This thesis examines, through the history of one
infantry regiment, aspects of the Territorial Force,
created in 1908, in its peacetime and wartime existence.
It is a pioneering work of social history, since it
concentrates on describing the social and organisational
characteristics of a Regiment in both peace and war.
Though the Leeds Rifles cannot be claimed to be a
'typical' Territorial Regiment, many of its characteristics
were common to units of the Territorial Force and,
through the history of this Regiment, a number of general
themes, of morale, discipline, and attitudes, recruitment
and organisational style can be explored.
The opening section of the thesis describes the
legacy of the Leeds Rifle Volunteers, 1859-1908, to the
Territorial Regiment, and the local and social organisation
continuities that can be perceived.. The remainder of the
thesis is divided into the peacetime period, 1908-1914,
where the "Citizen-soldier" of the Territorial Force was
largely a citizen, and the wartime period, 1914-1918,
where the soldierly elements were more necessary and
notable. Similar themes and continuities pervade these
two sections also, though increasingly from late 1916 the
'local' character of the Leeds Rifles became less central
to the social history of the Regiment.
The thesis offers a contribution to the general
social history of the period 1908-1918, and to Leeds
history in particular. It also seeks to place the
experience of this one Regiment in the context of other
studies of the social dynamics of "Western" military
organisations and to make a contribution to the development
of such studies. In an appendix, the methodological
problems of an exploration of this type are also considered.