PATRICK CROWLEY is currently the chief executive of the South East Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association, which involves promoting reserves and cadets, tri-service, in the nine counties of the South East of England, as well as helping to connect defence with society. He has been in this appointment since retiring from the British Army in 2014. Commissioned into 1st Battalion the Queen's Regiment in 1980, Crowley was a major when the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (PWRR) was founded in 1992. He served as a rifle platoon commander, mortar officer, adjutant, company commander, second-in-command and commanding officer within the PWRR, commanding the regiment's 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion. Service included many tours of Northern Ireland, a period in Baghdad and numerous staff appointments, mainly related to infantry and staff training, as well as the Territorial Army and Army Reserves. Overseas roles included postings to Gibraltar and Zimbabwe. In addition, he has run many battlefield tours, is a committee member of the Military Historical Society and a trustee on a number of military-related charities. A deputy colonel of the PWRR since 2008, Crowley lives in Hampshire.

Select Guide Rating

• Rose, Castle and Crown vii | The Connaught Trust viii | Acknowledgements ix | By the same author xi | List of maps and illustrations xiv | Foreword by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenants of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight xv | Preface xvii | 1 Origins: Militia 1 | 2 Volunteers 53 | 3 Yeomanry 91 | 4 To War: South Africa 119 | 5 Reform and the Territorial Force 155 | 6 The Great War 185 | 7 Between the Wars 231 | 8 Second World War 259 | 9 Territorial Army (TA) 319 | 10 Territorial & Army Volunteer Reserve (T&AVR) 357 | 11 From Cold War to Hotter Wars 387 | 12 Army Reserve 457 | Appendices | A Notable Dates 491 | B British Army Personnel Numbers 497 | C Royal Artillery Territorial and Army Reserve Units 499 | D Lord-Lieutenants of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight 507 | E County Association Lead 513 | F The History of The Connaught Trust 517 | Bibliography 523 | Index 547