to be called out for military service within the country for defensive purposes even when the Territorial Force was not embodied. The Act took pains to ensure that "A person shall not be compelled to make such an offer, or be subjected to such liability ... except by his own consent", and required commanding officers to explain to every man that the offer was purely voluntary. Transfer of units to the Territorial Force Where a County Association had been formed, an Order in Council could be made providing for the transfer of specified Yeomanry and Volunteer units from that county, in whole or in part, into the Territorial Force. These units would be deemed to have been lawfully formed units of the Territorial Force as of the date of that Order. As of that date, every officer and man in the unit would be deemed to be a member of the Territorial Force; however, this was not to affect their terms of service. An Order in Council was made under this section on 19 March 1908, which transferred all existing units of the Yeomanry and Volunteers, with a small number of exceptions. Part III—the Special Reserve Part III of the Act dealt with the expansion of the Army Reserve, the creation of a new class of reservists in the Special Reserve, and the transfer of militia units. It extended the Reserve Forces Act 1882 to allow the enlistment of men who had not served in the regular forces, to be known as "special reservists". Special reservists were permitted to agree to serve for an indefinite period without discharge, and could agree in writing to be liable for callout without a proclamation or order of Parliament. No more than four thousand men could be liable under this latter provision at any one time, and the power was not to be exercised except for overseas service when "warlike operations are in preparation or in progress". The Reserve Forces and Militia Act 1898 was extended to allow up to six thousand men in total to be liable for callout without proclamation, and for the period of their liability to be up to two years. The Special Reserve was to be organised by regulations issued under the Reserve Forces Act 1882, forming regiments and battalions either of existing regular corps or of newly created ones. The Crown was given the power to transfer, by