by Capt Frederick Robertson Aikman of the Bengal Army, who had won a Victoria Cross in the Indian Mutiny. In 1858 the regiment took over Burgh House in Hampstead as its regimental headquarters (RHQ) and officers' mess, building barrack blocks in front of the house. The Militia Reserve introduced in 1867 consisted of present and former militiamen who undertook to serve overseas in case of war. In September 1871 the British Army held Autumn Manoeuvres for the first time. 3rd Division was made up of militia regiments, the Royal East Middlesex under the command of Maj W.F. Northey serving in 1st Brigade along with the Royal West Middlesex Militia (now known as the Edmonton Royal Rifles), the Royal London and the 2nd Tower Hamlets (the 5th Middlesex were in 2nd Brigade and the 3rd in 3rd Brigade). The regiments camped in the Aldershot area and were exercised round Frensham and Chobham Commons. Cardwell Reforms Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, the militia were brigaded with their local Regular and Volunteer battalions. For the Royal East Middlesex this was in Sub-District No 50 (Middlesex & Metropolitan) in Home District, grouped with the 57th Foot and the 77th Foot, together with the 5th Middlesex (the Royal Elthorne Light Infantry Militia) and several Rifle Volunteer Corps. The militia now came under the War Office rather than their county lords lieutenant and battalions had a large cadre of permanent staff (about 30). Around a third of the recruits and many young officers went on to join the Regular Army. Following the Cardwell Reforms a mobilisation scheme began to appear in the Army List from December 1875. This assigned Regular and Militia units to places in an order of battle of corps, divisions and brigades for the 'Active Army', even though these formations were entirely theoretical, with no staff or services assigned. The 1st Royal East, 2nd (Edmondton Rifles) and 3rd (Royal Westminster) Middlesex Militia constituted 2nd Brigade of 3rd Division, III Corps. The brigade would have mustered at Maidstone in Kent in time of war. The sub-districts were intended to establish a brigade depot for their linked battalions: by 1877 Sub-District No 50 had still not done so at its intended site at Hounslow Barracks. Instead the regulars used Woolwich while the militia used Warley Barracks in Essex, the Royal East Middlesex retaining its regimental HQ