order that the force may be kept in a condition of military efficiency the officers and men are sub j ducted to an initiatory period of training not exceeding six months the usual period is two months and further annual training periods not exceeding fifty six usually twenty eight days the infantry of the militia is organized in battalions which are attached to the regiment of the regular army having its home depots in the county from which the militia results may be drawn thus the royal high landers the famous black whose depot is at perth scotland consists of two battalions oe regulars the farsi battalion the forty second infantry being stationed at sujatha Su batha in the punjab while the second battalion the seventy third infantry Is with general methuen in south africa the third battalion consists of the perth militia two and even three battalions of militia in a populous county may form part of the local or territorial regiment ot the line the uniforms of the militia battalions are identical with those of the line regiments to which they aie at tachel and the ordinary business of the battalions when not engaged in the annual muster and drill Is conducted by a permanent staff consisting of an adjutant and a small body of noncommissioned non commissioned officers it will be seen therefore that the british militia is really a part of the regular army but it cannot be employed beyond the boundaries ot the united kingdom the volunteer forces ot great britain more closey resemble our national guard organized militia of the stales they cannot be required to serve in foreign parts nor under any but their own chosen officers the volunteer organizations of gibat britain had origin in the scare of 1859 when the regular army battalions at home depots had dwindled to less than men in consequence of the drafts made on them to quell the indian mutiny and when complications with france and the united states seemed imminent the volunteers consitt of artillery engineers and rifle corps some few of the latter being mounted tho training of the volunteers is bifilar to that of our guardsman guardsmen guards men including gun and ralle practice encampments encamp ments and marches the volunteer rifle corps are inspected by and placed under the general supervision of the regular army colonel in command of their regimental district and together with tho active army and militia battalions and the army le serves of tho district the volunteers form a brigade in the event of the invasion of the biulah territory and if the auxiliary forces should be called out the line colonel of the district would command tho mixed brigade of regulars reserves militia and volunteers thus formed the yeomanry or volunteer cavalry originated in the napoleonic era while tha british bt anding army wasa being employed in the peninsular and other wars on the continent of europe it became necessary essaiy to provide other forces tor the defense of the united kingdom A volunteer army was created for ahls purpose and in when a french invasion was feared it reached a strength of more or less disciplined men after peace had been in this large volunteer army disbanded with the exception of tho yeomanry which now consists of or more ot axe best cross country riders in the world the british militia according to the latest returns 99 includes men of all lanks of whom are effectives and aie reported for duty the number men of whom are effectives this very auxiliary force ot the british army cannot hocmer bo employed beyond the boundaries 0 great britain except a small part 0 the militia known ns the militia reserves and consisting of about men who at the time of their enlistment agreed to serve abroad the auxiliary battalions ns such cannot be sent to fight in foreign wars and when the last ot the regular army reserves shall have been called in the british forces in south africa can be further reinforced only by the voluntary enlistment of individual members of the militia volunteers and yeomanry or of untrained recruits great britaina Brit ains complicated military system then have to be broken up and its units reconstructed as were the militia regiments of most of our states on their incorporation into the army of the united states at the beginning of the spanish war |
