Territorial Army

British force of volunteer soldiers, created from volunteer regiments (incorporated in 1872) as the Territorial Force in 1908. It was raised and administered by county associations, and intended primarily for home defence. It was renamed the Territorial Army in 1922. Merged with the Regular Army in World War II, it was revived in 1947, and replaced by a smaller, more highly trained Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve, again renamed the Territorial Army in 1979. The Territorial Army has been used extensively during the current conflict in Iraq.