TA Centenary - How do you think it should be celebrated?

[Baz44]

OK for those of you who don't know the TA will be 100 years young in the near future. So the question is how do you think it should be celebrated?
Should it be celebrated at all? or left to pass into the annuals of history without even a pop of smoke?

I know that there may be plans for the TA to take the lead for the Festival of Remembrance. But should there be more UK wide with Unit Parades or Freedom Marches and something bigger than National TA Day (having said that TA day went from something big to bugger all in 3 years).

Your thoughts?

Cheers

A Short History Lesson

The Territorial Force was originally formed by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane, following the enactment of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, (& Edw.7, c.9) which combined and re-organised the old Volunteer Army with the remaining units of militia and yeomanry. The TF was formed on April 1, 1908 and contained 14 infantry divisions, and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades. The individual units that made up each division or brigade were administered by County Associations, with the county's lord lieutenant as president.

The use of the word territorial signified that the volunteers who served with the force were under no obligation to serve overseas — in 1910, when asked to nominate for Imperial Service overseas in the event of mobilisation, less than 10% of the Force chose to do so. In August 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, Territorial units were given the option of serving in France and by August 25 in excess of 70 battalions had volunteered. This question over the availability of Territorial divisions for overseas service was one of Lord Kitchener's motivations for raising the New Army separately.

Who says history does not repeat itself??

 

[quiller]

the question is, who is going to pay for it to be celebrated? since as far as i can gather, no-one at any level has accounted for it in their budgets for that year.

 

[whiffler]

Parade through Basrah - route to inckude marching over the grave of TCB?

 

[Copperhead]

Interesting Milestone..

If it were the Guards or another high profile Regiment.. there would be a big parade in London and press coverage!

Whilst it would be a result to parade and celebrate.. I cannot see it happening at the weekend.. MTD's will be an issue.. and of course.. Working Dress - CS95.. not No2's..

 

[Cuddles]

All surviving Territorials, serving and retired should be awarded a silver badge - similar to the old lapel badge. This could have a 1907-2007 scroll added to make a fitting memorial.

 

[marabout]

How about a few cuts, its certainly in keeping with Govt policy.

 

[sandy_boots]

I believe the TA had been scheduled to provide the majority of the displays at the Royal Tournament (I attended meetings in the mid-nineties when this scenario was mentioned). This would have been the 2008 annual camp for the units selected to participate.

Of course the TA was nearly double the size it is now. Labour's SDR and TCB's desire to kill The Royal Tournament as it respresented history, traditions and values that he despises, were not envisaged.

 

[Boxy]

Only to those whoe have served at lest five years......or have we been down that route before?

A good idea though, along the lines of the vetrans badge?

 

[polar]

I think their should be parades, but not just London. London has as much relevance to Northerners as does Edinburugh.

Also I think the parades should be big, somewhere between Unit and Bde levels, sized to gain press coverage and put across that the TA isn't just a couple of people playing soldiers but a large organisation

 

[Cuddles]

London has no relevance to me. apart from the probable source of the mange affecting local foxes...

 

[fozzy]

Could I just point out to the Treasury that "TA 100" is a centenary celebration and not a manning target aspiration.

 

[ABrighter2006]

Could we make preparations as befitting, and then send out a poorly photocopied cancellation memo a couple of weeks before starting with the line "Due to restrictions within the <insert name of budget here>, TA100 is cancelled"

 

[stickybomb]

By way of adding to Baz44's point about Kitchener's distrust of the TF stemming from their lukewarm response to volunteering for overseas service, it is worth remembering that the question posed to the TF bns did not necessarily mention France.

IIRC the 4th Suffolks were asked to volunteer to serve in Ireland in order to release regulars for France. It was considered at the time to be a morally dubious operation and so most if not all of the officers refused. They were prepared to fight in France right from the start but this fact got a bit lost in the ensuing cloud of indignation, snot and dandruff that issued from the War Office after news of the refusal reached them.

I'm sure this is in their chronicles but it is years since I read them.

 

[GoodIdeaAtTheTime]

Turn to the left and fall out?

President Brown could then sell off the TACs as the current function of the TA to recruit new bodies before sending them to Chilwell is replaced with a conscription/national service operation run under a PFI by KBR.

 

[polar69]

We should all get called up for a bloody good scrap !

 

[polar]

IIRC the 4th Suffolks were asked to volunteer to serve in Ireland

and Bazz44, cheers for that info.

I don't think my GGF polar volunteered as he wasn't issued a TFM, nice to understand the reasons a little better. (It also appears he was in 1908 TF)

 

[milkandcheese]

We should all get called up for a bloody good scrap !

Seconded. Let the TA retake France. It'll be good for recruitment AND retention.

 

[polar69]

Huzzah , then on across no mans land to re-annex the Sudatenland. Need to be done in a weekend though !

 

[polar]

Seconded. Let the TA retake France.

Or WW1(/2) battlefield tour to mark 90 years since it finished, 100 years of Territorials. West Yorks Territorials could visit their predecessors memorial in Ypres and the polar bear in Arnhem

 

[BoomShackerLacker]

A superb statue of the doughty TA warrior in Trafalgar Square, possibly in a typical moving scene of courage in adversity...

...such as a regular visit to his CQMS to comment politely on ill-fitting No. 2s trousers frighteningly at halfmast, or a touching image of booted and suited terrier with battle-bowler two sizes too small, pressed down, veins and eyes bulging...