The Volunteer 1859-1908

<p><span style=color: rgba(26 26 26 1)>102 manly colour plates taken from various contemporary sources illustrating the many and varied uniforms of The British Volunteer Force 1859-1908. This part-time military force which came into being to meet the mid-nineteenth century fear of French invasion. It survived and grew for fifty years until in 1908 it was renamed and remodelled as the Territorial Force. Composed initially of middle-class and often middle-aged gentlemen who elected their own officers and paid for their own uniform and equipment the Volunteer Force soon became youthful and working-classwith appointed middle-class officers with a a Government subsidy and a minor military role as an adjunct to the Regular Army. Lively commentary from expert Ray Westlake on each plate enhances their usefulness for the modern uniformologist.</span></p>