How It All Began: The Story Behind the RFCAs

What stories lie behind the Drill Halls and Reserve Centres on our streets? Tom Kwei is joined by Derrick Harwood, Greater London RFCA’s archivist and historian and a veteran of three decades in the Territorial Army, to explore the origins of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations. From militias and yeomanry to the formation of the Territorial Force and mobilisation in 1914, this episode is a deep-dive into how local volunteers helped shape Britain’s military history and how that partnership between communities and the Armed Forces continues today. Timestamps 2:28 - Derrick’s history with Greater London RFCA 4:04 - The importance of Drill halls 5:12 - The various roles of local defence  6:39 - The impact of the South African War (1899 - 1902)  11:30 - Haldane’s reforms  14:25 - The Territorial Army during WWI 16:55 - Lord Kitchener’s doubts 21:20 - Post-WWII changes 25:15 - The modern RFCA 30:50 - Outro and close Links: wmrfca.org Cadets  Cadet Force Adult Volunteers  WMRFCA LinkedIn WMRFCA Instagram WMRFCA Facebook If you enjoy The West Midland RFCA Podcast, the best way to support the show is to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-west-midland-rfca-podcast/id1870819622  Hosted & produced by Tom Kwei Music by Alex Cottrell