First Surrey Volunteer Rifle, The

Historical Notes

Recruited by voluntary service, the Volunteers were exempted from liability to serve in the Militia or other forces. Volunteer units which had been raised for home defense in the Napoleonic Wars were disbanded after 1815. However, in view of England's uneasy relations with France and the defenseless state of the country, they were revived in 1859 when the Volunteer Force was established. They consisted chiefly of rifle volunteers and 26 of these Corps were in Surrey. By 1880, as the result of amalgamations, this number was reduced to eight Corps. Two years later, four were allocated to The Queen’s and four to The East Surrey Regiment. With the exception of the 1st Corps, all became Volunteer battalions of their parent Regiments - namely the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Volunteer Battalions of The Queen’s in 1883, and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Volunteer Battalions of The East Surrey Regiment four years later. During the South African War, companies from the Volunteer battalions saw active service with the Regular battalions of The Queen’s and the East Surreys fighting there. http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/militia_vol_territorial/mvt40_1.html