The London Militia were the part-time military forces in the City of London. From their formal organisation as the London Trained Bands in 1559 they were periodically embodied for home defence, for example in the army mustered at Tilbury during the Armada Campaign of 1588. They saw a great deal of active service during the English Civil War, including the First and Second Battles of Newbury and the battles of Cheriton and Cropredy Bridge. Throughout their history they were used to suppress civil disorder and insurrection around the capital. In 1794 the London Trained Bands were reconstituted as part of the national Militia, and in 1881 the Royal London Militia became a battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). Although intended to be a reserve unit, the battalion saw considerable action on the Western Front during World War I. After 1921 the militia had only a shadowy existence until its final abolition in 1953.