British Colonial Auxiliary Forces

Most were Home corps and units (i.e., those depoted and recruited in the British Isles, wherever they might be deployed) though some were raised in colonies.

The regular forces also included at various times, usually in particular locations, invalid, fencible, and other units, utilised primarily for garrison or defensive duties.

These Reserve Forces were under the control of local authorities (the Lords Lieutenant of counties in the British Isles, and Governors in their separate offices of Commanders-in-Chief of colonies; Normally, neither Lords Lieutenant nor colonial Governors had any authority over regular forces in their territories), and locally funded.

After the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and the American War of 1812, the British Government slashed defence spending, down-sizing the regular forces, including disbanding the fencibles (most of which units had been raised in Scotland due to the lack of Militia there in the 18th Century as a result of fears of rebellion), disbanding the Volunteer Force in the British Isles, and allowing the Militia there to become a paper tiger.

Outside the British Isles, the funding of auxiliary forces remained largely with the local governments.

[1][2] The first colonial units established in the British Empire were militia formations in England's American colonies (specifically, in the Colony of Virginia, settled in 1607, and Bermuda, which was settled by shipwreck of the Sea Venture in 1609, becoming an extension of Virginia in 1612) a century before the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland unified to create the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 (at which point the English Empire became the British Empire).

Many units, however, took part in active campaigns outside of the role of home defence in various conflicts the British Empire was involved in, including the two world wars.