Volunteer Force: A Social and Political History 1859-1908

The Volunteer Force was a part-time military force established in 1975 to meet the fear of French invasion. It survived and grew for fifty years until 1908, when it was renamed and remodelled as the Territorial Force. Initially composed of middle-class and often middle-aged gentlemen, it became youthful and working-class with appointed middle-class officers, a Government subsidy, and a minor military role. This book examines the origins, transformation, difficulties in finding officers, ambiguous status, and political influence of the Force.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 184 pages
\n Publication date: 05 September 2020
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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Originally published in 1975, The Volunteer Force is a comprehensive examination of the part-time military force that emerged in response to the mid-nineteenth-century apprehension of a French invasion. This force endured and flourished for fifty years until it was renamed and reorganized as the Territorial Force in 1908. Initially composed of middle-class and often middle-aged gentlemen who elected their own officers and funded their own equipment, the Volunteer Force quickly transformed into a youthful and working-class entity, with appointed middle-class officers, a government subsidy, and a minor military role as an auxiliary to the Regular Army. This book delves into the origins of the Force, the profound shift in its social composition, the challenges in recruiting officers who embodied the qualities of "gentlemen," the ambiguous status of the Force within both the local community and the Regular Army, and the significant political influence it wielded during the early twentieth century. At its core, this book explores the motivations behind enrollment and the profound implications it held for society. Publicists championed the Force as a symbol of patriotism and a testament to the unwavering loyalty of the working class to established institutions.

Originally published in 1975, The Volunteer Force is a comprehensive examination of the part-time military force that emerged in response to the mid-nineteenth-century apprehension of a French invasion. This force endured and flourished for fifty years until it was renamed and reorganized as the Territorial Force in 1908. Initially composed of middle-class and often middle-aged gentlemen who elected their own officers and funded their own equipment, the Volunteer Force quickly transformed into a youthful and working-class entity, with appointed middle-class officers, a government subsidy, and a minor military role as an auxiliary to the Regular Army. This book delves into the origins of the Force, the profound shift in its social composition, the challenges in recruiting officers who embodied the qualities of "gentlemen," the ambiguous status of the Force within both the local community and the Regular Army, and the significant political influence it wielded during the early twentieth century. At its core, this book explores the motivations behind enrollment and the profound implications it held for society. Publicists championed the Force as a symbol of patriotism and a testament to the unwavering loyalty of the working class to established institutions.

\n Weight: 248g\n
Dimension: 138 x 214 x 13 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780367233273\n \n