20th Battalion, London Regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich)
| 20th Battalion, London Regiment (Blackheath & Woolwich) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1908–1961 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 Territorial Army
|
| Type | Infantry Battalion Searchlight Regiment Anti-Aircraft Regiment |
| Role | Infantry, Air Defence |
| Engagements |
Western Front Salonika Palestine Dunkirk The Blitz |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Lt-Col Edmund Henry Lenon, VC |
The 20th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Blackheath and Woolwich), was a unit of Britain's Territorial Force formed in 1908 from Volunteer corps dating back to 1859. It saw considerable service on the Western Front, at Salonika and in Palestine during World War I. It served as a searchlight regiment and later as an infantry regiment during World War II.
The London Regiment was created in 1908 as part of the Haldane Reforms, and consisted entirely of Territorial Force (TF) infantry battalions, with no Regular component. Its Blackheath and Woolwich Battalion was formed by merging two Volunteer battalions that had previously been affiliated to the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, but whose recruiting areas (the boroughs of Deptford, Greenwich, Lewisham and Woolwich) had been transferred from Kent on the formation of the County of London in 1889.
The invasion scare of 1859 led to the creation of the Volunteer Force and huge enthusiasm for joining local Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs). The 1st Administrative Battalion, Kent RVC, was established on 12 June 1860 with headquarters at Blackheath, to bring together a number of small RVCs that had sprung up in the West Kent suburbs of London. By 1880 its composition was as follows:
Other units briefly associated with the 1st Admin Bn included:
Lt-Col Edmund Henry Lenon, retired Brevet Major in the 67th Foot, who had won a Victoria Cross in China in 1860, was commanding officer of the 1st Admin Bn from 16 November 1871 to 15 December 1883. In 1876 the battalion's uniforms were Rifle green faced with black. In 1880 the 1st Admin Bn was consolidated as the 3rd Kent (West Kent) Rifle Volunteers, becoming a Volunteer Battalion of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment the following year. In 1883 the battalion was designated the 2nd Volunteer Bn of the Queen's Own RWK.
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