The British Army is the land armed forces element of the United Kingdom.

In contrast to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include royal in its title, because of its roots as a collection of disparate units.

The British Army is widely regarded as one of the best trained and best led in the world, and has a long record of achieving excellent results. It should be noted that many achievements sometimes credited to the British Army were actually the result of substantial (or in some cases complete) Dominion or Imperial effort. For example Australia and New Zealand played a major role in North Africa and Canadian forces were largely responsible for the capture of Juno Beach on D-Day. That being said the British Army still has many proud achievements.

History

The Founding of the Army

The British Army did not exist as a separate entity before the Act of Union of 1707 which united England and Scotland, but its origins date back to the aftermath of the English Civil War. Before the Civil War, the army was raised as required by the King, who would warrant gentlemen to raise companies, this being a direct throwback to the feudal concept of fief where a lord had to raise a certain quota of knights, men at arms and yeomanry. The only difference up to this point in time being that raising companies without a warrant could be considered treasonable (whereas feudal lords could raise their fief to fight each other).

After the Civil War, parliament assumed control of the Army, and standing companies based on Cromwell's New Model Army formed the concept of the first regiments. Cromwell's companies did not yet assume the unique names that came later to be associated with British Army Regiments, instead they would name their companies after psalms or biblical phrases, or were often identified with the gentleman (typically with the rank of Colonel) who had raised the company, eg Monck's Regiment of Foot. (This particular unit is notable because after the end of the Civil War it was barracked in London, and was involved in defending parliament when it voted for the restoration; this unit is now known as the Coldstream Guards.)

With the Restoration of Charles II the concept of standing regiments found favour with the King. As well as retaining some existing loyal standing units, he raised his own, one of the first being the First or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards, today shortened to the Grenadier Guards. On January 26th, 1661 Charles II issued the warrant that officially founded the British Army.

The oldest surviving regiment in the British Army is the Honourable Artillery Company (given a royal charter in 1537), now a Territorial Army unit. It is not considered the most senior, however, because it fought on the side of Parliament in the Civil War and so doesn't have unbroken service to the crown. This honour instead goes to the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers, also now a Territorial Army unit, which was founded in 1539. The oldest surviving regular unit is the Royal Scots, founded in 1633.

The Monarch is head of the Armed Forces and is the only person who can declare war and peace, though these powers are exercised today only on the advice of responsible Ministers. The Bill of Rights of 1689 purports to prevent a standing army in peacetime.

That the raising or keeping a standing army within the kingdom in time of peace, unless it be with consent of Parliament, is against law.

No such prohibition applies to the Royal Navy. Parliamentary consent is currently given by the Army and Air Force Acts of 1955 and annual Continuation Orders passed by Parliament.

The Army in the 18th and 19th centuries

• Jacobite Rebellions
  • Battle of Preston (1715)
  • Battle of Culloden
• War of the Spanish Succession,(Blenheim)
  • Queen Anne's War
• War of Jenkins' Ear
• War of the Austrian Succession
• Seven Years' War
• Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
• American Revolution
  • American Revolutionary War
• Napoleonic Wars,(including Peninsular War , Battle of Waterloo),
• Anglo-American War
• Crimean War

Numerous colonial wars including:

• First Opium War and Second Opium War
• Great Game
  • First Anglo-Afghan War, Second Anglo-Afghan War, Third Anglo-Afghan War
• Sudan campaigns
  • Siege of Khartoum by the forces of the self-proclaimed mahdi, Mahommed Ahmed.
  • Anglo-Egyptian Nile Expeditionary Force and the Battle of Omdurman
• Zulu War
• First Boer War and Second Boer War

The Army and the First World War

Vickers machine gun and crew

The British Expeditionary Force, organized by Richard Burdon Haldane, was sent to France at the beginning of World War I. During the war, the Tank Corps and the Royal Flying Corps were formed. Major developments included trench warfare and the tank.

Major Actions

Battle of Mons, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Ypres, Battle of the Marne, etc.

Equipment and Uniform

The standard rifle in this period was the Lee-Enfield Rifle, in its short magazine form (SMLE). Officers and some other ranks were equipped with a Webley Mk IV revolver. Other infantry weapons included the Lewis gun and Vickers machine gun. It was during this period that the Brodie helmet was introduced, giving one of the classic visual attributes of the tommy.

The Army and the Second World War

See British military history of World War II and British Commandos

Major Actions

Battle of France, Battle of Dunkirk, North African Campaign, Italian Campaign, Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, Ardennes Offensive, South-East Asian Theatre

Equipment and Uniform

The standard rifle in this period was the Lee-Enfield Rifle in its No.4 Mk1 form, although equipment shortages after Dunkirk meant many older forms of the Lee-Enfield were brought back into use. Other infantry weapons included the Bren gun, Thompson submachine gun, Sten gun and Vickers machine gun. The Brodie helmet continued to be standard issue.

Cold War

In the aftermath of WWII, the Army concentrated most of its combat firepower in Germany. For the first time in its history, it maintained the bulk of its forces in continental Europe in peacetime, after they ceased being an army of occupation. The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) was formed to control British formations in West Germany. It varied in size during its lifetime, but for a good proportion of the time, it consisted of four divisions, with about 55,000 men in total. Another unusual feature of the formation was that it had a British corps headquarters permanently established in peacetime as a manoeuvre formation. This was I Corps. Usually in peacetime there are not enough British formations in one place to merit this level of headquarters being established.

The BAOR lasted until 1993, when it was disbanded as part of the Options for Change defence cuts. The Army has not completely pulled out of Germany. 1st Armoured Division is still based in the country as part of British Forces Germany.

Major Actions

• Malayan Emergency, Korean War, Aden, Suez Crisis, Indonesian Confrontation

Equipment and Uniform

The standard rifle in this period was initially the Lee-Enfield family of rifles, but these were replaced in the 1950s with the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR)

Modern British Army

Since 1962, when the last period of conscription (National Service) ended, the army has been a wholly professional force of volunteers. About one quarter of the Army is provided by the part-time members of the Territorial Army.

Major Actions & Deployments

• The Falklands War

• First Gulf War

Currently serving in Northern Ireland in the 'military aid to the civil authorities' capacity. As the troubles have lessened recently, the army presence in the region has been intentionally reduced both to ease any remaining tensions and to relieve personnel for duties elsewhere.

• Sierra Leonne

After initial combat operations to quell anti-government militia activity, the army has remained to train, equip and support government forces. During combat with the militia, several soldiers and officers where kidnapped and held by the West Side Boys in a stronghold surrounded by dense jungle and swamps. The Parachute Regiment and the SAS mounted a rescue mission via boat and helicopter. One member of HM forces died. However, the action was executed with textbook precision and all hostages were released.

• Bosnia

• Kosovo

• Afghanistan

British forces were part of the spearhead group that initiated actions in Afghanistan that was implemented in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. In the aftermath of the invasion British forces remain in the capital Kabul as a protection force for the new government as part of a NATO multi-national force. Smaller groups also operate in Northern territories to work with tribal leaders in an attempt to end violence and drug trafficking.

• 2003 Iraqi War (Operation Telic)

The British Army is also based in a variety of locations, in varying degrees of strength.

• In Belize, Central America the British provides a small administrative force as part of British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), to support the 6 annual exercises that take place in Belize. A flight from the Army Air Corps is based there to provide helicopter support for exercising units.

• In Brunei, the British provide a Gurkha battalion, supported by a small garrison unit and a Bell 212 flight from the Army Air Corps.

• In Canada the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) is based in Alberta. A small permanent staff is based as part of BATUS. The vast and uninhabited BATUS provides large-scale armoured and mechanised training for 6 regiments annually, exercises lasting for approximately 6-weeks.

• In Cyprus a considerable British force is based there, located in the Sovereign Base Areas and as part of the UN peacekeeping force.

• In the Falkland Islands, since the Falklands War, the British Army has maintained a garrison force there.

• In Germany, the garrison force there represents the largest overseas contingent of the British Army, with roughly about 25,000 soldiers stationed there and a considerable amount of equipment based there.

• In Gibraltar, the garrison force is provided by an indigenous regiment, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment which is on the Army regular establishment.

• In Kenya a small permanent administrative unit, the British Army Training and Liaison Staff Kenya (BATLSK), is stationed there to provide support for the three battalions that annually deploy there for exercises that last for 6-weeks.

Equipment and Uniform

See Modern equipment and uniform of the British Army

Structure and Personnel

Ranks

The various ranks, in descending order, are as follows:

Officers

• Field Marshal
• General
• Lieutenant General
• Major General
• Brigadier
• Colonel
• Lieutenant Colonel
• Major
• Captain
• Lieutenant
• Second Lieutenant

Enlisted personnel

• Warrant Officer Class 1
• Warrant Officer Class 2
• Staff Sergeant
• Sergeant
• Corporal or Bombardier
• Lance Corporal or Lance Bombardier
• Private (First, Second, Third and Fourth Classes) - Note that many regiments and corps have distinctive (and descriptive) names for this rank, such as Trooper (Tpr), Rifleman (Rfn), Sapper (Spr), and Craftsman (Cfn).

Structure of the British Army

See Structure of the British Army.

Notable units of the British Army, past and present

• 7th Armoured Division
• 11th Hussars
• Artists' Rifles
• Coldstream Guards
• The Commandos
• Grenadier Guards
• Honourable Artillery Company
• King's German Legion (1803 - 1816)
• Kings Royal Rifle Corps (formerly The Duke of York's Own Rifle Corps and the 60th Royal American Regiment)
• Long Range Desert Group
• Royal Welch Fusiliers
• Scots Greys
• Special Air Service

Land units of the British Armed Forces which are not part of the British Army include;

• Royal Marines
• Special Boat Service
• RAF Regiment

Famous members of the British Army

• Henry Shrapnel - Inventor of shrapnel
• Robert Baden-Powell - Boer War hero & founder of the Scouting movement
• B.H. Liddell Hart - WWI officer and military strategist
• Claude Auchinleck - WWII General
• Field Marshal Montgomery - WWII Allied commander

Commanders of the British Army

Captains-General of the British Army, 1660-1809

• George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle 1660-1670
• office vacant 1670-1678
• James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth 1678-1679
• office vacant 1679-1702
• John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough 1702-1711
• James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormond 1711-1714
• John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough 1714-1717
• office vacant 1717-1744
• Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland 1744-1757
• office vacant 1757-1799
• Prince Frederick, Duke of York 1799-1809

Commanders-in-Chief of the Forces, 1672-1904

• James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth 1674-1679
• office vacant 1679-1690
• John Churchill, 1st Earl of Marlborough 1690-1691
• Meinhard Schomberg, 1st Duke of Leinster 1691-1711
• James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormond 1711-1714
• office vacant 1714-1744
• John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair 1744
• George Wade 1745-1748
• office vacant 1748-1757
• John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier 1757-1759
• office vacant 1759-1766
• John Manners, Marquess of Granby 1766-1769
• office vacant 1769-1778
• Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Lord Amherst 1778-1782
• Henry Seymour Conway 1782-1783
• Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Lord Amherst 1783-1795
• Prince Frederick, Duke of York 1795-1809
• Sir David Dundas 1809-1811
• Prince Frederick, Duke of York 1811-1827
• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1827-1828
• Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill 1828-1842
• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 1842-1852
• Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge 1852-1856
• Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge 1856-1895
• Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley 1895-1900
• Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts 1900-1904

Chiefs of the General Staff, 1904-1908

• Sir Neville Lyttleton 1904-1908

Chiefs of the Imperial General Staff, 1908-1964

• Sir William Nicholson 1908-1912
• Sir John French 1912-1914
• Sir Charles Douglas 1914
• Sir James Murray 1914-1915
• Sir Archibald Murray 1915
• Sir William Robertson 1915-1918
• Sir Henry Wilson 1918-1922
• Frederick Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan 1922-1926
• Sir George Milne 1926-1933
• Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberg 1933-1936
• Sir Cyril Deverell 1936-1937
• John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort 1937-1939
• Sir Edmund Ironside 1939-1940
• Sir John Dill 1940-1941
• Sir Alan Brooke 1941-1946
• Sir Bernard Montgomery 1946-1948
• Sir William Slim 1948-1952
• Sir John Harding 1952-1955
• Sir Gerald Templer 1955-1958
• Sir Francis Festing 1958-1961
• Sir Richard Hull 1961-1964

Chiefs of the General Staff, 1964-present

• Sir Richard Hull 1964-1965
• Sir James Cassels 1965-1968
• Sir Geoffrey Baker 1968-1971
• Sir Michael Carver 1971-1973
• Sir Peter Hunt 1973-1976
• Sir Roland Gibbs 1976-1979
• Sir Edwin Bramall 1979-1982
• Sir John Stamier 1982-1985
• Sir Nigel Bagnall 1985-1989
• Sir John Chapple 1989-1992
• Sir Peter Inge 1992-1994
• Sir Charles Guthrie 1994-1997
• Sir Roger Wheeler 1997-2000
• Sir Michael Walker 2000-2003
• Sir Michael Jackson 2003-present

See also

• British military history
• British military history of World War II
• British military rank insignia
• Comparative military ranks
• Comparative military ranks of World War I
• Comparative military ranks of World War II
• Military Aid to the Civil Power
• Military Aid to the Civil Community
• Military unit
• UK topics
• The Royal British Legion

External links

• British Army Website (http://www.army.mod.uk/)
• FAQ - Oldest regiment in the British Army (http://www.regiments.org/milhist/about/questions/faq/oldest.htm)
• The British Army in the Great War (http://www.1914-1918.net/)