This book surveys and examines the history of Britain's soldiers from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. It focuses on the lifecycle of a soldier, including enlistment and experience, and on identity, representations and place in society. It covers the diverse military forces of the British crown - the regular army, home defence forces, part-time soldiers, auxiliaries, officers, non-commissioned officers and rank and file - across times of conflictand peace and their wider relationsh...

Illustrated with a wide range of postcards, this is a fascinating look into the response of the British people to the horrors of the war.Postcards sent by men on the front, and to them by their families, are among the most numerous, and most telling, surviving artefacts of the Great War. They tell us much about attitudes towards the war, and provide a great insight into men's lives, and into the thoughts and emotions of those left behind. Very different in their il...

The First World War profoundly changed British society. The armed forces' need for mass recruitment saw the workforce severely depleted, with women stepping up to shoulder the burden; but nobody could ignore the social upheaval or the strains put upon daily life. With poverty a major issue at the outbreak of war, the extra wages put more food on the table for many families, in spite of rationing and shortages, and away from the front the nation prospered. The war intervened in all aspects ...

On the centenary of the Great War comes this poignant look at fifty objects never far from Tommy's side – official uniform, good-luck charms, phrasebooks, a sweetheart's letter, some unexpected and others more familiar. With sumptuous original photography and thoughtful text, this is life as the ordinary First World War soldier knew it. Inside front: What Tommy Took To War tells sobering, fascinating stories that bring the ordinary Tommy's experiences back to life with poignant immediacy. ...

In their companion volume to British Army Cap Badges of the First World War, authors Peter Doyle and Chris Foster present an overview of the main cap badges worn by the British Army during the Second World War, which continued the rich and varied tradition of British regimental insignia.This book describes and illustrates, for the first time in high quality full colour, the main types of cap badge worn. With many amalgamations, war-raised units and special...

The ineffable character of "Britishness" has been used, often enigmatically, to describe Canada's distinct cultural flavour within North America. This mysterious quality, writes award-winning writer Jonathan F. Vance, goes back to the early days of Canadian history, and consists of far more than the sum of early migration patterns. It emerges from a long-standing respect for British liberal ideals and an identification with the British Empire. Canada's own unique brand of Britishness evolved ...

This new edition of the classic WWI battlefield guide is updated with current information and a new walking tour through Mametz Wood.Paul Reed's Walking the Somme is an essential traveling companion for anyone visiting the site of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. It distills a lifetime of research into the battle and the landscape over which it was fought. Combining expert insight, historical context and practical information, Reed guides visitors on walks thr...

Unlike its near neighbour, working-class Salford, Manchester proved able to raise eight Pals battalions. Initially, these battalions were composed of middle-class men who experience before the war years was within the commercial, financial and manufacturing interests which formed the foundations of Edwardian Manchesters life and prosperity. Manchester was undeniably proud of its pals battalions; that the area was capable of raising. Seven months after their arrival in France the battle of ...

The British Army that faced Napoleon in the Peninsula was small by continental standards, but it consistently out-fought larger French armies, never losing a major open-field action.Its cavalry and artillery were standard; but its infantry achieved unique results, as their tactics were brought to a peak of professional perfection by Wellington. Using contemporary instruction manuals, first-hand accounts and in-depth analysis of individual actions, this book examine...

Private Albert Turley, was just an ordinary British soldier of the First World War. He died on the Somme for King and Country. He didn't win any medals for gallantry and has no known grave. Like thousands more soldiers, he left neither letters nor diaries from which to reconstruct his story.This is the story of one man's search for his distant relative, describing Private Turley's active service with the 3rd Battalion the Worcestershire Regiment that led to his dea...

Between May and October 1940, following Hitler's invasion of western Europe and the evacuation of the Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk, it was feared that the Germans would invade Britain. Over a million men volunteered for the Home Guard, beaches were covered with barbed wire, and pillboxes were scattered across the countryside. But even amid this frenzy of preparation, many Britons were indifferent to the perceived threat. In Don't Panic, Mark Rowe presents the ...

A concise, illustrated guide to these Second World War defences scattered across the British landscape.With invasion a very real threat, in 1940 Great Britain began a huge military construction programme designed to stop an invading army in its tracks. Around vulnerable coastlines, and inland, thousands of pillboxes, anti-tank barriers and other obstacles were erected to defend against attacks from sea and sky. Though many of these structures were dismantled in the...