George White and the Victorian Army in India and Africa

George White and the Victorian Army in India and Africa PDF Author: Stephen M. Miller
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 303050834X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 323

Book Description
This book offers a detailed investigation of George S. White’s career in the British Army. It explores late Victorian military conflicts, British power dynamics in Africa and Asia, civil-military relations on the fringes of the empire, and networks of advancement in the army. White served in the Indian Rebellion and, twenty years later, the Second Anglo-Afghan War, where he earned the Victoria Cross. After serving in the Sudan campaign, White returned to India and held commands during the conquest and pacification of Upper Burma and the extension of British control over Balochistan, and, as Commander-in-Chief, sent expeditions to the North-West Frontier and oversaw major military reforms. Just before the start of the South African War, White was given the command of the Natal Field Force. This force was besieged in Ladysmith for 118 days. Relieved in 1900, White was heralded as the “Defender of Ladysmith.” He was made Field-Marshal in 1903.

Queen Victoria's Wars

Queen Victoria's Wars PDF Author: Stephen M. Miller
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108803490
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Book Description
This is a new history of Britain's imperial wars during the nineteenth century. Including chapters on wars fought in the hills, on the veldt, in the dense forests, and along the coast, it discusses wars waged in China, Burma, Afghanistan, and India/Pakistan; New Zealand; and, West, East, and South Africa. Leading military historians from around the world situate the individual conflict in the larger context of British domestic history and British foreign policy/grand strategy and examine the background of the conflict, the war aims, the outbreak of the war, the forces and technology employed, a narrative of the war, details about one specific battle, and the aftermath of the war. Beginning with the Indian Rebellion and ending with the South African War, it enables readers to see the global impact of British imperialism, the function of the army in the service of British political goals, and the evolution of military technology.

Queen Victoria's Wars

Queen Victoria's Wars PDF Author: Stephen M. Miller
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108490123
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Book Description
Offers a revised and updated history of thirteen of the most significant British conflicts during the Victorian period.

Volunteers on the Veld

Volunteers on the Veld PDF Author: Stephen M. Miller
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 9780806138640
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
This book spotlights Britain's “citizen army” to show who these volunteers were, why they enlisted, how they were trained—and how they quickly became disillusioned when they found themselves committed not to the supposed glories of conventional battle but instead to a prolonged guerrilla war.

Forgotten Victorian Generals

Forgotten Victorian Generals PDF Author: Christopher Brice
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781910777206
Category : Generals
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Many of the British Army's actions during the Victorian Era are forgotten, misunderstood and misrepresented. Stereotypes of the Victorian officer, soldier and battlefield abound. As the latter half of the twentieth century was one of 'Imperial Guilt' it is perhaps unsurprising that many of the 'heroes' of the age have been forgotten. This is particularly true of the 'Generals'. They were lauded in their day but now are unknown. Yet there were many capable individuals exercising high office. This new work provides some examples of the many interesting and talented officers who exercised command during the Victorian Era. It is hoped that such a work will be of interest to both the casual reader and the student of military history. Much of the military history of this age has been unfairly ignored, and there are many powerful and important lessons to be learnt from the careers of the men included in this book. The Generals featured in this book represent different types of General. Field Marshal Sir George White was Commander in Chief in India from 1893 to 1898 and was a rising star of the Army. Yet his reputation suffered from the South African War and his decision to take refuge in Ladysmith and become sieged during the early part of the war. Field Marshal Robert Napier was also Commander-in-Chief India from 1870 to 1876. He was originally an officer of engineers in the East India Company Army. He was considered one of the finest civil engineers in India and developed a reputation as a fine battlefield commander, culminating in his successfully conducting the Abyssinia Campaign of 1867-68. Brigadier General Robert Loyd-Lindsay's success lay in the political arena more than the military. He did much in the name of military reform and worked hard for the medical support of soldiers. General Sir Archibald Allison was very much the fighting soldier in his younger days, but in later life proved a successful Commandant at Sandhurst and Head of the Intelligence Branch at the War Office. Field Marshal William Nicholson had an interesting campaigning career and had the distinction of being the Second Chief of the General Staff of the British Army and was credited with much success in reforming the army. General Sir William Lockhart was yet another Commander-in-Chief in India who had seen considerable active service including commanding the Tirah Expedition of 1897-1898. General Sir Henry Brackenbury saw considerable active service but his greatest contributions were behind the scenes. He was the greatest administrator in the British Army during the Victorian Era. Major-General Sir John Ardagh had served under Brackenbury in the Intelligence Branch and later became its leader. Ardagh was also a first rate administrator and did an excellent job in the Intelligence Branch. Although criticized during the South African War for a perceived failure of military intelligence he was exonerated by the Royal Commission set up after the war. General Sir Arthur Cunynghame was an officer of the old school. He perhaps deserves more credit than he gets and certainly provides for an interesting study. All in all the Generals featured in this book provides us with a very interesting insight into generals of this era and the way in which they exercised command. The authors are a collection of experienced and early career historians.

The Victorian soldier in Africa

The Victorian soldier in Africa PDF Author: Edward Spiers
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 1847795463
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Book Description
This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. The Victorian soldier in Africa re-examines the campaign experience of British soldiers in Africa during the period, 1874–1902 – the zenith of the Victorian imperial expansion – and does so from the perspective of the regimental soldier. The book utilises an unprecedented number of letters and diaries, written by regimental officers and other ranks, to allow soldiers to speak for themselves about their experience of colonial warfare. The sources demonstrate the adaptability of the British army in fighting in different climates, over demanding terrain and against a diverse array of enemies. They also uncover soldiers’ responses to army reforms of the era as well as the response to the introduction of new technologies of war. Moreover, the book provides commentary on soldiers’ views of commanding officers and politicians alongside assessment of war correspondents, colonial auxiliaries and African natives in their roles as bearers, allies and enemies. This book reveals new insights on imperial and racial attitudes within the army, on relations between soldiers and the media and the production of information and knowledge from frontline to homefront. It will make fascinating reading for students, academics and enthusiasts in imperial history, Victorian studies, military history and colonial warfare.

Troopships of World War II

Troopships of World War II PDF Author: Roland Wilbur Charles
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Transports
Languages : en
Pages : 392

Book Description
"This book contains authentic photographs and salient facts covering 358 troopships used in World War II. In addition, other vessels of miscellaneous character, including Victory and Liberty type temporary conversions for returning troops, are listed in the appendices ..."--Pref.

Queen Victoria's Little Wars

Queen Victoria's Little Wars PDF Author: Byron Farwell
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393302356
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 436

Book Description
From 1837 to 1901, in Asia, China, Canada, Africa, and elsewhere, military expedition were constantly being undertaken to protect resident Britons or British interests, to extend a frontier, to repel an attack, avenge an insult, or suppress a mutiny or rebellion. Continuous warfare became an accepted way of life in the Victorian era, and in the process the size of the British Empire quadrupled.But engrossing as these small wars are--and they bristle with bizarre, tragic, and often humorous incident--it is the officers and men who fought them that dominate this book. With their courage, foolhardiness, and eccentricities, they are an unforgettable lot.

The Battle of Dorking

The Battle of Dorking PDF Author: George Chesney
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 60

Book Description
The Battle of Dorking: Reminiscences of a Volunteer is an 1871 novella by George Tomkyns Chesney, starting the genre of invasion literature and an important precursor of science fiction. Written just after the Prussian victory in the Franco-Prussian War, it describes an invasion of Britain by a German-speaking country referred to in oblique terms as The Other Power or The Enemy. Excerpt: "You ask me to tell you, my grandchildren, something about my share in the great events that happened fifty years ago. 'Tis sad work turning back to that bitter page in our history, but you may perhaps take profit in your new homes from the lesson it teaches. For us, in England, it came too late. And yet we had plenty of warnings if we had only made use of them."

History of the 19th King George's Own Lancers, Formerly 18th King George's Own Lancers and 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse), Amalgamated in 1921

History of the 19th King George's Own Lancers, Formerly 18th King George's Own Lancers and 19th Lancers (Fane's Horse), Amalgamated in 1921 PDF Author: Sir Havelock Hudson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781847347275
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 462

Book Description
The sixty years covered by this wide-ranging unit history encompassed the high noon and final sunset of both the British Army's proud cavalry arm and the Indian army of which the 19th Lancers were such an ornament. The 19th Lancers were raised in India in 1858 in the aftermath of the Great Mutiny. In the 1870s it fought in the second Afghan war; was on garrison duty in India in the 1880s; served on the ever-restive North West Frontier in the 1890s. With the outbreak of the Great War, the regiment was rushed to France, where, after the formation of the trench lines, it fought as infantry - including the battle of the Somme in 1916. In 1917 it fought at Arras and Cambrai, and ended the war in Egypt and Palestine where it took part in the advance on Damascus. This is a valuable and rare official account of an Indian regiment in the Great War, and is laced with vivid vignettes of the Indian army's social life in peace and war. There are photos and maps and numerous appendices; awards; and Rolls of Honour.