A Brief History of the British Army

John Lewis-StempelHistory
A Brief History of the British Army

Author: John Lewis-Stempel

Publisher: Hachette UK

ISBN: 9781472136190

Category: History

Page: 208

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The story of the British Army has many sides to it, being a tale of heroic successes and tragic failures, of dogged determination and drunken disorder. It involves many of the most vital preoccupations in the history of the island - the struggle against Continental domination by a single power, the battle for Empire - and a cast pf remarkable characters - Marlborough, Wellington and Montgomery among them. Yet the British, relying on their navy, have always neglected their army; from the time of Alfred the Great to the reign of Charles II wars were fought with hired forces disbanded as soon as conflict ended. Even after the stuggles with Louis XIV impelled the formation of a reulgar army, impecunious governments neglected the armed forces except in times of national emergency. In this wide-ranging account, Major Haswell sketches the medieval background before concentrating on the three hundred years of the regular army, leading up to its role in our own time. He presents an informed and probing picture of the organization of the army, the development of weaponry and strategy - and the everyday life of the British soldier through the centuries. John Lewis-Stempel has brought Major Haswell's classic work right up to date by expanding the section on the dissolution of empire to include a full account of Northern Ireland and the Falklands War. He has added a new chapter to cover the Gulf War, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq; also the increasing role of special forces and the amalgamation of regiments.

A History of the British Army, Vol.2 (of 2)

J. W. Fortescue
A History of the British Army, Vol.2 (of 2)

Author: J. W. Fortescue

Publisher: MACMILLAN AND CO

ISBN:

Category:

Page: 328

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The work of disbanding the Army began some months before the final conclusion of the Peace of Utrecht. By Christmas 1712 thirteen regiments of dragoons, twenty-two of foot, and several companies of invalids who had been called up to do duty owing to the depletion of the regular garrisons, had been actually broken. The Treaty was no sooner signed than several more were disbanded, making thirty-three thousand men discharged in all. More could not be reduced until the eight thousand men who were left in garrison in Flanders could be withdrawn, but even so the total force on the British Establishment, including all colonial garrisons, had sunk in 1714 to less than thirty thousand men. The soldiers received as usual a small bounty on discharge; and great inducements were offered to persuade them to take service in the colonies, or, in other words, to go into perpetual exile. But this disbandment was by no means so commonplace and artless an affair as might at first sight appear. One of the first measures taken in hand by Bolingbroke and by his creature Ormonde was the remodelling of the Army, by which term was signified the elimination of officers and of whole corps that favoured the Protestant succession, to make way for those attached to the Jacobite interest. Prompted by such motives, and wholly careless of the feelings of the troops, they violated the old rule that the youngest regiments should always be the first to be disbanded, and laid violent hands on several veteran corps. The Seventh and Eighth Dragoons, the Thirty-fourth, Thirty-third, Thirty-second, Thirtieth, Twenty-ninth, Twenty-eighth, Twenty-second, and Fourteenth Foot were ruthlessly sacrificed; nay, even the Sixth, one of the sacred six old regiments, and distinguished above all others in the Spanish War, was handed over for dissolution like a regiment of yesterday. There were bitter words and stormy scenes among regimental officers over such shameless, unjust, and insulting procedure. All these designs, however, were suddenly shattered by the death of Queen Anne. The accession of the Elector of Hanover to the throne was accomplished with a tranquillity which must have amazed even those who desired it most. Before the new King could arrive the country was gladdened by the return of the greatest of living Englishmen. Landing at Dover on the very day of the Queen's death, Marlborough was received with salutes of artillery and shouts of delight from a joyful crowd. Proceeding towards London next day he was met by the news that his name was excluded from the list of Lords-Justices to whom the government of the country was committed pending the King's arrival. Deeply chagrined, but preserving always his invincible serenity, he pushed on to the capital, intending to enter it with the same privacy that he had courted during his banishment in the Low Countries. But the people had decided that his entry must be one of triumph; and a tumultuous welcome from all classes showed that the country could and would make amends for the shameful treatment meted out to him two years before. On the 18th of September King George landed at Greenwich, and shortly afterwards the new ministry was nominated. Stanhope, the brilliant soldier of the Peninsular War, became second Secretary-of-State; William Pulteney, afterwards Earl of Bath, Secretary-at-War; Robert Walpole, Paymaster of the Forces; while Marlborough with some reluctance resumed his old appointments of Captain-General, Master-General of the Ordnance, and Colonel of the First Guards. He soon found, however, that though he held the titles, he did not hold the authority of the offices, and that the true control of the Army was transferred to the Secretary-at-War. To be continue in this ebook...

A Brief History Of The Kings Royal Rifle Corps, 1755 To 1915

General Sir Edward Thomas Henry HuttonHistory
A Brief History Of The Kings Royal Rifle Corps, 1755 To 1915

Author: General Sir Edward Thomas Henry Hutton

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

ISBN: 9781908902849

Category: History

Page: 117

View: 868

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The Kings Royal Rifle Corps, or the 2nd Battalion the Royal Green Jackets as they are now known, had a long and proud fighting tradition that they would exchange with no other regiment in the British Army. Originally raised from American colonists in 1756, their skill in fighting the French and their native American allies in the woods in the north of the nascent America was legendary; the regiment was honoured for its distinguished service with the motto “Swift and Bold” by no less a figure as General Wolfe in the Quebec campaign. During the Napoleonic Wars, companies of the 5th Battalion were attached to the divisions of Wellington’s army to provide them with tough, resilient experienced skirmishers. After many significant deployments to overseas theatres during the 1800’s, the regiment was hugely expanded for service in the First World War during which the men of the KRRC added much lustre to their reputation and no fewer than seven V.C.s. Lt.-General Sir Edward Hutton was a distinguished officer of the British army, aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria and pioneered the use of mounted infantry in the British Army. He was also the first commander of the Australian Army. He wrote this short history of his old regiment in retirement during the early stages of the First World War. Author — Lt.-General Sir Edward Thomas Henry Hutton 1848-1923 Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in 1917, Winchester, by Warren and Son Original Page Count – 84 pages. Illustrations — 4 maps and plans.

A History of the British Army, Vol. 10

John William FortescueHistory
A History of the British Army, Vol. 10

Author: John William Fortescue

Publisher: Forgotten Books

ISBN: 026759450X

Category: History

Page: 488

View: 749

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Excerpt from A History of the British Army, Vol. 10: 1814-1815 The Staff Corps The ofiicers of the Army The men of the Army Discipline: the lash Medals and decorations of honour Drill and equipment the cavalry The infantry The Office of Ordnance The Artillery the corps of drivers The Artillery's quarrel with Wellington The Engineers their grievances Their merits and demerits Character of Wellington. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Brief History

William E. BurnsCulture
Brief History

Author: William E. Burns

Publisher: Infobase Publishing

ISBN: 9781438127378

Category: Culture

Page: 321

View: 208

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A Brief History of Great Britain narrates the history of Great Britain from the earliest times to the 21st century, covering the entire island England, Wales, and Scotland as well as associated archipelagos such as the Channel Islands, the Orkneys, and Ireland as they have influenced British history. The central story of this volume is the development of the British kingdom, including its rise and decline on the world stage. The book is built around a clear chronological political narrative while incorporating treatment of social, economic, and religious issues. Coverage includes: Early Settlements, Celts, and Romans Anglo-Saxons, Scots, and Vikings Scotland, England, and Wales Britain in the Late Middle Ages The Making of Protestant Britain Industry and Conquest Britain in the Age of Empire An Age of Crisis The Age of Consensus A House Divided.

A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Army

Arthur S. WhiteReference
A Bibliography of Regimental Histories of the British Army

Author: Arthur S. White

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

ISBN: 9781781505397

Category: Reference

Page: 337

View: 380

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This is one of the most valuable books in the armoury of the serious student of British Military history. It is a new and revised edition of Arthur White’s much sought-after bibliography of regimental, battalion and other histories of all regiments and Corps that have ever existed in the British Army. This new edition includes an enlarged addendum to that given in the 1988 reprint. It is, quite simply, indispensible.

A History of the British Army

John William Fortescue
A History of the British Army

Author: John William Fortescue

Publisher:

ISBN: 037193785X

Category:

Page: 684

View: 158

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This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!

A Brief History of Modern Warfare

Richard ConnaughtonHistory
A Brief History of Modern Warfare

Author: Richard Connaughton

Publisher: Hachette UK

ISBN: 9781472107695

Category: History

Page: 464

View: 949

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Since Vietnam, both the way we fight and our reasons for going to war have become much more complex. The importance of a conflict is determined not by its size or by the numbers of combatants involved but by its ripple effects and its influence upon future events. In a series of thrilling recreations of eight of the most significant encounters of the last three decades, military historian Richard Connaughton presents a fascinating insight into modern warfare, including interviews with some of the major figures. The conflicts include Goose Green in the Falklands, the invasion of Grenada, Operation Desert Storm - the first Iraq War, Operations in Mogadishu as immortalized in the book and film Blackhawk Down, the Siege of Gorazde and Operation Barras in Sierra Leone, as well as more recent events at Fallujah, Iraq, and in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Richard Connaughton has interviewed most of the major figures involved in each of the conflicts and offers powerful insights into why battles either work or don't. This book will tell you what warfare means in the contemporary world and how it can affect tomorrow.