The universal obligation to military service in the Shire levy was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two acts of 1557 (4 & 5 Ph.

This part-time force constituted Parliament's strategic reserve during the early years of the war, ensuring that the city's extensive fortifications were fully manned, and also providing brigades to reinforce the field armies for specific operations.

[1][2] The English Militia was re-established under local control in 1662 after the Restoration of the monarchy, but the LTBs remained a separate body, under their old title.

[3][4][5][6] In the summer of 1805, with Napoleon's 'Army of England' assembling at Boulogne, the Royal West London Militia, 579 men in eight companies under Lt-Col Edward Wigan, were camped on Clapham Common.

Together with the 2nd Tower Hamlets Militia at Mile End, they formed an infantry brigade under the command of Maj-Gen Thomas Grosvenor.

Meanwhile the Royal East London, with 588 men under Lt-Col John Thacker Jennings, were distributed with seven companies at Greenwich, one at Woolwich and one at Lewisham.

Together with the 1st Tower Hamlets at Deptford, they formed the militia elements in Maj-Gen Sir George James Ludlow's brigade.

[3][12][13][14] The Commission of Lieutenancy for the City built Finsbury Barracks for the Royal London Militia on a site adjacent to the HAC's headquarters at Armoury House.

There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by the Secretary of State for War, St John Brodrick.

The battalion then entrained with a strength of 18 officers and 750 other ranks (ORs) under the command of Lt-Col George Cockerill (CO since 30 March) for its war station at Falmouth, Cornwall.

On 30 October they tried again, this time on higher ground above the Lekkerboterbeek, but the mud was still knee-deep, the men lost the barrage, and were caught by the enemy artillery, casualties being particularly heavy in 190th Bde.

After resting and refitting, the 63rd (RN) Division moved south and by 21 December was holding the front line on Welsh Ridge, where the German counter-attack after the Battle of Cambrai had been halted.

The battalion was ordered to capture a prisoner for identification purposes; it was a bright moonlit night with frost on the ground so any movement in No man's land was likely to be seen.

[53] On the night of 29/30 December, with snow on the ground, the Germans heavily shelled the division's supporting artillery with Mustard gas, then at 06.30 began an intense bombardment of the front line, smashing trenches, dugouts and dumps.

[34][35][55][56][57][58] When the German spring offensive (Operation Michael) was launched on 21 March 1918, 63rd (RN) Division was occupying part of the Flesquières Salient, the last remaining gain from the Battle of Cambrai.

The battalion received a draft of over 100 reinforcements at 01.00 on 21 March: after a three-day journey in lorries they were sent straight up into the line in the dark, never having been in a trench before.

Having stabilised their front the battalion held on all day, but were ordered to begin withdrawing from the salient at 01.00 on 22 March, destroying the heavy equipment before leaving.

This was part of the British 'Green Line', but the trenches were barely started, being only 2 feet (0.61 m) deep, with no dugouts and no field of fire, though there were some huts in Léchelle.

By the time the battalion arrived, Lt-Col Malone and the second-in-command had both been evacuated to hospital so it was commanded by Capt J. Forster, who rallied the scattered men with a hunting horn.

It retired over the old Somme battlefields through Flers and High Wood to Bazentin le Petit, acting as the division's flank guard.

The battalion reached Bazentin at 18.00 after several encounters with the enemy and was ordered into divisional reserve, spending the night in the open in a chalk quarry at Courcelette.

[63][65][68][69] At noon next day (25 March) the battalion took up position on the ridge covering Courcelette as the troops in front were forced back.

[73][74][75] Although completely exhausted, 63rd (RN) Division, remained close to the line in reserve while drafts of reinforcements began to arrive.

The survivors joined a counter-attack by the Royal Marine Light Infantry that regained much of the lost ground at 07.45 and a position was consolidated by 14.00.

By July the division was in the Mailly area, and the reconstituted 7th RF was active in carrying out trench raids that progressively advanced the divisional front.

The attack was held up, and when 7th RF with 190th Bde passed through in turn it took them until after dark to consolidate positions alongside Logeast Wood.

At 06.30 on 30 September 7th RF put in an attack towards Cambrai from near Proville, but it was difficult ground and the battalion was held up by converging machine gun fire after advancing only 200 yards (180 m).

During the day the Germans counter-attacked using captured tanks, but the division recovered from its surprise and beat off the attacks: 7th RF only suffered three casualties.

However, on 27 October that year it was transferred to the King's Royal Rifle Corps as 52nd (Graduated) Bn in 202nd Brigade of 67th Division at Canterbury, moving to Colchester in March 1918, remaining there for the rest of the war.

The officers' Coatee (and later tunic) buttons displayed the arms on a shield within a crowned circle, the whole superimposed on a cut star.