Commission via Militia

[PhilB]

I`ve come across several examples of officers being initially commissioned into the late Victorian militia (after the end of purchase of commissions) and subsequently transferring to a regular commission. What exactly were the advantages of entering the army this way and for how long did it remain a viable method of entry?

[truthergw]

Being commissioned in the Militia was practically by invitation. It was the easy way in since in peace time, it was mainly a social affair, they were never envisaged as carrying out serious army duties. A good seat at cross country would be the main criteria or being a member of the local gentry. That would have changed in the South African War when militia actually went to SA to fight alongside the regular army.

[charlesmessenger]

The advantage of a Regular commission via the Militia, and the Special Reserve for that matter, was that the individual did not have to sit the Sandhurst entrance exam andspend time as a Gentleman Cadet.

Charles M

[PhilB]

Found this relating to the Royal Military College:-

"The College was closed in 1870, when the purchase system was abolished and first commissions were, for a time, awarded by written competitive examination. The buildings were used to train successful candidates in military skills while they waited to join their regiments, but this did not prove satisfactory, and in 1877 the examination became for appointment to the RMC as a cadet, rather than for a commission. In practice the cost of the college fees was much the same as that formerly charged for an ensign's commission, and this, plus the school fees required in preparation for the entry examinations, meant that the social composition of the Army's officers remained unchanged. The RMC was not large enough to train all the subalterns needed by the Army, so an alternative route, favoured by those who failed entry to the College, was to obtain a commission by nomination in the Militia. It was then possible to transfer to the Regular Army after a period of full-time service and passing the College's final examination."

http://www.sandhurst.mod.uk/history/history5.htm

[tintin1689]

Conventional wisdom seems/seemed to regard this form of officer training as a kind of back door for the less able/diligent

However, I would say there appears to be another identifiable group. Those who attended university or who decided to become regular officers when of, comparatively, mature years. Much of the academic instruction at Sandhurst might have been wasted time for such men, and reading some accounts of the pre-Great War RMC the cadets could be, well, more than a little juvenile

It would be interesting to see how militia/SR trained officers faired in regular service. Certainly if you look at the book "The Aristocracy in the Great War" it seems to have been no bar to either high rank or effective combat performance.

[Muerrisch]

I agree with what has been said ...... many very able officers served with 2nd RWF via the Militia or its 1908 successor, the Special Reserve of Officers.

Without the SR of O., the regular army would have been woefully short of subalterns in August 1914. As it is, the army was still short of subalterns ..... many platoons commanded by their sergeants.

[truthergw]

A man who joined the militia as an officer would, prior to the war, be joining an established organisation with experienced officers, commissioned and non commissioned and a good cadre of experienced other ranks. By keeping a low profile and following the tips, nods and winks of his fellow officers and his senior NCOs, he would more or less be trained on the job. In other words, much the same system as the Regular Army. If he had an aptitude, he would rise in the ranks, ditto. The officer who did not have an aptitude and had joined for social reasons would settle in somewhere where he would not embarrass the regiment or himself. Again, just like the army. It was only as the war developed and great changes took place that the system struggled to provide enough capable officers. This was not the fault of the Army or the Militia or their manner of recruiting officers. Only a conscription system of several years standing, as in France and Germany, would have provided enough trained officers for the Kitchener Armies.

[Pete L]

That would have changed in the South African War when militia actually went to SA to fight alongside the regular army.

This did not happen in the case of the Liverpool Regiment. The 3rd (Militia) and the 4th (Militia) Battalions were re-named the 5th (Militia) and 6th (Militia) Battalions respectively. 3rd (Line) and 4th (Line) Battalions were created in their place and it was these battalions that went to South Africa. Men in the Militia or Volunteer Battalions had to re-enlist in one of the line battalions in order to serve in SA.

Pete

[truthergw]

There is a lovely set of church windows, here in Aberdeen, commemorating the first time militia served alongside regular army troops in S.A.