British Tom Atkinson- the author of a collection of photographs "Soldiers' Inventories", which presents the military equipment of the British army in different historical eras. Viewers can see how military uniforms and weapons of soldiers have changed over the course of a millennium.
Exhibition military ammunition was collected thanks to the efforts of many historians, collectors, reconstruction specialists. Tom Atkinson focused on specific military operations in which Britain took part in the last millennium, he clearly demonstrated to the audience all stages of the evolution of the country's military potential, from the battle of Hastings (1066) to modern conflicts in the province of Helmand (Afghanistan).
Atkinson was surprised to find that, in fact, little had changed in the equipment of the soldiers. Of course, weapons and means of protection have been improved, but the set of soldier's items itself has remained the same. Instead of swords, modern warriors use firearms, and ordinary notebooks have been replaced with iPads.
However, for centuries, playing cards and chessboards have occupied an important place among the personal belongings of soldiers - leisure is important even in war. Mandatory in the war and all kinds of utensils - spoons, mugs, bowlers. The author of the project comments on the set of soldier's duffel bags: “The requirements for food and the way it is consumed have not changed over the past 1000 years. It's the same with heat, water, protection, entertainment."
Note that among the things you can often see written paper, prayer books and the Bible - all these things are important for soldiers to this day.
Tom Atkinson himself admits that he did not serve in the army, so he needed numerous expert consultations to bring this photo project to life. The purpose of the project, according to the author, is to show that soldiers are the same people who have simple human needs.
A complete list of the ammunition presented in the photo is published by the online edition.
The army of any state is a shield that is designed to protect the peaceful life of citizens and the territorial integrity of the country. This social formation existed long before people invented writing, law and other forms of their activity. In other words, the culture of killing a person, and it is for this purpose that armies are created, is one of the most ancient spheres of the direct functioning of society. Over the course of many centuries, the armies of all states without exception have evolved. This is also due to the history of the development of a particular country. It should be noted that many cultural traditions of the troops that existed several centuries ago are still preserved in the active armies. Of course, this approach testifies to the well-established system of personnel training, as well as cohesion in the composition of the troops. But of the entire number of armed forces of different countries, there are armies that stand out against the general background. These are the British Armed Forces today. The history of the formation of the army of this country is filled with amazing heroic deeds and valiant battles. A significant influence on the development of the British troops was also exerted by the long stay of the state in the status. All this together makes the British Armed Forces a highly professional and mobile military formation, which represents a significant combat power. The structure of the troops of this state and their functions will be discussed later in the article.
General concept of the armed forces of Great Britain
The army of Great Britain is a cumulative concept of a number of different ones. That is, the term denotes all the military formations of the state that are part of a single defense structure. The activities of the British army are quite specific, given some political and territorial features. In addition, the military formation of the country has a long history. The army is managed through the Ministry of Defense, the structural element of which is a special defense council. As in many progressive modern countries today, the head of state is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In the case of Great Britain, this is the monarch - Queen Elizabeth II.
The initial stage of development of the armed forces of Britain
There are many historical versions about when the British army arose. The most common is the opinion that the British Armed Forces arose in 1707, as a result of the unification of England and Scotland directly. But some scholars are of the opinion that the starting point in the history of the army of this state is a much more ancient date. In this case, such an assertion is false. Since before the unification of the previously represented states, England was a series of independent, warring countries. During its formation, the British army took part in a large number of wars both on the territory of its colonies and against other states. The most famous military conflicts in which the armed forces of Great Britain took part are the following:
Napoleonic and Seven Years' War.
Crimean War.
War against the American colonies.
The Opium Wars 1840-1860.
It should also be noted that at this stage of development, the British army has a strong fleet and a small number of ground forces. Thanks to this approach to the organization of the troops, the empire had the status of "mistress of the seas" for a long time. It should also be noted that throughout the entire period of development, the army of France and Great Britain constantly competed with each other. This is due not only to the dominant positions of these states in Europe, but also to national enmity.
The development of the army in the XX century
The subsequent stages in the development of the British army are characterized by the participation of the state in the First and Second World Wars. At this time, some reorganization actions were also carried out. For example, in 1916 the British authorities introduced universal conscription. In addition, in 1922 the state officially abandoned the principle of "two fleets", according to which the composition of the British Navy was to be twice the size of the fleet of other major maritime powers. A significant enough fact for the development of the army of the empire was the country's entry into NATO in 1949. This led to the participation of Great Britain in almost all major operations carried out by the bloc.
British Armed Forces in the 21st Century
In the 21st century, the British army took part in the war against Afghanistan, as well as Iraq. It should also be noted that a large number of the British contingent was sent for the military intervention of the state of Libya, which took place in 2013. In addition, representatives of Britain played a significant role in the implementation of Operation Serval. Thus, the British Army, which numbers 421 thousand personnel, is today one of the best military formations in the world.
Structure of the British Armed Forces
The entire structure of the British army is built in such a way as to facilitate the implementation of the functions of this formation as much as possible. In addition, the State Armed Forces have some specific types of troops that have a rather interesting field of activity. Thus, the British army, the strength of which was presented above, has the following structural elements:
- Air Force.
- Ground troops.
- Special Forces.
- Medical service.
This structure, as mentioned earlier, is best suited for performing individual functional tasks. At the same time, the medical troops of the armed forces are unique in their kind. Because medical units in other world armies are not singled out as a separate structural element of the Armed Forces.
Ground troops
Like the armed forces of Great Britain as a whole, the ground forces also begin their history from 1707. To date, the army of England is a professional unit, the main purpose of which is to defeat enemy personnel on the ground. The main striking force of the army, as we understand it, is the infantry. To date, it includes about 36 regular battalions. In addition to this, the power of the British army also consists of an armored corps, an artillery regiment, an engineer corps, an army air corps, a reconnaissance corps and a signal corps. Also, this type of troops includes territorial military formations, which are analogous to the national guard.
British Navy
So, in the article we examined the features of the armed forces of Great Britain. It should be noted that today the armed forces of this state are among the most powerful on Earth. But let's hope that it will not be possible to visually see the full power of the British army.
Young people went to war to change themselves and change the world. In four long years, both the world and they have changed, but not at all in the way they expected.
World War I was not an "adventure" or "picnic" as the early volunteers thought, nor was it a "bleeding" or "crusade" as the public claimed. It turned out to be the greatest tragedy of the early 20th century.
Having emerged victorious from this conflict, the British tirelessly repeated: "never again" and tried their best to follow this principle, the political embodiment of which the appeasement policy of the 1930s in many ways became.
Ideals and religion are traditionally responsible for the moral and moral well-being of soldiers. In the First World War, they failed to cope with the task assigned to them: the first was replaced by indifference and expectation of the end of the war, the second - by mysticism and superstition.
Faith in God, or rather in his representatives on earth, was greatly undermined by the behavior of the Anglican clergy. Status did not automatically imply respect, it had to be earned, and few chaplains were capable of that.
On an emotional level, soldier's humor and fatalism play a protective function. The first became more and more black, as the soldiers became more and more cynical. Desperately ridiculed both the most terrible and the most positive aspects of life.
The soldiers knew how to rejoice in the little things, parody the terrible and ironically over the saint. Fatalism also characterizes a specific attitude towards existence in military conditions, but it rather reflects the perception of the future rather than the present.
After spending some time on the front line, the soldiers stopped guessing which of the "decisive" battles would be the last, gradually ceasing to perceive the war as an anthropogenic factor: all events, even the most insignificant ones, were attributed to fate.
When the "shield" built on a three-level protection; cracked, a kind of "immunodeficiency" set in - a person could no longer withstand the horrors of war. So there was a "shell shock".
It manifested itself either in the form of a sudden attack (hysteria), or as a result of prolonged nervous strain (neurasthenia). War neurosis was one of the many "discoveries" of the First World War.
Later, he will receive recognition, both doctors and army authorities, but at that time he was considered a sign of weakness, and among all actors, including those with this diagnosis.
Here is a letter from Major Henry Granville, who talks about one of the battles at Ypres: “Suddenly the man who was lying next to me turned his head. And I saw his face - from eyes to chin. And I was shocked. There was no face. The guy pretended that moaned from the noise, and looked at me inquiringly with the expression "Something happened?".
The mention of the case ends here, but we know that after several attempts to stop the bleeding and reduce pain with morphine, Granville had to kill his "teammate in the trench" - he suffered in death throes.
At the end of his letter, the major reflects "We are just pawns" and hints at the continuation of the story with the murdered man: "What I wrote is a sketch. It will take a week of tears to tell everything."
The British Expeditionary Force itself was not a homogeneous structure. It has changed over time and military operations. Four stages can be traced in the formation of the British Army, each of the "waves" that made it up, differed in its own system of values and attitude towards the war.
Regular troops perceived the war as work, territorial - as an opportunity to prove that they are no worse than regular ones. Both those and those were thrown into the millstones of the war in 1914 - 1915 and perished on the battlefields almost in full strength.
They were replaced by the New Army: first, volunteers went to France, followed by conscripts. Both those and those were distinguished by civic morality, often significantly higher education and well-formed life attitudes.
They treated the war first as an "adventure", because as a duty, and then as a fate, something inevitable, developing according to its own laws and not depending on the will and actions of people.
The British army was traditionally led into battle not just by officers, but by gentlemen who were supposed to be role models for their subordinates.
In 1914-1918. the highest army ranks could not become such, since in most cases they were far from the soldiers both geographically and emotionally.
The static World War I did not allow the commanders of the mobile Expeditionary Force to show their professionalism - like the headquarters of all participating countries, they were not ready for a positional conflict.
Therefore, less trained temporary officers - "civilian" officers for the "civilian" army - became a real example and a source of courage. They shared with the soldiers not only the hardships of military life, but in many respects their attitude towards the war.
Another way to increase the chances of survival and adapt to the war was to change the attitude towards the enemy. At first he was hated because that's what the propaganda taught.
The war showed that not everything is so categorical, and diluted the black-and-white palette of perception with gray tones (this was the main "color" of the Western Front).
The attitude towards the enemy, as well as towards the war as a whole, differed in contrast: from hatred to pity and respect, but it was based on personal experience, losing stereotypical features. A "live and let live" system appeared: mutually beneficial truces at the front.
The war affected not only the direct participants, but the whole society as a whole. It changed not only the front, but also the rear, unfortunately, in different directions.
Former and current civilians could not and did not want to understand each other, which caused an alienation that gradually erected a barrier between them.
The war was the main topic of conversation during the holidays, they only talked about different wars: the soldiers were afraid to mention the real one they saw, and the civilians loved to talk about the fictitious one created by the press.
The former were annoyed by the obsession of the civilian population, while the latter did not realize the gravity of the conflict, often focusing on their own problems.
Over time, the attitude of the soldiers towards the war itself also changed. They went to her to stand up for the Just Cause, the feeling of involvement in something great aroused delight.
Triumph gave way to doubt and disappointment (Somme), and then to despair and indifference (Ypres). They fought because it was necessary, because there were friends at the front.
At the same time, the soldiers could not even think about defeat, a compromise peace. They were ready to endure hardship, if only their efforts were not in vain. They have learned to treat war as an everyday reality that they cannot change.
Apparently, because of the "connected" state structure of Great Britain, its armed forces have several names. Most often, the British Army bears the name of the British Armed Forces, there are also the names of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, the British Armed Forces, as well as Her Majesty's Armed Forces or simply the Royal Armed Forces.
The last name is generally accepted. All this most powerful fighting machine of England is controlled by a woman, her command at the present time belongs to Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, the army has its own "prime minister" in the person of the current commander.
Therefore, the direct command of the armed forces of England is carried out by the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Peter Wall. The department that directly deals with military affairs is Department of the Defense Council of the Ministry of Defense of England.
The daily task of the British military is to protect all territories belonging to the United Kingdom. In addition, the army participates in various operations conducted under the auspices of the UN or NATO, which includes the UK.
At the end of the last century, the participation of Her Majesty's troops in matters of regulating the political issues of the European Union was added to these duties.
For these purposes, the British army sends troops with a total number of up to 12.5 thousand soldiers.
History of the British Army
The historical record shows that British army originates in 1707. It was at this time that England and Scotland united, and immediately after all the relevant documents were signed by both sides, it was decided to create the British Armed Forces, which subsequently covered themselves with military glory.
With its centuries-old experience and excellent traditions, the army of the United Kingdom owes its participation in the wars that took place both on the territory of Europe and in the numerous overseas colonies of the British Empire.
This includes such epochal battles as the battles within the framework of the Seven Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, as well as during the First and Second Opium Wars, which England fought against China.
The British military went to protect state interests even when it was necessary to suppress uprisings, as well as unrest among the civilian population. Especially often such methods of military influence were used against Irish terrorists.
According to a long established tradition, the British army consists of both naval and land forces, as well as an air fleet..
The British war machine reached its peak in the 1920s. Then the British Empire was the most extensive country in territorial terms, which was known to human civilization. Then England owned a fourth of the earth's land, and every third inhabitant of our planet was among the British subjects!
Participation in armed conflicts
British military personnel have been involved in wars and military conflicts on various continents, and from war to war, the professionalism of Her Majesty's Armed Forces has become higher and higher.
The British military participated in the suppression of the Chinese uprising, the Boer War, as well as in both world wars. As you know, after the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia, the British army fought against the USSR, although, for the sake of justice, it should be noted that military intervention of those years ended for the British in complete defeat.
In September 1945, British soldiers landed on the shores of Malaysia, when part of the population of this country demanded independence with secession from the British Empire.
In 1949, British troops joined NATO.. During the period 1950-1953, Her Majesty's troops took part in the Korean War. Nuclear weapons were first adopted by the British military in 1952, in this regard, England became the third power, losing the palm to Russia and the United States.
In 1956, British troops took part in stabilizing the crisis that arose in the Suez Canal area., and in 1964 a unified structure of the British Defense Department was created, which included the naval, air and land forces of Her Majesty.
In 1982, the baptism of fire of the British troops in the Falkland Islands took place, and 1991 - in the Persian Gulf.
1999 was the year of the participation of the British military in the Yugoslav company, where they fought against the Serbs as part of the NATO corps and earned the impartial status of aggressors.
Unfortunately, there are also many other cases in history when military personnel pay for the incompetent actions of top politicians. Sometimes at the cost of their own blood.
The beginning of the 21st century was marked for the military of England by participation in the Afghan company. As part of the so-called ISAF forces, the British contingent (the second largest in the region, after American troops) is trying to contribute to the process of stabilizing the world's most unruly territory.
Interestingly, about a century ago, the same British military prudently left Afghanistan, considering efforts to establish stability in the region futile.
As part of NATO forces, British military units invaded Iraq, however, one of the first Britain announced the withdrawal of its troops from this country. The next region where the intervention of the British was required, as part of the NATO bloc, was Libya.
In 2013, the British army took part in Mali (Operation Serval), at the level of logistics. Prime Minister James Cameron responded categorically to the French government's call for help: England would not use military force in this operation!
Small but advanced
The English army is small in size (it ranks 28th) - it consists of 180 thousand people.
Nevertheless, all over the world it is the British army that is considered the most advanced and armed with the latest science and technology.
The military spending of this Great Britain is the second largest among other world powers. The English fleet is also considered the second largest (91 ships with crews and marines have a total of 35,470 people).
The ground army resource is about 100 thousand people, the flight units include 45210 people. Women in the British army - about 9 percent.
The composition of the British infantry includes armored, artillery troops, corps of engineers and communications, intelligence and logistics, as well as a special unit in which priests serve. There are lawyers, teachers and even personnel officers in the British troops.
A separate story requires the elite of the British army - Gurkas. These Nepalese highlanders have been fighting under Her Majesty's banner since the 19th century. Britain still uses the services of these fearless warriors. Nepalese warriors make up the infantry, engineering and transport troops of England, they even have their own orchestra. The headquarters of the Gurks is located in Waltshire.
Video about the elite of the British Army - Gurkov:
