1. Introduction
The Volunteers were raised in 1794, and the Yeomanry (cavalry) in 1804, as additional forces in support of the Militia which had existed since Tudor times. In 1808 a fourth force was formed : the Local Militia, but by 1816 this force and the Volunteers had been dissolved. The Yeomanry continued, however, and following the revival of the Volunteer Force (or Rifle Volunteers) in 1859 they combined in 1907 to form the Territorial Force. In 1908 the Militia was renamed the Special Reserve. In 1921 the Territorial Force became the Territorial Army, while the Special Reserve reverted to the name Militia. In 1924 the Militia was superseded by the Supplementary Reserve until it was disbanded in 1953, while from 1940 to 1945 the Home Guard (Local Defence Volunteers) was responsible for home defence.
2. The Volunteers
The main sources for information on individual Volunteers for the period before 1859 are the Musters Books and Pay Lists in WO 13/4160-4621, for the years 1797-1814. Arranged by county, coverage is patchy, but these records can also include references to deserters. Muster rolls of some of the Middlesex and County of London regiments are in WO 70. A list of the Volunteer Corps of Infantry existing at 13 May 1826 is to be found in WO 43/259. Volunteer records for 1804 are in WO 40/21. Lists of Officers' commissions into the Volunteers, and returns of service, are included in the military correspondence of the Home Office in HO 51/59-73, 1798-1825. Officers appear in the Army List and their commissions were gazetted in the London Gazette (also available The National Archives in ZJ 1. Records of pensions paid to Volunteers for some of the years between 1817-1927 may be found in PMG 13/4-50, and there are registers of pension payments for the period 1868-1882 in WO 23/89, WO 23/90, WO 23/91. Letter received by the Home Office from Volunteers, 1802-1803, are in HO 51/103.
Records for the period following the Volunteer Force's revival in 1859 are very rare and for the most part are held in private collections or local record offices. From this date the force was commonly called the Rifle Volunteers. The National Archives does hold an incomplete set of pay lists for Volunteer Staff, 1873-1878 in WO 13/4622-4675, and the regimental books of The Paddington Rifles (10th Bn. London Regiment) 1860-1912, in WO 70/1-21. References to Officers may be found in the Army List, and a nominal return of Commissioned Officers in the Volunteers for 1863 included among the Parliamentary Papers: HC 1863, xxxii, 583.
Registers of the Volunteers Officers' Decoration, 1892-1932, are in WO 330/3, WO 330/4, and registers of the Volunteers' Long Service Medal for other ranks, 1906-1925, are in WO 102/21.
3. The Yeomanry
The Yeomanry were mounted volunteers, introduced in 1804 for home service only. Very few records are held at The National Archives, most being in private collections or regimental museums. However, some Muster Rolls and Pay Lists are at The National Archives in WO 13/3968-4159, and records from the introduction and administration of the Yeomanry are in WO 32 and WO 43. Letters received by the Home Office from Yeomanry, 1802-1803, are in HO 51/103, and letters from Irish Yeomanry officers seeking retirement are in WO 43. Returns for 1827 for some regiments are in WO 43/223, and officers' service records of the Northampton Yeomanry, 1874-1912, are in WO 76/14.
Records of pensions paid to the Yeomanry for some years between 1817-1927 may be found in PMG 13/4-50. WO 23/25 includes a list of pensioners discharged from Yeomanry regiments, 1821-1829, which also gives dates of death, and there are registers of pension payments to Yeomanry during the period 1868-1882 in WO 23/89, WO 23/90, WO 23/91.
4. The Imperial Yeomanry
The Imperial Yeomanry (as distinct from the Yeomanry) was raised in 1899 specifically for the South African War, and general records of its administration can be found in WO 108. Records of officers in the Imperial Yeomanry do not seem to have survived, although the 1901-2 Army Lists can give an outline of service, together with the roll of officers in WO 129/12. As usual commissions were announced in the London Gazette (also available The National Archives in ZJ 1).
Attestation and discharge papers for Imperial Yeomanry other ranks are in WO 128, arranged by service number. Service numbers can be found by using the registers in WO 129. If a man went on to serve in the regular army, and was discharged before 1914, his record should be in WO 97. Casualty Books for this period may be found in WO 129/8, WO 129/9, WO 129/10, WO 129/11, and WO 108/338.
Recipients of the Queens (and King's) South Africa Medal are listed in the medal rolls, WO 100/120-130, and WO 100/356, WO 100/357 respectively. Awards of the Imperial Yeomanry Long Service and Good Conduct Medal were announced in Army Orders, now in WO 123.
BritishMedals includes a database of around 40,000 men who fought with the Imperial Yeomanry, Lovat Scouts and Scottish Horse during the Boer War of 1899 to 1902. The database is searchable by surname and gives the names, ranks, numbers and units. The same site has a database of cavalry men awarded the South Africa medal and may soon include a database of men from WO 126 - Colonial Soldiers of that war.
The City of London Yeomanry, also known as the City Imperial Volunteers, was raised at the same time as the Imperial Yeomanry. No attestation papers have survived but some details about volunteers and other records are held at the Guildhall Library.
5. The Territorials
Most surviving records of the Territorial Force or Army are assumed to be held by regimental museums. Of the few administrative records held at The National Archives, the majority are in series WO 70 and WO 32. Service records of Officers during the First World War are in WO 374. Records concerning the Territorial Decoration are in WO 32 code 50L, but no medal rolls are held. A microfiche card index for the Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, 1908-1921, and Territorial Efficiency Medal, 1921-1930, is available at The National Archives.
6. Local Militia
Attestation papers of Local Militia Regiments, 1769-1854, are in WO 97/1091 -1112, and there are registers of pension payments to Local Militia during the period 1868-1882 in WO 23/89, WO 23/90, WO 23/91. Local Militia officers' commissions, etc., are held in HO 51/42-56, 1808-1855.
7. Home Guard (Local Defence Volunteers)
Information from Home Guard personal records and enrolment forms are only available to those who served, or to next of kin, from Army Personnel Centre, Historic Disclosures, Mailpoint 400, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow, G2 8EX (telephone 0845 600 9663).
The National Archives Library holds copies of the Home Guard Lists. Histories of various Home Guard units are included in WO 199. WO 32 code 66 holds the general registered papers of the Home Guard, while operational records are included with papers of the Prime Ministers Office in PREM 3. Home Guard War Diaries for the Second World War are in WO 166, and a file containing recommendations for the award of the British Empire Medal to Home Guard members is in AIR 2/9040.
8. Further reading
William Spencer, Records of the Militia & Volunteer Forces 1757-1945 (PRO Readers Guide No.3,1997)
Michael Roper, The Records of the War Office and Related Departments 1660-1964 (PRO, 1998)
