British Territorial Army
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The British Territorial Army is part of the British Army, composed mostly of part-time soldiers paid at the same rate, while engaged on military activities, as their Regular equivalents. It forms about a quarter of the strength of the Army. Its original purpose was home defence, but it is being restructured and reconceptualized to focus on providing support for the Regular army.
Territorial soldiers, or Territorials, are volunteers, not conscripts or a militia, and often undergo military training in their spare time. They normally have a day job and often need to take leave or resign their job if called up for military service. Some employers, such as the public service, have military leave to allow these soldiers to be deployed without losing their full time job.
A number of other Armies also call their part time volunteer soldiers Territorials.
See also
- Home Guard (1940 - 1944)
- Auxiliary Units (1940 - 1944)
- British military history