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British Army
please note:
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{{Short description|Land warfare force of the United Kingdom}}{{Distinguish|English Army|Scots Army}}{{Good article}}{{Use British English|date=August 2022}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
| factoids |
|---|
- 75,166 regular forces personnel (January 2024)WEB,www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2024/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-1-january-2024uk-service-personnel, Quarterly service personnel statistics 1 January 2024, Ministry of Defence, 12 March 2024,
- 4,062 Gurkhas (January 2024)
- 26,244 volunteer reserve personnel (January 2024)
History
Formation
File:Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper.jpg|thumb|Lord Protector Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell(File:General Thomas Fairfax (1612-1671) by Robert Walker and studio.jpg|thumb|Lord General Thomas Fairfax, the first commander of the New Model Army)Until the English Civil War, England never had a standing army with professional officers and careerist corporals and sergeants. It relied on militia organised by local officials or private forces mobilised by the nobility, or on hired mercenaries from Europe.David G. Chandler, ed., The Oxford history of the British army (1996) pp 24–45. From the later Middle Ages until the English Civil War, when a foreign expeditionary force was needed, such as the one that Henry V of England took to France and that fought at the Battle of Agincourt (1415), the army, a professional one, was raised for the duration of the expedition.WEB,blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/victorious-army-making-raising-king-henry-vs-army-1415/, A victorious army in the making: Raising King Henry V’s army of 1415, 11 August 2015, Benjamin, Trowbridge, National Archives, 17 October 2017,blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/victorious-army-making-raising-king-henry-vs-army-1415/," title="web.archive.org/web/20171018013732blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/victorious-army-making-raising-king-henry-vs-army-1415/,">web.archive.org/web/20171018013732blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/victorious-army-making-raising-king-henry-vs-army-1415/, 18 October 2017, live, During the English Civil War, the members of the Long Parliament realised that the use of county militia organised into regional associations (such as the Eastern Association), often commanded by local members of Parliament (both from the House of Commons and the House of Lords), while more than able to hold their own in the regions which Parliamentarians (’Roundheads“) controlled, were unlikely to win the war. So Parliament initiated two actions. The Self-denying Ordinance forbade members of Parliament (with the notable exception of Oliver Cromwell, then a member of parliament and future Lord Protector) from serving as officers in the Parliamentary armies. This created a distinction between the civilians in Parliament, who tended to be Presbyterian and conciliatory to the Royalists (“Cavaliers“) in nature, and a corps of professional officers, who tended to be Independent (Congregational) in theology, to whom they reported. The second action was legislation for the creation of a Parliamentary-funded army, commanded by Lord General Thomas Fairfax, which became known as the New Model Army (originally phrased “new-modelled Army“).{{sfn|Rogers|1968|pp=207–211}}While this proved to be a war-winning formula, the New Model Army, being organised and politically active, went on to dominate the politics of the Interregnum and by 1660 was widely disliked. The New Model Army was paid off and disbanded at the later Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 with the accession of King Charles II. For many decades the alleged excesses of the New Model Army under the Protectorate / Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell were used as propaganda (and still feature in Irish folklore) and the Whig Party element recoiled from allowing a standing army to continue with the agreed-upon rights and privileges under the return of a king.Lord Macaulay The History of England from the accession of James the Second (C.H. Firth ed. 1913) 1:136-38 The militia acts of 1661 and 1662 prevented local authorities from calling up militia and oppressing their own local opponents. Calling up the militia was possible only if the king and local elites agreed to do so.WEB, ‘Charles II, 1661: An Act declaring the sole Right of the Militia to be in King and for the present ordering & disposing the same.’, Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628–80 (1819), 308–309,www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47290, 5 March 2007,www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47290," title="web.archive.org/web/20070927215615www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47290,">web.archive.org/web/20070927215615www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47290, 27 September 2007, live, King Charles II and his “Cavalier” / Royalist supporters favoured a new army under royal control, and immediately after the Restoration of 1660 to 1661 began working on its establishment.David Chandler, The Oxford History of the British Army (2003) p. 46. weblink The first English Army regiments, including elements of the disbanded New Model Army, were formed between November 1660 and January 1661David Chandler, The Oxford History of the British Army (2003) p. 47. weblink and became a standing military force for England (financed by Parliament).Mallinson, p.2BOOK, Clayton, Anthony, The British Officer: Leading the Army from 1660 to the Present, 2014, Routledge, 978-1-317-86444-8, 12,books.google.com/books?id=HlDJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA12, The first standing Army for Britain, a force of some 5,000 men on the English establishment, was formed at the Restoration in 1660–61. Separate forces were maintained on the Scottish and Irish establishments., The Royal Scots and Irish Armies were financed by the parliaments of Scotland and Ireland.BOOK, Glozier, Matthew, Onnekink, David, War, religion and service: Huguenot soldiering, 1685–1713, 2007, Ashgate, 978-0-7546-5444-5, 31,books.google.com/books?id=uC7TWCDcOBwC&pg=PA31, After the Restoration there were separate English and Scottish (until 1707 unification) and Irish (until later 1800 union) military establishments, reflecting the national revenue from which a military unit was maintained. In operational and administrative matters all three combined into a single formation of a unified British Army by the start of the 19th century. From 1688, the description ‘British’ army is both textually convenient and historically accurate., Parliamentary control was established by the Bill of Rights 1689 and Claim of Right Act 1689, although the monarch continued to influence aspects of army administration until at least the end of the 19th century.David Chandler, The Oxford History of the British Army (2003) pp. xvi–xviiAfter the Restoration, King Charles II pulled together four regiments of infantry and cavalry, calling them his guards, at a cost of £122,000 from his general budget. This became the foundation of the permanent English Army. By 1685, it had grown to number 7,500 soldiers in marching regiments, and 1,400 men permanently stationed in garrisons. A Monmouth Rebellion in 1685 allowed successor King James II to raise the forces to 20,000 men. There were 37,000 in 1678, when England played a role in the closing stage of the cross-channel Franco-Dutch War. After Protestant dual Monarchs William III, formerly William of the Dutch House of Orange, and his wife Mary II’s joint accession to the throne after a short constitutional crisis with Parliament sending Mary’s father, predecessor King James II, (who remained a Catholic) during his brief controversial reign, off the throne and into exile. England then involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance on the Continent, primarily to prevent a possible French Catholic monarch organizing invasion restoring the exiled James II (Queen Mary’s father and still a Roman Catholic).{{harvnb|Miller|2000|p=144}} Later in 1689, William III to solidify his and Mary’s hold on the monarchy, expanded the new English army to 74,000, and then a few years later to 94,000 in 1694. Parliament was very nervous and reduced the cadre to 7000 in 1697. Scotland and Ireland had theoretically separate military establishments, but they were unofficially merged with the English Crown force.Chandler, ed., The Oxford history of the British army (1996) pp. 46–57.Correlli Barnett, Britain and her army, 1509–1970: a military, political and social survey (1970) pp. 90–98, 110–25.File:John Churchill Marlborough porträtterad av Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722).jpg|thumb|alt=Oil-on-canvas portrait|John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was one of the first generals in the new British Army and fought in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was a noted ancestor of Sir Winston S. Churchill, later famous Prime Minister during World War IIWorld War IIBy the time of the 1707 Acts of Union, many regiments of the English and Scottish armies were combined under one operational command and stationed in the Netherlands for the War of the Spanish Succession. Although all the regiments were now part of the new British military establishment,BOOK, Chandler, David, The Oxford history of the British Army, 2003, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-280311-5, xv,books.google.com/books?id=ZOgs8WpJI9AC&q=British+army+from+the+Act+of+Union&pg=PA45, It is generally accepted that the regular standing army in Britain was officially created – in the sense of being fully accommodated within parliamentary control in 1689, although it is, strictly speaking, only correct to refer to the British army from the Act of Union with Scotland in 1707., they remained under the old operational-command structure and retained much of the institutional ethos, customs and traditions of the standing armies created shortly after the Restoration of the Monarchy 47 years earlier. The order of seniority of the most-senior British Army line regiments is based on that of the earlier English army. Although technically the Scots Royal Regiment of Foot was raised in 1633 and is the oldest Regiment of the Line,WEB, History,www.army.mod.uk/infantry/23301.aspx, British Army, 12 January 2017,www.army.mod.uk/infantry/23301.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170118061954www.army.mod.uk/infantry/23301.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170118061954www.army.mod.uk/infantry/23301.aspx, 18 January 2017, live, Scottish and Irish regiments were only allowed to take a rank in the English army on the date of their arrival in England (or the date when they were first placed on the English establishment). In 1694, a board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of English, Irish and Scots regiments serving in the Netherlands; the regiment which became known as the Scots Greys were designated the 4th Dragoons because there were three English regiments raised prior to 1688 when the Scots Greys were first placed in the English establishment. In 1713, when a new board of general officers was convened to decide the rank of several regiments, the seniority of the Scots Greys was reassessed and based on their June 1685 entry into England. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, and the Scots Greys eventually received the British Army rank of 2nd Dragoons.{{sfn|Royal Scots Greys|1840|pp=56–57}}British Empire (1700–1914)
After 1700, British continental policy was to contain expansion by competing powers such as France and Spain. Although Spain was the dominant global power during the previous two centuries and the chief threat to England’s early trans-Atlantic colonial ambitions, its influence was now waning. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=50}} and the later Napoleonic Wars.Although the Royal Navy is widely regarded as vital to the rise of the British Empire, the British Army played an important role in the formation of colonies, protectorates and dominions in the Americas, Africa, Asia, India and Australasia.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=104}}. British soldiers captured strategically important sites and territories, with the army involved in wars to secure the empire’s borders, internal safety and support friendly governments and princes. Among these actions were the French and Indian War / Seven Years’ War,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=106}}. the American Revolutionary War,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=129}} the Napoleonic Wars,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=165}}. the First and Second Opium Wars,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=102}} the Boxer Rebellion,{{harvnb|Bates|2010|p=25}}. the New Zealand Wars,WEB,www.teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars/page-1, 1. – New Zealand wars – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu, www.teara.govt.nz, 17 March 2017,www.teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars/page-1," title="web.archive.org/web/20170403190049www.teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars/page-1,">web.archive.org/web/20170403190049www.teara.govt.nz/en/new-zealand-wars/page-1, 3 April 2017, live, the Australian frontier wars,{{Citation | author1=Connor, John | title=The Australian frontier wars, 1788–1838 | date=2005 | publisher=UNSW Press | isbn=978-0-86840-756-2 }} the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=210}} the first and second Boer Wars,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=257}} the Fenian raids,WEB,www.doyle.com.au/fenian_raids.htm, The Fenian Raids, Doyle.com.au, 15 September 2001, 28 March 2011,www.doyle.com.au/fenian_raids.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20120404161321www.doyle.com.au/fenian_raids.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20120404161321www.doyle.com.au/fenian_raids.htm, 4 April 2012, live, the Irish War of Independence,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=282}} interventions in Afghanistan (intended to maintain a buffer state between British India and the Russian Empire){{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=203}}. and the Crimean War (to keep the Russian Empire to the north on the Black Sea at a safe distance by aiding the Ottoman Empire).{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=195}}. Like the English Army, the British Army fought the kingdoms of Spain, France (including the First French Empire) and the Netherlands (Dutch Republic) for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial and colonial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the French and Indian War (North American theatre) of the parallel Seven Years’ War and suppressed a Native / Indian North Americans uprising in Pontiac’s War around the Great Lakes.Pontiac’s War {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428140752www.umbc.edu/che/tahlessons/pdf/Pontiacs_War(PrinterFriendly).pdf |date=28 April 2011 }} Baltimore County Public Schools The British Army was defeated in the American Revolutionary War, losing the Thirteen Colonies but retaining The Canadas and The Maritimes as in British North America, including Bermuda (originally part of the Colony of Virginia, and which had been originally strongly sympathetic to the American colonial rebels early in the war).{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=110}}.Halifax, Nova Scotia and Bermuda were to become Imperial fortresses (although Bermuda, being safer from attack over water and impervious to attack overland, quickly became the most important in British North America), along with Malta and Gibraltar, providing bases in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea for Royal Navy squadrons to control the oceans and trade routes, and heavily garrisoned by the British Army both for defence of the bases and to provide mobile military forces to work with the Navy in amphibious operations throughout their regions.BOOK, Gordon, Donald Craigie, 1965, The Dominion Partnership in Imperial Defense, 1870–1914, Baltimore, Maryland, US, Johns Hopkins Press, 14, There were more than 44,000 troops stationed overseas in colonial garrisons, and slightly more than half of these were in imperial fortresses: in the Mediterranean, Bermuda, Halifax, St. Helena, and Mauritius. The rest of the forces were in colonies proper, with a heavy concentration in New Zealand and South Africa. The imperial government paid approximately £1,715,000 per annum toward the maintenance of these forces, and the various colonial governments contributed £370,000, the largest amounts coming from Ceylon and Victoria (Australia), Victoria in Australia., MAGAZINE, Kennedy, R.N., Captain W. R., 1 July 1885, An Unknown Colony: Sport, Travel and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland, and 37 Paternoster Row, London, England, 111, As a fortress, Bermuda is of the first importance. It is situated almost exactly half-way between the northern and the southern naval stations; while nature has made it practically impregnable. The only approach lies through that labyrinth of reefs and narrow channels which Captain Kennedy has described. The local pilots are sworn to secrecy; and, what is more reassuring, by lifting buoys and laying down torpedoes, hostile vessels trying to thread the passage must come to inevitable grief, So far Bermuda may be considered safe, whatever may be the condition of the fortifications and the cannon in the batteries. Yet the universal neglect of our colonial defences is apparent in the fact that no telegraphic communication has hitherto been established with the West Indies on the one side, or with the Dominion of Canada on the other., MAGAZINE, VERAX, (anonymous), 1 May 1889, The Defense of Canada. (From Colburn’s United Service Magazine), The United Service: A Quarterly Review of Military and Naval Affairs, LR Hamersly & Co., 1510 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US; subsequently LR Hamersly, 49 Wall Street, New York City, New York, US; BF Stevens & Brown, 4 Trafalgar Square, London, England, 552, The objectives for America are clearly marked,—Halifax, Quebec, Mon- treal, Prescott, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. Halifax and Vancouver are certain to be most energetically attacked, for they will be the naval bases, besides Bermuda, from which England would carry on her naval attack on the American coasts and commerce., BOOK, Dawson, George M., Sutherland, Alexander, 1898, MacMillan’s Geographical Series: Elementary Geography of the British Colonies, London, MacMillan and Co., Limited, London, England, UK; The MacMillan Company, New York City, New York, US, 184, There is a strongly fortified dockyard, and the defensive works, together with the intricate character of the approaches to the harbour, render the islands an almost impregnable fortress. Bermuda is governed as a Crown colony by a Governor who is also Commander-in-Chief, assisted by an appointed Executive Council and a representative House of Assembly., BOOK, MacFarlane, Thomas, 1891, Within the Empire; An Essay on Imperial Federation, Ottawa, James Hope & Co., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 29, Besides the Imperial fortress of Malta, Gibraltar, Halifax and Bermuda it has to maintain and arm coaling stations and forts at Siena Leone, St. Helena, Simons Bay (at the Cape of Good Hope), Trincomalee, Jamaica and Port Castries (in the island of Santa Lucia)., File:Battle of Waterloo 1815.PNG|thumb|250px|upright=1.05|alt=Panoramic painting of the Battle of Waterloo|The Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blücher’s triumph over Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo ]]The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars, participating in a number of campaigns in Europe (including continuous deployment in the Peninsular War), the Caribbean, North Africa and North America. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world; at its peak in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian armies under the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blücher finally defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=177}}.The English were involved politically and militarily in Ireland. The campaign of English republican Protector Oliver Cromwell involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns (most notably Drogheda and Wexford) which supported the Royalists during the English Civil War. The English Army (and the subsequent British Army) remained in Ireland primarily to suppress Irish revolts or disorder. In addition to its conflict with Irish nationalists, it was faced with the prospect of battling Anglo-Irish and Ulster Scots in Ireland who were angered by unfavourable taxation of Irish produce imported into Britain. With other Irish groups, they raised a volunteer army and threatened to emulate the American colonists if their conditions were not met. Learning from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution. The British Army fought Irish rebels—Protestant and Catholic—primarily in Ulster and Leinster (Wolfe Tone’s United Irishmen) in the 1798 rebellion.The 1798 Irish Rebellion {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207080021www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/irish_reb_01.shtml |date=7 February 2011 }} BBCFile:Alphonse de Neuville - The defence of Rorke’s Drift 1879 - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Painting of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, with a building burning|In the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift, a small British force repelled an attack by overwhelming Zulu forces; eleven Victoria CrossVictoria CrossIn addition to battling the armies of other European empires (and its former colonies, the United States, in the American War of 1812),WEB, 30 July 2010, Guide to the War of 1812,www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/1812/, live,www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/1812/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110805043534www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/1812/,">web.archive.org/web/20110805043534www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/1812/, 5 August 2011, 28 March 2011, Library of Congress, the British Army fought the Chinese in the First and Second Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion, MÄori tribes in the first of the New Zealand Wars, Nawab Shiraj-ud-Daula’s forces and British East India Company mutineers in the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857, the Boers in the first and second Boer Wars, Irish Fenians in Canada during the Fenian raids and Irish separatists in the Anglo-Irish War. The increasing demands of imperial expansion and the inadequacy and inefficiency of the underfunded British Army, Militia, Ordnance Military Corps, Yeomanry and Volunteer Force after the Napoleonic Wars led to series of reforms following the failures of the Crimean War.Peter Burroughs, “An Unreformed Army? 1815–1868”, in David Chandler, ed., The Oxford History of the British Army (1996), pp. 183–84Inspired by the successes of the Prussian Army (which relied on short-term conscription of all eligible young men to maintain a large reserve of recently discharged soldiers, ready to be recalled on the outbreak of war to immediately bring the small peacetime regular army up to strength), the Regular Reserve of the British Army was originally created in 1859 by Secretary of State for War Sidney Herbert, and re-organised under the Reserve Force Act, 1867. Prior to this, a soldier was generally enlisted into the British Army for a 21-year engagement, following which (should he survive so long) he was discharged as a Pensioner. Pensioners were sometimes still employed on garrison duties, as were younger soldiers no longer deemed fit for expeditionary service who were generally organised in invalid units or returned to the regimental depot for home service. The cost of paying pensioners, and the obligation the government was under to continue to employ invalids as well as soldiers deemed by their commanding officers as detriments to their units were motivations to change this system. The long period of engagement also discouraged many potential recruits. The long service enlistments were consequently replaced with short service enlistments, with undesirable soldiers not permitted to re-engage on the completion of their first engagement. The size of the army also fluctuated greatly, increasing in war time, and drastically shrinking with peace. Battalions posted on garrison duty overseas were allowed an increase on their normal peacetime establishment, which resulted in their having surplus men on their return to a Home station. Consequently, soldiers engaging on short term enlistments were enabled to serve several years with the colours and the remainder in the Regular Reserve, remaining liable for recall to the colours if required. Among the other benefits, this thereby enabled the British Army to have a ready pool of recently trained men to draw upon in an emergency. The name of the Regular Reserve (which for a time was divided into a First Class and a Second Class) has resulted in confusion with the Reserve Forces, which were the pre-existing part-time, local-service home-defence forces that were auxiliary to the British Army (or Regular Force), but not originally part of it: the Yeomanry, Militia (or Constitutional Force) and Volunteer Force. These were consequently also referred to as Auxiliary Forces or Local Forces.The Army Book For The British Empire, by Lieutenant-General WH Goodenough, Royal Artillery, CB, and Lieutenant-Colonel JC Dalton (HP), Royal Artillery. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. 1893.The late-19th-century Cardwell and Childers Reforms gave the army its modern shape and redefined its regimental system.{{London Gazette|issue=24992|page=3300|date=1 July 1881}} The 1907 Haldane Reforms created the Territorial Force as the army’s volunteer reserve component, merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia and Yeomanry.{{harvnb|Cassidy|2006|p=79}}.World Wars (1914–1945)
File:British Mark I male tank Somme 25 September 1916.jpg|alt=Early First World War tank, with soldiers in a trench next to it|thumb|250px|British First World War Mark I tank; the guidance wheels behind the main body were later scrapped as unnecessary. Armoured vehicles of the era required considerable infantry and artillery support. (Photo by Ernest Brooks)]]File:Scotishadvanceepsom.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Bagpiper leading a line of soldiers though thigh-high growth|Led by their piper, men of the 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (part of the 46th (Highland) Brigade), advance through Normandy during Operation EpsomOperation EpsomGreat Britain was challenged by other powers, primarily the German Empire and Nazi Germany, during the 20th century. A century earlier it vied with Napoleonic France for global pre-eminence, and Hanoverian Britain’s natural allies were the kingdoms and principalities of northern Germany. By the middle of the 19th century, Britain and France were allies in preventing Russia’s appropriation of the Ottoman Empire, although the fear of French invasion led shortly afterwards to the creation of the Volunteer Force. By the first decade of the 20th century, the United Kingdom was allied with France (by the Entente Cordiale) and Russia (which had a secret agreement with France for mutual support in a war against the Prussian-led German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire).WEB,wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_Anglo-Russian_Entente, Agreement concerning Persia, 23 July 2016,web.archive.org/web/20160708181007/https://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_Anglo-Russian_Entente, 8 July 2016, live, When the First World War broke out in August 1914 the British Army sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), consisting mainly of regular army troops, to France and Belgium.{{harvnb|Ensor|1980|pp=525–526}}. The fighting bogged down into static trench warfare for the remainder of the war. In 1915 the army created the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to invade the Ottoman Empire via Gallipoli, an unsuccessful attempt to capture Constantinople and secure a sea route to Russia.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=3}}The First World War was the most devastating in British military history, with nearly 800,000 men killed and over two million wounded. Early in the war, the BEF was virtually destroyed and was replaced first by volunteers and then by a conscript force. Major battles included those at the Somme and Passchendaele.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=310}}. Advances in technology saw the advent of the tankWEB,www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/nonflash_tank.shtml,www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/nonflash_tank.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20071014050900www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/nonflash_tank.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20071014050900www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/nonflash_tank.shtml, 14 October 2007, Mark I tank, 28 March 2011, (and the creation of the Royal Tank Regiment) and advances in aircraft design (and the creation of the Royal Flying Corps) which would be decisive in future battles.WEB,www.raf.mod.uk/history/ww1.cfm, RAF – World War 1, here, RAF Details, www.raf.mod.uk, 17 March 2017,www.raf.mod.uk/history/ww1.cfm," title="web.archive.org/web/20170129020520www.raf.mod.uk/history/ww1.cfm,">web.archive.org/web/20170129020520www.raf.mod.uk/history/ww1.cfm, 29 January 2017, dead, Trench warfare dominated Western Front strategy for most of the war, and the use of chemical weapons (disabling and poison gases) added to the devastation.WEB, Michael Duffy,www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm, Weapons of War: Poison Gas, Firstworldwar.com, 22 August 2009, 28 March 2011,www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070821004525www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20070821004525www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm, 21 August 2007, live, The Second World War broke out in September 1939 with the Soviet and German Army’s invasion of Poland.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=335}}. British assurances to the Poles led the British Empire to declare war on Germany. As in the First World War, a relatively small BEF was sent to France but then hastily evacuated from Dunkirk as the German forces swept through the Low Countries and across France in May 1940.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=342}}.After the British Army recovered from its earlier defeats, it defeated the Germans and Italians at the Second Battle of El Alamein in North Africa in 1942–1943 and helped drive them from Africa. It then fought through Italy{{sfn|Taylor|1976|p=157}} and, with the help of American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Indian and Free French forces,WEB,theddaystory.com/discover/what-is-d-day/, The D-Day Story, theddaystory.com, 16 September 2022, was the principal organiser and participant in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944; nearly half the Allied soldiers were British.{{sfn|Gilbert|2005|p=301}} In the Far East, the British Army rallied against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign and regained the British Far Eastern colonial possessions.{{sfn|Taylor|1976|p=210}}Postcolonial era (1945–2000)
(File:1945 Order of Precedence of the British Army.jpg|thumb|left|upright|1945 Order of Precedence of the British Army)After the Second World War the British Army was significantly reduced in size, although National Service continued until 1960.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=384}} This period saw decolonisation begin with the partition and independence of India and Pakistan, followed by the independence of British colonies in Africa and Asia.The Corps Warrant, which is the official list of which bodies of the British Military (not to be confused with naval) Forces were to be considered Corps of the British Army for the purposes of the Army Act, the Reserve Forces Act, 1882, and the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act, 1907, had not been updated since 1926 (Army Order 49 of 1926), although amendments had been made up to and including Army Order 67 of 1950. A new Corps Warrant was declared in 1951.Although the British Army was a major participant in Korea in the early 1950s and Suez in 1956,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=407}} during this period Britain’s role in world events was reduced and the army was downsized.NEWS, Merged regiments and new brigading – many famous units to lose separate identity, The Times, 25 July 1957, {{full citation needed|date=September 2014}} The British Army of the Rhine, consisting of I (BR) Corps, remained in Germany as a bulwark against Soviet invasion.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=440}} The Cold War continued, with significant technological advances in warfare, and the army saw the introduction of new weapons systems.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=442}} Despite the decline of the British Empire, the army was engaged in Aden,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=401}} Indonesia, Cyprus, Kenya and Malaya.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=402}} In 1982, the British Army and the Royal Marines helped liberate the Falkland Islands during the conflict with Argentina after that country’s invasion of the British territory.WEB,www.britains-smallwars.com/Museum/Falklands/falkSurrenderDocument.html, Falklands Surrender Document, Britains-smallwars.com, 14 June 1982, 28 March 2011, dead,www.britains-smallwars.com/Museum/Falklands/falkSurrenderDocument.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110501162727www.britains-smallwars.com/Museum/Falklands/falkSurrenderDocument.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110501162727www.britains-smallwars.com/Museum/Falklands/falkSurrenderDocument.html, 1 May 2011, In the three decades following 1969, the army was heavily deployed in Northern Ireland’s Operation Banner to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (later the Police Service of Northern Ireland) in their conflict with republican paramilitary groups.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=411}}. The locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment was formed, becoming home-service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992 before it was disbanded in 2006. Over 700 soldiers were killed during the Troubles. Following the 1994–1996 IRA ceasefires and since 1997, demilitarisation has been part of the peace process and the military presence has been reduced.Army ending its operation in NI {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123025906news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6923342.stm |date=23 November 2008 }} BBC News, 31 July 2007 On 25 June 2007 the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment left the army complex in Bessbrook, County Armagh, ending the longest operation in British Army history.NEWS, Last troops pull out of Bessbrook, BBC News Online, 25 June 2007,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6235514.stm, 8 August 2009,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6235514.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20070820103544news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6235514.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20070820103544news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6235514.stm, 20 August 2007, live,Persian Gulf War
File:An APC of the 7th Brigade Royal Scots.JPEG|thumb|250px|alt=An armoured personnel carrier flying the Union Jack|British APC passing by wrecked and abandoned vehicles along the “Highway of DeathHighway of DeathThe British Army contributed 50,000 troops to the coalition which fought Iraq in the Persian Gulf War,WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jun/11/iraq.military, 50,000 troops in Gulf illness scare, 11 June 2004, The Guardian, 17 December 2016,web.archive.org/web/20161029043911/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jun/11/iraq.military, 29 October 2016, live, and British forces controlled Kuwait after its liberation. Forty-seven British military personnel died during the war.WEB,www.thefreelibrary.com/SUPREME+SACRIFICE%3B+British+soldier+killed+in+Iraq+was+unemployed+TA...-a0107281788, Supreme sacrifice: British soldier killed in Iraq was unemployed TA man, 28 August 2003, Thefreelibrary.com, 28 March 2011,www.thefreelibrary.com/SUPREME+SACRIFICE%3B+British+soldier+killed+in+Iraq+was+unemployed+TA...-a0107281788," title="web.archive.org/web/20110430043927www.thefreelibrary.com/SUPREME+SACRIFICE%3B+British+soldier+killed+in+Iraq+was+unemployed+TA...-a0107281788,">web.archive.org/web/20110430043927www.thefreelibrary.com/SUPREME+SACRIFICE%3B+British+soldier+killed+in+Iraq+was+unemployed+TA...-a0107281788, 30 April 2011, live,{{anchor|Balkans conflicts}}Balkan conflicts
(File:British Army vehicles in Croatia, 1996.jpg|thumb|British Army vehicles in a staging area before being deployed to Bosnia)The army was deployed to former Yugoslavia in 1992. Initially part of the United Nations Protection Force,{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=446}} in 1995 its command was transferred to the Implementation Force (IFOR) and then to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR);{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=447}} the commitment rose to over 10,000 troops. In 1999, British forces under SFOR command were sent to Kosovo and the contingent increased to 19,000 troops.WEB,www.politics.co.uk/reference/former-yugoslavia-and-the-role-of-british-forces, Former Yugoslavia and the Role of British Forces, politics.co.uk, 17 March 2017,www.politics.co.uk/reference/former-yugoslavia-and-the-role-of-british-forces," title="web.archive.org/web/20170318172737www.politics.co.uk/reference/former-yugoslavia-and-the-role-of-british-forces,">web.archive.org/web/20170318172737www.politics.co.uk/reference/former-yugoslavia-and-the-role-of-british-forces, 18 March 2017, live, Between early 1993 and June 2010, 72 British military personnel died during operations in the former Yugoslavian countries of Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia.WEB,www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416474/20150326_UK_Armed_Forces_Operational_deaths_post_World_War_II_O.pdf, UK Post-WW2 Operational Deaths,web.archive.org/web/20160507071536/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416474/20150326_UK_Armed_Forces_Operational_deaths_post_World_War_II_O.pdf, 7 May 2016, live,The Troubles
Although there have been permanent garrisons in Northern Ireland throughout its history, the British Army was deployed as a peacekeeping force from 1969 to 2007 in Operation Banner.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm, Army paper says IRA not defeated, BBC News, 6 July 2007, 21 March 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090111180357news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20090111180357news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm, 11 January 2009, live, Initially, this was (in the wake of unionist attacks on nationalist communities in DerryBloomfield, K Stormont in Crisis (Belfast 1994) p. 114. and Belfast)PRONI: Cabinet conclusions file CAB/4/1460 to prevent further loyalist attacks on Catholic communities; it developed into support of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and its successor, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) against the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA).{{sfn|McKernan|2005|p=17}} Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, there was a gradual reduction in the number of soldiers deployed.Army dismantles NI post BBC News, 31 July 2000 In 2005, after the PIRA declared a ceasefire, the British Army dismantled posts, withdrew many troops and restored troop levels to those of a peacetime garrison.Army To Dismantle Tower Block Post {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912070458www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php |date=12 September 2008 }} Skyscrapernews, 2 August 2005Operation Banner ended at midnight on 31 July 2007 after about 38 years of continuous deployment, the longest in British Army history.WEB,www.patfinucanecentre.org/misc/opbanner.pdf, Operation Banner: An analysis of military operations in Northern Ireland, 2006, Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence, 21 March 2008,www.patfinucanecentre.org/misc/opbanner.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20080227094451www.patfinucanecentre.org/misc/opbanner.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20080227094451www.patfinucanecentre.org/misc/opbanner.pdf, 27 February 2008, According to an internal document released in 2007, the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but made it impossible for them to win by violence. Operation Helvetic replaced Operation Banner in 2007, maintaining fewer service personnel in a more-benign environment.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm, Army paper says IRA not defeated, 6 July 2007, BBC News, 21 March 2008,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090111180357news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20090111180357news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6276416.stm, 11 January 2009, live, Of the 300,000 troops who served in Northern Ireland since 1969, there were 763 British military personnel killedRemembrance Day: Where they fell {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928140734www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11743727 |date=28 September 2018 }} BBC News, 13 November 2010 and 306 killed by the British military, mostly civilians.WEB,cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/tables/index.html, Tabulations (Tables) of Basic Variables, Cain.ulst.ac.uk, 28 March 2011,cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/tables/index.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110513081528cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/tables/index.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110513081528cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/tables/index.html, 13 May 2011, live, An estimated 100 soldiers committed suicide during Operation Banner or soon afterwards and a similar number died in accidents. A total of 6,116 were wounded.NEWS, Harding, Thomas,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1482975/Troop-deaths-in-Ulster-higher-than-thought.html, Troop deaths in Ulster ‘higher than thought’, Telegraph, 7 February 2005, 10 March 2019,web.archive.org/web/20180921112055/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1482975/Troop-deaths-in-Ulster-higher-than-thought.html, 21 September 2018, live, Sierra LeoneThe British Army deployed to Sierra Leone for Operation Palliser in 1999, under United Nations resolutions, to aid the government in quelling violent uprisings by militiamen. British troops also provided support during the 2014 West African Ebola virus epidemic.NEWS, 4 January 2017, Sierra Leone profile – Timeline, BBC News,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094419, live, 17 March 2017,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094419," title="web.archive.org/web/20170509114751www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094419,">web.archive.org/web/20170509114751www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094419, 9 May 2017,Recent history (2000–present)
War in Afghanistan
File:3royalanglianafghan.JPG|thumb|250px|alt=Armed soldiers in and around a military vehicle|Royal Anglian RegimentRoyal Anglian RegimentIn November 2001, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom with the United States, the United Kingdom deployed forces in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban in Operation Herrick.{{harvnb|Mallinson|2009|p=452}}. The 3rd Division were sent to Kabul to assist in the liberation of the capital and defeat Taliban forces in the mountains. In 2006 the British Army began concentrating on fighting Taliban forces and bringing security to Helmand Province, with about 9,500 British troops (including marines, airmen and sailors) deployed at its peakWEB,www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22713.aspx, Why we are in Afghanistan, Ministry of Defence (MoD), 7 November 2014,www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22713.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20141022195153www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22713.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20141022195153www.army.mod.uk/operations-deployments/22713.aspx, 22 October 2014, live, —the second-largest force after that of the US.UK sends 500 more to Afghanistan BBC News, 15 October 2009 In December 2012 Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the combat mission would end in 2014, and troop numbers gradually fell as the Afghan National Army took over the brunt of the fighting. Between 2001 and 26 April 2014 a total of 453 British military personnel died in Afghan operations.WEB,www.gov.uk/government/fields-of-operation/afghanistan, British fatalities in Afghanistan, MoD, 7 November 2014,web.archive.org/web/20150725021450/https://www.gov.uk/government/fields-of-operation/afghanistan, 25 July 2015, live, Operation Herrick ended with the handover of Camp Bastion on 26 October 2014,NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29776544, UK ends Afghan combat operations, 26 October 2014, BBC News, 26 October 2014,www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29776544," title="web.archive.org/web/20141026082004www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29776544,">web.archive.org/web/20141026082004www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29776544, 26 October 2014, live, but the British Army maintained a deployment in Afghanistan as part of Operation Toral.WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/09/uk-afghanistan-troops-increase-david-cameron, UK to increase troops in Afghanistan from 450 to 500, 9 July 2016, The Guardian, 4 January 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170207151415/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/09/uk-afghanistan-troops-increase-david-cameron, 7 February 2017, live, Following an announcement by the US Government of the end of their operations in the Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence announced in April 2021 that British forces would withdraw from the country by 11 September 2021.NEWS,www.bbc.com/news/uk-56744265, UK troops to begin ‘drawdown’ in Afghanistan, BBC News, 14 April 2021, It was later reported that all UK troops would be out by early July.WEB,www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/uk-to-bring-home-last-remaining-troops-in-afghanistan-this-weekend, UK to bring home last remaining troops in Afghanistan this weekend, 2 July 2021, The Guardian, Following the collapse of the Afghan Army, and the completion of the withdrawal of civilians, all British troops had left by the end of August 2021.NEWS,www.bbc.com/news/uk-58372437, Afghanistan: British ambassador home as last UK troops leave, BBC News, 29 August 2021,Iraq War
File:1 RRF engage Iraqi Army positions with their 81mm Mortars. Iraq. 26-03-2003 MOD 45142764.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=Two soldiers with a mortar gun—one loading and the other aiming|British soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers battlegroup engage Iraqi positions with an 81mm mortar south of Basra ]]In 2003, the United Kingdom was a major contributor to the invasion of Iraq, sending a force of over 46,000 military personnel. The British Army controlled southern Iraq, and maintained a peace-keeping presence in Basra.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977914.stm, Timeline: UK troops in Basra, BBC News, 9 March 2017,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977914.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090403070032news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977914.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20090403070032news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6977914.stm, 3 April 2009, live, All British troops were withdrawn from Iraq by 30 April 2009, after the Iraqi government refused to extend their mandate.WEB,www.rferl.org/content/British_Troops_Leave_Iraq_As_Mandate_Ends/1789785.html, British Troops Leave Iraq As Mandate Ends, 31 July 2009, Rferl.org, 22 October 2010,www.rferl.org/content/British_Troops_Leave_Iraq_As_Mandate_Ends/1789785.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20101108093957www.rferl.org/content/British_Troops_Leave_Iraq_As_Mandate_Ends/1789785.html,">web.archive.org/web/20101108093957www.rferl.org/content/British_Troops_Leave_Iraq_As_Mandate_Ends/1789785.html, 8 November 2010, live, One hundred and seventy-nine British military personnel died in Iraqi operations. The British Armed Forces returned to Iraq in 2014 as part of Operation Shader to counter the Islamic State (ISIL).WEB,www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmdfence/106/106.pdf, UK Operations in Syria and Iraq, 2015,web.archive.org/web/20170318085447/https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmdfence/106/106.pdf, 18 March 2017, live,Recent military aid
The British Army maintains a standing liability to support the civil authorities in certain circumstances, usually in either niche capabilities (e.g. explosive ordnance removal) or in general support of the civil authorities when their capacity is exceeded.WEB,www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61965/defenceconrtibution1.pdf, Operations in the UK: Defence Contribution to Resilience, 2007, Ministry of Defence, 1 May 2017,web.archive.org/web/20160305164425/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61965/defenceconrtibution1.pdf, 5 March 2016, live, WEB,www.army.mod.uk/structure/30013.aspx, UK Operations, dead,www.army.mod.uk/structure/30013.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170421033859www.army.mod.uk/structure/30013.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170421033859www.army.mod.uk/structure/30013.aspx, 21 April 2017, In recent years this has been seen as army personnel supporting the civil authorities in the face of the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak, the 2002 firefighters strike, widespread flooding in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014, Operation Temperer following the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 and, most recently, Operation Rescript during the COVID-19 pandemic.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/23/raise-terror-level-critical-5000-troops-streets-operation-temperer, Critical threat level: who made the decision and what does it mean?, Travis, Alan, 24 May 2017, The Guardian, 28 May 2017, MacAskill, Ewen, 0261-3077,web.archive.org/web/20170526163704/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/23/raise-terror-level-critical-5000-troops-streets-operation-temperer, 26 May 2017, live, NEWS, Haynes, Deborah, Deborah Haynes, 19 March 2020, Coronavirus: Up to 20,000 troops on standby to help deal with COVID-19 outbreak, Sky News,news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-up-to-20-000-troops-on-standby-to-help-deal-with-covid-19-outbreak-11959977, 20 October 2020,Eastern Europe
Since 2016, the British Army has maintained a presence in Eastern Europe in support of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence strategy which responded to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. The British Army leads a multinational armoured battlegroup in Estonia under Operation Cabrit and contributes troops to another military battle group in Poland.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/deployments/baltics/, ENHANCED FORWARD PRESENCE (EFP), British Army, 23 March 2022, Between 2015 and 2022, the British Army deployed Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) to Ukraine under Operation Orbital to help train the Armed Forces of Ukraine against further Russian aggression.NEWS,www.forces.net/news/uk-troops-training-forces-ukraine-leave-weekend-armed-forces-minister-says, UK troops training forces in Ukraine to leave this weekend, 12 February 2022, Forces.net, This operation was succeeded by Operation Interflex in July 2022.NEWS, Gallardo, Cristina, Caulcutt, Clea, Ukraine’s military recruits need training. Only one of Europe’s giants is pulling its weight,www.politico.eu/article/uk-and-france-at-odds-over-military-training-for-ukrainians/, 17 September 2022, Politico, 16 September 2022,{{anchor|Modern British Army}}Modern army
Personnel
File:Trooping the Colour MOD 45155754.jpg|thumb|250px|The Blues and Royals Trooping the ColourTrooping the ColourThe British Army has been a volunteer force since national service ended during the 1960s. Since the creation of the part-time, reserve Territorial Force in 1908 (renamed the Army Reserve in 2014), the full-time British Army has been known as the Regular Army. In July 2020 there were just over 78,800 Regulars, with a target strength of 82,000, and just over 30,000 Army Reservists, with a target strength of 30,000.WEB, Quarterly service personnel statistics 1 October 2021,www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2021/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-1-october-2021, 13 February 2022, GOV.UK, en, All former Regular Army personnel may also be recalled to duty in exceptional circumstances during the 6-year period following completion of their Regular service, which creates an additional force known as the Regular Reserve.WEB, British Army – Reserve Forces – The Regular Reserve – Armed Forces – a11a4,www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0071.html, 21 November 2020, www.armedforces.co.uk, The table below illustrates British Army personnel figures from 1710 to 2024.{| class=“wikitable” style="text-align:right;“! colspan=“10” |British Army strength{{refn| 1710–1900,BOOK, The Great Powers and Global Struggle, 1490–1990, 1994, University Press of Kentucky, 0-8131-3353-X, United States, 149, Rasler, Karen, (Figure 8.1 Change in the Size of the British Army 1650–1910)WEB, Recruiting Victorian armies,www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/victorianarmies/, UK Parliament, 1918 & 1945,NEWS,www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14218909, The time when the British army was really stretched, 23 July 2011, BBC, BBC News, Summers, Chris, 5 July 2016,www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14218909," title="web.archive.org/web/20160822232109www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14218909,">web.archive.org/web/20160822232109www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14218909, 22 August 2016, live, End of the First World WarEnd of the Second World War 1920,WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1920/jun/23/mesopotamia-1#S5CV0130P0_19200623_HOC_328, 23 June 1920, Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Hansard – House of Commons, 5 July 2016,hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1920/jun/23/mesopotamia-1#S5CV0130P0_19200623_HOC_328," title="web.archive.org/web/20160820130447hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1920/jun/23/mesopotamia-1#S5CV0130P0_19200623_HOC_328,">web.archive.org/web/20160820130447hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1920/jun/23/mesopotamia-1#S5CV0130P0_19200623_HOC_328, 20 August 2016, 23 June 1920, live, 1930,WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1930/nov/02/strength#S5CV0134P0_19301102_HOC_62, Strength (Territorial Army) – 2 November 1930, Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Hansard – House of Commons, 5 July 2016,hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1930/nov/02/strength#S5CV0134P0_19301102_HOC_62," title="web.archive.org/web/20160819235603hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1930/nov/02/strength#S5CV0134P0_19301102_HOC_62,">web.archive.org/web/20160819235603hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1930/nov/02/strength#S5CV0134P0_19301102_HOC_62, 19 August 2016, 2 November 1930, live, 1950,BOOK, International Affairs and Defence: Army 2020, Rutherford, Tom, 26 July 2012, House of Commons Library, United Kingdom, 13, Brooke-Holland, Louisa, WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1950/mar/20/territorial-army-recruitment, Territorial Army (Recruitment) – 20 March 1950, Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Hansard – House of Commons, 5 July 2016,hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1950/mar/20/territorial-army-recruitment," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304090127hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1950/mar/20/territorial-army-recruitment,">web.archive.org/web/20160304090127hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1950/mar/20/territorial-army-recruitment, 4 March 2016, 20 March 1950, live, 1960,WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1960/jul/20/the-territorial-army, The Territorial Army – 20 July 1960, Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Hansard – House of Commons, 5 July 2016,hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1960/jul/20/the-territorial-army," title="web.archive.org/web/20130516193716hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1960/jul/20/the-territorial-army,">web.archive.org/web/20130516193716hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1960/jul/20/the-territorial-army, 16 May 2013, 20 July 1960, live, 1970,WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1970/mar/12/army-estimates-1970-71-vote-a, Army Estimates – 12 March 1970, Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Hansard – House of Commons, 5 July 2016,hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1970/mar/12/army-estimates-1970-71-vote-a," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304043312hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1970/mar/12/army-estimates-1970-71-vote-a,">web.archive.org/web/20160304043312hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1970/mar/12/army-estimates-1970-71-vote-a, 4 March 2016, 12 March 1970, live, 1980–2000,BOOK,www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/RP00-99.pdf,www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/RP00-99.pdf," title="ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/RP00-99.pdf,">ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/RP00-99.pdf, 2022-10-09, live, House of Commons: Defence Statistics 2000, 21 December 2000, House of Commons Library, United Kingdom, 16–17, Berman, Gavin, 5 July 2016, 2010,BOOK,www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/archive/quarterly-personnel-report/2010-01-01/1_january_2010.pdf, UK Armed Forces Quarterly Manning Report, 4 March 2010, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom, 13,webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140116142443/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/archive/quarterly-personnel-report/2010-01-01/1_january_2010.pdf, 16 January 2014, dead, 5 July 2016, (Table 2a – Strength of UK Armed Forces1
– full-time trained and untrained personnel)BOOK,www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/reserves-and-cadets-strengths/2010-04-01/2010-revised.pdf, UK RESERVE FORCES STRENGTHS, 22 September 2010, Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom, 3,webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140116142443/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/reserves-and-cadets-strengths/2010-04-01/2010-revised.pdf, 16 January 2014, dead, 5 July 2016, (Table 1 – Strengths of All Services Reserves) 2015, 2020}}WEB,bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FOI-Size-of-the-UK-Armed-Forces-Since-1700.pdf,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FOI-Size-of-the-UK-Armed-Forces-Since-1700.pdf, 2022-10-09, live, An Annual Times Series For The Size Of The Armed Forces (Army, Navy & RAF) Since 1700, bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com, Ministry of Defense, 28 April 2017, 15 June 2022,
{{anchor|Modern Equipment}}Equipment
Infantry
The British Army’s basic weapon is the 5.56 mm L85A2 or L85A3 assault rifle, with some specialist personnel using the L22A2 carbine variant (pilots and some tank crew). The weapon was traditionally equipped with either iron sights or an optical SUSAT, although other optical sights have been subsequently purchased to supplement these.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23222.aspx, The British Army – SA80 individual weapon, www.army.mod.uk, live,army.mod.uk/equipment/23222.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170616184526army.mod.uk/equipment/23222.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170616184526army.mod.uk/equipment/23222.aspx, 16 June 2017, 9 February 2017, The weapon can be enhanced further utilising the Picatinny rail with attachments such as the L17A2 under-barrel grenade launcher.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/small-arms-and-support-weapons/, Small arms and support weapons, www.army.mod.uk, 12 February 2020, In 2023, the Army Special Operations Brigade, which includes the Ranger Regiment, began using the L403A1, an AR-pattern rifle also used by the Royal Marines.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/news/2023/09/newadvancedrifle/, 2023-10-20, 2023-09-07, New advanced rifle for Ranger Regiment, www.army.mod.uk, Some soldiers are equipped with the 7.62mm L129A1 sharpshooter rifle,WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/small-arms-and-support-weapons/, L129A1 sharpshooter Rifle, live,web.archive.org/web/20180612140733/https://www.army.mod.uk/equipment/small-arms-and-support-weapons/, 12 June 2018, which in 2018 formally replaced the L86A2 Light Support Weapon. Support fire is provided by the L7 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG),WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23226.aspx, The British Army – General purpose machine gun, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23226.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170126172854www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23226.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170126172854www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23226.aspx, 26 January 2017, live, and indirect fire is provided by L16 81mm mortars. Sniper rifles include the L118A1 7.62 mm, L115A3 and the AW50F, all manufactured by Accuracy International.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23223.aspx, The British Army – L115A3 Long range ‘sniper’ rifle, cgsmediacomma-amc-dig-shared@mod.uk, The British Army, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23223.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170410084543www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23223.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170410084543www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23223.aspx, 10 April 2017, live, The British Army utilises the Glock 17 as its side arm.Anti tank guided weapons include the Javelin, the medium range anti-tank guided weapon replacement for Milan, with overfly and direct attack modes of operation, and the NLAW. The Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) is the first, non-expert, short-range, anti-tank missile that rapidly knocks out any main battle tank in just one shot by striking it from above.WEB, NLAW,www.saab.com/products/nlaw, live,web.archive.org/web/20220227124742/https://www.saab.com/products/nlaw, 27 February 2022, 28 February 2022, Saab AB, Stockholm, Sweden, SE,Armour
The army’s main battle tank is the Challenger 2, which is being upgraded to Challenger 3.Challenger 2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621210618www.baesystems.com/ProductsServices/l_and_a_ls_challenger.html |date=21 June 2007 }} BA SystemsWEB,www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/equipment/CFE-vehicles-and-aircraft/2013/2013.pdf, UKDS 2013, 29 October 2013,www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/equipment/CFE-vehicles-and-aircraft/2013/2013.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20130927100113www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/equipment/CFE-vehicles-and-aircraft/2013/2013.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20130927100113www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/equipment/CFE-vehicles-and-aircraft/2013/2013.pdf, 27 September 2013, live, It is supported by the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle as the primary infantry fighting vehicle,WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23237.aspx, The British Army – Warrior infantry fighting vehicle, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23237.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170410035242www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23237.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170410035242www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23237.aspx, 10 April 2017, live, (which will soon be replaced by the Boxer 8x8 armoured fighting vehicle) and the Bulldog armoured personnel carrier.WEB,www.defense-update.com/products/m/MLV.htm, Multi-role Light Vehicle, 26 July 2006, Defense-update.com, 28 March 2011,www.defense-update.com/products/m/MLV.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20110429185833www.defense-update.com/products/m/MLV.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20110429185833www.defense-update.com/products/m/MLV.htm, 29 April 2011, dead, Light armoured units often utilise the Supacat “Jackal” MWMIK and Coyote tactical support vehicle for reconnaissance and fire support.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23234.aspx, The British Army – Reconnaissance vehicles, www.army.mod.uk, 9 February 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23234.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170316023100www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23234.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170316023100www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23234.aspx, 16 March 2017, live,Artillery
The army has three main artillery systems: the Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS), the AS-90 and the L118 light gun.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23208.aspx, The British Army – Artillery and air defence, cgsmediacomma-amc-dig-shared@mod.uk, The British Army, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23208.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170410084443www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23208.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170410084443www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23208.aspx, 10 April 2017, live, The MLRS, first used in Operation Granby, has an {{convert|85|km|adj=on}} standard range, or with the PrSM, up to 500km.NEWS,www.thinkdefence.co.uk/uk-complex-weapons/guided-multiple-launch-rocket-system-gmlrs/, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) – Think Defence, Think Defence, 17 March 2017,www.thinkdefence.co.uk/uk-complex-weapons/guided-multiple-launch-rocket-system-gmlrs/," title="web.archive.org/web/20170318084429www.thinkdefence.co.uk/uk-complex-weapons/guided-multiple-launch-rocket-system-gmlrs/,">web.archive.org/web/20170318084429www.thinkdefence.co.uk/uk-complex-weapons/guided-multiple-launch-rocket-system-gmlrs/, 18 March 2017, live, The AS-90 is a 155 mm self-propelled armoured gun with a {{convert|24|km|adj=on}} range.WEB,www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0046.html, AS-90, Armedforces.co.uk, 28 March 2011,www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0046.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110426043554www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0046.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110426043554www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0046.html, 26 April 2011, live, The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed gun, which is typically towed by a Pinzgauer all terrain vehicle.105 mm Light Gun {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220040742www.baesystems.com/ProductsServices/l_and_a_ls_105mm_light_gun.html |date=20 February 2011 }} BAe Systems To identify artillery targets, the army operates weapon locators such as the MAMBA Radar and utilises artillery sound ranging.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/artillery/regiments/24678.aspx, The British Army – 5 Regiment, www.army.mod.uk, 9 February 2017,www.army.mod.uk/artillery/regiments/24678.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170420013606www.army.mod.uk/artillery/regiments/24678.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170420013606www.army.mod.uk/artillery/regiments/24678.aspx, 20 April 2017, live, For air defence it uses the new Sky Sabre system, which in 2021 replaced the Rapier.WEB,www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/696137/response/1824979/attach/html/3/20210701%20Goldberg%20FOI%20Sky%20Sabre.pdf.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/696137/response/1824979/attach/html/3/20210701%20Goldberg%20FOI%20Sky%20Sabre.pdf.html, 2022-10-09, live, Sky Sabre weapons system – a Freedom of Information request to Ministry of Defence, 4 October 2020, It also deploys the Very Short-Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) Starstreak HVM (high-velocity missile) launched by a single soldier or from a Stormer HVM vehicle-mounted launcher.Starstreak II sighted {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412045238www.janes.com/events/exhibitions/dsei2007/sections/daily/day1/starstreak-ii-sighted.shtml |date=12 April 2009 }} JanesProtected mobility
Where armour is not required or mobility and speed are favoured the British Army utilises protected patrol vehicles, such as the Panther variant of the Iveco LMV, the Foxhound, and variants of the Cougar family (such as the Ridgeback, Husky and Mastiff).WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23235.aspx, The British Army – Protected patrol vehicles, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23235.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170410084656www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23235.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170410084656www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23235.aspx, 10 April 2017, live, For day-to-day utility work the army commonly uses the Land Rover Wolf, which is based on the Land Rover Defender.WEB,www.landrover.com/gb/en/lr/defender/, Land Rover Defender, Landrover.com, 28 March 2011, dead,www.landrover.com/gb/en/lr/defender/," title="web.archive.org/web/20110405215951www.landrover.com/gb/en/lr/defender/,">web.archive.org/web/20110405215951www.landrover.com/gb/en/lr/defender/, 5 April 2011,Engineers, utility and signals
Specialist engineering vehicles include bomb-disposal robots such as the T7 Multi-Mission Robotic System and the modern variants of the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers, including the Titan bridge-layer, Trojan Armoured-engineer vehicle, Terrier Armoured Digger and Python Minefield Breaching System.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23253.aspx, The British Army – Engineering equipment, www.army.mod.uk, 9 February 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23253.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170211082357www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23253.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170211082357www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23253.aspx, 11 February 2017, live, Day-to-day utility work uses a series of support vehicles, including six-, nine- and fifteen-tonne MAN trucks, Oshkosh heavy-equipment transporters (HET), close-support tankers, quad bikes and ambulances.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23267.aspx, The British Army – All-terrain mobility platform (ATMP), www.army.mod.uk, 9 February 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23267.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170211082155www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23267.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170211082155www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23267.aspx, 11 February 2017, live, WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23207.aspx, The British Army – Engineering and logistics, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23207.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170508211348www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23207.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170508211348www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23207.aspx, 8 May 2017, live, Tactical communication uses the Bowman radio system, and operational or strategic communication is controlled by the Royal Corps of Signals.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/signals/signals.aspx, The British Army – Royal Corps of Signals, www.army.mod.uk, 11 February 2017,www.army.mod.uk/signals/signals.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20161123002754www.army.mod.uk/signals/signals.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20161123002754www.army.mod.uk/signals/signals.aspx, 23 November 2016, live,Aviation
The Army Air Corps (AAC) provides direct aviation support, with the Royal Air Force providing support helicopters. The primary attack helicopter is the Boeing AH-64E Apache which replaced the AgustaWestland Apache AH-1 in the anti-tank, anti-air defence, and anti-armour role.WEB, Administrator, Apache AH-64E Attack Helicopter,des.mod.uk/what-we-do/army-procurement-support/apache-ah64e/, 2024-05-03, Defence Equipment & Support, en-GB, The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat is a dedicated intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) helicopter.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23210.aspx, The British Army – Aircraft, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017, dead,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23210.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170207044743www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23210.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170207044743www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23210.aspx, 7 February 2017, The Eurocopter AS 365N Dauphin is used for special operations aviation, primarily counter terrorism operations, within the UK.{{sfn|Ripley|2008|p=10}} The army operates two unmanned aerial vehicles in a surveillance role: the small Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III and the larger Thales Watchkeeper WK450.WEB,www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/british-army-praises-performance-of-watchkeeper-during-debut-406159/, British Army praises performance of Watchkeeper during debut deployment, Flight global, 17 November 2014, 3 February 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170810012220/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/british-army-praises-performance-of-watchkeeper-during-debut-406159/, 10 August 2017, live, WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23278.aspx, The British Army – Unmanned Air Systems, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23278.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170410161349www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23278.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170410161349www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23278.aspx, 10 April 2017, live, File:MCV-80.jpg|alt=Tank with painted camouflage|Warrior IFVFile:AS90 Self Propelled Gun - Tankfest 2009.jpg|alt=Self-propelled artillery gun|AS-90File:GUNNERS ON TARGET FOR EXERCISE STEEL SABRE IN NORTHUMBERLAND MOD 45159595.jpg|alt=Rocket launcher|Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS)File:Challenger 2 MBT in Estonia-902250.jpeg|Challenger 2File:AH64E Bourget 2019.jpg|Apache AH64-EFile:New SA80 A3 Assault Rifle MOD 45163883.jpg|L85A3 (SA80A3)Current deployments
{{anchor|Low intensity operations}}Low-intensity operations {| class“wikitable” style@margin:auto; width:100%;”
Permanent overseas postings {| class“wikitable” style@margin:auto; width:100%;”
Structure
{{British Army Arms}}Army Headquarters is located in Andover, Hampshire, and is responsible for providing forces at operational readiness for employment by the Permanent Joint Headquarters. The command structure is hierarchical, with overall command residing with the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), who is immediately subordinate to The Chief of Defence Staff, the head of the British Armed Services. The CGS is supported by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Army Headquarters is further organised into two subordinate commands, Field Army and Home Command, each commanded by a lieutenant general.WEB, Command Structure,www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/our-people/command-structure/, 22 November 2020, www.army.mod.uk, These two Commands serve distinct purposes and are divided into a structure of divisions and brigades, which themselves consist of a complex mix of smaller units such as Battalions. British Army units are either full-time ‘Regular’ units, or part-time Army Reserve units.WEB, Who We Are,www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/, 21 November 2020, www.army.mod.uk,Field Army
Led by Commander Field Army, the Field Army is responsible for generating and preparing forces for current and contingency operations. The Field Army comprises:- 1st (United Kingdom) Division
- 3rd (United Kingdom) Division which is the United Kingdom’s strategic land warfare asset
- 6th (United Kingdom) Division
- Land Warfare Centre (United Kingdom) which is responsible for driving adaptation in order to deliver success on operations.
Home Command
Home Command is the British Army’s supporting command; a generating, recruiting and training force that supports the Field Army and delivers UK resilience. It comprises- Army Personnel Centre, which deals with personnel issues and liaises with outside agencies.WEB, Army Personnel Centre,www.army.mod.uk/people/join-well/army-personnel-centre/, 22 November 2020, www.army.mod.uk,
- Army Personnel Services Group, which supports personnel administration
- Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command, which is responsible for all recruiting and training of Officers and Soldiers.
- London District Command, which is the main headquarters for all British Army units within the M25 corridor of London. It also provides for London’s ceremonial events as well as supporting operational deployments overseas.WEB, HQ London District,www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/headquarters-london-district/, 22 November 2020, www.army.mod.uk,
- Regional Command, which enables the delivery of a secure home front that sustains the Army, notably helping to coordinate the British Army’s support to the civil authorities, overseeing the British Army’s Welfare Service, and delivering the British Army’s civil engagement mission.WEB, Regional Command,www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/formations-divisions-brigades/regional-command/, 22 November 2020, www.army.mod.uk,
- Standing Joint Command, which coordinates defence’s contribution to UK resilience operations in support of other government departments.WEB, Headquarters Standing Joint Command (United Kingdom) (HQ SJC (UK)),www.gov.uk/government/groups/headquarters-standing-joint-command-united-kingdom-hq-sjc-uk, 22 November 2020, GOV.UK,
Special Forces
File:UK SAS (badge).svg|upright|thumb|alt=Emblem of a winged sword with the motto, “Who dares, wins“|SAS cap badgecap badgeThe British Army contributes two of the three special forces formations to the United Kingdom Special Forces directorate: the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR).WEB, Special Reconnaissance Regiment,publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/vo050405/wmstext/50405m01.htm#50405m01.html_sbhd5, live,www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/vo050405/wmstext/50405m01.htm#50405m01.html_sbhd5," title="web.archive.org/web/20100425053749www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/vo050405/wmstext/50405m01.htm#50405m01.html_sbhd5,">web.archive.org/web/20100425053749www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/vo050405/wmstext/50405m01.htm#50405m01.html_sbhd5, 25 April 2010, 26 March 2010, Parliament of the United Kingdom, The SAS consists of one regular and two reserve regiments.WEB, UK Defence Statistics 2009,www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/UK-defence-statistics-compendium/2009/2009.pdf, dead,www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/UK-defence-statistics-compendium/2009/2009.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20140201230645www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/UK-defence-statistics-compendium/2009/2009.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20140201230645www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/UK-defence-statistics-compendium/2009/2009.pdf, 1 February 2014, 26 March 2010, Defence Analytical Services Agency, The regular regiment, 22 SAS, has its headquarters at Stirling Lines, Credenhill, Herefordshire. It consists of 5 squadrons (A, B, D, G and Reserve) and a training wing.{{harvnb|Fremont-Barnes|2009|p=62}} 22 SAS is supported by 2 reserve regiments, 21 SAS and 23 SAS, which collectively form the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS [R]), who in 2020 were transferred back under the command of Director of Special Forces after previously being under the command of the 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade.Army Briefing Note 120/14, Newly formed Force Troops Command Specialist Brigades: “It commands all of the Army’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Electronic Warfare assets, and is made up of units specifically from the former 1 Military Intelligence Brigade and 1 Artillery Brigade, as well as 14 Signal Regiment, 21 and 23 SAS®.” The SRR, formed in 2005, performs close reconnaissance and special surveillance tasks. The Special Forces Support Group, under the operational control of the Director of Special Forces, provides operational manoeuvring support to the United Kingdom Special Forces.WEB, Special Forces Support Group,publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo060420/wmstext/60420m01.htm, live,www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo060420/wmstext/60420m01.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20100424085548www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo060420/wmstext/60420m01.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20100424085548www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo060420/wmstext/60420m01.htm, 24 April 2010, 26 March 2010, Parliament of the United Kingdom,Colonial units
(File:1939 Dominion and Colonial Regiments.jpg|thumb|upright|left|1939 Dominion and Colonial Regiments)The British Army historically included many units from what are now separate Commonwealth realms. When the English Empire was established in North America (including Bermuda), and the West Indies in the early 17th century there was no standing English Army, only the Militia, Yeomanry, and Royal bodyguards, of which the Militia, as the primary home-defence force, was immediately extended to the colonies. Colonial militias defended colonies single-handedly at first against indigenous peoples and European competitors. Once the standing English Army, later the British Army, came into existence and began to garrison the colonies, the colonial militias fought side by side with it in a number of wars, including the Seven Years’ War. Some of the colonial militias rebelled during the American War of Independence. The militia fought alongside the regular British Army (and native allies) in defending British North America from their former countrymen during the War of 1812.WEB,www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/1812/militia.aspx, Militia and civilian life, Government of Ontario, 1 October 2020, File:Bermuda troops train at Camp Lejeune to become Junior Noncommissioned Officers 180504-M-JQ686-0185.jpg|thumb|upright|Royal Bermuda Regiment soldier with an L85A2 at USMC Camp LejeuneCamp LejeuneLocally raised units in strategically located Imperial fortress colonies (including: Nova Scotia before the Canadian Confederation; Bermuda – which was treated as part of The Maritimes under the Commander-in-Chief at Nova Scotia until Canadian Confederation; Gibraltar; and Malta) and the Channel Islands were generally maintained from army funds and more fully integrated into the British Army as evident from their appearances in British Army lists, unlike units such as the King’s African Rifles.NEWSPAPER THE TIMES, The Somaliland Operations, 23 October 1902, 6, 36906, The larger colonies (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, etc.) mostly achieved Commonwealth Dominion status before or after the First World War and were granted full legislative independence in 1931. While remaining within the British Empire, this placed their governments on a par with the British government, and hence their military units comprised separate armies (e.g. the Australian Army), although Canada retained the term “militia” for its military forces until the Second World War. From the 1940s, these dominions and many colonies chose full independence, usually becoming Commonwealth realms (as member states of the Commonwealth are known today).WEB, Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, National Archives of Australia: Documenting a Democracy,www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=96, 8 August 2005, dead,www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=96," title="web.archive.org/web/20050716075624www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=96,">web.archive.org/web/20050716075624www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=96, 16 July 2005, {{citation |url =ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Succeeding+Canadian+throne/7651371/story.html|last1=Bowden |first1=James | first2=Philippe |last2=Lagassé | title=Succeeding to the Canadian throne | date=6 December 2012 |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen | access-date=6 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url =www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Succeeding%2BCanadian%2Bthrone/7651371/story.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20130110062651www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Succeeding%2BCanadian%2Bthrone/7651371/story.html">web.archive.org/web/20130110062651www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/op-ed/Succeeding%2BCanadian%2Bthrone/7651371/story.html |archive-date=10 January 2013 }}Units raised in self-governing and Crown colonies (those without local elected Legislatures, as was the case with British Hong Kong) that are part of the British realm remain under British Government control. As the territorial governments are delegated responsibility only for internal government, the UK Government, as the government of the Sovereign state, retains responsibility for national security and the defence of the fourteen remaining British Overseas Territories,WEB,commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9708, Representing the Overseas Territories in the UK Parliament and Government, 2023-02-07, UK Parliament (House of Commons Library), UK Government, 2024-01-14, All the Territories have a UK-appointed Governor, who generally holds responsibility for managing the Territory’s external affairs, defence and internal security like the police, and often the power to make or veto laws.......As a matter of constitutional law, the UK Parliament has unlimited power to legislate for the Territories. However, passing legislation for the Territories is rare., of which six have locally raised regiments:{{div col|colwidth=22em}}- Royal Bermuda RegimentDefenceNews ArticleRoyal Anglian soldiers boost Bermuda Regiment {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207074844www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/TrainingAndAdventure/RoyalAnglianSoldiersBoostBermudaRegiment.htm |date=7 December 2011 }} Defence News, 19 January 2011,
- Royal Gibraltar RegimentRoyal Gibraltar Regiment trains in UK {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207105508www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/TrainingAndAdventure/RoyalGibraltarRegimentTrainsInUk.htm |date=7 December 2011 }} Defence News, 12 May 2011
- Falkland Islands Defence ForceWEB,www.fig.gov.fk/fidf/, Home – FIDF, www.fig.gov.fk, 17 March 2017,www.fig.gov.fk/fidf/," title="web.archive.org/web/20170202005805www.fig.gov.fk/fidf/,">web.archive.org/web/20170202005805www.fig.gov.fk/fidf/, 2 February 2017, live,
- Royal Montserrat Defence ForceWEB,www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm83/8374/8374.pdf, UK Government White Paper on Overseas Territories, June, 2012. Page 23., 13 September 2013,www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm83/8374/8374.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20121031034047www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm83/8374/8374.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20121031034047www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm83/8374/8374.pdf, 31 October 2012, live,
- Cayman Islands RegimentWEB,www.exploregov.ky/ciregiment, THE CAYMAN ISLANDS REGIMENT, www.exploregov.ky, 19 June 2020,
- Turks and Caicos Islands RegimentWEB,www.gov.uk/government/speeches/governor-dakins-speech-at-tci-national-security-strategy-launch-22-january-2020, Governor Dakin’s speech at Turks & Caicos Islands National Security Strategy launch, www.gov.uk, 22 January 2020, 19 June 2020,
Levels of Command
The structure of the British Army beneath the level of Divisions and Brigades is also hierarchical and command is based on rank. The table below details how many units within the British Army are structured, although there can be considerable variation between individual units:{| class=“wikitable”Recruitment
File:30a Sammlung Eybl Großbritannien. Alfred Leete (1882–1933) Britons (Kitchener) wants you (Briten Kitchener braucht Euch). 1914 (Nachdruck), 74 x 50 cm. (Slg.Nr. 552).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=World War I recruiting poster, with Lord Kitchener pointing at the viewer|One of the most recognisable recruiting posters of the British Army; from World War I, with Lord Kitchener ]]The British Army primarily recruits from within the United Kingdom, but accept applications from all British citizens. It also accepts applications from Irish citizens and Commonwealth citizens, with certain restrictions.WEB,apply.army.mod.uk/how-to-join/can-i-join, Army entry requirements: Can I join the Army? - British Army Jobs - British Army Jobs, apply.army.mod.uk, Since 2018 the British Army has been an equal-opportunity employer (with some legal exceptions due to medical standards), and does not discriminate based on race, religion or sexual orientation.WEB, The British Army – Diversity,www.army.mod.uk/join/Equality-and-diversity.aspx, live,www.army.mod.uk/join/Equality-and-diversity.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170212094121www.army.mod.uk/join/Equality-and-diversity.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170212094121www.army.mod.uk/join/Equality-and-diversity.aspx, 12 February 2017, 11 February 2017, www.army.mod.uk, Applicants for the Regular Army must be a minimum age of 16, although soldiers under 18 may not serve in operations, and the maximum age is 36. Applicants for the Army Reserve must be a minimum of 17 years and 9 months, and a maximum age of 43. Different age limits apply for Officers and those in some specialist roles. Applicants must also meet several other requirements, notably regarding medical health, physical fitness, past-criminal convictions, education, and regarding any tattoos and piercings.Soldiers and officers in the Regular Army now enlist for an initial period of 12 years, with options to extend if they meet certain requirements. Soldiers and officers are normally required to serve for a minimum of 4 years from date of enlistment and must give 12 months’ notice before leaving; soldiers who joined before the age of 18 years old are normally required to serve for a minimum of 6 years.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/TermsofService.pdf, British Army Terms of Service, April 2015, dead,www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/TermsofService.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20170623005208www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/TermsofService.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20170623005208www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/TermsofService.pdf, 23 June 2017,Oath of allegiance
All soldiers and commissioned officers must take an oath of allegiance upon joining the Army, a process known as attestation. Those who wish to swear by God use the following words:{{blockquote|I, [soldier’s or commissioned officer’s name], swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his heirs and successors and that I will as in duty bound honestly and faithfully defend His Majesty, his heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity against all enemies and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his heirs, and successors and of the generals and officers set over me.WEB,www.whodareswins.com/british-army-oath-of-allegiance.html#selfless, British Army Oath of Allegiance, 29 November 2010,www.whodareswins.com/british-army-oath-of-allegiance.html#selfless," title="web.archive.org/web/20101224084204www.whodareswins.com/british-army-oath-of-allegiance.html#selfless,">web.archive.org/web/20101224084204www.whodareswins.com/british-army-oath-of-allegiance.html#selfless, 24 December 2010, live, }}Others replace the words “swear by Almighty God” with “solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm”.Training
(File:RMAS18Je6-4685.jpg|thumb|alt=Red-brick buildings with large windows|New College buildings at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst){{see also|Selection and Training in the British Army|List of British Army installations}}Candidates for the Army undergo common training, beginning with initial military training, to bring all personnel to a similar standard in basic military skills, which is known as Phase 1 training. They then undertake further specialist trade-training for their specific Regiment or Corps, known as Phase 2 training. After completing Phase 1 training a soldier is counted against the Army’s trained strength, and upon completion of Phase 2 are counted against the Army’s fully trained trade strength.WEB,www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0139.html, Recruitment Selection and Training, Bootcamp, 23 November 2020, 21 April 2014,www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0139.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20140421050944www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0139.html,">web.archive.org/web/20140421050944www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0139.html, dead, Soldiers under the age of 17 and 6 months will complete Phase 1 training at the Army Foundation College.WEB,www.army.mod.uk/training_education/24420.aspx, Army Foundation College Harrogate, British Army, n.d., www.army.mod.uk, 4 December 2017, Infantry Soldiers will complete combined Phase 1 & 2 training at the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick, whilst all other Soldiers will attend Phase 1 training at the Army Training Centre Pirbright or Army Training Regiment, Winchester, and then complete Phase 2 training at different locations depending on their specialism. Officers conduct their initial training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS),WEB,apply.army.mod.uk/how-to-join/joining-process/officer-recruitment-steps, Joining the Army as an Officer; British Army - British Army Jobs, apply.army.mod.uk, before also completing their Phase 2 training at multiple different locations.Flags and ensigns
{{see also|Regulation Colours}}The British Army’s official flag is the Union Jack. The Army also has a non-ceremonial flag that is often seen flying from military buildings and is used at recruiting and military events and exhibitions.WEB,www.britishflags.net/British%20Army.html, British Army (non-ceremonial), britishflags.net, 22 October 2010,www.britishflags.net/British%20Army.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20100916084125www.britishflags.net/British%20Army.html,">web.archive.org/web/20100916084125www.britishflags.net/British%20Army.html, 16 September 2010, dead, Traditionally most British Army units had a set of flags, known as the colours—normally a Regimental Colour and a King’s Colour (the Union Jack). Historically these were carried into battle as a rallying point for the soldiers and were closely guarded. In modern units the colours are often prominently displayed, decorated with battle honours, and act as a focal point for Regimental pride.WEB, The regimental system {{!, National Army Museum|url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/regimental-system|access-date=23 November 2020|website=www.nam.ac.uk}} A soldier re-joining a regiment (upon recall from the reserve) is described as re-called to the Colours.WEB,www.royalsignalsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200504_80_Brassard-of-Cpl-Birdsall.pdf,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.royalsignalsmuseum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200504_80_Brassard-of-Cpl-Birdsall.pdf, 2022-10-09, live, HISTORY OF SIGNALLING IN 100 OBJECTS THE BRASSARD OF CPL R A BIRDSALL (See penultimate sentence: Many who served in Korea were reservists recalled to the colours plus a large number of National Servicemen). Royal Signals Museum, File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|alt=Union Jack|Official Army flagFile:Flag of the British Army.svg|alt=The British Lion, the crown and crossed swords on a red background|Non-ceremonial army flag; “Army”, in gold letters, sometimes appears below the badge.File:British Army Ensign01.svg|alt=Flag with Union Jack and crossed swords on a blue background|Ensign for general use by the Royal Logistic CorpsFile:British Army Ensign00.svg|alt=Same as previous flag, with the British lion and the crown|Ensign flown by the Royal Logistic Corps from vessels commanded by commissioned officersFile:Royal Engineers Ensign.png|alt=Union Jack and stylised, winged hand on a blue background|Ensign of the Corps of Royal EngineersRanks and insignia
{{British Army Officer Rank|Title=Y}}{{British Army Other Rank|Title=Y}}Most ranks across the British Army are known by the same name regardless of which Regiment they are in. However, the Household Cavalry call many ranks by different names, the Royal Artillery refer to Corporals as Bombardiers, the Rifles spell Sergeant as Serjeant,WEB, Swift and bold: All about The Rifles, 2 February 2022,www.forces.net/news/swift-and-bold-all-about-rifles, and Private soldiers are known by a wide variety of titles; notably trooper, gunner, guardsman, kingsman, sapper, signaller, fusilier, craftsman and rifleman dependant on the Regiment they belong to.WEB, British Army ranks {{!, National Army Museum|url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/british-army-ranks|access-date=23 November 2020|website=www.nam.ac.uk}} These names do not affect a soldier’s pay or role.WEB, Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body: Forty-Ninth Report 2020,www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-pay-review-body-forty-ninth-report-2020, 23 November 2020, GOV.UK, 6 August 2020,Reserve forces
The oldest of the Reserve Forces was the Militia Force (also referred to as the Constitutional Force),WEB, MILITIA BILL. (Hansard, 23 April 1852),api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1852/apr/23/militia-bill, live,web.archive.org/web/20230929100825/https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1852/apr/23/militia-bill, 29 September 2023, 2024-03-04, api.parliament.uk, WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1855/may/04/the-militia, 4 May 1855, THE MILITIA., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1856/jul/11/the-militia-question, 11 July 1856, THE MILITIA—QUESTION., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1878/jun/13/army-auxiliary-forces-the-militia, 13 June 1878, ARMY—AUXILIARY FORCES—THE MILITIA.—OBSERVATIONS., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), which (in the Kingdom of England, prior to 1707) was originally the main military defensive force (there otherwise were originally only Royal bodyguards, including the Yeomen Warders and the Yeomen of the Guard, with armies raised only temporarily for expeditions overseas), made up of civilians embodied for annual training or emergencies, which had used various schemes of compulsory service during different periods of its long existence. From the 1850s it recruited volunteers who engaged for terms of service. The Militia was originally an all-infantry force, though Militia coastal artillery, field artillery, and engineers units were introduced from the 1850s,The Militia Artillery 1852–1909, by Norman EH Litchfield. The Sherwood Press (Nottingham) Ltd. 1987 organised at the city or county level, and members were not required to serve outside of their recruitment area, although the area within which militia units in Britain could be posted was increased to anywhere in the Britain during the Eighteenth Century.Volunteer Force units were also frequently raised during wartime and disbanded upon peace. This was re-established as a permanent (i.e., in war and peace) part of the Reserve Forces in 1859. It differed from the Militia in a number of ways, most particularly in that volunteers did not commit to a term service, and were able to resign with fourteen days notice (except while embodied). As volunteer soldiers were originally expected to fund the cost of their own equipment, few tended to come from the labouring class among whom the Militia primarily recruited.WEB,www.nam.ac.uk/explore/civilian-soldiers, Civilian soldiers, National Army Museum, 9 September 2021, Troop shortages and patriotic zest during the imperial crises and expansion of the British Empire in the second half of the 19th century prompted the creation of other volunteer and yeomanry units, such as the Volunteer Force, with a far less distinct role, as well as the permanent embodiment of the militia in vulnerable British towns., JOURNAL, The British Volunteer System, The North American Review, Rt. Hon Earl Brownlow, Adelbert Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow, 745, 1 May 1900, The Yeomanry Force was made up of mounted units, organised similarly to the Volunteer Force, first raised during the two decades of war with France that followed the French Revolution. As with the Volunteers, members of the Yeomanry were expected to foot much of the cost of their own equipment, including their horses, and the make-up of the units tended to be from more affluent classes.WEB,www.nam.ac.uk/explore/civilian-soldiers, Civilian soldiers, National Army Museum, 9 September 2021, The yeomanry, a mounted force drawn from the upper classes, was created at the peak of the fear of French invasion and used extensively in support of the civil authority to put down riots and disturbances., WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1903/may/26/an-imperial-yeomanry-reserve, 26 May 1903, AN IMPERIAL YEOMANRY RESERVE., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Although Militia regiments were linked with British Army regiments during the course of the Napoleonic Wars to feed volunteers for service abroad into the regular army, and volunteers from the Reserve Forces served abroad either individually or in contingents, service companies, or battalions in a succession of conflicts from the Crimean War to the Second Boer War, personnel did not normally move between forces unless re-attested as a member of the new force, and units did not normally move from the Reserve Forces to become part of the Regular Forces, or vice versa. There were exceptions, however, as with the New Brunswick Regiment of Fencible Infantry, raised in 1803, which became the 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment of Foot when it was transferred to the British Army on 13 September 1810.BOOK, Grodzinski, John R., The 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment of Foot in the War of 1812, 2014, Goose Lane Editions, 9780864924476, en, Another type of reserve force was created during the period between the French Revolution and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Called Fencibles, these were disbanded after the Napoleonic Wars and not raised again, although the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment, later the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery, existed from 1815 until the 1880s when it became the Royal Malta Artillery,WEB, Royal Malta Fencible Regiment (1815–1861), Armed Forces of Malta, 2020,afm.gov.mt/en/oldpages/fencibleregiment/Pages/Royal-Malta-Fencible-Regiment.aspx, 9 September 2021, and the Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps was formed in 1846.BOOK, Cowan, James, 1955,nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cow01NewZ-b1-1-14.html, The Royal New Zealand Fencibles, The New Zealand Wars: A History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period, I: 1845–1864, New Zealand Wars (1845–1872), R. E. Owen, Wellington, WEB, NZDSI, 2003,www.nzfenciblesociety.org.nz/, Who Were The Fencibles?, New Zealand Fencible Society Incorporated, 25 December 2013, The Reserve Forces were raised locally (in Britain, under the control of Lords-Lieutenant of counties, and, in British colonies, under the colonial governors, and members originally were obliged to serve only within their locality (which, in the United Kingdom, originally meant within the county or other recruitment area, but was extended to anywhere in Britain, though not overseas). They have consequently also been referred to as Local Forces. As they were (and in some cases are) considered separate forces from the British Army, though still within the British military, they have also been known as Auxiliary Forces. The Militia and Volunteer units of a colony were generally considered to be separate forces from the Home Militia Force and Volunteer Force in the United Kingdom, and from the Militia Forces and Volunteer Forces of other colonies. Where a colony had more than one Militia or Volunteer unit, they would be grouped as a Militia or Volunteer Force for that colony, such as the Jamaica Volunteer Defence Force. Officers of the Reserve Forces could not sit on Courts Martial of regular forces personnel. The Mutiny Act did not apply to members of the Reserve Forces. The Reserve Forces within the British Isles were increasingly integrated with the British Army through a succession of reforms (beginning with the Cardwell Reforms) of the British military forces over the last two decades of the Nineteenth Century and the early years of the Twentieth Century, whereby the Reserve Forces units mostly lost their own identities and became numbered Militia or Volunteer battalions of regular British Army corps or regiments.WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1895/mar/15/the-army-estimates, 15 March 1895, THE ARMY ESTIMATES., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), In 1908, the Yeomanry and Volunteer Force were merged to create the Territorial Force (changed to Territorial Army after the First World War), with terms of service similar to the army and Militia, and the Militia was renamed the Special Reserve,HART’S ANNUAL ARMY LIST, SPECIAL RESERVE LIST, AND TERRITORIAL FORCE LIST, FOR 1911: (BEING THE SEVENTY-SECOND ANNUAL VOLUME,) CONTAINING DATES OF COMMISSIONS, AND A SUMMARY OF THE WAR SERVICES OF NEARLY EVERY OFFICER IN THE ARMY, SUPPLY &c. DEPARTMENTS, MARINES, AND INDIAN ARMY, AND INDIAN LOCAL FORCES. WITH AN INDEX. BY THE LATE LIEUTENANT GENERAL H. G. HART. JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON. 1911WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1908/feb/18/the-territorial-forces-act-the-militia, 18 February 1908, THE TERRITORIAL FORCES ACT—THE MILITIA., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), WEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1913/apr/09/british-army-home-and-colonial-military, 9 April 1913, BRITISH ARMY.—HOME AND COLONIAL MILITARY FORCES., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), After the First World War the Special Reserve was renamed the Militia, again, but permanently suspended (although a handful of Militia units survived in the United Kingdom, its colonies, and the Crown Dependencies). Although the Territorial Force was nominally still a separate force from the British Army, by the end of the century, at the latest, any unit wholly or partly funded from Army Funds was considered part of the British Army. Outside the United Kingdom-proper, this was generally only the case for those units in the Channel Islands or the Imperial fortress colonies (Nova Scotia, before Canadian confederation; Bermuda; Gibraltar; and Malta).WEB,livelb.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/a-global-view/the-caribbean/bermuda/, The National Archives – Homepage, The National, Archives, 24 April 2021, 17 June 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210617014624/https://livelb.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/a-global-view/the-caribbean/bermuda/, dead, The Quarterly Army List Part I, January 1945. Order of Precedence of the British Army. Page xiii. His Majesty’s Stationery OfficeWEB,api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1899/mar/17/army-estimates-1899-1900#division_48, 17 March 1899, ARMY ESTIMATES, 1899–1900., Hansard, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), The Bermuda Militia Artillery, Bermuda Militia Infantry, Bermuda Volunteer Engineers, and the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps,History of The Coast Artillery in the British Army, by Colonel KW Maurice-Jones, DSO, RA. Royal Artillery Institution. 1959 by example were paid for by the War Office and considered part of the British Army, with their officers appearing in the Army List unlike those of many other colonial units deemed auxiliaries. Today, the British Army is the only Home British military force, including the various other forces it has absorbed, though British military units organised on Territorial Army lines remain in British Overseas Territories that are still not considered formally part of the British Army, with only the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and the Royal Bermuda Regiment (an amalgam of the old Bermuda Militia Artillery and Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps) appearing on the British Army order-of-precedence and in the Army List, as well as on the Corps Warrant (the official list of those British military forces that are considered corps of the British Army).The Army List, 1951, His Majesty’s Stationery Office. Column XVI to XIX (Pages 16 to 19)WEB,www.stabroeknews.com/2008/10/01/guyana-review/the-british-guiana-volunteer-force/, The British Guiana Volunteer Force, 1 October 2008, WEB,www.colonialforces.org/batteries-companies-regiments-and-c, Batteries, Companies, Regiments and Corps (Land), CFSG (Q) Inc, 19 January 2021, 27 January 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210127130254/https://www.colonialforces.org/batteries-companies-regiments-and-c, dead, Bermuda Forts 1612–1957, Dr. Edward Cecil Harris, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, {{ISBN|0-921560-11-7}}Bulwark Of Empire: Bermuda’s Fortified Naval Base 1860–1920, Lt.-Col. Roger Willock, USMC, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, The Bermuda Maritime Museum. {{ISBN|978-0-921560-00-5}}WEB,www.bermudastamps.co.uk/1988/11/10/military-uniforms-bermuda/, 1988 Military Uniforms of Bermuda, Neil, Rigby, 10 November 1988, 24 April 2021, 27 October 2020,www.bermudastamps.co.uk/1988/11/10/military-uniforms-bermuda/," title="web.archive.org/web/20201027202435www.bermudastamps.co.uk/1988/11/10/military-uniforms-bermuda/,">web.archive.org/web/20201027202435www.bermudastamps.co.uk/1988/11/10/military-uniforms-bermuda/, dead, A LIST OF THE OFFICERS of the ARMY, (WITH AN ALPHABETICAL INDEX;) OF THE OFFICERS of the ROYAL ARTILLERY, THE ENGINEERS, the MARINE FORCES, AND OF THE OFFICERS on HALF-PAY; AND A SUCCESSION of COLONELS. THE THIRTY-SECOND EDITION. War-Office. 31 March 1784THE NEW ANNUAL ARMY LIST, MILITIA LIST, 1854: (BEING THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL VOLUME), CONTAINING THE DATES OF COMMISSIONS, AND A STATEMENT OF THE WAR SERVICES AND WOUNDS OF NEARLY EVERY OFFICER IN THE ARMY, ORDNANCE, AND MARINES. CORRECTED TO 30 December 1853. WITH AN INDEX. MAJOR H. G. HART, 49TH REGT. JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, LONDON 1854{{anchor|Uniform}}Uniforms
{{Further|Uniforms of the British Army}}The British Army uniform has sixteen categories, ranging from ceremonial uniforms to combat dress to evening wear. No. 8 Dress, the day-to-day uniform, is known as “Personal Clothing System – Combat Uniform” (PCS-CU)WEB,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23215.aspx, The British Army – Personal clothing, www.army.mod.uk, 9 March 2017,www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23215.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170410145655www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23215.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170410145655www.army.mod.uk/equipment/23215.aspx, 10 April 2017, live, and consists of a Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) windproof smock, a lightweight jacket and trousers with ancillary items such as thermals and waterproofs.WEB,www.forces80.com/dresscodes.htm, Dress Codes and Head Dress, Forces 80, 7 March 2017,www.forces80.com/dresscodes.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20170219085020www.forces80.com/dresscodes.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20170219085020www.forces80.com/dresscodes.htm, 19 February 2017, live, The army has introduced tactical recognition flashes (TRFs); worn on the right arm of a combat uniform, the insignia denotes the wearer’s regiment or corps.WEB,www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30077060, badge, unit, tactical recognition flash, British, Royal Corps of Signals, Imperial War Museum, 7 March 2017,www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30077060," title="web.archive.org/web/20170308135136www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30077060,">web.archive.org/web/20170308135136www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30077060, 8 March 2017, live, In addition to working dress, the army has a number of parade uniforms for ceremonial and non-ceremonial occasions. The most-commonly-seen uniforms are No.1 Dress (full ceremonial, seen at formal occasions such as at the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace) and No.2 Dress (Service Dress), a brown khaki uniform worn for non-ceremonial parades.WEB,assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/626107/2017-03109.pdf,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/626107/2017-03109.pdf, 2022-10-09, live, Army Dress Regulations 2017, Working headdress is typically a beret, whose colour indicates its wearer’s type of regiment. Beret colours are:WEB,www.apparelsearch.com/definitions/headwear_hats/beret_definitions.htm, Beret definitions, Apparel Search, 7 March 2017,www.apparelsearch.com/definitions/headwear_hats/beret_definitions.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20170613104455www.apparelsearch.com/definitions/headwear_hats/beret_definitions.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20170613104455www.apparelsearch.com/definitions/headwear_hats/beret_definitions.htm, 13 June 2017, live,- Khaki—Foot Guards, Honourable Artillery Company, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, Royal Anglian Regiment, Royal Welsh, Royal Yorkshire Regiment
- Light grey—Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps
- Brown—King’s Royal Hussars, Royal Wessex Yeomanry
- Black—Royal Tank Regiment
- Dark (rifle) green—Royal Dragoon Guards, The Rifles, Royal Gurkha Rifles, Small Arms School Corps
- Maroon—Parachute Regiment
- Beige—Special Air Service
- Sky blue—Army Air Corps
- Cypress green—Intelligence Corps
- Scarlet—Royal Military Police
- Green—Adjutant General’s Corps
- Navy blue—All other units, such as the Household Cavalry, Light Dragoons, Queen’s Dragoon Guards, Royal Yeomanry, and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
- Emerald grey—Special Reconnaissance Regiment
- Gun-metal grey—The Ranger RegimentWEB,www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/news/2021/11/ranger-regiment-cap-badge/, Introducing the Army’s latest cap badge: Ranger Regiment, www.army.mod.uk, 28 August 2022, British Army,
See also
{{Div col |colwidth = 22em }}- Army 2020 Refine
- Army Cadet Force
- Army Reserve (United Kingdom)
- British Army order of precedence
- British campaign medals
- Corps Warrant
- List of British Army installations
- List of British Army regiments and corps
- List of equipment of the British Army
- List of military weapons of the United Kingdom
- List of roles in the British Army
- List of wars involving England
- List of wars involving Scotland
- List of wars involving the United Kingdom
- Military bands of the United Kingdom
- Military history of the United Kingdom
- Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
- Red coat (military uniform)
- Royal Air Force
- Royal Navy
- “Rule, Britannia!”
- Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015
- Tommy Atkins
- Uniforms of the British Army
- United Kingdom Special Forces
Notes
{{NoteFoot}}References
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External links
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