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What would it take to get the proposed "Continental" British Army of ca 1898 approved?

Infantry:

3 Guards Regiments, each of 3 regular regiments (note, the 79th QO Highlanders were to be absorbed as 3rd Bn, Scots Guards)

58 British Territorial Regiments, each with 4 regular battalions (1 on colonial service, 3 as a tactical regiment at home) and 2 militia battalions

8 Irish Territorial Regiments, each with 4 regular and 3 militia bns

2 Rifle Regiments, each with 8 regular battalions and 5 militia bns

This gave 74 regular tactical regiments of 3 Bns for Europe (the Guards forming a composite Bde of 2 Rgts), organised 2 Rgts per Bde and 2 Bdes per Div = 12 Bns per Division, i.e. 3 numbered armies.

The militia would provide a depot to each regiment would, as proposed, fill up the regulars (especially the 3rd and 4th Bns, who were kept at ca 1/3rd establishment with 100,000 Militia Reserve to fill them up). Beyond that, if there was additional militia they would have formed additional forces (possibly an additional numbered Army if the proposal to add the Militia Reserve without altering the rest of the Militia was acted upon).

The volunteers add another 2 numbered armies and a separate Corps for home defences and to relieve the colonies, allowing the regulars to return.


What actually happened is that the new battalions started to form, but the needs of the Boer war saw them brought upto full warfighting strength instead, they lasted for a few years before the slashing defence cuts of 1907-8. The 6 "ready to go" Army Corps were reduced each to a Division (the six Divisions of the original BEF).
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