Reference
X550/6
Title
Bedfordshire Rifle Volunteers 1860 - 1881
3rd Volunteer Bn. The Bedfordshire Regt. 1881 - 1908
5th (Territorial) Battalion 1908 - 1961
6th (Territorial) Battalion 1939 - 1946
Admin/biog history
1860 Seven corps of rifle volunteers formed in Beds. & grouped as 1st Administrative Bn., with Bn HQ at Bedford
1st Beds R.V. Corps - Bedford
2nd Beds R.V. Corps - Toddington
4th Beds R.V. Corps - Dunstable
5th Beds R.V. Corps - Ampthill/Silsoe
6th Beds R.V. Corps - Luton
7th Beds R.V. Corps - Biggleswade
8th Beds R.V. Corps - Woburn
A 3rd R.V. Corps was authorised to be formed at Leighton Buzzard but was never completed
1864 9th Beds R.V. Corps formed at Bedford & attached to 1st Administrative Battalion
1870/71 7th Corps HQ moved to Shefford
1887 1st Administrative Bn. consolidated & redesignated 3rd (Bedfordshire) Volunteer Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment.
Companies lettered:
A & B Coys Bedford - formerly 1st & 9th B.R.V.C.
C Coy Toddington - formerly 2nd B.R.V.C.
D Coy Dunstable - formerly 4th B.R.V.C.
E Coy Ampthill - formerly 5th B.R.V.C.
F & G Coys Luton - formerly 6th B.R.V.C.
H Coy Shefford - formerly 7th B.R.V.C.
I Coy Woburn - formerly 8th B.R.V.C.
1900 - 1902 Volunteers from all Bns. of the Beds. Regt. serve as Volunteer Service Fo with 2nd (Regular) Bn. The Beds. Regt. in South Africa
1908 Amalgamated with 4th (Huntingdonshire) Volunteer Bn. & transferred to Territorial Force as 5th (Territorial) Bn The Beds Regt with Bn HQ at Bedford
A Coy - Bedford
B, C & F Coys - Luton
D Coy - Biggleswade
E Coy - Ampthill
G Coy - Peterborough
H Coy - Fletton
1914 Huntingdonshire Coys absorbed into newly formed Hunts. Cyclist Bn. Company HQ's now:
(Feb) A & H Coys - Bedford
B Coy - Dunstable
C, F & G Coys - Luton
D Coy - Biggleswade
E Coy - Ampthill
1914 (Bn. embodied & mobilised with the East Anglian Division. Served Gallipoli 1915 & Egypt and Palestine 1916 - 1919.
(Aug) Designated 1st/5th Bn Jan 1915
1914 5th (Reserve) Bn raised, initially from over age/unfit personnel as a home service Bn. Bn. redesignated 2nd/5th Bn Jan 1915 (Sep) and served with 69th (2nd East Anglian) Division in Home Forces until disbandment in February 1918.
1915 3rd/5th Bn raised as training & draft finding Bn. Redesignated 5th (Reserve) Bn (?) Apr 1916.
(Jul) Disbanded Feb 1919.
1920 Bn reformed at 5th Bn The Beds & Herts Regt.
Bn. HQ - Bedford
A Coy - Bedford
B Coy - Ampthill/Worburn
C Coy - Luton
D Coy - Leighton Buzzard/Dunstable
1921 Bn provides nucleus for 5th (Defence Force) Bn. The Beds. & Herts. Regt.
(Apr - Jul)
1939 "Duplication" of field force units of Territorial Army 6th Bn formed from old C & D Coys
(Mar)
1939 Both Bns. embodied & mobilised. 5th Bn served with 18th Divison in Home Forces 1939 - 1931, and in defence of Singapore, 1942.
6th Bn. served with Home Forces until disbanded in 1944
1947 5th Bn reformed as 5th Bn The Beds & Herts Regt.
Bn HQ & HQ Coy - Kempston
A Coy - Bedford
B Coy - Biggleswade
C Coy - Luton
D Coy - Dunstable/Leighton Buzzard
Support Coy - Ampthill/Luton
1958 Bn. redesignated 5th Bn. The Bedfordshire Regiment
(Dec)
1961 Amalgamated with 1st Bn. The Hertfordshire Regt. to form 1st Bn. The Beds & Herts Regt.
(Apr) No 3 Coy - Luton
No 4 Coy - Bedford
N.B. 6th (Terrirotial) Bn 1939 - 1944 has no connection with the 6th (Service) Bn. 1915 - 1918
Level of description
sub-fonds