Military reserve forces of Saint Helena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The island of Saint Helena, currently part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, maintained a military reserve force at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries. The first force, a feudal militia, was established in 1673 by the East India Company, who had first settled the island, in response to a Dutch invasion and short-lived occupation. The East India Company divided the island into tenancies with each required to provide a certain number of men for the militia. This fell into disuse as the defences of the island were improved. Saint Helena was taken over by the British Crown in 1833 and, keen to reduce the regular garrison, the militia was reinvigorated. An ordinance was passed drafting every able-bodied man into the Local Militia, though this was soon reduced to a core of around 360 men. This militia must have fallen into disuse by the later part of the 19th century as a new force, the St Helena Volunteer Sharpshooters, was established in 1897. Numbering around 100 men sources conflict on whether it was maintained beyond the withdrawal of the regular British garrison in 1907. It had certainly been disbanded by 1998.
In addition to local forces three regiments, of men recruited elsewhere, were formed specifically for garrison duty on the island. The East India Company's St Helena Artillery Regiment and St Helena Infantry Regiment served until 1833 and the British Army's St Helena Regiment was raised in 1842 and disbanded in 1865. Outside of these periods, the garrison was provided by a rotating force posted from different regiments. Currently, the island has no military and defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom.