The histry of British army I
The Regimental System
The following pages contain summaries of a number of battles and campaigns in which the British Army has been engaged during its long history. It is not comprehensive, and further information and topics will be added as they are prepared by the Museum. Forthcoming topics will include Burma and Dunkirk. Unlike most of today's armies the British Army is still based upon the 'regimental system'.
Each regiment or corps has its own history, traditions and insignia and a British soldier will usually serve in the same regiment or corps throughout his or her career. Over the years this system has established a feeling of service, comradeship and regimental pride which lies at the very heart of the Army's fighting spirit and has frequently been a major factor in enabling the British Army to prevail, sometimes against impossible odds or in conditions of extreme hardship.
Household Cavalry, 1999
Recruiting Sergeant, 1806
Punjab Cavalry, 1859
By and large the British are not obsessed by military matters. Soldiers have frequently been seen by government and people alike as necessary only in times of war - to be set aside as quickly as possible in peacetime. Mass conscription has been resorted to only twice, both in the twentieth century at times of acute national danger, even though Britain's Army has been engaged in warlike operations somewhere in the world for more than three hundred years. For much of the Army's history, the need to garrison the outposts of Empire, coupled with this reluctance to introduce conscription, has meant that the forces available for campaigning have been relatively small in number.
A shortage of manpower has been a constant factor in British military thinking and the British Army has fought nearly all its major wars as a partner in an alliance with other states. Furthermore, garrisons and campaigns in all corners of the globe could often only be sustained by the widespread employment of troops recruited overseas. The British were quick to recognise and respect the fighting qualities and potential loyalty of such soldiers, many with their own long histories as warrior peoples.
source: The british militry museum |
