Reserve Forces (generally known, after the 1859 creation and re-organisation under the
Reserve Force Act 1867 of the Regular Reserve of the British Army, as
Local Forces or
Auxiliary Forces), including the
Militia (or
Constitutional Force),
Yeomanry,
Volunteer Force, and
Fencibles, were not originally considered parts of the British Army (which, prior to the 1855 abolishment of the
Board of Ordnance was not the only
Regular Force, being composed primarily of cavalry and infantry units while the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and Royal Sappers and Miners belonged to the Board of Ordnance and were known collectively as the Ordnance Military Corps in distinction to the board's civilian Commissariat, ordnance stores, transport and other departments). During the latter 19th century and early 20th century, the auxiliary forces (each of which had its own order or precedence: Yeomanry order-of-precedence; Militia order-of-precedence; Volunteer Force order-of-precedence) in the UK were increasingly integrated with British Army units, while maintaining separate force hierarchies. In the process, they were removed from the control of the lords-lieutenant of counties and administered directly by the
War Office. The only point of distinction between a British Army unit and an auxiliary, whether in the UK-proper or a colony, was whether or not it was wholly or partly funded by the War Office (from Army funds). As Militia Tax and other funds were replaced for UK auxiliary units, they were added to the British Army order of precedence. Although most auxiliary units had in 1881 (after the
Cardwell and
Childers Reforms) become companies or battalions of regular army corps or regiments, they were not grouped with their regular companies or battalions in the British Army order of precedence. Instead, each entire force was added separately to the order of precedence of the British Army, with its respective units retaining their original orders of precedence within that (where the force contained units of more than one corps, they were grouped and took precedence also in accordance with their parent corps of the regular army; eg.,
Militia Artillery units took precedence ahead of Militia Infantry, with Militia Artillery units having their own internal order of precedence, starting with the
Antrim Artillery Militia, numbered 1st, whereas for the Militia Infantry of England and Wales the 3rd West York (Light Infantry) numbered 1st (in 1855), and was also titled the
First Regiment of Militia. The most senior Volunteer Force artillery corps was the
1st Northumberland Artillery Volunteer Corps formed on 2 August, 1859. The
Exeter and South Devon Volunteers numbered first in the order of precedence of the Volunteer Infantry. The senior Yeomanry unit, numbering 1st, was the
Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry. None of these were to be confused with, by example, the 1st Foot Guards (
Grenadier Guards), 1st Regiment of Foot of the British Army (
Royal Scots)). The Yeomanry, as cavalry, took precedence over the Militia, despite being far younger. The older Militia took precedence over the younger Volunteer Force. In 1908, the auxiliary forces in the UK were reorganised, with the Yeomanry and Volunteer Force becoming the
Territorial Force (in 1921 renamed the Territorial Army), and the Militia becoming the
Special Reserve (which was allowed to lapse after 1921). The Territorial Army remained nominally a separate force from the British Army until renamed under the
Defence Reform Act 2014 as the
Army Reserve. Its units remain grouped together separately in the British Army order of precedence from their regular army companies and battalions as 26th in order of precedence. ==Precedence of the Colonial and Crown Dominion units==