Coleford Company of Rifle Volunteers - ca. 1880's (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Thursday, June 27, 2013, 18:56 (4247 days ago) @ Roger Griffiths

Hi Dave,
nothing to add to Roger's excellent reply, except to say searching the net suggests Gloucestershire Archives may be worth a visit re the FoD Volunteer Companies. This pdf document is their comprehensive (250 pages!) guide to "Sources for Military History", it covers all eras but still has several pages abt the Volunteers, included in their list of items held within the Archives is

"1877 Nominal roll of the Coleford and Newnham Companies of the Glos Rifle Volunteer Corps. D1768/3"
https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/2038/sourcesformilitaryhistory-11841.pdf

Gloucestershire Archives: Clarence Row, Alvin Street, Gloucester, GL1 3DW
Tel: (01452) 425295
Fax: (01452 426378)
Website: http://archives.gloucestershire.gov.uk

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This page of the Glosters Regimental Museum website covers the 1800s period, a time of perhaps surprisingly-high active service for the British Army across the world.
http://www.glosters.org.uk/textonly_timeline/4

This section of the site starts:
"In the late 1850's a new French threat was perceived and one Captain John Evat Acklom, late of Her Majesty's 28th North Gloucestershire Regiment, has a good claim to being the originator of a new [national] Volunteer movement, one which has continued to exist, through many changes, up to the present day.

In December 1858 Acklom wrote a letter to The Times, entitled "Ready! or England for ever safe from the Invaders" and bombarded Parliament, the War Office and numerous people of influence with his proposals concerning the formation of a Volunteer Rifle Corps. Popularised by Prince Albert and the Poet Laureate, Volunteer fever swept the country.

"THERE is a sound of thunder afar,
Storm in the south that darkens the day,
Storm of battle and thunder of war,
Well, if it do not roll our way.
Form! form! Riflemen form!
Ready, be ready to meet the storm !
Riflemen, riflemen, riflemen form !"

Alfred Lord Tennyson, "The War" 1859.

This highly recommended site also includes a Gallery of photos of some of the Volunteers:
http://glosters.tripod.com/Volpics.html