Territorial Army

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For the steam locomotive of the same name, see The Territorial Army (British Rail).

The Territorial Army (TA) is a part of the British Army, the land armed forces of the United Kingdom, and composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. It forms about a quarter of the strength of the Army. Its original purpose was home defence, but it has been restructured and reconceptualised to focus on providing support for the Regular army. It is roughly equivalent to the United States National Guard. Even India has its own Territorial Army [3]

Territorial soldiers, or Territorials, are volunteers, not conscripts or a militia, and often undergo military training in their spare time. They normally have a day job, which is protected by law should they be compulsorily mobilised.

It was created in 1908, when the War Office took over and reorganised the previously civilian-administered Volunteer Army, folding its remaining Militia and Yeomanry units into it.

Contents

[edit] World War I and earlier

Main article: Territorial Force

The Territorial Force was originally formed by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane, following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Army with the remaining units of militia and yeomanry. The TF was formed on April 1, 1908 and contained 14 infantry divisions, and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades.

The individual units that made up each division or brigade were administered by County Associations, with the county's lord lieutenant as president. The other members of the association consisted of military members (chosen from the commanding officers of the units), representative members (nominated by the county councils and county boroughs in the lieutenancy county) and co-opted members (often retired military officers). Associations took over any property vested in the volunteers or yeomanry under their administration. Each regiment or battalion had a regular army officer attached as full-time adjutant.

The use of the word territorial signified that the volunteers who served with the force were under no obligation to serve overseas — in 1910, when asked to nominate for Imperial Service overseas in the event of mobilisation, less than 10% of the Force chose to do so. In August 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, Territorial units were given the option of serving in France and by August 25 in excess of 70 battalions had volunteered. This question over the availability of Territorial divisions for overseas service was one of Lord Kitchener's motivations for raising the New Army separately.

Territorial units initially saw service in Egypt and India and other Empire garrisons such as Gibraltar, thereby releasing regular units for service in France and enabling the formation of an additional five regular army divisions (for a total of eleven) by early 1915. The first Territorial division to join the fighting on the Western Front was the 46th Division in March 1915, with divisions later serving in Gallipoli and elsewhere. As the war progressed and casualties mounted, the distinctive character of Territorial units was diluted by the inclusion of conscript and New Army drafts. Following the Armistice all units of the Territorial Force were gradually disembodied.

[edit] Interwar and World War II

New recruiting started in early 1920, and the Territorial Force was reconstituted 7 February 1920. On 1 October 1920 the Territorial Force was renamed the Territorial Army. The 1st Line divisions (that were created in 1907 or 1908) were reconstituted in that year. The 2nd Line was reconstituted in April 1939 in reaction to the declaration of war.[1] When the 2nd Line was reformed they were a little different from their WWI predecessors. They had slightly different names and the regiments assigned were different.

[edit] List of TA Divisions, World War II

The Territorial Army armoured and infantry divisions during World War II were:

[edit] Postwar

The TA was reformed in 1947, keeping its former role of supplying complete divisions to the regular Army for twelve years after WWII. For the first time, TA units were formed in Northern Ireland. The manoeuvre divisions established or re-established in 1947 were:[2]

The Territorials also furnished much of the anti-aircraft cover for the United Kingdom during until 1956. In that year Anti-Aircraft Command and 15 anti-aircraft regiments of the Royal Artillery were disbanded, with nine others passing into "suspended animation".[3] The territorial units of the Royal Armoured Corps were also reduced in number to nine armoured regiment and eleven reconnaisance regiments. This was effected by amalgamation of pairs of regiments, and the conversion of four RAC units to an infantry role. At the same time, the 16th Airborne Division was reduced to in size to become the 44th Independent Parachute Brigade Group.[4]

British forces contracted dramatically as the end of conscription in 1960 came in sight. On July 20, 1960 a reorganisation of the TA was announced in the House of Commons. The territorials were to be reduced from 266 fighting units to 195. There was to be a reduction of 46 regiments of the Royal Artillery, 18 battalions of infantry , 12 regiments of the Royal Engineers and 2 regiments of the Royal Corps of Signals.[5] The reductions were carried in 1961, mainly by amalgamation of units.

This was followed by complete reorganisation from April 1, 1967 when the title Territorial Army and Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) was adopted. The TAVR was divided into four categories:

  • TAVR I: Units available for all purposes
  • TAVR II: Units with a NATO role
  • TAVR III: Home Defence units
  • TAVR IV: Consisting of bands and the University-based Officer Training Corps

TAVR I and II units were known as "Volunteers", and those in TAVR III as "Territorials". These terms were often incorporated into the unit titles.

The TAVR III was disbanded in 1969, with the units being reduced to eight-man "cadres". The cadres became part of a "sponsoring" TAVR II unit, although continuing to wear the badges and perpetuating the traditions of their forebears. An increase in the size of the TAVR in 1971 lead to the formation of a number of battalions based on these cadres.[6][7]

In 1979 the Territorial Army title was restored, and in the following years its size was somewhat increased.

The TA was thus re-roled into its modern form. Instead of supplying complete combat divisions, its function was to round out regular formations by supplying units of up to battalion size (including infantry and light artillery, but not tracked armour), and supply extra support functions such as engineers, medical units and military police.

After the Strategic Defence Review of 1998, the TA's size was further reduced. As of 2006 it has an authorised strength of 42,000 though recruiting difficulties put the actual strength of the TA below that figure (manning is currently at approx 82% which equates to 34,000).

TA soldiers have seen service in almost every conflict the UK has been involved with since 1945. However, they served in particularly large numbers in three conflicts. The Korean War and Suez Crisis were during the 1950s, when the UK still had an imperial role. However, in 2003, 9,500 reservists, the vast majority of them from the TA, were mobilised to take part in Operation Telic, the invasion of Iraq. Given the current state of world politics and security, it seems inconceivable that the TA will not see further extensive service during the remainder of the early part of the 21st century.

[edit] Current units

[edit] Regional Brigades

All units of the Territorial Army are organised into administrative Regional Brigades, dependent upon their geographic location within the United Kingdom:

[edit] Royal Armoured Corps

[edit] Infantry

[edit] Special Forces

[edit] Royal Artillery

Though not part of the Royal Artillery, the Honourable Artillery Company is a further artillery unit within the Territorial Army.

[edit] Royal Engineers

[edit] Royal Corps of Signals

[edit] Army Air Corps

  • 6 (Volunteer) Regiment AAC
  • 7 (Volunteer) Regiment AAC

[edit] Intelligence Corps

[edit] Royal Army Medical Corps

2 Med Bde

  • 201 Fd Hospital
  • 202 Fd Hospital
  • 203 Fd Hospital
  • 204 Fd Hospital
  • 205 Fd Hospital
  • 207 Fd Hospital
  • 208 Fd Hospital
  • 212 Fd Hospital
  • 222 Field Hospital
  • 243 Fd Hospital
  • 256 Fd Hospital
  • 34 Fd Hospital

[edit] Services and Officer Training Corps

In addition to the combat units, there are Territorial Army units in the Adjutant General's Corps, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Royal Logistic Corps and Army Medical Services. Many British Universities also have Officer Training Corps units, which allow students to experience military life and provided a source of TA officers. University Officer Training Corps (UOTCs) still officially form part of the TA. However, they fall into reserve category "B" meaning they cannot be called up for service unless there is a national emergency.

  • Aberdeen UOTC
  • Birmingham UOTC
  • Bristol UOTC
  • Cambridge UOTC
  • East Midlands UOTC
  • Edinburgh UOTC
  • Exeter UOTC
  • Glasgow and Strathclyde UOTC
  • Leeds UOTC
  • Liverpool UOTC
  • Manchester UOTC
  • Northumbrian UOTC
  • Oxford UOTC
  • Queen's UOTC
  • Sheffield UOTC
  • Southampton UOTC
  • Tayforth UOTC
  • Wales UOTC
  • University of London OTC

[edit] Overseas territories

During the imperial age, home defence units were raised in various British colonies with the intention of allowing Regular Army units tied-up on garrison duty to be deployed elsewhere. These have generally been organised along Territorial Army lines. There are three units, today, in the remaining British Overseas Territories (BOT): the Bermuda Regiment, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, and the Falkland Islands Defence Force. Although the British Government, as national government, is responsible for the defence of the territories, and holds direct control of military units raised within them, the local forces are raised and funded by the local governments of the territories. These units must meet British Army standards in organisation and efficiency. Their officers are commissioned by Sandhurst, and their sergeants attend the Platoon Sergeants course at Brecon (itself having been begun as a course for Parachute Regiment NCOs, created by a Bermudian officer, Major-General Glyn Charles Anglim Gilbert). Although OT units may have no tasking under the Ministry of Defence, and members may not be compelled to serve outside their territory, many serve voluntarily on attachment to Regular Army units. In the 1980s, a cadre of officers and NCOs from the Bermuda Regiment was briefly attached to a battalion of the affiliated Royal Anglian Regiment deployed to Belize, guarding against a threatened invasion by Guatemala. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is moving towards integration with the British Army, having been added to the Army List, and with one of its three rifle companies having become full-time, following the withdrawal of the Regular Army garrison in 1991.

[edit] Basic training

Recruits have to pass the Common Military Standard (Recruits), which for TA Soldiers lasts two weeks (as opposed to fourteen weeks for regular recruits), normally held at an Army Training Regiment.

[edit] Restructuring

On December 16, 2004, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced a major restructuring of the infantry. The 40 battalions of the regular army will be reduced to 36, with the majority of those remaining being amalgamated into larger regiments. The 14 TA infantry battalions will be included in this structure, with each regiment having at least one TA battalion (the Royal Regiment of Scotland and The Rifles will have two); the Guards Division will also have an affiliated TA battalion, the London Regiment.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

  1. ^ http://www.essex-yeomanry.org.uk/history/shorthistory.htm
  2. ^ Charles Messenger, A History of the British Infantry: Volume Two 1915-94, Leo Cooper, London, 1996, p.157
  3. ^ Napoleonic war links to go, The Times, August 30, 1955
  4. ^ TA replanning complete, The Times, May 6, 1956
  5. ^ Reorganizing Territorials, the Times, July 21, 1960
  6. ^ [1] Regiments of the British Territorial & Army Volunteer Reserve 1967 (regiments.org)
  7. ^ Lineage of British Army Regiments 1967 - 2000 by Wienand Drieth [2]


 
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