Rose, Castle and Crown

If you want to be a part-time soldier these days you join the Territorial Army, but the role of the citizen and volunteer soldier actually goes back hundreds of years. This then is a guide to the role of the militias and volunteers, as seen through the lens of the Isle of Wight and Hampshire citizens. It starts with the militias and some great detail about the level of arms required by King Edward I in 1285, which, if you had land possessions worth more than £15, included having a horse on standby. The Volunteers and Yeomanry origins are next, then it’s off to South Africa for service, followed by the Great War, interwar period, WWII, the TA and Army Volunteer Reserve, Cold War and finally, the Army Reserve. There’s lots of detail of how the organisations developed but still enough space to fit in quotes from soldiers fighting, which helps bring it all to life. With a colour plate section for photos, this is an impressive worthy look at the citizen soldier through the ages.

• Medina Publishing
• ISBN 978-1-9114-8788-3
• 562 pages. Hardback. £30

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