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Soldiers: Army Lives and Loyalties from Redcoats to Dusty Warriors
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£20.00 (Incl. VAT)
Richard Holmes
Hardback, 506 Pages
9780007225699
From best-selling military historian Richard Holmes,a magisterial new
history of a man famously described by the Duke of Wellington as 'the
scum of the earth'. From battlefield to barrack-room, this book tells
the story of a man as ancient as a redcoat in Charles II's Tangier
garrison and as modern as gate-guard on Camp Bastion. The British
soldier forms a core component of British history.
In this
riveting and important book, Richard Holmes addresses the elements of
change and continuity that lie at the heart of the soldier.
Technological, political and social changes have all made their mark on
the development of warfare, but have the attitudes of the soldier
shifted as much we might think? For Holmes, the soldier is part of a
unique tribe - and the qualities of loyalty and heroism have continued
to grow amongst these men. And while today the army constitutes the
smallest proportion of the population since the first decade of its
existence (regular soldiers make up just 0.087%), the social
organisation of the men has hardly changed; the major combat arms,
infantry, cavalry and artillery, have retained forms and terminologies
that men who fought at Blenheimm, Waterloo and the Somme would readily
grasp.
Regiments remain an enduring feature of the army and
Lieutenant Colonels have lost nothing of their importance in military
hierarchy; the death of Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thornloe in
Afghanistan in 2009 shows just how high the risks are that these men
continue to face. Filled to the brim with stories from all over the
world and spanning across history, this magisterial book conveys how
soldiers from as far back as the seventeenth century and soldiers today
are united by their common experiences. This is the definitive history
of the British soldier and a book that will no doubt be considered so
for many years to come.
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