The Post Office Rifles was a unit of the British Army, first formed in 1868 from volunteers as part of the Volunteer Force, which later became the Territorial Force. The unit evolved several times until 1921, after which the name was lost during one of many reorganisations.
History
Beginnings – 49th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers Corps (Post Office Rifles)
When the Volunteer Force was formed in 1859/60 Viscount Bury raised the 21st Middlesex Rifles Volunteer Corps drawing its recruits from civil servants based in London. There were sufficient recruits from the GPO staff to form a Post Office company, which was placed under Captain John Lowther du Plat Taylor's command. On 13 December 1867 a bomb exploded outside Middlesex House of Detention, Clerkenwell. It was an attempt to rescue two members of Irish Republican Brotherhood detained there awaiting trial. The Government's response was to raise special constables to protect London buildings against future "Fenian outrages". The GPO special constables had been supervised and trained by Major JL du Plat Taylor. After the crisis was over the GPO special constables approached du Plat Taylor to request that they be formed into a Rifle Volunteer unit. Du Plat Taylor, who was the Private Secretary to the Postmaster General, sought permission from the Postmaster General and the War Office to form such a unit. Permission was granted and on 2 March 1868 the 49th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers Corps was duly raised from the Post Office Companies and the special constables all of whom were GPO servants. Du Plat Taylor become its first commanding officer. In 1880 a reorganisation of the volunteer corps saw the unit renumbered as the 24th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers.
Service in Egypt
In 1882 a detachment of two officers and 102 men volunteered for service in Egypt, where they performed postal and telegraph duties under the command of General Garnet Wolseley. As the Army Post Office Corps they came under enemy fire at Kassassin in so doing became the first 'volunteers' to see enemy action. The 24th Battalion was awarded their first battle honour "Egypt 1882".
South Africa
During the Second Boer War the 24th Middlesex contributed a large number of volunteers comprising 16 officers and more than 1,000 other ranks. In 1907 they were awarded the battle honour "South Africa 1899–1902". In 1902 the 24th Middlesex was one of six rifle corps to form the 4th or City of London Brigade, a volunteer infantry brigade.
Territorial Force
More changes were introduced upon the creation of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907. This Act brought the part-time Volunteer Force infantry artillery and engineer units and Yeomanry regiments from across the country together into a single Territorial Force in 1908. As a result of this, the 24th Middlesex became the 8th Battalion, London Regiment.
The Post Office Rifles served with distinction in the Great War. They arrived in France on 18 March 1915. By the end of the war, 1,800 men from the Post Office Rifles would be dead and 4,500 more would be wounded. After the outbreak of the war, the existing units of the Territorial Force each formed duplicate units. The existing Post Office Rifles was redesignated as the 1/8th Battalion, London Regiment when a second Post Office Rifles battalion, the 2/8th Londons, was formed in September 1914. In 1915 a third line battalion, the 3/8th was formed. Between them, the three battalions earned 19 battle honours. At the Capture of Wurst Farm, in September 1917, the 2/8th lost over half its fighting strength, dead or wounded, but its men were awarded a total of 40 gallantry medals. These included a Victoria Cross won by Sergeant A. J. Knight, making him the only Post Office Rifleman to win this honour.
Battle honours
The battle honours awarded to the 8th Battalion, The London Regiment for the "Great War" were announced in March 1924. Ten honours were selected by the regiment to be displayed on the King's Colours:
Further reorganisations took place after World War I. Many saw these changes as a dilution of the battalion's Post Office identity. Included in these reorganisations was the amalgamation of the 8th Battalion with the non-Post Office 7th Battalion, London Regiment in 1921, forming the 7th London Regiment . In 1935, it was converted from infantry to the searchlight role as the 32nd Anti-aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers, and the 'Post Office Rifles' name was finally dropped. In 1939 they expanded from Finsbury Square, into newly built drill-halls at Grove Park and Bexleyheath. Shortly afterward the unit was split, forming a duplicate battalion at Bexleyheath called 73rd S/Light Battalion, Royal Engineers, with outstations at Greenhithe and Sidcup. In 1940 both units re-badged as Royal Artillery. Successor units still occupy Grove Park and Bexleyheath drill-halls, as 265 Battery, 106th Regiment, Royal Artillery and 265 Support Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals. Both units strive to continue and maintain the traditions and history of their predecessor regiments.
Home Peel, the Adjutant of the 1st/8th Post Office Rifles was killed in action on 24 March 1918. The Royal Mail archive in London contains some letters and other documents relating to his wartime service. These paint a picture of a typical officer educated at Charterhouse and employed by the India Office prior to World War I. There is a letter written on German military stationery, the purpose of which was to comfort Mrs. Peel. This humanitarian gesture was made by E.F. Gayler, who describes himself in the letter as 'late of 45 Stainton Road, Entcliffe, Sheffield'. In this letter, he writes: "Although enemy and sometime deeply hurt by the ridiculous tone of your home press, I feel it a human duty to communicate these sad news. Capt. Peel was killed in action near Longueval and died, as it seems by the wounds received, without suffering."
