Written and published on the eve of the great reorganisation of the British Army's reserve which saw the birth of the Territorial Army, this is the history of the volunteer militias which the TA was created to replace. Beginning with the forces raised under Henry VIII to resist a possible invasion from France, the history includes the military preparations to meet the Spanish Armada; militias during the Civil War; the forces deployed to meet the threat from Napoleon, and militias upo to the end of the 19th century. There are also sections on Scottish, Irish and Welsh militias along with chapters on pay, discipline, weapons and equipment. A unique history appealing to anyone with an interest in part-time soldiers and the structures of Britain's military reserves.