What happened to the Durham Militia?
In 1853 the Durham Militia was split into the South Durham Militia at Barnard Castle and the North Durham Militia in Durham City. In 1881 these units became the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the newly-formed Durham Light Infantry. During the Boer War (1899-1902), both saw active service in South Africa but during the First World War (1914-18) they remained at home defending County Durham’s coastline. With the end of the First World War, the Militia was put into ‘suspended animation’ and was finally scrapped in 1953.
