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| Post Office Rifles | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Post Office Rifles |
| Dates | 1868–1967 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Territorial Force; Territorial Army |
| Type | Rifle regiment |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | Battalion |
| Garrison | London |
| Battles | * Second Boer War * First World War * Battle of the Somme * Battle of Passchendaele * Third Battle of Ypres * Battle of Arras (1917) * German Spring Offensive * Hundred Days Offensive * Second World War |
Post Office Rifles
The Post Office Rifles were a volunteer infantry battalion originally raised from employees of the General Post Office in London and surrounding counties. Formed in the late 19th century, the unit served as part of the Volunteer Force and later the Territorial Force and Territorial Army, seeing extensive service during the First World War and continued service through the Second World War before post-war reorganizations. Its identity linked postal workers to wider narratives of Victorian era volunteerism, Edwardian military reform, and twentieth-century conflicts such as the Second Boer War and the two world wars.
The battalion traces origins to 1868 when clerks and sorters of the General Post Office established a volunteer rifle corps in London influenced by the wave of Volunteer Force units raised after the Crimean War and the formation of the Volunteer Force in 1859. It was associated administratively with county regiments such as the London Regiment and later converted into a numbered battalion within the Territorial Force under the reforms of the Haldane Reforms. Early leadership included senior Post Office figures and officers commissioned under regulations overseen by the Cardwell Reforms and the Regulation of the Forces Act precedents. The unit drew recruits from the workforce of the Postmaster General's administration, with drill halls in districts including Islington, Holborn, and Finsbury.
Mobilised on the outbreak of the First World War, the battalion served in the British Expeditionary Force formations attached to divisional structures like the 56th (London) Division and fought on the Western Front in major operations including the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Arras (1917). In 1916-1917 the battalion endured heavy casualties at actions such as the catastrophic opening on the first day of the Somme and the attritional fighting during the Third Battle of Ypres at Passchendaele. Men of the unit served alongside formations like the Royal Fusiliers, London Regiment, Middlesex Regiment, and elements of the British Army's infantry brigades while cooperating with artillery from the Royal Field Artillery and engineers of the Royal Engineers. During the German Spring Offensive (1918) it participated in defensive operations and later joined the Hundred Days Offensive culminating in the advance to the Armistice of 11 November 1918.
Reconstituted between the wars as part of the Territorial Army, the battalion was mobilised again in 1939 for the Second World War and variously served in home defence, garrison duties, and overseas deployments depending on wartime reorganisations. Elements were converted to alternate roles mirroring wider British Army restructuring, linking to corps such as the Home Guard and cooperating with formations including the Royal Artillery and Royal Corps of Signals during campaigns and defence preparations. Post-war defence reviews and the 1947 Defence White Paper-era reorganisations affected its structure, and personnel later served in contexts related to Cold War commitments and internal security tasks until amalgamations and reductions in the 1950s and 1960s.
Originally structured as a single volunteer rifle battalion, the organisation expanded into first, second and third-line battalions during the First World War consistent with the Territorial Force model. Officers were appointed under regulations linking to the War Office and drill training followed doctrines issued by the Army Council. The regiment wore rifle green facings and uniforms derived from the rifle tradition, adopting insignia that incorporated postal motifs and symbols associated with the General Post Office and civic emblems of London. Cap badges, shoulder titles, and service dress elements reflected affiliations to the London Regiment and later to parent county regiments; patterns evolved alongside British Army uniform changes implemented after the First World War and during the Second World War.
The battalion earned battle honours for its service in the Second Boer War, key First World War battles such as Somme 1916, Arras 1917, Ypres 1917, and the Hundred Days Offensive, and continued recognition for Second World War service where applicable. Individual members received decorations including the Victoria Cross in the wider theatre context when attached to other formations, while many were awarded decorations such as the Military Cross, Distinguished Conduct Medal, and Military Medal for acts during trench warfare, raids, and counter-attacks. The unit's wartime narrative intersects with iconic figures and formations including the British Expeditionary Force, commanders of the 56th (London) Division, and contemporaneous London-based units like the London Scottish and Civil Service Rifles.
Post-war reductions in the Territorial Army culminated in amalgamations and eventual disbandment of the battalion's distinct identity amid the 1960s defence reorganisations influenced by the Defence Review processes. Legacy survives through regimental associations, museum collections connected to the Royal Fusiliers Museum and London Regiment Museum holdings, war memorials in Islington, plaques in former post offices, and rolls of honour kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and civic archives of London. Commemorations include annual remembrance services at cenotaphs associated with the Royal British Legion and preserved artefacts in collections curated by institutions such as the Imperial War Museum and local historical societies.
Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom