The 5th (Prince of Wales's) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, was a part-time unit of the British Army recruited in the county of Devon. It was formed in the Territorial Force in 1908 by amalgamating two existing Volunteer Battalions of the Devonshire Regiment. The battalion served in India and fought in Palestine and on the Western Front during World War I. In World War II it provided two anti-tank artillery units, which served in Tunisia, Italy and North West Europe. They were both merged into other Devonshire units in 1950.
Volunteer Force The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle and Mounted Rifle Volunteer Corps composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular Army in time of need.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–168. A large number of company-sized corps were raised in Devonshire and were soon organised into larger administrative battalions. In 1880 the independent Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) were consolidated into battalions, which became Volunteer Battalions (VBs) of the Devonshire Regiment under the Childers Reforms of 1881.Beckett, Appendix VII.Frederick, pp. 86–88.Westlake, pp. 62–67.5th Devons at Regiments.org.Hay Tor Bn at Regiments.org.
2nd (Prince of Wales's) Volunteer Battalion The 1st Administrative Battalion, Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, was formed in June 1860 at Plymouth, but shortly afterwards was redesignated the 2nd Administrative Battalion, Devonshire RVCs with the following units under command: 2nd (Plymouth) Devonshire RVC, raised on 7 December 1859; a second company was raised in February 1860, and a further two by 1868 3rd (Devonport Dockyard) Devonshire RVC, raised on 7 December 1859; a second company was raised on 1 March 1860 and a third by 1871; a Cadet Corps was formed by the corps in 1874 at Plymouth, this was disbanded in 1885 16th (Stonehouse) Devonshire RVC, raised on 29 February 1860 by Captain Viscount Valletort of the Duke of Cornwall's Rangers in the Militia; absorbed by 2nd RVC in 1874 22nd (Tavistock) Devonshire RVC, raised on 5 March 1860
Viscount Valletort was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the battalion on 8 August 1860; he succeeded as 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe the following year. He maintained his links with the battalion until his death in 1917. He was assisted by a number of experienced officers: in the 1860s: Lt-Col William Fisk, formerly of the 12th Foot, served as captain-commandant of the 2nd RVC and second-in-command of the admin battalion with the rank of major, while Brevet Colonel John Elliott, retired from the Royal Marines, became adjutant of the battalion in 1870. Major-General (retired) James Pickard, Royal Marines, served as lt-col commandant of the 2nd RVC and second lt-col of the battalion from 1871.Hart's Army List 1860.Army List, various dates.'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe', Burke's.
Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Volunteers were grouped into county brigades with their local Regular and Militia battalions. For the Devonshire RVCs this was Brigade No 34 (County of Devon) in Western District alongside the 11th Foot, the 1st Devon Militia and the South Devon Militia as well as the other Devon RVCs.Spiers, pp. 195–196. When the RVCs were consolidated in 1880, the 2nd Admin Bn adopted the title 2nd (Prince of Wales's) Devonshire RVC: A to F Companies at Prospect Place Drill Hall, Millbay, Plymouth,Plymouth at Drill Hall Project. from the former 2nd RVC G to I Companies at Drill Hall, York Street, Devonport,Devonport at Drill Hall Project. from the 3rd RVC K and L Companies at Bedford Square, Tavistock,Tavistock at Drill Hall Project. from the 22nd RVC
The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, and the Volunteers were formally affiliated to their local Regular regiment, with the 11th Foot becoming the Devonshire Regiment and the 2nd (PoW) Devonshire RVC becoming one of its Volunteer Battalions on 1 July 1881. The RVC changed its title on 1 November 1885 to 2nd (Prince of Wales's) Volunteer Battalion.
In 1894 Kelly College at Tavistock formed a cadet company affiliated to the battalion, followed by a cadet corps formed by the Postal Telegraph Messengers of Plymouth in 1906. The following year the Plymouth & Mannamead College Cadet Corps was transferred to the 2nd VB from the 2nd Devonshire Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers). An extra company (M) was formed in 1900, but the battalion was reduced to eight companies in 1905.
The late Victorian era saw a craze for cycling and the Volunteer Force took a leading role in developing the new Safety bicycle for military use. By 1907 the battalion had formed a Cyclist Section.Beckett, pp. 200–201.
5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer Battalion The 5th Administrative Battalion, Devonshire RVCs, was formed at Totnes on 24 August 1860 with the following units under command:Beckett, Appendix X. 17th (Totnes) Devonshire RVC, raised on 3 March 1860 26th (Kingsbridge) Devonshire RVC, raised on 5 July 1860 4th (Modbury) Devonshire Mounted Rifle Volunteers (MRV), raised on 20 April 1860; redesignated 3rd Devonshire Light Horse Volunteers 1865; disbanded February 1875 5th (Berry) Devonshire MRV, raised on 24 May 1860; redesignated 1st Devonshire Light Horse Volunteers April 1861; disbanded March 1876 7th (Yealmpton) Devonshire MRV, raised on 16 June 1860; redesignated 2nd Devonshire Light Horse Volunteers 1865; disbanded February 1875
It was reorganised in April 1861 as the 4th Administrative Battalion with the following additional units: 9th (Ashburton) Devonshire RVC, raised on 23 February 1860 10th (Newton Abbot) Devonshire RVC, raised on 27 March 1860 23rd (Chudleigh) Devonshire RVC, raised on 27 March 1860 28th (South Brent) Devonshire RVC, raised on 14 October 1868, replacing an earlier 28th (South Molton) RVC in the 3rd Admin Bn that had disbanded in 1865; the replacement unit disbanded in 1875
The admin battalion's headquarters (HQ) moved to Newton Abbot in 1865. It was consolidated on 16 March 1880 as the 9th, renumbered on 15 June as the 5th Devonshire RVC: A Company at Station Road, Ashburton,Ashburton at Drill Hall Project. from the former 9th RVC B Company at East Street, Newton Abbot,Newton Abbot at Drill Hall Project. from the 10th RVC C Company at South Street, Totnes,Totnes at Drill Hall Project. from the 17th RVC D Company at Chudleigh from the 23rd RVC E Company at Fore Street, Kingsbridge,Kingsbridge at Drill Hall Project. from the 26th RVC F Company at Drill Hall, Rock Road, Torquay,Torquay at Drill Hall Project. from the 26th RVC
It became a VB of the Devons on 1 July 1881, and on 1 November 1885 it was designated the 5th (The Hay Tor) Volunteer Battalion, Devonshire Regiment. (Hay Tor is a prominent granite tor on Dartmoor.) It formed G Company at Buckfastleigh and H Company at Torquay in 1886.
The Hon Lewis Clifford (9th Lord Clifford of Chudleigh from 1880) was commissioned as captain in the 10th Devonshire RVC on 3 March 1875, promoted to major in the consolidated 5th RVC on 24 April 1880, and then to lt-col commanding the 5th VB on 3 December 1881. He held the command until 1903 when he became the battalion's hon colonel.London Gazette, 2 March 1875.London Gazette, 23 April 1880.London Gazette, 2 December 1881.
Mobilisation schemes The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–186.Dunlop, pp. 60–61. On 9 February 1889, Lord Mount Edgcumbe was appointed Colonel in command of the Plymouth Brigade, consisting of the five VBs of the Devons and the two of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and charged with defending the Royal Navy's base at Plymouth.Dunlop, Appendix A.Spiers, pp. 228–229. On 29 May 1889 Lord Mount Edgcumbe gave up command of the 2nd VB, becoming its Honorary Colonel, though he continued to command the Plymouth Brigade until 1893. Lord Clifford of the 5th (Hay Tor) VB also commanded the Plymouth Brigade (renamed the Devonshire Brigade from 1901 and Devon & Cornwall Brigade in the Territorial Force from 1908) from 6 July 1901 until 1910.'Baron Clifford of Chudleigh', Burke's.London Gazette 19 July 1901.London Gazette, 15 May 1908.
South Africa After Black Week in December 1899, the Volunteers were invited to send active service units to assist the Regulars in the Second Boer War. The War Office decided that one company 116 strong could be recruited from the volunteer battalions of any infantry regiment that had a regular battalion serving in South Africa. The Devonshire VBs accordingly raised a service company that earned the battalions their first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–01.Beckett, p. 213.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the 2nd and 5th VBs were combined to form the 5th (Prince of Wales's) Battalion, Devonshire RegimentLondon Gazette 20 March 1908.Conrad, 1914. HQ at Prospect Place, Millbay, Plymouth (also known as Millbay Barracks) A Company at 38 West Street, Tavistock B Company at Plymouth C Company at Plymouth Detachment at Ivybridge Detachment at Fore Street, Kingsbridge D Company at York Street, Devonport E Company at Wolborough Street, Newton Abbot, Detachment at ChudleighChudleigh at Drill Hall Project. F Company at Drill Hall, Somerset Place, TeignmouthTeignmouth at Drill Hall Project.Devon at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. Half Company at Drill Hall, Market Street, Torquay Detachment at DawlishDawlish at Drill Hall Project. G Company, Left Half at Drill Hall, Ford Street, MoretonhampsteadMoretonhampstead at Drill Hall Project. Right Half at Town Hall, Bovey TraceyBovey Tracey at Drill Hall Project. Detachment at Chagford H Company, Right Half at Armoury, High Street, Totnes Detachment at Station Road, Ashburton Detachment at Buckfastleigh
The cyclist sections of the Devons' TF battalions were combined to form the 7th (Cyclist) Bn at Exeter. The cadet corps at Kelly College and Plymouth & Mannamead College both transferred to the junior division of the Officers' Training Corps. However, the Plymouth Lads' Brigade and Haytor (Newton Abbot) cadet corps were both affiliated to the battalion before World War I.
The battalion formed part of the Devon and Cornwall Brigade in the TF's Wessex Division.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 43–48.Devons at Long, Long Trail.43rd (Wessex) Division at Long, Long Trail.James, pp. 54–55.
World War I Mobilisation On 26 July 1914, the Wessex Division was on Salisbury Plain, beginning its annual training. Three days later, with the international situation deteriorating, the division was warned to take 'precautionary measures' and its units took up their war stations, with the infantry brigades at defended ports in South West England. On 10 August the division returned to Salisbury Plain, this time under war conditions.1/5th and 2/5th Devons in WWI at The Keep Military Museum.