One of the movement's leaders was the journalist, playwright and poet Alfred Bate Richards, who convened a meeting at St Martin's Hall, Long Acre, London, on 16 April 1859 that led the War Office to authorise the recruitment of Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs).

It adopted a scarlet uniform with buff facings and brass buttons, at first with a bearskin and red plume, later with a kepi, together with the motto LABOR OMNIA VINCIT (Work conquers everything) derived from Virgil.

The battalion had just arrived in camp at Eastbourne for annual training on Sunday 2 August 1914 when news reached them of the mobilisation of the Continental Powers.

A week later, the Commanding Officer, Viscount Hood, asked if the men would volunteer for foreign service, and practically the whole battalion did so, making it eligible to be sent overseas.

The battalion's first objective in this attack was a mining Spoil tip known as the Double Crassier, then it was to move on to take the German second line about 400 yards further on.

After a night and day of confusion, the 1/6th and 1/7th Bns pushed forward 250 yards to reoccupy an old French trench which they consolidated and thereby prevented any further enemy advance.

The battalion practised on positions marked out by flags, and adopted identification stripes on their arms: A Company blue, B Co green, C Co red and D Co yellow.

[41][42] The 47th Division transferred to the Ypres Salient, at that time a quiet sector, and the 1/7th received a draft from the 25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion, who had spent the whole war so far in England and were unusually well trained.

After the explosion of huge British mines on 7 June, the task of 1/7th was to attack from the Spoilbank, take the German front lines and then swing round to capture the 'White Chateau'.

[45][46] On 15 September a 60-man party of the battalion, after special training, made an afternoon attack on a troublesome German strongpoint in front of the 'Clapham Junction' position.

In July 1916, 58th Division left its coastal defence role and concentrated at Sutton Veny for final training on Salisbury Plain.

[59] Later in September the weather broke, and during the spells spent holding the front line of flooded craters in the Poelcappelle area the battalion suffered the full horrors of the Battle of Passchendaele.

The battalion was not directly involved in the First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, but on 18 April it was subject to an intense bombardment with Mustard gas shells and suffered heavy casualties, particularly to HQ, and had to be relieved.

On 9 August the 7th then made a hastily organised attack with tanks and American troops, which successfully cleared Chipilly Ridge and Gressaire Wood.

[65] The 3/7th Battalion was formed at Orpington in April 1915 under the command of Lt-Col Sir Pieter C. van B. Stewart-Bam, a South African soldier and politician who had been in charge of the London Recruiting District for the TF.

While quartered here, the men of the sister battalion the 3/6th Londons started a fashion by cutting their regimental badge into the turf of Fovant Down to reveal the white chalk beneath, making it visible from a long distance.

[5][15][21][69] It left Fovant in January 1917 and moved to Dartmouth, Devon, and finally to Blackdown in April 1917, where it remained for the rest of the war training replacements and convalescents for service on the Western Front.

The battalion was embodied and proceeded to its war stations on the north bank of the River Thames from Shoeburyness to Canvey Island with HQ at Purfleet.

32 Searchlight Bn began moving in June 1939, with 330 Company, followed by 328 in July and 329 in August, completing a deployment to Laindon, Southend-on-Sea, and adjoining parts of Essex.

[5][82][83][102][103][104][105] In September 1940 the main night-bombing campaign against London and the cities of the United Kingdom (The Blitz) began, and cooperation between searchlights and RAF night-fighters as well as AA guns became increasingly important.

32 S/L Regiment sent a cadre of experienced officers and men to 231st S/L Training Rgt at Blandford Camp, where they formed a new 562 S/L Bty from 1914 recruits on 17 April 1941.

The cluster system was an attempt to improve the chances of picking up enemy bombers and keeping them illuminated for engagement by AA guns or Night fighters.

Part of 328 Battery's duties was to provide 'Canopy' for RAF Martlesham Heath, where a cone of searchlights over the airfield assisted homing aircraft.

[110][111] The radar equipment, and larger 150-centimetre searchlights, gave increasingly successful results with Heavy AA guns and in cooperation with the new generation of RAF night fighters.

[112] As the air defence battle was being won, men began to be withdrawn from AA Command to provide manpower for 21st Army Group in the Invasion of Normandy.

Many roles such as plotters, drivers and telegraphists in 32 S/L Regiment were taken over by women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), freeing able-bodied men for other duties, while 562 Battery was wholly disbanded in early 1944.

[115] After VE Day, 32 S/L Regiment staffed release centres at Oxford and Reading, Berkshire to administer the demobilisation process.

In March 1949 it was redesignated 567 (Mixed) Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment, RA (TA) ('Mixed' indicating that some of the personnel were drawn from the Women's Royal Army Corps).

[121] The regiment was awarded the following Battle honours (those in bold indicate the honours chosen to appear on the Regimental Colours):[8][122] South Africa, 1900–1902 Aubers; Festubert, 1915; Loos; Somme 1916 '18; Flers-Courcellette; Le Transloy; Bullecourt; Messines, 1917; Ypres, 1917; Menin Road; Passchendaele; Cambrai, 1917; Avre; Villers Bretonneux; Amiens; Albert, 1918; Bapaume, 1918; Hindenburg Line; Epehy; Pursuit to Mons; France and Flanders 1915–18.

In 1860, Alfred Bate Richards invited Maj-Gen William Ferguson Beatson of the Bengal Army to be the 3rd London RVC's honorary colonel.