71-818: The Robin Hood Battalion was a unit of the Volunteer Force of the British Army and Territorial Force , later the Territorial Army . The battalion served as infantry during the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin and then served on the Western Front during World War I . In the 1930s it re-roled as an anti-aircraft unit and served in World War II , including North-western Europe from June 1944 to May 1945. The unit
142-629: A Rifle green Lanyard instead of the white lanyard normally worn by the RA. 42nd (Robin Hoods) S/L Regiment was cited in a decree of the Belgian government on 8 May 1947 for its heroic part in the defence of Antwerp, and members of its successor regiment were permitted to wear a strip of ribbon of the Belgian Croix de Guerre on each shoulder. Honorary Colonels of the battalion included: The actions of
213-610: A popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the Territorial Force in 1908. Most of the regiments of the present Army Reserves Infantry , Artillery , Engineers and Signals units are directly descended from Volunteer Force units. Prior to
284-542: A royal commission chaired by Viscount Eversley was appointed "to inquire into the condition of the volunteer force in Great Britain and into the probability of its continuance at its existing strength". According to the report, as of 1 April 1862, the Volunteer Force had a strength of 162,681 consisting of: Their report made a number of recommendations and observations on funding and training: To carry into effect
355-474: A County". On acceptance, the corps would be deemed lawfully formed. Existing corps were to continue under the new Act, although the power was given to the Crown to disband any corps. The constitution of a permanent staff consisting of an adjutant and serjeant instructors was permitted for each corps. The grouping of two or more corps into administrative regiments was recognised, and a permanent staff could be provided for
426-448: A concentration area at West Chiltington , West Sussex , then on 17 September to the embarkation marshalling area at Lee-on-the-Solent , Hampshire . It was shipped to Arromanches in three groups, 18–22 September, and concentrated at Sainte-Croix-sur-Mer before moving to Dieppe where it came under the command of 80 AA Bde on 25 September. Similarly, 367 S/L Bty arrived at Brussels, and 368 S/L Bty at Ostend . While 367 SL Bty joined
497-637: A peak of 623 a week in February, but declined thereafter. Overall the defenders' success rate was 43.2 per cent of V-1s destroyed by AA fire, reaching 97.5 per cent in March, after which the launch sites in Germany were overrun. Meanwhile, the Luftwaffe carried out major air raids on the nights of 30/31 December and 31 December/1 January 1945 in connection with Operation Bodenplatte , the attacks on Allied air bases in support of
568-509: A wider European conflict. On 12 May 1859, the Secretary of State for War , Jonathan Peel issued a circular letter to lieutenants of counties in England, Wales and Scotland, authorising the formation of volunteer rifle corps (VRC, a.k.a. corps of rifle volunteers and rifle volunteer corps), and of artillery corps in defended coastal towns. Volunteer corps were to be raised under the provisions of
639-463: Is composed of Arms to which their use is not appropriate". The large number of small independent corps proved difficult to administer, and, by 1861, most had been formed into battalion-sized units, either by "consolidation": increasing an existing corps to battalion size (usually in large urban areas), or by forming administrative battalions or brigades by the grouping of smaller corps (in rural areas). An official book of drill and rifle instructions for
710-609: The 178th (2nd Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade and 59th (2nd North Midland) Division respectively. Another duplicate battalion, the 3/7th, was formed in March 1915; this battalion remained in Britain for the duration of the war, became 7th (Reserve) Battalion in April 1916, later absorbing the 8th (Reserve) Battalion in September 1916. The 1/7th Battalion landed in France in February 1915 with
781-632: The 1st Nottinghamshire (Robin Hood) RVC of nine companies by March 1860. One company was raised by A.J. Mundella from employees of his hosiery mill. The unit adopted a uniform of Rifle green with black facings . In 1881, following the Cardwell - Childers Reforms , the Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment), later the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) , was formed as
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#1732854626874852-551: The 350th (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry) Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery and 528th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (West Nottinghamshire) to form the 350th (The Robin Hood Foresters) Heavy Regiment, RA . The following year Heavy was changed to Light. In 1961, the regiment converted to engineers and re-titled as the 350 (The Robin Hood Foresters) Field Squadron . In 1967, with reforms of
923-799: The Battle of Passchendaele and Cambrai . The battalion was absorbed by the 1/7th on 31 January 1918 and the Robin Hoods reverted to their original name, the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion. On 7 May, the 7th Robin Hoods were reduced to cadre strength. The First World War ended on 11 November 1918. On 14 June 1919, the Battalion was disbanded. During the First World War, Captain Albert Ball – fourth ranking ace of
994-723: The Blitz , including the Nottingham Blitz of 8/9 May 1941, a misdirected attempt to bomb the Rolls-Royce aero engine works at Derby, which was one of the last raids of the campaign. In 1941 the searchlight layout over the Midlands was reorganised, so that any hostile raid approaching the Gun Defended Areas (GDA) around the towns must cross more than one searchlight belt, and then within the GDAs
1065-752: The Crimean War , it was painfully clear to the War Office that, with half of the British Army dispositioned around the Empire on garrison duty, it had insufficient forces available to quickly compose and despatch an effective expeditionary force to a new area of conflict, unless it was to reduce the British Isles' own defences. During the Crimean War , the War Office had been forced to send militia and yeomanry to make up
1136-878: The Crimean War , the British military (i.e., land forces ) was made up of multiple separate forces, with a basic division into the Regular Forces (including the British Army , composed primarily of cavalry and infantry, and the Ordnance Military Corps of the Board of Ordnance , made up of the Royal Artillery , Royal Engineers , and the Royal Sappers and Miners though not including the originally civilian Commissariat Department , stores and supply departments, all of which, with barracks and other departments, were absorbed into
1207-714: The First World War began in August 1914, the Robin Hood Rifles continued to be part of the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Brigade (later the 139th (1/1st Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade ), North Midland Division (later the 46th (North Midland) Division ). On 19 September, a duplicate battalion of the Robin Hoods was formed, the original becoming the 1/7th. This duplicate joined the 2nd Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Brigade, 2nd North Midland Division, which later became
1278-1431: The Isle of Man , and consequently the 7th (Isle of Man) Volunteer Battalion of The King's (Liverpool Regiment) continued to serve as the only remaining unit of the Volunteer Force until disbandment in 1922. (1868–1922) According to the Territorial Year Book 1909 , the Volunteer Force had the following strength over its existence: 178th (2 Look for 178th (2 on one of Misplaced Pages's sister projects : [REDACTED] Wiktionary (dictionary) [REDACTED] Wikibooks (textbooks) [REDACTED] Wikiquote (quotations) [REDACTED] Wikisource (library) [REDACTED] Wikiversity (learning resources) [REDACTED] Commons (media) [REDACTED] Wikivoyage (travel guide) [REDACTED] Wikinews (news source) [REDACTED] Wikidata (linked database) [REDACTED] Wikispecies (species directory) Misplaced Pages does not have an article with this exact name. Please search for 178th (2 in Misplaced Pages to check for alternative titles or spellings. You need to log in or create an account and be autoconfirmed to create new articles. Alternatively, you can use
1349-467: The Napoleonic Wars compared with the linear tactics of the standing army. Many units initially favoured green and grey (colours until then used by British and German rifle units in the army) rifleman uniforms as opposed to the red coats of the infantry and engineers of the army and militia. In turn, the army was glad not to have amateur volunteers wear the scarlet of the regulars . The provisions of
1420-696: The Reserve Forces , most of these had been allowed to lapse after the Napoleonic Wars, although the Yeomanry was maintained to potentially support the civil authorities against civil unrest, as at the 1819 Peterloo massacre , the Militia remained as a paper tiger , and rifle clubs were encouraged as the backbone against which the Volunteer force might be re-raised. The Militia and Volunteer Force were both re-organised in
1491-591: The Royal Flying Corps – had been awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in 1916–1917 while seconded from the Robin Hoods. In 1920 the Territorial Force was reformed as the " Territorial Army " and, on 7 February, the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion (TA) was re-raised, once more forming part of the 46th (North Midland) Division. With the advent of air power, and the reduced need for so much infantry,
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#17328546268741562-556: The Second Boer War , when the prolonged campaign necessitated an increase in the size of British forces in South Africa. Volunteer Battalions formed Volunteer Active Service Companies that joined the regular battalions of their county regiments. Following the war, the battle honour "South Africa 1900–02" was awarded to the volunteer units that provided detachments for the campaign. By 1907, when its civilian administration teetered on
1633-531: The Volunteer Act 1804 ( 44 Geo. 3 . c. 54), which had been used to form local defence forces during the Napoleonic Wars . Alfred Tennyson captured the spirit of the time by publishing his poem Riflemen Form in The Times on 9 May 1859. As a basis for the units, many communities had rifle clubs for the enjoyment of the sport of shooting. Originally corps were to consist of approximately 100 all ranks under
1704-539: The West Riding region. In this role the Robin Hoods were organised as follows: The TA's AA units were mobilised on 23 September 1938 during the Munich Crisis , with units manning their emergency positions within 24 hours, even though many did not yet have their full complement of men or equipment. The emergency lasted three weeks, and they were stood down on 13 October. In February 1939 the existing AA defences came under
1775-463: The article wizard to submit a draft for review, or request a new article . Search for " 178th (2 " in existing articles. Look for pages within Misplaced Pages that link to this title . Other reasons this message may be displayed: If a page was recently created here, it may not be visible yet because of a delay in updating the database; wait a few minutes or try the purge function . Titles on Misplaced Pages are case sensitive except for
1846-617: The bombs used in the attack manufactured in Birmingham . The perceived threat of invasion by the much larger French Army was such that, even without sending a third of the army to another Crimea, Britain's military defences had already been stretched invitingly thin. On 29 April 1859 war broke out between France and the Austrian Empire (the Second Italian War of Independence ), and there were fears that Britain might be caught up in
1917-520: The 1850s. These forces were originally local-service, embodied during wartime or emergency, and placed under the control of Lords-Lieutenant of counties, and, in British colonies , under the colonial governors . After the British Army's Regular Reserve was created in 1859, by Secretary of State for War Sidney Herbert , and re-organised under the Reserve Force Act 1867 ( 30 & 31 Vict. c. 110),
1988-527: The 1st Devonshire Rifle Volunteers (and were often referred to as the 1st Rifle Volunteer Corps), and the Victoria Rifles (descended from the Duke of Cumberland's Sharpshooters , formed in 1803) who became the 1st Middlesex Rifle Volunteers. An order of precedence was established for ninety-two other counties, depending upon the date of establishment of the first corps in the county. The most senior artillery corps
2059-578: The 46th (North) Midland Division at the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 13 October 1915 are marked by two memorials. There are other memorials to the battalion at St Mary's Church, Nottingham , and at Nottingham Castle . The main Sherwood Foresters' war memorial is a tower at Crich , high in the Derbyshire Hills. Volunteer Force (Great Britain) The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as
2130-647: The AA defence of Brussels, the rest of 42nd S/L Rgt was deployed in a joint AA and coastal defence role along the Scheldt estuary. 366 S/L Battery under the operational control of 56 US AA Artillery Bde set up 90 cm lights to illuminate any surface craft trying to approach Antwerp and allow LAA guns to engage them. The air situation was quiet until 21 October, when the Germans began a bombardment of Antwerp and Brussels with V-1 flying bombs . With experience drawn from defending against
2201-613: The Armed Forces, it left the RE, returning to the Sherwood Foresters as part of The Robin Hood (Territorial) Battalion , a TAVR III (Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve) unit. In 1969, the Robin Hoods were reduced to cadre strength when they became the Robin Hood (T) Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters, RE . The Robin Hoods were sponsored by 73 Engineer Regiment, RE . In 1971, with further defence reforms,
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2272-740: The British Army when the Board of Ordnance was abolished in 1855). and the Reserve Forces . After the 1855 consolidation of the Regular Forces (ignoring minor forces such as the Yeomen Warders and the Yeomen of the Guard ) into the Regular Force (i.e., the British Army ), there still remained a number of British military (not to be confused with naval ) forces that were not part of the British Army; specifically
2343-521: The Corps of Rifle Volunteers and volunteer regulations were published in 1859 and 1861 respectively. From 1860 Cadet Corps were also formed, consisting of school-age boys, which were the forerunners of the Army Cadet Force and Combined Cadet Force . Like the adult volunteers, the boys were supplied with arms by the War Office, for which they had to pay a fee, which reduced the longer they remained members. Cadet Corps were usually associated with private schools. They paraded regularly in public. In 1862,
2414-411: The Force. The lord-lieutenant of a county, or the commanding officer of a corps or administrative regiment was empowered to appoint a court of inquiry into any corps, officer, non-commissioned officer or volunteer. Part II of the Act dealt with "Actual Military Service". The terms for calling out of the force were altered: this would now happen in "the case of actual or apprehended invasion of any part of
2485-464: The German Ardennes Offensive . 42 S/L Regiment's lights were heavily involved during the two nights and assisted in the destruction of 5–7 raiders. Although on high alert during the daylight raids, none came close enough to be engaged by the AA light machine guns of the S/L sites. At the end of January, 368 S/L Bty rejoined the regiment from Ostend, driving through bad winter roads. The regiment returned to British command under 80 AA Bde in February. In
2556-539: The RE AA battalions were transferred to the RA in August 1940, the battalion became 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Searchlight Regiment, RA , retaining its Robin Hoods cap badge in silver for officers and white metal for other ranks, together with a Rifle green lanyard instead of the white lanyard normally worn by the RA. By now the Battle of Britain was on; the regiment was still in 2 AA Division but had transferred to 50 Light AA Bde covering Nottingham and Derby. It continued to serve with this formation during
2627-413: The Regular Army. This culminated in the Childers Reforms of 1881 which nominated rifle volunteer corps as volunteer battalions of the new "county" infantry regiments, which also consisted of regular and militia battalions within a defined regimental district. Over the next few years many of the rifle volunteer corps adopted the "volunteer battalion" designation and the uniform of their parent regiment. This
2698-403: The Reserve forces, to avoid confusion, were generally known as the Auxiliary Forces or Local Forces . The Regulation of the Forces Act 1871 removed the Lord-Lieutenant as head of the county reserve forces and they were increasingly integrated with the British Army. A large number of Volunteer Corps were formed during the French Revolutionary War but were stood down afterwards. Following
2769-451: The Robin Hoods became D (Robin Hood Foresters) Company , 3rd (V) Battalion of the newly formed Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment . In 1992, the Robin Hood lineage was discontinued upon D Company becoming the HQ Company; the company was disbanded in 1999. When the battalion transferred to the RA in August 1940 it was allowed to retain its Robin Hoods cap badge in silver for officers and white metal for other ranks, together with
2840-402: The Robin Hoods were one of many units to be converted to the anti-aircraft role. The battalion re-roled as a unit of the Royal Engineers on 10 December 1936 and became the 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers . It joined the 32nd (Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group , 2nd Anti-Aircraft Division (formerly 46th (North Midland) Division) and was based in
2911-509: The Robin Hoods were reformed in the reconstituted TA as the 577th (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Searchlight Regiment, RA . It formed part of 58 AA Brigade (the pre-war 32nd (North Midland) AA Brigade). Over the next few years the title varied between 'searchlight' and 'light anti-aircraft' until 1953 when it became 'light anti-aircraft/searchlight'. AA Command was disbanded on 10 March 1955 and there were wholesale merges and amalgamations amongst its regiments. The Robin Hoods amalgamated with
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2982-476: The Special Reserve, which provided a body of trained men available for drafting to regular battalions as required during wartime). The total cost of the TF was to be met in future by central government. In addition to the introduction of terms of service for volunteers, most of the units lost their unique identities, becoming numbered territorial battalions of the local army regiment, albeit with distinctive badges or dress distinctions. The 1907 act did not extend to
3053-455: The United Kingdom (the occasion being first communicated to both Houses of Parliament if parliament is sitting, or declared in council and notified by proclamation if parliament is not sitting.)" As well as being entitled to pay and billets, relief was also to be given to the wives and families of volunteers. A bounty of one guinea was to be paid to volunteers on release from actual military service, such release being notified in order by writing by
3124-472: The V-1 attacks on Southern England ( Operation Diver ), GHQ AA Troops with 21st Army Group had a contingency plan for this, known as 'X' defences. This involved three lines of warning stations in the path of the V-1 attacks, then heavy AA guns at least 10 miles from the target cities. Searchlights were deployed to aid the guns at night, and to mark the boundaries of the X defence areas to warn off friendly aircraft. British units took responsibility for Brussels, but
3195-415: The brink of insolvency, the Volunteer Force had become indispensable to British defence planning, as well as an enabler of the Regular Army's drawing its own forces away from home defence stations. Consequently, the government passed the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 , which merged the Volunteer Force with the Yeomanry to form the Territorial Force in 1908 (while the Militia was re-organised as
3266-402: The command of a captain, with some localities having subdivisions of thirty men under a lieutenant. The purpose of the rifle corps was to harass the invading enemy's flanks, while artillery corps were to man coastal guns and forts. Although not mentioned in the circular letter, engineer corps were also formed, principally to place underwater mines for port defence. Stretcher-bearers attached to
3337-521: The concentration of lights was increased. The regiment remained with 50 LAA Bde for the next two years. The brigade became part of 5 AA Group in October 1942 when the AA divisions were scrapped in favour of an organisation that closely corresponded to the groups of RAF Fighter Command . In March 1943, 42nd S/L Rgt moved back to 39 AA Bde, then in April on to 57 AA Bde (with 366 and 369 S/L Btys attached to 50 LAA Bde), and finally in May to 31 (North Midland) AA Bde – all within 5 AA Group. In early 1944
3408-534: The control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command . In June a partial mobilisation of TA units was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA and searchlight positions. On 24 August, ahead of the declaration of war, AA Command was fully mobilised at its war stations. On mobilisation, the battalion deployed 366, 368 and 369 AA Cos as part of 39 AA Bde and battalion HQ moved from Nottingham to Red House at South Collingham , near Newark-on-Trent . When
3479-442: The county regiment, and the 1st Nottinghamshire (Robin Hood) RVC (now 10 companies strong) became its 3rd Volunteer Battalion without changing its title. An 11th company was added in 1895, a 12th in 1896, and during the Second Boer War 1900–01 the establishment was increased in 1900–01 to 18 companies (including two cyclist companies), divided into two battalions, together with a cadet corps at Nottingham High School . The battalion
3550-490: The grouping. However the individual corps were to continue to exist. As in the earlier legislation, a volunteer could resign with fourteen days notice, with the addition that if a commanding officer refused to remove a volunteer from the roll of the corps, then he could appeal to two justices of the peace of the county. An annual inspection by an officer of the regular army was instituted, and efficiency standards were to be set by Order in Council , as were regulations for governing
3621-423: The last stages of the war, 42nd S/L Rgt moved into Germany to defend the Rhine bridges against conventional air attack, with 366th Bty still deployed on the South Scheldt estuary. After VE Day the regiment moved to Hamburg to begin occupation duties; in July, 367 S/L Bty was called out to suppress rioting between German and Italian dock workers. The regiment was placed in suspended animation in 1946. In 1947,
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#17328546268743692-409: The lord-lieutenant. If disabled on service, officers and volunteers were to receive a pension. Part III dealt with discipline and part IV with the rules and property of the corps. Part V dealt with the process of acquiring land for shooting ranges. Apart from the corps taking ownership of the land, a municipal corporation or private company could grant a licence to the volunteers to use their land for
3763-436: The lord-lieutenant. The Isle of Man was also to dealt with as if it were a county of England, with the Lieutenant-Governor performing the same role as a county lord-lieutenant. In 1872, under the provisions of the Regulation of the Forces Act 1871, jurisdiction over the volunteers was removed from the county lord-lieutenants and placed under the Secretary of State for War . Volunteer units became increasingly integrated with
3834-407: The more affluent classes of British society. The unit was simply known as the Robin Hood Rifles in honour of Nottingham 's legendary Robin Hood . By October 1859, five separate company-sized Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) had been raised in Nottingham, the first officers' commissions were issued on 15 November, and by December they had been combined into a battalion as the Robin Hood RVC , becoming
3905-438: The part-time Reserve Forces , which had at various times included the Honourable Artillery Company , Militia Force (also referred to as the Constitutional Force , and originally an infantry force), the Yeomanry Force (made up of mounted units, organised similarly to the Volunteer Force), Volunteer Force , and Fencibles . Equivalents were also raised in the Crown Dependencies and many colonies. Known collectively as
3976-408: The planned night fighter belt over the beachhead was cancelled and the Robin Hoods remained in England. On 1 August the regiment left its staging camp and deployed in the AA role round RAF Colerne in Wiltshire , then on 6 August it moved to RAF Middle Wallop and relieved 69th (3rd City of London) S/L Rgt , establishing Regimental HQ (RHQ) at Fonthill Abbey , near Tisbury, Wiltshire . On 24 August
4047-446: The purpose. Justices of the peace were given the power to close rights of way adjacent to ranges. The Act concluded by defining the counties to which the corps were to belong: for the purposes of the Act the Isle of Wight , the Tower Hamlets and the Cinque Ports were separate counties, with the Governor of the Isle of Wight, the Constable of the Tower of London and the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports commissioning officers in place of
4118-410: The recommendations of the commission, and to replace the 1804 legislation, the Volunteer Act 1863 ( 26 & 27 Vict. c. 65) was passed. Part I of the Act dealt with the organisation of the Volunteer Force. It became lawful for "Her Majesty to accept the services of persons desiring to be formed under the Act into a Volunteer Corps, and offering their services to Her Majesty through the Lieutenant of
4189-458: The regiment was in the North of England under 31 AA Bde, which was one of the formations earmarked for the Allied invasion of Normandy, Operation Overlord . 369 Bty was disbanded on 23 February, and the remainder of the regiment underwent special training to support Night fighters over the Normandy beachhead. After D-Day (6 June) the regiments of 31 AA Bde waited in England for their turn to embark for Normandy to join 21st Army Group . However,
4260-673: The regiment was relieved by 54th (Durham Light Infantry) S/L Rgt and concentrated around Tisbury, where it was at 6 hours' notice to move to its marshalling area. On 1 September, RHQ under the command of Lt-Col C.W. Cronin moved to Storrington , West Sussex , and then on 12 September to an embarkation marshalling area at Whipps Cross Camp, near London. From there it embarked at Royal Albert Dock aboard SS Empire Swordsman and disembarked by landing craft at Arromanches-les-Bains in Normandy on 18 September. It then moved by stages to Brussels , where it arrived on 24 September. Also on 1 September, 366 S/L Bty moved from Alderbury , Wiltshire, to
4331-436: The rest of the 46th Division. The battalion saw heavy fighting at the Battle of Hohenzollern Redoubt – a subsidiary action of the Battle of Loos – which was their first major action of the war. The battalion received its first Victoria Cross (VC) when Temporary Captain Geoffrey Vickers was awarded the VC – the highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy – for his actions at Hohenzollern on 14 October. The battalion
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#17328546268744402-416: The rifle corps subsequently formed volunteer medical detachments affiliated to the Army Medical Corps . In a handful of counties, units of light horse or mounted rifles were formed. Two volunteer units whose services had been accepted by Queen Victoria during the early 1850s became the two senior rifle corps of the new force. These were the Exeter and South Devon Volunteers , formed in 1852, who became
4473-423: The shortfall of soldiers in the Regular Army . The situation had been complicated by the fact that both auxiliary forces were under the control of the Home Office until 1855. Tensions rose between the United Kingdom and France following the Orsini affair , an assassination attempt on Emperor Napoleon III on 14 January 1858. It emerged that the would-be assassin, Felice Orsini had travelled to England to have
4544-426: The two batteries of 42nd S/L Rgt deployed at Antwerp were under the command of the US 50th AA Artillery Brigade. With experience, the defenders improved their effectiveness: in Christmas week, the Antwerp X defences plotted 209 missiles approaching the city, of which 171 came from directions in which it was safe to employ AA guns; of these 102 were engaged and 61 destroyed. The number of V-1s approaching Antwerp reached
4615-403: The volunteers having to purchase their own rifles and uniforms was felt by some to exclude the lower classes. Unlike regular rifle regiments, the volunteer units had colours often made and presented by the women of the community. These were unauthorised, however, with the Volunteer Regulations stating "Neither Standards nor Colours are to be carried by Corps on parade, as the Volunteer Force
4686-442: Was Mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), and the battalion was awarded its first Battle honour South Africa 1900–1902 . When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the 1st Nottinghamshire Volunteer Rifle Corps became the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion, Sherwood Foresters . It built a new Drill Hall in Derby Road in 1910. When
4757-413: Was far from universal, however, with some corps retaining their original names and distinctive dress until 1908. The artillery volunteers were similarly remodelled as reserve formations of the Royal Artillery , eventually being redesignated as Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) in 1902, while the Engineer Volunteers became Royal Engineers (Volunteers). The volunteers finally saw active service during
4828-426: Was formed on 30 May 1859 when six volunteers paraded at Nottingham Castle under Sergeant-Major Jonathan White. (White became the Adjutant and was still an officer in the corps 40 years later with the honorary rank of colonel .) It was one of many such Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) to be formed at a time of increased fear of war with France , which created a flurry of interest in establishing such volunteer corps by
4899-505: Was involved in the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916 and the brigade they were part of sustained very severe casualties in the Attack on the Gommecourt Salient . In the home front, the 2/7th Robin Hoods had, meanwhile, been sent to Ireland with the rest of the 59th Division to help suppress the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin . The division returned to England in January 1917 and then moved to France in February. The 2/7th Battalion took part in many actions, including
4970-405: Was part of the North Midland Brigade from 1888 until 1901 when that formation split to form a separate Sherwood Foresters Brigade . In 1900, men of the battalion volunteered for service in the Boer War that which had been raging since 1899 and contingent sailed for South Africa in February. During the campaign it took part in three pitched battles and 25 smaller engagements. Sergeant Hickinbottom
5041-465: Was the 1st Northumberland formed at Tynemouth on 2 August 1859. Initially, there were attempts at class distinction with the middle class seeing the formation of rifle units as a contrast with the strict class divide between the officers of the gentry and the other ranks of the working class and farm labourers of the militia and the standing army. Some also compared the initiative, small unit tactics and marksmanship principles of rifle regiments of
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