City of Liverpool Volunteer Guard 3rd (South Battalion)

[colin.green14]

Hi,

My wife has just inherited a whole load of family photo's. Amongst them is the attached (sorry only part, had to scan photo in 4 parts and am unable to stitch then together)

Their is also a photo of Beaumont Hamel with it, would any Forum member have any details of this Battalion

Best Regards

Colin

[daggers]

Colin

Great pic! My grandpa should be in there somewhere when I get a lens out. There have been posts about these VG outfits before and if you use the search facility at the top you should find something. If not I &/or others will try to fill you in.

Any chance of a scan of the whole pic, via email? If so I will pm my address to you.

I do not think any of the VGs will have reached Beaumont Hamel... Very much a dad's or in my case grandad's army, keen though they look.

Daggers

[pbrydon]

Here is their cap badge and shoulder title. WW1 VTC later became the 1st-3rd Volunteer Battalions , the Kings Liverpool Regiment ( 1918)

This is the first reference I can recall of the location of the battalions of the Liverpool Volunteer Guard.

P.B.

Actually rather nice for me , This is the only Volunteer Guard title I have and I am from South Liverpool

[colin.green14]

Hi Daggers,

I have 4 scans to make up the complete picture, will happily e-mail them to you. I will also check early nexy week to see if our local photo shop has an A3 scanner so that it can be scanned as one item.

Regards

Colin

[JulianB]

There are some files on the Lpl Vol Gd at the Lpl Record Office. I'm sure they would like a copy of this wonderful photograph too.

[steve thomas]

I'm probably showing my ignorance here but were the Volunteer Guard part of the National Reserve Guard? If so it's just possible that my Great Grandad may be one of the boys in your photo.

Steve

[daggers]

Here, I hope, are some notes I made from material at the Liverpool Record Office. The lists of men serving etc are far from complete and represent only one of te units, so far as I remember. Lord Desborough is the subject of an article in the Oxford DNB.

Daggers

Liverpool Record Office:

Ref No 356 KIN Title 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment Date 1914-1922

Description: The collection includes minute books, lists of men serving and miscellaneous records.

Admin History: In August 1914 the Liverpool Civic Service League commenced drilling volunteers, and soon a number of corps had sprung up for this purpose (see 356 KIN 31, page 10). In January 1915 a proposal to bring these corps under a single direction resulted in the creation of the City of Liverpool Volunteer Guard being formed in affiliation to the Central Association of Volunteer Training Corps and in February a General Committee, with a Military sub-committee met to carry out the reorganisation.

In September 1915 the title of the corps became the Liverpool Volunteer Regiment with 5 battalions, of which the first (Local Public Service) Liverpool Corporation, and the second (North, including the old Civic Service League corps) in which Robert Gladstone served and third (South) were from the original guard. In the following year the volunteer corps were organised on a county basis, and on 21st August 1916 the Liverpool Regiment was merged into the new Lancashire Volunteer Regiment. The old Liverpool 1st and 3rd becoming the 5th, and 2nd and 4th with Mossley Hill V.T.C., the 6th battalion in the new Regiment. Finally on the 1st July 1918 these corps became the 1st and 2nd Volunteer Battalions of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment which were disbanded in March 1920. (For their history see especially 356 KIN 1, page 103 and 356 KIN 31). Extent 30 volumes

Heading to minutes and printed early documents:

Liverpool Volunteer Guard (to be affiliated to the Central Association of V(olunteer) T(raining) C(orp)s).

This was later referred to as ‘Lord Desborough’s Central Association in London’.

A book of press cuttings in the Record Office shows that there were numerous units or subunits by 1915:

Civic Service League

Home Defence League

Athletes Volunteer Force

National Volunteer Reserve [with companies at Dingle and Aigburth]

National Defence League

Leyfield Grange Drill Club (West Derby)

Cotton Exchange Corps

Postoffice Drill Club

Revenue Officials’ Club

Tramway Corps

Corporation Officials Corps

Kirkdale Home Defence Corps

Special Constables [to be allowed to transfer]

Wavertree Patriotic Rifle Club

Membership varied between 60 and 700, the total quoted was 2500.

It is likely that most of these were short-lived, and that their members were re-grouped into one of those listed below.

A final report in the Courier of 12 June 1920 said that the following titles had been used:

City of Liverpool Volunteer Guard

1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, Liverpool Volunteer Regiment [the 4th & 5th Bns were corps which did not accept the conditions as to age.]

Merged into the Lancashire Volunteer Regiment on 21 Aug 1916.

On 1 July 1918 redesignated as 1st & 2nd Volunteer Battalions, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment).

[colin.green14]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the information, I have today sent a stiched together scan of th photo to Liverpool Records Office. Wiil wait and see if they are interested.

Regards

Colin

[daggers]

Colin

Bringing this up to ask if you got any response from LRO. I know they have had a rebuild since this thread was current.

Daggers