page_title: Volunteer Training Corps
section_title: Official recognition
hierarchical_section_title: Volunteer Training Corps / Official recognition
caption_attribution_description: English: The British Army on the Home Front, 1914-1918 A volunteer of the National Guard directing British troops arriving home on leave at Victoria Station, London. They all queueing up to the money exchange office.
context_page_description: The Volunteer Training Corps was a voluntary home defence militia in the United Kingdom during World War I.
context_section_description: When it was discovered that the Volunteer Act 1863 had never been repealed, it was used in April 1916 to legitimise the movement. VTC Battalions legally became Volunteer Regiments of the new 'Volunteer Force'. Eventually, they were allowed to wear khaki uniforms and equipment began to be officially supplied. In July 1918, the War Office decided to include the VTC Battalions into the County Infantry Regiment system, and they became numbered "Volunteer" battalions of their local regiment. With the introduction of conscription in 1916, came the power of the Military Service Tribunals to order men to join the VTC; however, the clause in the 1863 act which allowed resignation after fourteen days' notice initially made this unenforceable, so a Volunteer Act 1916 was passed which obliged members to remain in the Corps until the end of the war. By February 1918, there were 285,000 Volunteers, 101,000 of whom had been directed to the Corps by the Tribunals.
caption: A Volunteer of the City of London VTC or "National Guard" assists regular soldiers to find their way around Victoria Station in London, one of many auxiliary tasks undertaken by the VTC.
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