daggers Posted 25 February , 2007 Share Posted 25 February , 2007 There have been earlier threads about this Home Guard style outfit, but I am not clear about its status. I posted a query about the Liverpool Volunteer Guard in which my grandfather served and got some useful info - a pic of the badge and a group photo - but I have now seen in the London Gazette in 1917 that he was later commissioned as a temporary Lieutenant into 5th Battalion Lancashire Volunteer Regiment and six months later gazetted as temp. Captain. Curiously, these entries came under the heading TERRITORIAL FORCE, and a sub-heading VOLUNTEER FORCE. An earlier thread said that 5th Bn Lancs Vol. Bn became 1st Vol. Bn. of the King's (Liverpool Regt) in 1918 but I see no reference to this in the King's entries in the Long Long Trail site, nor in Frederick's Lineage Book. Were these King's Commissions? [Grandfather was gazetted as having the Hon. rank of Captain when his commission was relinquished in 1919. I have not found any gazetting of his service in the Volunteer Guard.] Do these units appear in the Army List? Any help on this would be welcomed. Daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 25 February , 2007 Share Posted 25 February , 2007 Daggers, To be honest you won't see many any entries at all and the reason being is perhaps only a handful of people in the UK currently have any in-depth knowledge of the Volunteer Force and what it's role in the Great War was and how it was organised. There has been a consistent mindset outlook for years and years that if they never went "over the top", or never served overseas then they weren't worth bothering with. You have to trawl through mountains of local period newspapers or official documents just to get a hint of what was going out with these lads and personally I take my hat off to them, as they were always going to be in the shadows of bigger things. It took the best part of two years to get official Government recognition in 1916, up to that time as the Central Association of Volunteer Training Corps, they were out on a limb and doing everything for themselves. The War Office even prevented them from wearing khaki until late in 1916. I myself have a deep affection for them hence a small collection of items to them and an article written years ago for the Military Modeller. Graham. PS Didn't I copy the relevant section from the 1918 Volunteer List for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 25 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 25 February , 2007 In a word , or two, not guilty, sir! Perhaps that was about the earlier enquiries before I had joined. Would welcome info, all the same. Daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 25 February , 2007 Share Posted 25 February , 2007 Daggers, Don't know what this'll turn out like, but this is a list of officers for the Battalion as of October 1918. Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 25 February , 2007 Share Posted 25 February , 2007 You might be able to read it now. Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggers Posted 25 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 25 February , 2007 Graham Many thanks for this help. I could just about get the first but the second shot is great. My man is there with familiar local names which may well interest some of my contemporaries or even lead to more info. Daggers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulianB Posted 27 February , 2007 Share Posted 27 February , 2007 Graham, Please could you give the reference for y7our Military Modeller article and the source of your list of officers. thanks Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 27 February , 2007 Share Posted 27 February , 2007 Julian, I wrote the article on the Volunteer Training Corps for the Military Modeller in July 1989, if you want to read it just PM me an e.mail address. The list of officers comes from the "Volunteer List, October 1918", which was a Ray Westlake reprint back in 1996. Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harribobs Posted 2 March , 2007 Share Posted 2 March , 2007 Graham you might like to see this badge, (lapel type fastener btw) chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 3 March , 2007 Share Posted 3 March , 2007 Chris, What a beauty and as rare as hens teeth. The date 1915 is very interesting as it shows that the various VTC units in and around Manchester must have progressed into a larger organisation. By 1916 there must have been further reorganisation on becoming part of the Volunteer Force as you have the "Manchester Group", Lancashire Volunteer Regiment, whose H.Q. was at 88 Moseley St, Manchester. By October 1918 the Group consisted on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Vol Bns, Manchester Regt; the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Vol Bns, Lancashire Fusiliers and 2nd Vol Bn, Loyal North Lancs Regt. The Volunteer Bns of the Manchester Regt were located at;- 1st Vol Bn, Manchester Regt - Temple St, Manchester. 2nd Vol Bn, Manchester Regt - 78 Seymour Grove, Old Trafford, Manchester 3rd Vol Bn, Manchester Regt - The Drill Hall, Rifle St, Oldham 4th Vol Bn, Manchester Regt - The Drill Hall, Rifle St, Oldham. Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harribobs Posted 12 March , 2007 Share Posted 12 March , 2007 Graham how intriguing ! I have hardly come across them being mentioned in our WW1 research (as an aside I went to cadets at Seymour Grove ) chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulianB Posted 12 March , 2007 Share Posted 12 March , 2007 Graham, I've been meaning to thank you for the Vol article you posted me ! I've just seen a ?cap badge to the Liverpool Volunteer Regiment belonging to a friend. It is a crowned star with L.. V.. R.. around the edge and the letters NVR in the middle. Is that National Vol Regt. ??? It's said to be the forerunner of the Lpl Vol Guard that's been discussed here. Any ideas ??? The Lpl Vol Gd was said to have become a Vol Bn of the KLR in 1918 - would they have kept their badge or would they have worn KLR badges from then. thanks Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Stewart Posted 14 March , 2007 Share Posted 14 March , 2007 Julien, To be honest I've only ever see the Liverpool Volunteer Guard one and don't know of any others so a photo would be nice if possible. From July 1918 the Volunteer Bns, Kings would have been allowed to wear the normal Kings Regt cap badge, but would have kept the woven county title on the shoulder strap unless special metal ones were made at their own expense. Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbrydon Posted 17 March , 2007 Share Posted 17 March , 2007 See article on The Veteran and National Reserve by John McKenzie Crown Imperial No95 Summer 1999 Peter Brydon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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