Legion of Frontiersmen

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The Legion of Frontiersmen is a voluntary organisation founded in Britain "for fellowship and for service to the State at any time of need".

It was initially formed in 1904 for the purpose of providing irregular mounted scouts for the British Army, but in 1906 the Legion almost became the official branch of British Military Intelligence but lost out to MI5/MI6.

All Legion members were volunteers. Prior to the First World War, they undertook many covert intelligence-gathering and counter-intelligence operations; such as discovering a new secret German base in the Caroline Islands, surveying the Kiel Canal with the object of blowing it up in the event of war, and charting the Elbe's defences and minefields. The first British troops in action in 1914 were Frontiersmen who paid passage for both themselves and their horses. Initially offering their service to the French, who declined, they were accepted by the Belgians, and to this day they retain an official affiliation with the 3rd Belgian Lancers. In Canada the Frontiersmen made up reportedly one half of the original draft PPCLI, the first Canadian troops to serve in World War I [CITATION/PROOF NEEDED]. They also formed the bulk of the 25th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, formed in 1915.

Until recently, the Legion's many covert missions on the borders of the British Empire were shrouded in myth and legend - historians are only now beginning to discover the facts (see Pocock 2004).

The Senior Frontiersmen Squadron is based in the City of London. The Frontiersmen in the City of London were given the right to wear the cities coat of arms by the Mayor, Alderman and Guilds of London. This unit is still active in the City and has an active Search and Rescue Squadron attached to it.