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You must seek permission prior to
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Museum Display Information
Haldane's Reforms
The Boer War demonstrated that the army was poorly organised and
inadequate to deal with a large scale war. The official report into the
war led to the government instituting major reforms affecting every part
of the army. In 1905 Richard Burdon Haldane was appointed Secretary of
State for War, and asked the question: "What is the Army for?"
The army had to:
| be capable of maintaining the Imperial garrison in peacetime. |
| provide an expeditionary force for employment overseas, in
wartime |
| retain the voluntary system of recruitment. |
| work within the allocated budget |
Haldane successfully:
| Modernised the War Office and Headquarters. The Army Council was
established. It comprised four generals and two civilians who were
all responsible to the Secretary of State for War. |
| Improved training of senior officers through staff colleges,
with revised and enlarged courses. |
| Corrected the balance of troops at home and overseas. By
reorganising forces he was able to increase the number available in
Britain. |
| Improved and reorganised the Army Service Corps. This in turn
improved the rations and supplies for soldiers.
Reorganised the Royal Army Medical Corps and field ambulance
services. |
| Established the Royal Flying Corps in 1912. At the beginning of
the First World War the RFC was able to send five squadrons to
France to assist troops on the ground. |
| Converted the Militia into the Special Reserve from which men
could be drafted into the regular unit. These soldiers would not be
used on the front line. The Territorial Reserve Forces Act, of 1908,
disbanded the 4th (Militia) Battalion and converted the 3rd
(Militia) Battalion into the 3rd Special Reserve Battalion of the
King’s Own. |
| Converted the Volunteers into the Territorial Force (TF) who
would be ready to serve within 6 months of mobilisation. The 1st and
2nd Volunteer Battalions became the 4th and 5th Battalions of the
King's Own, each divided into eight companies. |
Haldane achieved many things, and certainly it was his efforts which
placed the Army in such a strong position for war in 1914.
© Images are copyright, Trustees of the King's Own Royal Regiment Museum.
You must seek permission prior to
publication of any of our images.
Only a proportion of our collections
are on display at anyone time. Certain items are on loan for display
in other institutions. An appointment is required to consult any of
our collections which are held in store. |