The Home Service Force was a Home Guard type force established in the United Kingdom in 1982. It was linked to the Territorial Army (TA) and recruited from volunteers aged 18–60 with previous British forces (TA or regular) experience. It was introduced to guard key points and installations likely to be the target of enemy ‘special forces’ and saboteurs, so releasing other units for mobile defence roles. It was stood down in 1992.
[edit] History
The pilot started in September 1982 and consisted of four companies that were used to relieve the Army of guarding key points, consisting of 18-59 year-olds with training obligation of 4-5 weekends per year. In 1984 there were platoons in 11 cities and the force began expanding to 5000 persons nationwide, with the goal of establishing a platoon in every T.A. company by 1988.
It was decided to disband the HSF in 1991 and the last unit was disbanded in 1993.
[edit] Recruitment
Membership was open to recruits who had previous military service, which could have been with the Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force, MoD Police or as adult instructors in the Army, Navy or Air Cadet Forces. Reserve forces of significant length of service were also eligible. This meant that there wasn’t the usual raw recruit training, just refresher training to bring everyone up to scratch, for example, some of the volunteers were used to the SMLE rifle and many a drill night was spent getting to grips with the SLR and then later with the SA80. (or equivalent)
[edit] Engagement
HSF soldiers were engaged to parade and train less frequently than TA soldiers, but it was often difficult to keep them away[citation needed]. Their "every other week" parading caused confusion with some Instructors struggling with TA attendance behaviour and HSF Officers learned to promote the HSF as a "can-do organisation". This was especially true when HSF Platoons (or Troops) were based with TA Batteries/Squadrons/Companies and had no administrative assets of their own. Opportunities existed to train with their parent HSF Battery/Squadron/Company and also with their "host" TA counterpart. HSF soldiers who, today, associate as HSF Veterans (as part of the Home Service Force Association), appear to have a stronger bond as a result of serving in a detached or remote group[citation needed].
[edit] Sub-Units
There were at least 50 HSF Companies formed.
- G (HSF) Coy 5th (V) Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Coventry).
- E (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion,The Staffordshire Regiment(Prince of Wales's); rebadged from The Mercian Volunteers.
- 348 (Inns of Court & City Yeomanry HSF)Signal Squadron(The Devils' Own) Royal Signals (London).
- E (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Bedford)
- F (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion,Royal Anglian Regiment (Norwich)
- E (HSF) Coy 7th (V) Battalion,Royal Anglian Regiment (Leicester, with a detached platoon at Lincoln)
- 6 (HSF) Coy 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Hertford)
- 18 Platoon, 6 (HSF) Coy, 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
- E (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion (Somerset and Cornwall) Light Infantry(Bath, Somerset)
- F (HSF) Coy 6th (V) Battalion (Somerset and Cornwall) Light Infantry(Truro, Cornwall)
- D (HSF) Squadron, Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry; rebadged from RAOC (Shrewsbury)
- 218 (HSF) Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport. (Hull)
- 300 (HSF) Squadron, Royal Corps of Transport (East Yorkshire)
- A (HSF) Bty 103 AD Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers), Liverpool
- E (HSF) Coy (V) 5/8th Kings Regiment
- X (HSF) Coy 2nd (V) Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, Gordon Highlanders.
- Y (HSF) Coy 2nd (V) Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, Gordon Highlanders.
- Z (HSF) Coy 1st (V) Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment).
- G (HSF) Coy 1st (V) Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers, The King's Own Scottish Borderers
- E (HSF) Coy 2nd (V) Battalion, The Wessex Regiment (Berkshire, Hampshire)
- 5 Coy (HSF) 10th (V) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)
- 6 (HSF) Coy 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment (Hertford)
- 1 & 2 (HSF) Coys, The Honourable Artillery Company. (London)
- 13 Platoon, H (HSF)Coy, 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment/Yorkshire Volunteers. (Huddersfield)
- E (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion,The Royal Welsh Fusiliers. (North Wales)
- E (HSF) Coy 6/7th (V) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment. (Surrey)
- E (HSF) Coy 4th (V) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales.(South Wales)
- F (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters (Worksop, Mansfield & Beeston; Notts)
- G (HSF) Coy 3rd (V) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters (Derby & Chesterfield, Derbys)
- F (HSF) Coy 4th (V) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters (Worcester & Kidderminster, Worcs)
- (HFS) 4th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
- (HFS) 5th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
- (HFS) 6th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
- (HFS) 7th (V) Battalion, Royal Green Jackets
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
