You come across them everywhere. Not always in the flesh, of course.
Their names are inscribed on the walls of temples and the badges of their old regiments are carved into rock faces around the world. I mean British soldiers, of course, who have served on every continent. At one time they policed one-quarter of the earth’s surface, which is a remarkable achievement for a comparatively small group of men (and these days, women) born in an insignificant group of offshore islands. They were heroes and cowards, wise men and fools, good men and bad. Their story is one of triumph and tragedy, victory and sometimes defeat, hard living and laughter. Strong bonds of comradeship, a sense of family, and pride in the soldier’s regiment have always existed, as well as traditions that aren’t found to the same extent in any other army. When times are at their worst, these things provide a tremendous source of strength.
The British - by which I mean the English, Welsh, Scots, Irish, and Manx - were fighting among themselves long, long before the Regular Army was established in the seventeenth century, and when they weren’t doing that they were fighting the French! The story of the British army is a long one that I hope you enjoy reading as much as I have enjoyed telling it.
About This Book
On the way through the book you meet all sorts of people, from King Arthur to Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. One of the most important people you meet is called Tommy Atkins, the universal name for the British soldier that even his enemies use. He’s a rather likeable sort, a good ambassador for his country, slow to anger, stubborn as a mule, and someone to avoid when his temper’s up. He’s as brave as anyone, but because of his training, discipline, and regimental spirit, he tends to be braver for five minutes longer. One French general described him as a very bad soldier who didn’t seem to understand that he’d lost the battle and went on fighting until the French (who of course were better soldiers) realised they had lost and sensibly withdrew. In addition, in the book you get to know something about weapons, tactics, battles, and the army’s part in creating and defending the British Empire.
What I’ve written in this book represents my own opinions. Other people may not agree or may differ in their interpretation of details, but the thing to remember about military history, as Sir Basil Liddell Hart said, is that no one can know more than a fraction of anything, and every day there is something fresh to discover. It’s fun.
Conventions Used in This Book
First, dates. I have stuck to BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, the year of our Lord) because that is how dates are recorded in all but a tiny percentage of the reference books you may wish to consult.
Second, I refer to military formations. Not everyone is familiar with the structures the army uses, so here they are:
● An army group consists of two or more armies.
● An army usually consists of two or more corps.
● A corps normally consists of two or more divisions.
● A division consists of two or more brigades.
● A brigade consists of three infantry battalions or cavalry regiments.
This is representative and varies according to circumstances. Although British infantry regiments may consist of several battalions (of between 500 and 1,000 soldiers), it was unusual for them to serve together prior to the World Wars.
In military history, the written conventions employed to identify formations are:
● Army Group: Arabic numerals, for example 21st Army Group
● Army: Roman letters, for example Eighth Army
● Corps: Roman numerals, for example XXX Corps
● Divisions: Arabic numerals, for example 1st Division. If other than infantry a designation is added, such as 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Armoured Division
● Brigades: As divisions. Recent convention is to omit ‘st, nd, rd, th’ from the numeral, for example 123 Brigade.
When you get to the smaller units, things can become a little confusing. For the same of simplicity I have used regiments’ numbers, such as 24th. When a regiment had two battalions, I have indicated which one we’re talking about, such as 1/24th or 2/24th.
What You're Not to Read
From time to time in this book I’ve used icons called Technical Stuff. These are necessary because warfare is a technical business and I’ve recorded the introduction of new weapons systems and other developments separately
from the main narrative. The same is true of sidebars, which contain interesting info that you can skip if you just want to read the main narrative. You don’t have to read either to understand what is happening.
Foolish Assumptions
I’ve made some assumptions about you when writing this book. I’m assuming that one or more of the following is true:
● You did a bit of military history at school, perhaps relating to the Second World War, but had difficulty placing all the information into context.
● You may have studied other aspects, like the Napoleonic Wars, but have become a bit hazy about who did what and when.
● You enjoy reading a good story in which some of your not-so-distant ancestors are bound to have taken part.
How This Book Is Organised
I’ve organised the book in a modular way. It consists of a number of parts, each of which stands on its own so you don’t need to read the book cover to cover (unless you want to!). If your interest is in ancient and medieval warfare or the Napoleonic Wars, for example, go straight to the relevant part. Each part contains chapters with information about the British involvement in the wars of that period. The following sections describe the type of information you can find in each part.
Part I: Ancient and Medieval Warfare
When the Roman Legions invaded the island they called Britannia, they found themselves fighting fierce blue tribesmen egged on by wild women and weird Druids. The Romans won, but after they had gone, Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded the island. If you read this part you find out about the rough-and-tumble punch-ups between the Saxon kingdoms, admire Offa and his smart new dyke, cheer on Alfred as he batters the Danes, and make the acquaintance of Canute, owner of the original float-away throne. Then, if you’ve got time, you can make friends with William the Conqueror, or discover how to build a castle or two and really oppress people. You may well agree that the Scots deserved their independence after Edward II’s dreadful performance at Bannockburn, and that the snobby French nobility asked for the regular hidings they got from English archers.
British Military History For Dummies
Part II: The Arrival of Gunpowder
Suddenly, all the rules changed. Why? Because of an unstable black powder that has a tendency to explode anywhere, any time, given the slightest encouragement. That means that guns, muskets, and pistols are in. And that means a complete new look for the infantry. The cavalry didn’t adapt too well at first, but they gradually got the hang of things, as did the chaps who designed fortifications. The British weren’t really into land warfare at this time, so when Charles I and his Parliament came to blows they did so with amateur armies. Charles II realised that he needed a regular standing army. In this part, you discover how that army was formed, what it consisted of, and how it operated.
Part III: Wars of Succession,
Independence, and Revolution
The British army spent most of the eighteenth century, and some years after, fighting the French. They fought other people too, but mostly the French. In fact, some people grew up believing that fighting the French was what you did when you left school. During the early years of the century, the Duke of Marlborough won a series of stunning victories that established the army’s reputation. India was an area of constant squabbling where the Honourable East India Company looked after British interests. Another area of continual friction was North America, where Canada in the north and Louisiana in the south menaced the 13 British colonies. Then some of the American colonists rebelled and declared their independence. France declared war on Great Britain, little realising that the two countries would still be fighting 22 years later when the French had a pushy general called Bonaparte.
Part IV: Nineteenth-Century Wars
In India, the jewel of the expanding Empire, threats developed requiring the armed services to protect British interests. Even the Crimean War, the British army’s only European involvement during the period, was fought to prevent Imperial Russia expanding its influence into the Mediterranean and so posing a threat to British India. In fact, what became known as the ‘Great Game’, the nineteenth-century equivalent of the Cold War, played out between Great Britain and Russia in Central Asia. Other European nations were eager to enhance their status by acquiring colonies, mainly in Africa, and this meant that the British acquired additional colonies they did not want, simply to prevent them being used by potentially hostile powers. Improved weapons systems completely altered the way wars were fought and hinted at the industrialised killing that would take place during the twentieth century.
Part V: The First World War
In 1914 the young men of Europe rushed eagerly to war, hoping that they were not too late to miss an adventure that would, they thought, be over by Christmas. Their reward was four long years of horror and killing. The only thing that broke the deadlock was the tank, a British invention. The war engulfed much of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The British Empire expanded a little further, but at a cost of one million casualties and a damaged economy.
Part VI: The Second World War (and Beyond)
Years of political neglect left the British army unprepared for the Second World War. The only area in which Great Britain maintained a lead was in the theoretical application of armoured warfare; the German army absorbed these ideas practically. Following the defeat of the French army in 1940, the British Expeditionary Force had to be evacuated from mainland Europe. The Japanese had captured Hong Kong, Malaya, and Singapore and occupied most of Burma. But from 1943 onwards the British army and its allies began to make real progress. They defeated the enemy in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Normandy, and North West Europe, as well as finally winning against the Japanese. Postwar, the army’s tasks included policing an orderly withdrawal from the Empire, a commitment to its NATO allies during the European Cold War, and a number of wars as well as internal security and peacekeeping tasks.
Part VII: The Part of Tens
This part contains information worth remembering when it comes to any discussion on British military history. As you can gather from this book, British military history goes back a great distance and lots of things have happened that most people have long since forgotten. So the lists in this part contain ten important battles, ten of the best generals, and ten military museums worth visiting, together with my reasons for thinking they are the best. Even if you don’t agree with my selections, they may give you food for thought.
Where to Go from Here
You don’t have to start on the first page and read right through the book. You know what interests you best; just look in the Table of Contents to find it. You don’t have to read the chapter before or the chapter after if you don’t want to. Not like school at all, is it?