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A Nation in Arms: The British Army in the First World War
The Great War was the first conflict to draw men and women into uniform on a massive scale. From a small regular force of barely 250,000, the British army rapidly expanded into a national force of over five million. A Nation in Arms brings together original research into the impact of the war on the army as an institution, gives a revealing account of those who served in it and offers fascinating insights into its social history during one of the bloodiest wars.
The opening chapter focuses on the extent of military participation in wartime Britain and its repercussions. The authors go on to examine the regular army in 1914, the officers, Kitchener's New Armies, the Territorials, soldiers and civilians, the relationship of the army as an institution to society, and a final chapter reassesses the postwar army. To illuminate their general theme, the authors highlight the experience of individual units, among them the Black Watch, the Buckinghamshire battalions of the Territorial Force and the Welsh 113th Brigade of the New Army.
The opening chapter focuses on the extent of military participation in wartime Britain and its repercussions. The authors go on to examine the regular army in 1914, the officers, Kitchener's New Armies, the Territorials, soldiers and civilians, the relationship of the army as an institution to society, and a final chapter reassesses the postwar army. To illuminate their general theme, the authors highlight the experience of individual units, among them the Black Watch, the Buckinghamshire battalions of the Territorial Force and the Welsh 113th Brigade of the New Army.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1985
About the author
Ian F.W. Beckett
67 books9 followersDr. Ian F.W. Beckett is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and retired Professor of Military History at the University of Kent, Canterbury.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 2, 2020
An in depth study of the British Army in the First World War, it has lost little with the the passage of time for its accuracy and value. Part military history, part social history, this is. A study of the composite elements of the army, officers and men, 1914 and 1918, regulars and volunteers, Territorials and conscripts.
Challenging the many myths that have been established around the make-up of the British is an important work that sets the record straight, and demonstrates how a nation traditionally not keen on armies, evolved into a citizen army, supported behind the lines and at the home front, and into a war winning force, and then how quickly it returned to a pre-1914 footing. Perhaps the most surprising, and uncovered issue, is that of the post-war army. In November 1918 as most turned to thinking of demobilisation, the war office needed to think about how it maintained an army, both for occupation, and a return to imperial duties.
An important study, that has now been supplemented by other works, but holds its own none the less. Recommended for anyone who wants a real understanding of the make-up of the army and its links back to the nation it represented.
Challenging the many myths that have been established around the make-up of the British is an important work that sets the record straight, and demonstrates how a nation traditionally not keen on armies, evolved into a citizen army, supported behind the lines and at the home front, and into a war winning force, and then how quickly it returned to a pre-1914 footing. Perhaps the most surprising, and uncovered issue, is that of the post-war army. In November 1918 as most turned to thinking of demobilisation, the war office needed to think about how it maintained an army, both for occupation, and a return to imperial duties.
An important study, that has now been supplemented by other works, but holds its own none the less. Recommended for anyone who wants a real understanding of the make-up of the army and its links back to the nation it represented.
Displaying 1 of 1 review