British Colonial Auxiliary Forces

This is a list of auxiliary regiments or units formed by the British in individual colonies of the British Empire. In some colonies, the units were led by officers seconded from the British Army. Especially in the case of units that recruited non-whites, even in colonies where the officers were primarily colonials commissions were generally restricted to whites until after the Second World War. Non-white colonials, as well as non-whites from Britain itself (who were for a time assigned to British West Indian Regiments of the British Army as a matter of policy, even if enlisting in Britain) served primarily in the other ranks. Although militias operating on the same principle as the militia in England and Wales were established in many colonies during the 17th and 18th Centuries, from the 19th Century onwards colonial units were mostly voluntary, and supplied a reserve force either to be called up in war time to reinforce regular British Army garrisons for home defence, or in some cases were entirely responsible for home defence. Many units, however, took part in active campaigns outside of the role of home defence in various conflicts the British Empire was involved in, including the two world wars.

Many of these units started out as auxiliary units and later became regular units and forerunners to the current militaries of those colonies which have become politically independent.

While most of the units listed here were army units, colonial marines were raised at various times, as were colonial naval and air force reserve units.

Today, only four British Overseas Territories regiments remain (not including cadet corps): the Bermuda Regiment; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment; the Falkland Islands Defence Force; and the Royal Montserrat Defence Force.

List of Colonial Auxiliary Forces

This is an incomplete list that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Africa

• King's African Rifles garrisoned the East African colonies of Nyasaland, Kenya, Uganda and British Somaliland.
• Royal West African Frontier Force garrisoned the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

America

• Corps of Colonial Marines

Australia

Barbados

• Barbados Volunteer Force

Bermuda

• Bermuda Militias 1612-1815
• Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps (1894–1965)
• Bermuda Militia Artillery (1895–1965)
• Bermuda Volunteer Engineers (1931-1946)
• Bermuda Militia Infantry (1939-1946)
• Bermuda Home Guard
• Bermuda Regiment (1965–Present)
• Bermuda Cadet Corps (19th Century-2013)
• Air Training Corps
• Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps (1968–Present)

British Guiana

• British Guiana Volunteer Force (BGVF)

British Honduras

• The Prince Regent's Royal Militia (1817-1866)
• The Belize Volunteer Force (1866-1868)
• The Belize Volunteer Corps (1868-1883)
• The Belize Light Infantry Volunteer Force (1897-1905)
• British Honduras Volunteers (1905-1916)
• British Honduras Territorial Force (1916-1928)
• British Honduras Defense Force (1928-1944)
• British Honduras Home Guard (1942-1943)
• British Honduras Volunteer Guard (1943-1973)
• Belize Volunteer Guard (1973-1977)

Burma

• Burma Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve^[1]

Canada

Ceylon

• Ceylon Volunteers (1881–1910)
• Ceylon Defence Force (1910–1948)
• Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

Dominica

• Dominica Defence Force

Falkland Islands

• Falkland Islands Defence Force (1892–Present)

Fiji

• Fiji Defence Force

Gibraltar

• Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Gold Coast

• Gold Coast Constabulary

Grenada

• Grenada Defence Force

Hong Kong

• Royal Hong Kong Regiment (1854–1997)

India

Cavalry

• The Allahabad Light Horse
• The Assam Valley Light Horse
• The Bihar Light Horse
• The Bombay Light Horse
• The Calcutta Light Horse
• The Cawnpore Light Horse
• The Ghazipur Light Horse
• The Gorakhpur Light Horse
• The Northern Bengal Mounted Rifles
• The Oudh Light Horse
• The Punjab Light Horse
• The Surma Valley Light Horse

Infantry

• The Agra Volunteer Rifle Corps
• The Allahabad Rifles
• The Assam Bengal Railway Battalion
• The Baluchistan Volunteer Rifle Corps
• The Bangalore Contingent
• The Bengal and North West Railway Battalion
• The Bengal Nagpur Railway Battalion
• The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway Regiment
• The Bombay Volunteer Rifles Corps
• The Calcutta and Presidency Battalion
• The Calcutta Presidency Battalion
• The Cawnpore Rifles

• The Chota Nagpur Regiment

• The Coorg and Mysore Company
• The Coorg and Mysore Rifles
• The Dehra Dun Mounted Rifles
• The East Coast Battalion
• The East Indian Railway Regiment
• The Eastern Bengal Company
• The Eastern Bengal Railway Battalion
• The Great Indian Peninsula Railway Regiment
• The Hyderabad Rifles
• The Kolar Goldfields Battalion
• The Lucknow Volunteer Rifle Corps
• The Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Rifles
• The Madras Guards
• The Malabar Volunteer Rifles
• The Malwah Bheel Corps
• Meywa Bheel Corps
• The Midlands Volunteer Rifle Corps
• The Moulmein Volunteer Rifle Corps
• The Mussourie Battalion
• The Nagpur Rifles
• The Naini Tal Volunteer Rifles
• The Nilgiri Malabar Battalion
• The Northern Bengal Mounted Rifles
• The North West Railway Battalion
• The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway Battalion
• The Poona Rifles
• The Shillong Volunteer Rifles
• The Simla Rifles
• The South Andaman Volunteer Rifles Corps
• The South Indian Railway Battalion
• The Yercaud Volunteer Rifle Corps

Jamaica

• Jamaica Militia Artillery
• Jamaica Engineer Corps
• Kingston (later Jamaica) Infantry Volunteers
• Jamaica Home Guard
• consolidated postwar to form:
• Jamaica Defence Force

Kenya

• Kenya Regiment

Leeward Island

• Leewards Islands Battalion (1943-1945)
• Leewards Home Guard

Malaya

• Malay States Volunteer Rifles (1915–1936)
• Malayan Naval Volunteer Reserve

Malta

• King's Own Malta Regiment

Montserrat

• Royal Montserrat Defence Force

New Zealand

• Waikato Mounted Rifles
• Hauraki Regiment

St Christopher Nevis

• Saint Kitts and Nevis Defence Force

Singapore

• Singapore Volunteer Corps
• Singapore Naval Volunteer Force

St Lucia

• St. Lucia Volunteer Corps

Sudan

• Sudan Defence Force

Trinidad/Tobago

• Trinidad Volunteers (expanded during WWII to form:)
• Trinidad Regiment
• Trinidad Volunteer Artillery
• Trinidad Home Guard

West Indies

• West India Regiment

Medals

• Efficiency Decoration
• Efficiency Medal
• Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration
• Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal

References & External links