The British Army 1914-18 (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Donald Fosten (Author), Gerry Embleton (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: October 26, 1978

Between 1869 and 1874, Edward Cardwell, Gladstone's Secretary for War, undertook major reforms to modernise the British Army. The Crimean War and campaigns in India had revealed serious administrative and command shortcomings. Cardwell's legislation was aimed at curing these faults and served as the foundation of a new-style army. His successors put into practice further improvements in tactics, training and command structure, and by the outbreak of war in 1914, the British Army had developed into one of the best professional fighting forces in Europe. This book details the development, composition and uniforms of this "new" army.

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From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Donald S V Fosten was born in London in 1924, the son of a master military embroiderer and a Court Embroidress. He worked as a student with the Herald Painter at the College of Arms before wartime army service which was initially spent with the Welch Regiment in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Austria and Germany. For many years a leading researcher and author on uniform history, he produced, with his brother Bryan Fosten, a number of books and many articles. He was a President of the British Model Soldier Society BMSS and a leading member of the Society for Army Historical Research. Robert Marrion is an expert on the forces of World War I. He has co-authored various titles for Osprey's Men-at-Arms series on this subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 26, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850452872
• ISBN-13: 978-0850452877
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,578,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A very broad overview of a complex subject ... a primer., January 31, 1999

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This review is from: The British Army 1914-18 (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

Typical Osprey book. Attempting to present the WWI British Army in the short format of an Osprey book means that the presentation will be broad and general. I was looking for specific information on the London Scottish regiment, and, by pure luck, this volume had the information I was seeking. Its strengths, as expected, were equipment and representative uniforms. Its self-admitted weakness was its orders of battle for the Western Front, Italy, and the Middle East ... they were a representative sampler, not any real appreciation of the OB's over any period of time ... the space could have been put to better use on another topic. I was particulaly frustrated by the lack of explantion of the British battalion numbering system. All in all, it is a solid volume for uniform research, a first volume for interest in the WWI British Army, and a weak volume for any reader expecting depth.