Quote:
Originally Posted by Wmr-RHB
Let me add to the confusion of the correct designations.
The mass consolidation of 1880 created:
1st Administrative Battalion of Wiltshire Rifle Volunteers > 1st Wiltshire Rifle Volunteer Corps
and
2nd Administrative Battalion of Wiltshire Rifle Volunteers > 3rd Wiltshire Rifle Volunteer Corps
Later in 1880 there was the renumbering to fill the gaps:
3rd Wiltshire Rifle Volunteer Corps > 2nd Wiltshire Rifle Volunteer Corps
In 1881 both were attached to The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) as volunteer battalions, but the designations were not changed at that moment in time.
Over the years that followed regiment by regiment these volunteer battalions were re-designated as Volunteer Battalions. If I am correct, the first was Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry) and the last re-designations were in about 1887. Not all volunteer battalions were re-designated. And for the Wiltshire Regiment the 1st was not and the 2nd was in 1887:
2nd Wiltshire Rifle Volunteer Corps > 2nd Volunteer Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment)
In 1891 those in power decided that all still existing Rifle Volunteer Corps should be re-designated as Volunteer Rifle Corps (I assume that most corps simply ignored this, in any case they did not change their badges to reflect this):
1st Wiltshire Rifle Volunteer Corps > 1st Wiltshire Volunteer Rifle Corps
In 1908, they merged to become:
4th Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment) (TF)
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The 1st Surrey Rifles were never known the 1st VB East Surrey Regt. despite their status as such, likewise many of the Middlesex RVC's didn't take KRRC or Rifle Brigade VB numerical precedents.
However, somewhere along the line someone maybe in the war office was because Gaylor numbers them all in his book. The Harrow Rifles do have a badge stating 4th VB KRRC.
It appears some RVC's chose not to and continued to produce their insignia accordingly.
I'm sure a trawl through Westlake will come up with more.