Bedfordshire Militia

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The Bedfordshire Militia, later called the Bedfordshire Light Infantry, was an auxiliary regiment from Bedfordshire, England. Its roots go back to the Anglo-Saxon Fyrd, and it was organised as Trained Bands in 1572. The militia served in times of international tension and in Britain’s major wars, mainly for home defence and to provide trained officers and men for the Regular Army. It later became a battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment and supplied thousands of reinforcements during World War I. After 1921 it existed only in name and was finally abolished in 1953.

Origins and early service
- The militia system grew from the old fyrd into organised county forces, with Bedfordshire joining in the late 16th century.
- In the Armada Crisis (1588) and the English Civil War, Bedfordshire’s militiamen were mobilised to defend the realm and support regular troops.
- After the Restoration, the county militia was formalised under the Crown and the Lord Lieutenant, with training and musters becoming regular duties.

18th and early 19th centuries
- During the War of American Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars, Bedfordshire’s militia was embodied for home defence, moved to camps, and served in various garrisons.
- From 1808, the Local Militia supplemented the regular militia to bolster inland defence during the Napoleonic era.
- In the 1850s the militia was revived as the Bedford Light Infantry Militia and again deployed for home defence, including service in Ireland and at home during crises such as the Crimean War.

Late 19th and early 20th centuries
- The Cardwell Reforms linked militia battalions with local Regulars, and the militia grew into eight companies, later increased again.
- In 1881, under the Childers Reforms, the Bedfordshire Light Infantry became the 3rd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment.
- The 3rd Battalion took part in the Boer War in 1900.

World War I and the end of the militia
- The Haldane Reforms of 1908 transformed the militia into the Special Reserve. The 3rd Battalion became the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment.
- When World War I began in 1914, the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was embodied at Bedford and helped defend the Harwich area, train new recruits, and provide reinforcements for regular Bedfords serving overseas.
- It also formed the 9th (Service) Battalion as part of Kitchener’s Army. After the war, the Special Reserve title returned briefly, but the militia system declined and the unit was finally disbanded in 1953.