Devon Militia
The Devon Militia was a part-time military force in the maritime county of Devonshire in the West of England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 until their final service as a Special Reserve unit of the Devonshire Regiment in World War I, the Militia regiments of Devonshire served in home defence in all of Britain's major wars. Devonshire Trained Bands The universal obligation to military service in the Shire levy or Posse comitatus was long established in England and its legal basis was updated by two Acts of 1557, covering musters and the maintenance of horses and armour. The county militia was now placed under the Lord Lieutenant, assisted by the Deputy Lieutenants and Justices of the Peace. The entry into force of these Acts in 1558 is seen as the starting date for the organised county militia in England. Although the militia obligation was universal, it was clearly impractical to train and equip every able-bodied man, so after 1572 the practice was to select a proportion of men for the Trained Bands, who were mustered for regular training. The men from the Hundreds of Devonshire were organised in four groups for the defence of the harbours