TOPIC:

Good afternoon,

Has anyone seen any lists of the Volunteer Companies that were attached to Regular Regiments or information on the Volunteer Battalions that provided them?

Best wishes,

Justin

I have just found this reference in the Illustrated London News' Transvaal War Album p.18:

"For each line battalion in South Africa a company was formed from the Volunteer battalions of its regimental district and sent out as a reinforcement."

Hello Justin......

This is not complete and I understand that there are a few errors in it but it will give you an idea of what is available......

Mike

Volunteer Service Company Number / OFFICERS / OTHER RANKS / PERM.STAFF and REGIMENTAL NUMBERS

Royal Berkshire

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 6791-6923

Royal West Kent

1 VS Coy - 4/131/1 - 6816-6948
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 6950-7061
3 VS Coy - 1/ 58/1 - 7074-7126 + 4 Who Re-joined and kept Their old numbers

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

1 VS Coy - 2/132/1 - 7440-7655
2 VS Coy - 3/108/1 - 7554-7700
Draft - 1/20/0 - 7701-7720 + 4 from 1 VSCoy. given new numbers

King's Shropshire Light Infantry

1 VS Coy - 4/133/1 - 7245-7414
2 VS Coy - 3/110/1 - 7361-7655

Middlesex Regiment

1 VS Coy - 3/115/1 - 7105-7219
2 VS Coy - 3/ 91/1 - 8340-8435
3 VS Coy - 1/ 20/0 - 8432-8456

King's Royal Rifle Corps

1 VS Coy - 5/110/1 - 3701-3811
2 VS Coy - ?/ 50/1 - 3835-3884
3 VS Coy - 0/ 17/1 - 5000-5016

Wiltshire

1 VS Coy - 3/116/? - 6531-6646

Manchester
1 VS Coy - 4/131/1 - 7001-7197
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7113-1224, 8225-8257, 8367
3 VS Coy - 3/111/1 - 8236-8366
4 VS Coy - 3/ 88/1 - 8376-8462

North Staffordshire

1 VS Coy 4 - 4/131/1 - 7121-7345

Yorkshire

1 VS Coy - 3/111/1 - 7235-7350
2 VS Coy - 1/ 33/1 - 7353-7384

Lancashire Fusiliers

1 VS Coy - 4/133/1 - 8701-8922
2 VS Coy - ?/ ?/1 - 8865-8889, 9361-9374
3 VS Coy - 3/ 99/1 - 9701-9811

Royal Scots Fusiliers

1 VS Coy - 3/ 91/1 - 7519-7633 + 16 men who joined Scottish Horse
VS Draft - 1/ 21/0 - 8108-8137

Cheshire Regiment

1 VS Coy - 4/124/1 - 7330-7526
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7447-7578
3 VS Coy - 2/106/1 - 7765-7880

Royal Welsh Fusiliers

1 VS Coy - 5/132/1 - 7301-7517
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7343-7593
3 VS Coy - 1/ 40/0 - 8000-8039

South Wales Borderers

1 VS Coy - 4/129/1 - 6720-6738, 7502-7613
2 VS Coy - 3/111/1 - 7613-7727
3 VS Section - 1/ 31/0 - 7731-7761

King's Own Scottish Borderers

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 6927-7050, 7219-7306
2 VS Coy - 3/104/1 - 7227-7330, 8450-8496
3 VS Coy - 1/ 54/1 - 8516-8577

Scottish Rifles

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 7820-7983
2 VS Coy - 4/112/1 - 7939-8084
3 VS Coy - 0/ 38/0 - 8093-8131

East Lancashire Regiment

1 VS Coy - 3/133/1 - 7203-7411
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7317-7460
3 VS Coy - 1/ 22/0 - 7502-7524

York and Lancaster

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 6828-7055
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7009-7128
3 VS Coy - 1/ 35/0 - 8000-8034 including 3 from 1 VS Coy.

Durham Light Infantry

1 VS Coy - 4/113/1 - 8060-8274
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 8166-9315
3 VS Coy - 2/ 83/1 - 9322-9414

Highland Light Infantry

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 8150-8356
2 VS Coy - Unknown
3 VS Coy - 3/159/1 - 8359-8481, 8800-8860

Seaforth Highlanders

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 6983-7088, 7142-7243
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7212-7520, 8570-8632
3 VS Coy - 1/ 33/0 - 7523-7556

Gordon Highlanders

1 VS Coy - 4/118/1 - V001-V112, 8228-8270
2 VS Coy - 5/130/1 - 113-224, 8114-8269
3 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 8259-8388
4 VS Coy - 2/ 81/1 - 9001-9083

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

1 VS Coy - 5/130/1 - 7235-7357, 8432-8540
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 8433-8591
3 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 8674-8785

Cameron Highlanders

1 VS Coy - 3/ 75/1 - 6248-6317

Royal Irish Rifles

1 VS Coy - 3/102/0 - 7131-7233

The Rifle Brigade

1 VS Coy - 2/072/0 - 6252-6323

Norfolk Regiment

1 VS Coy - 3/132/1 - 5386-5612
2 VS Coy - 3/110/1 - 6753-6866
3 VS Coy - 1/ 61/1 - 6868-6928 + 4 men from 2 VS Coy.

Lincoln Regiment

{1 VS Coy - 3/ 69/0 - }
? {2 VS Coy - 1/ 93/0 - } 6521-6762
{3 VS Coy - 3/ 69/0 - }

Devon Regiment

1 VS Coy - 5/139/1 - 5515-6195
2 VS Coy - 4/ 97/1 - 6197-6622

Somerset Light Infantry

1 VS Coy - 3/130/1 - 6781-6915

West Yorkshire

1 VS Coy - 4/136/1 - 6789-6981
2 VS Coy - 4/110/1 - 6906-7040 & 7097
3 VS Coy - 1/ 21/0 - 7041-7062

East Yorkshire

1 VS Coy - 3/117/1 - 7000-7116

Bedfordshire

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 7744-7876
2 VS Coy - 1/ 22/0 - 7915-7649
3 VS Coy - 1/ 53/1 - 7961-8015
1 (Herts) VB - 1/ 57/1 - 7877-7952

Leicestershire

1 VS Coy - 4/112/1 - 6667-6778
1 VS Draft - 0/ 20/0 - 6782-6801
3 VS Coy - 1/ 21/0 - 6804-6824

Royal Irish Regiment

1 VS Coy - 4/142/1 - 7823-7954
2 VS Section - 1/ 24/0 - 7956-7983 Served with Liverpool Regt.
3 VS Coy - 2/ 18/0 - 7985-8014

Dorsetshire

1 VS Coy - 3/ 87/1 - 6020-6101, 7108-7126

South Lancashire

1 VS Coy - 4/135/1 - 7010-7176
2 VS Coy - 1/ 31/0 - 7436-7584
3 VS Coy - 1/ 24/0 - 7500-7524

Welsh Regiment

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 7324-7526
2 VS Coy - 1/113/1 - 7436-7584
3 VS Coy - 1 49/1 - 7593-7564

Black Watch

1 VS Coy - 4/131/1 - 7540-7666, 8927-9024
2 VS Coy - ?/110/1 - 8522-9024
3 VS Coy - 3/ 95/1 - 9083-9176

Oxfordshire Light Infantry

1 VS Coy - 3/122/1 - 7198-7342
VS Section - 1/ 42/0 - 7315-7367

Essex Regiment

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 6817-6963
2 VS Coy - 3/103/1 - 6958-7062
3 VS Coy - 1/ 42/0 - 7066-7105 + 3 men from Suffolks, 7030-7032

Notts and Derby

1 VS Coy - 4/131/1 - 7331-7553
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7443-7587
3 VS Coy - 0/ 22/0 - 7592-7619

Loyal North Lancashire

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 7271-7404
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7337-7587
3 VS Coy - 2/ 88/1 - 7530-7624

Northamptonshire

1 VS Coy - 4/111/1 - 7077-7212
1st Draft - 1/ 21/0 - 7337-7529
2nd Draft - 1/ 37/0 - 7530-7624

Gloucestershire

1 VS Coy - 3/132/1 - 6773-6933
2 VS Coy - 1/ 59/1 - 6908-6965
3 VS Coy - 1/ 20/0 - 6966-6986
Ceylon Vol. Coy - 1/ 96/1 - 7501-7596 also 1 Native

Worcestershire

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 6693-6855
2 VS Coy - 1/ 39/0 - 6808-6878

East Surrey

1 VS Coy - 4/128/1 - 6145-6445
2 VS Coy - 1/ 24/0 - 6952-6974
3 VS Coy - 0/ 22/0 - 7263-7302

Duke of Cornwall's

1 VS Coy - 3/ 89/1 - 6133-6255

West Riding

1 VS Coy - 2/130/1 - 6002-6197, 7002-7085
2 VS Coy - 2/110/1 - 7000-7127, 6131
3 VS Coy - 1/ 27/0 - 7131-7157

Border Regiment

1 VS Coy - 4/135/1 - 7172-7306
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7431-7542
3 VS Coy - 0/ 25/0 - 7544-7568

Royal Sussex

1 VS Coy - 5/131/1 - 7001-7134
2 VS Coy - 3/112/1 - 7136-7258
3 VS Coy - 1/ 33/0 - 7261-7294

Hampshire

1 VS Coy - 3/138/1 - 0001-0252
2 VS Coy - ? - ?
3 VS Coy - 1/ 53/1 - 0298-0351

South Staffordshire

1 VS Coy - 4/132/1 - 6844-7072
2 VS Coy - 2/112/1 - 6958-7103
3 VS Coy - 2/108/1 - 7012-7128

JustinLDavies wrote: Good afternoon,

Has anyone seen any lists of the Volunteer Companies that were attached to Regular Regiments or information on the Volunteer Battalions that provided them?

Best wishes,

Justin

Justin.....

I forgot to add that some medals are marked Volunteer Service Company and others just have the regiment they are attached to and the only way you can tell if they are VSC men by their regimental numbers.....

Mike

Mike,

Thank you so much. This is a very generous contribution which is going to help my research considerably.

I'll share a few unpublished snippets about Strathcona's Horse if future posts!

Best wishes,

Justin

I have just picked up on this, Volunteer service Companies, Specifically, "1 VS Coy-4/132/1 serial numbers 6844-7072 which i'm looking for; different to the South Staffordshire Volenteers; by looking at the award of QSA, to the Voluntery Service Company, Captain Denton H.S. C/officer, on the roll of individuals to recieve the QSA there is a total of 117 Men, including Officers, NCO's , and Private's. Note## not on the roll of 1 South Staff's

The question: - three compaines normaly make a battalion, for example 1st Handsworth, 2nd Walsall and 3rd Wolverhampton; would become a service battlion am l correct? if correct , there should be a "2 VC Coy and a 3rd VC Coy.?