ABSTRACT
In the years immediately before World War I the rise of labour militancy fuelled anxieties of social disintegration and anarchy among conservative ranks. At a time of intense polarisation of the international system these anxieties merged into a more general crisis of confidence regarding the strength and resilience of the national community. Against this background a number of citizens’ leagues emerged with the intention to assist the police, or to act themselves as police forces, in the enforcement of industrial discipline. Little is known about these anti-labour associations. Questions regarding their organisation and modes of action have remained for the most part unanswered or ignored. Therefore, in an attempt to fill this void, this chapter retraces the story of the Volunteer Police Force. Founded on Trafalgar Day (21 October) 1911 this civilian formation organised along military lines was intended to ensure the maintenance of essential services of public utility during labour stoppages. The aim of the chapter is to reveal the open propensity of Edwardian upper and middle classes to take defensive action in the restraint of socio-economic and political deviance, as well as the existence of private forms of organised violence in mainland Britain before 1914.
