Home Service Force
Encyclopedia
The Home Service Force was a Home Guard type force established in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 in 1982. It was linked to the Territorial Army (TA) and recruited from volunteers aged 18–60 with previous British forces (TA or regular) experience. It was introduced to guard key points and installations likely to be the target of enemy ‘special forces’ and saboteurs, so releasing other units for mobile defence roles. It was stood down in 1992.

History

The pilot started in September 1982 and consisted of four companies that were used to relieve the Army of guarding key points, consisting of 18-59 year-olds with training obligation of 4-5 weekends per year. In 1984 there were platoons in 11 cities and the force began expanding to 5000 persons nationwide, with the goal of establishing a platoon in every T.A. company by 1988.

It was decided to disband the HSF in 1991 and the last unit was disbanded in 1993.

Recruitment

Membership was open to recruits who had previous military service, which could have been with the Army, Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 or Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

, MoD Police or as adult instructors in the Army, Navy or Air Cadet Forces. Reserve forces of significant length of service were also eligible. This meant that there wasn’t the usual raw recruit training, just refresher training to bring everyone up to scratch, for example, some of the volunteers were used to the SMLE rifle and many a drill night was spent getting to grips with the SLR and then later with the SA80
SA80
The SA80 is a British family of 5.56mm small arms. It is a selective fire, gas-operated assault rifle. SA80 prototypes were trialled in 1976 and production was completed in 1994....

.

Companies

There were at least 50 HSF Companies formed.
  • G (HSF) Coy 5th (V) Battalion,The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
    Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
    The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...

  • E (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion,The Staffordshire Regiment(Prince of Wales's)
  • 348 Signal Squadron (HSF) Inns of Court and City Yeomanry
    Inns of Court and City Yeomanry
    Known by its new title since 2009, the Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry is a Royal Signals squadron in the British Territorial Army with its headquarters in Chancery Lane, London...

     (The Devils' Own)
  • E (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
    Royal Anglian Regiment
    The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the...

     (Bedford)
  • F (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion,Royal Anglian Regiment (Norwich)
  • E (HSF) Coy 7th (V) Battalion,Royal Anglian Regiment (Leicester)
  • E (HSF) Coy 7th (V) Battalion,Royal Anglian Regiment (Lincoln)
  • 18 Platoon, (HSF) 6 Coy, 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
  • E (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion, Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
    Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
    The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.It was formed in 1959 by the merger of two regiments: The Somerset Light Infantry and The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry...

     (Bath)
  • F (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion, Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry (Truro)
  • D (HSF) Squadron, Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry
    Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry
    The Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry was a cavalry regiment of the Territorial Army, formed in 1971 by the reconstitution of squadrons from The Queen's Own Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry, The Staffordshire Yeomanry , and The Shropshire Yeomanry...

  • 218 (HSF) Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport
    Royal Corps of Transport
    The Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...

     (Hull)
  • 300 (HSF) Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport (East Yorkshire)
  • A (HSF) Bty 103 AD Regiment, Royal Artillery
    Royal Artillery
    The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...

     (V)
  • E (HSF) Coy (V) 5/8th Kings Regiment
  • X (HSF) Coy 2nd (V) Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers
    51st Highland Volunteers
    The 51st Highland Volunteers was a regiment and is now a battalion in the British Army's Territorial Army or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS...

    , Gordon Highlanders
  • Y (HSF) Coy 2nd (V) Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, Gordon Highlanders
  • Z (HSF) Coy 1st (V) Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)
  • G (HSF) Coy 1st (V) Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers
    52nd Lowland Regiment
    The 52nd Lowland Regiment now forms the 6th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Territorial line infantry battalion in the British Army...

    , The King's Own Scottish Borderers
  • E (HSF) Coy 2nd (V) Battalion, The Wessex Regiment
    Wessex Regiment
    The Wessex Regiment was a Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army between 1971 and 1995. It had two battalions: The 1st Bn with its headquarters at Le Marchant Barracks in Devizes and the 2nd Bn which was headquartered at Brock Barracks in Reading...

  • 5 Coy (HSF) 10th (V) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
  • 6 (HSF) Coy 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Hertford)
  • 1 & 2 (HSF) Coy, The Honourable Artillery Company
    Honourable Artillery Company
    The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...

  • 13 Platoon, (HSF) H Coy, 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers
    Yorkshire Regiment
    The Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...

  • E (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion,The Royal Welsh Fusiliers
  • E (HSF) Coy 6/7th (V) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment
  • E Coy (HSF) 4th (V) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales
    Royal Regiment of Wales
    The Royal Regiment of Wales was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of The South Wales Borderers and The Welch Regiment....

  • F (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters
    Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters
    The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division...

  • G (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters
  • F (HSF) Coy 4th (V) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters
  • (HFS) 4th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
  • (HFS) 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
  • (HFS) 6th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
  • (HFS) 7th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets

See also

  • Civil Defence Corps
    Civil Defence Corps
    The Civil Defence Corps was a civilian volunteer organisation established in Great Britain in 1949 to take control in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. It was stood down in Great Britain in 1968...

  • Gendarmerie
    Gendarmerie
    A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...

  • Militia
    Militia
    The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

  • Yeomanry
    Yeomanry
    Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...

  • Volunteer Force
    Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
    The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...


External links

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