Childers Reforms Facts for Kids

The Childers Reforms were big changes made to the British Army in 1881. These changes were about how the army's infantry (foot soldiers) were organized. Hugh Childers, who was the Secretary of State for War, led these reforms. They continued the work started by the earlier Cardwell Reforms.

The main goal was to create a system where each army unit, called a regiment, had several groups of soldiers, known as battalions. In England, Wales, and Scotland, each regiment was planned to have two regular army battalions and two militia battalions. Militia were like a local reserve force. In Ireland, regiments would have two regular and three militia battalions. This was done by giving new names to the old numbered regiments and county militia groups. Also, local volunteer rifle groups became "volunteer battalions" within these new regiments. Each regiment was linked to a specific area, called its "Regimental District." These changes officially started on July 1, 1881.

After 1881, the old system of numbering regiments was officially stopped. Battalions were now known by their number within their regiment and the name of their district. However, many soldiers and officers still used the old numbers because of tradition. Some famous regiments, like "The Buffs" and the "Black Watch", even fought to keep their unique names.

It wasn't always easy to make these changes perfect. For example, the Cameron Highlanders first had only one regular battalion instead of two. Also, some regiments had more or fewer militia groups than planned. The King's Royal Rifle Corps and the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) were special. They didn't have local districts. Their militia and volunteer groups were chosen based on their "rifle" traditions, not their location. This new structure lasted until 1948. At that time, most regiments were reduced to just one regular battalion. Only the three original Guards Division regiments kept two regular battalions.

In 1881, the time soldiers had to serve was also changed. They would serve seven years with the army and five years in the reserve. This was part of the twelve-year enlistment period that the Cardwell Reforms had started. Soldiers who had finished their service could also choose to stay in the reserve for four more years.

Uniforms and Colours: A New Look

The army tried to make uniforms more standard to save money and be more efficient. The "facings" (the colour of the lapels, cuffs, and collars) were supposed to be the same for many regiments.

Royal regiments would have dark blue facings.
English and Welsh regiments would have white facings.
Irish regiments would wear green facings (though only the Connaught Rangers actually did, as most other Irish regiments were "Royal Regiments").
Scottish regiments would have yellow facings.

Officers' uniforms had special lace patterns: a rose for England and Wales, a thistle for Scotland, and a shamrock for Ireland. Regular army officers had gold lace, while militia officers had silver. The army also tried to make regimental badges and other uniform details more similar. But this wasn't very successful. Regiments were very proud of their unique traditions!

For example, the 75th and 92nd regiments strongly disliked being combined to form the Gordon Highlanders. The 75th Regiment had been away from Scotland for so long that they felt more English. They even had to relearn how to wear kilts! The 92nd Regiment held a pretend funeral for themselves, complete with a coffin marked '92'.

Over time, some regiments managed to get their traditional colours back. In 1890, The Buffs were allowed to wear their buff facings again. By 1935, the rule about blue facings for royal regiments mostly ended. That year, King George V made three regiments "royal." He let them keep their existing facings. In 1939, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who had worn blue since 1881, were given buff colours. After World War II in 1946, three more infantry regiments became "royal." Only the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment changed its white facings to blue.

Later Changes to the Army

Between 1897 and 1900, the regular army grew bigger because of various conflicts, especially the Second Boer War. Some regiments, like the Cameron Highlanders, added a second battalion. Others, like the Northumberland Fusiliers and Royal Fusiliers, even added third and fourth regular battalions. These regiments often recruited soldiers from large cities.

In 1908, the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 changed the reserve forces. Many militia battalions were closed, and the rest joined a new "Special Reserve." At the same time, the volunteer battalions became part of the new Territorial Force and were renamed as numbered battalions of their regiments.

The army expanded greatly during the First World War. Territorial battalions were doubled, and many new wartime battalions were formed.

In 1921-22, the system changed again. The Special Reserve battalions were reorganized. Several Irish regiments were disbanded when the Irish Free State was created. All remaining regiments were reduced to two regular battalions.

During the Second World War, regiments expanded again, but not as much as in the First World War.

After India became independent in 1947, regiments lost their second battalion. Some were temporarily reformed for the Korean War.

The system started in 1881 finally ended with the Defence White Paper of 1957. Many pairs of regiments were combined. Regimental depots were closed, and recruiting and training were organized into larger groups called brigades.

Childers Reforms facts for kids

Uniforms and Colours: A New Look

Later Changes to the Army

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