1.
Campaign streamer
–
Campaign streamers are decorations attached to military flags to recognize particular achievements or events of a military unit or service. They often are physical manifestations of battle honours, though this does not mean all streamers are battle honours and they should not be confused with a tassel, which is usually purely decorative in nature. The armed forces of Germany, the United States and others have engaged in awarding streamers, historically Prussia, Austria-Hungary and the Soviet Union have also used streamers in this manner. The United States Army established campaign streamers in 1920, the United States Marine Corps in 1939, the United States Coast Guard adopted battle streamers in 1968, with the United States Navy following suit in 1971. Many of the relative to streamers and their display are similar among the services. There are, however, differences, particularly regarding the number of streamers, the Army carries a separate streamer for each important action in all wars in which that service has participated, each embroidered with the name of the action commemorated. Currently, the Army allows 187 streamers, and the Air Force, employing the Army system, unlike the Army-Air Force practice, the Marines and Navy use one ribbon for each war, campaign, or theater of operations. Specific actions or battles are highlighted by bronze and silver stars embroidered on the ribbon, the Marine Corps shows more than 40 streamers, the Navy 32, and the Coast Guard uses 43, unadorned by either stars or lettering. The Navy applies stars to appropriate ribbons throughout its history, whereas the Marine Corps uses stars to commemorate service starting from 1900, generally, streamers are 3 feet long and 2.75 inches wide. Where a medal has been awarded for a war or service. Conflicts and operations for which no medal was issued have ribbons specially designed for use as streamers, campaigns Additionally, units that have been awarded citation or decoration may carry the associated streamer. Foreign awards are last in precedence, current US Army policy allows the display of fourrageres and lanyards during ceremonial occasions on the flagstaff of those units authorized. A foreign unit award medal may also be pinned to the applicable foreign award streamer during ceremonial occasions
Campaign streamer
–
Parade in
Lustgarten 9 February 1894 by
Carl Röchling; ribbons can be seen attached to the flag in the center.
Campaign streamer
–
Display of streamers from the
Flag of the United States Marine Corps
Campaign streamer
–
Consolidation II campaign streamer awarded for deployment to Afghanistan from 12 June 2008 to 1 September 2009 for the
1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
Campaign streamer
–
Presidential Unit Citation (Coast Guard)
2.
Regimental colours
–
The Roman Empire also made battle standards a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, as armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiments ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its, and therefore its armys, success. In the chaos of battle, not least due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head-of-State during a ceremony. They were therefore treated with reverence as they represented the honour, Colours may be inscribed with the names of battles or other symbols representing former achievements. Regiments tended to adopt colour guards, composed of experienced or élite soldiers, as a result, the capture of an enemys standard was considered as a great feat of arms. They are never capriciously destroyed – when too old to use they are replaced and then laid-up in museums, religious buildings and other places of significance to their regiment. However, in most modern armies, standing orders now call for the Colours to be destroyed if they are ever in jeopardy of being captured by the enemy. Due to the advent of modern weapons, and subsequent changes in tactics, Colours are no longer carried into battle, but continue to be used at events of formal character. The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republics military Colours of the Argentine Army, Argentine Navy and Argentine Air Force are the Flag of Argentina as the National War Colour and the Unit Colour. The National War Colour is a variation of the Argentine national flag made for use, while the Unit Colour differs per service arm. Only the Regiment of Patricians uses company colors, cadet squadron colours are used by the Argentine Air Force Academy. Units of the Brazilian Armed Forces carry a stand of two Colours, differing per service, the standard of the Army measures 80 ×120 cm, white with the Army coat of arms in the centre, trimmed with gold fringe. The name of the service is inscribed in letters on a green scroll beneath the shield. Above the shield is a helmet with red and sky blue mantling. The staff is topped by a nickel-plated lance-head finial,32 cm high, ten red streamers with campaign honours inscribed in sky blue letters are also attached below the lance-head. The staff is 212 cm long, not including the lance-head and it is covered in sky blue velvet with a red spiral strip. The colour belt is 10 cm in width, covered with sky blue velvet with red velvet stripes, the Navys flag uses dark blue colours, the Air Force flag ultramarine blue. Brazilian military units also carry the flag as a National Colour
Regimental colours
–
Napoleon I awarding the
Legion d'Honneur to a
dragoon for the capture of an
Imperial regimental flag.
Regimental colours
–
In the age of line
tactics, the unit colour was an important rallying point for infantry soldiers.
Regimental colours
–
Joint colour guard showing the organizational colours of each branch: L-R:
National,
Army,
Marine Corps,
Navy,
Air Force, &
Coast Guard.
Regimental colours
–
The
130th Engineer Brigade, its subordinate units and their colours.
3.
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
–
The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards and the 6th Dragoons. It served in the Second World War and the Korean War, in August 1992, as a consequence of the Options for Change defence cuts, the regiment was amalgamated with the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards to form the Royal Dragoon Guards. The regiment was formed in 1922, as the 5th/6th Dragoons, at Cairo, Egypt by the amalgamation of the 5th Dragoon Guards, in 1923, the regiment was deployed to Risalpur, India. In 1927, the regiment discarded the 6th and inserted Inniskilling into its title, in the following year, the regiment moved to the UK for the first time, as the 5th Dragoon Guards. In 1935, it gained the Royal accolade to become the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, in 1938, as part of the preparation for the Second World War, the regiment was mechanised, in the following year, it joined the newly formed Royal Armoured Corps. On 3 September 1939, two days after the German Army had invaded Poland, the United Kingdom, France and their Allies declared war on Germany. On 10 May 1940, the German Army launched their invasion of the Low Countries, the German invasion was swift and successful, the Allied forces in Belgium, which included the regiment, having to retreat to the Scheldt River. Fierce fighting continued, the BEF continuing to withdraw further until the order was given for them to withdraw to Dunkirk in northern France, the regiment was successfully evacuated from Dunkirk in June 1940. In December 1940, cadres drawn from the regiment and the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards were used to form a new regiment, the 22nd Dragoons, which was disbanded in December 1945. Heavy fighting was raging in Normandy and the regiment took part in actions in Mont Pincon in early August and, subsequently. The regiment saw service in Northern France, including helping in the capture of Lisieux on 23 August. The divisions remarkable advance on the Franco-Belgian border could not be maintained as the amounts of fuel consumed had depleted available supplies. Instead, a force, including the Innsikillings, was employed in the effort to capture Ghent, the Inniskillings. The 7th Armoured Division remained in Belgium to take part in operations against the remnants of the German forces and, thus, the regiment subsequently took part in heavy fighting around the Maas river that began in late October. The regiment saw action during Operation Blackcock, the plan to clear the west bank of the Roer of Germans and it subsequently took part in the crossing of the Rhine, which began on 25 March, with the objective of heading eastward, straight for the city of Hamburg. The regiment was now firmly inside German territory, encountering resistance from the Germans. The regiment took part in the capture of a number of towns during the advance into Germany. In April the regiment took part in the efforts to capture Ibbenburen, the regiment saw further heavy fighting elsewhere before it, with the rest of its brigade, headed south for Bremen, where they helped capture Wildeshausen
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
–
Regimental Badge
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
–
Regimental colours in
St. Macartin's Cathedral displaying the honors from Mons to Korea
4.
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
–
The Battle of Cambrai was a British offensive and German counter-offensive battle in the First World War. Major General Henry Tudor, Commander, Royal Artillery of the 9th Division, fuller, a staff officer with the Tank Corps, was in the process of looking for a place to use tanks as raiding parties. General Julian Byng, commander of the British Third Army, decided to both plans into the attack. Despite British success on the first day, mechanical unreliability, German artillery and infantry defences exposed the frailties of the Mark IV tank, on the second day, only about half of the original number of tanks were available. Numerous developments since 1915 matured at Cambrai, such as predicted artillery fire, sound ranging, infantry tactics, infantry-tank co-ordination. The techniques of warfare continued to develop and played a vital part during the Hundred Days Offensive in 1918. The German defences were formidable, Cambrai having been a stretch of front thus far enabled the Germans to fortify their lines in depth. Tudors plan sought to test new methods in combined arms, with emphasis on combined artillery and infantry techniques, Tudor advocated using the new sound ranging and silent registration of guns to achieve instant suppression fire and surprise. Despite efforts to preserve secrecy, the Germans had received sufficient intelligence to be on moderate alert, the attacking force was six infantry divisions of the III Corps on the right and IV Corps on the left, supported by nine battalions of the Tank Corps with about 437 tanks. In reserve was one division in IV Corps and the three divisions of the Cavalry Corps. Initially, there was success in most areas and it seemed as if a great victory was within reach. On the right, the 12th Division advanced as far as Lateau Wood before being ordered to dig in, the 20th Division forced a way through La Vacquerie and then advanced to capture a bridge across the St Quentin canal at Masnières. The bridge collapsed under the weight of a tank halting the hopes for an advance across the canal, in the centre the 6th Division captured Ribécourt and Marcoing but when the cavalry passed through late, they were repulsed from Noyelles. On the IV Corps front, the 51st Division was held at Flesquières and this left the attacking divisions on each flank exposed to enfilade fire. The commander of the 51st Division, George Montague Harper had substituted his own drill for the standard one laid down by the Tank Corps. Flesquières was one of the strongest points in the German line and was flanked by other strong points and its defenders under Major Krebs acquitted themselves well against the tanks, almost 40 being knocked out by the Flesquières artillery. There is little evidence for Krügers actions, although it is possible that he may have been responsible for as many as nine tanks, twenty-eight tanks were lost in the action, through German artillery-fire and breakdowns. Haig concluded that skirmishing infantry was needed, to bring the artillery crews under small-arms fire to allow the tanks to operate, the Germans abandoned Flesquières during the night
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
–
German soldiers recovering a British
Mark IV tank.
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
–
Cambrai area, 1917
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
–
Cambrai salient north, 1917
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
–
Men of the 16th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles of the 36th Ulster Division moving to frontline 20 November 1917
5.
Unit citations
–
A unit citation is a formal, honorary mention by high authority of a military units specific and outstanding performance, notably in battle. Similar mentions can also be made for individual soldiers, alternatively or concurrently, the unit can be awarded an honorary title, a mention on the flag or a decoration. In France, since 1916, the fourragère is worn on the uniform by the members of a unit which had received several citations and this tradition has since spread to other countries
Unit citations
–
Unit Citation for Gallantry
Unit citations
–
Meritorious Unit Citation
Unit citations
–
Légion d'honneur (also an individual award)
Unit citations
–
Luxembourg War Cross (also an individual award)
6.
British Army
–
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. As of 2017 the British Army comprises just over 80,000 trained Regular, or full-time, personnel and just over 26,500 trained Reserve, or part-time personnel. Therefore, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, day to day the Army comes under administration of the Ministry of Defence and is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the leading military. In 1660 the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II, Charles favoured the foundation of a new army under royal control and began work towards its establishment by August 1660. The Royal Scots Army and the Irish Army were financed by the Parliament of Scotland, the order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, after William and Marys accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Marys father, James II. Spain, in the two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to Englands early transatlantic ambitions. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. From the time of the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Great Britain was the naval power. As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought the Kingdoms of Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years War, the British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in campaigns across Europe. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington, the English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, the English Army stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution, the British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster in the 1798 rebellion. The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Armys volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, Great Britains dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, in the 20th century, most notably Germany
British Army
–
Men of the
Welsh Guards Trooping the Colour 2007.
British Army
British Army
–
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was one of the first generals in the British Army, fighting campaigns in the
War of the Spanish Succession.
British Army
–
The extinction of the
Scottish clan system came with the defeat of the clansmen at the
Battle of Culloden in 1746
7.
Colours, standards and guidons
–
The Roman Empire also made battle standards a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, as armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiments ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its, and therefore its armys, success. In the chaos of battle, not least due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head-of-State during a ceremony. They were therefore treated with reverence as they represented the honour, Colours may be inscribed with the names of battles or other symbols representing former achievements. Regiments tended to adopt colour guards, composed of experienced or élite soldiers, as a result, the capture of an enemys standard was considered as a great feat of arms. They are never capriciously destroyed – when too old to use they are replaced and then laid-up in museums, religious buildings and other places of significance to their regiment. However, in most modern armies, standing orders now call for the Colours to be destroyed if they are ever in jeopardy of being captured by the enemy. Due to the advent of modern weapons, and subsequent changes in tactics, Colours are no longer carried into battle, but continue to be used at events of formal character. The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republics military Colours of the Argentine Army, Argentine Navy and Argentine Air Force are the Flag of Argentina as the National War Colour and the Unit Colour. The National War Colour is a variation of the Argentine national flag made for use, while the Unit Colour differs per service arm. Only the Regiment of Patricians uses company colors, cadet squadron colours are used by the Argentine Air Force Academy. Units of the Brazilian Armed Forces carry a stand of two Colours, differing per service, the standard of the Army measures 80 ×120 cm, white with the Army coat of arms in the centre, trimmed with gold fringe. The name of the service is inscribed in letters on a green scroll beneath the shield. Above the shield is a helmet with red and sky blue mantling. The staff is topped by a nickel-plated lance-head finial,32 cm high, ten red streamers with campaign honours inscribed in sky blue letters are also attached below the lance-head. The staff is 212 cm long, not including the lance-head and it is covered in sky blue velvet with a red spiral strip. The colour belt is 10 cm in width, covered with sky blue velvet with red velvet stripes, the Navys flag uses dark blue colours, the Air Force flag ultramarine blue. Brazilian military units also carry the flag as a National Colour
Colours, standards and guidons
–
Napoleon I awarding the
Legion d'Honneur to a
dragoon for the capture of an
Imperial regimental flag.
Colours, standards and guidons
–
In the age of line
tactics, the unit colour was an important rallying point for infantry soldiers.
Colours, standards and guidons
–
Joint colour guard showing the organizational colours of each branch: L-R:
National,
Army,
Marine Corps,
Navy,
Air Force, &
Coast Guard.
Colours, standards and guidons
–
The
130th Engineer Brigade, its subordinate units and their colours.
8.
15th Hussars
–
The 15th The Kings Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 19th Royal Hussars into the 15th/19th The Kings Royal Hussars in 1922. The regiment was raised in the London area by George Augustus Eliott and it was renamed the 15th Regiment of Dragoons in 1760. The regiment landed in Bremen in June 1760 for service in the Seven Years War, the regiment were largely responsible for the victory, suffering 125 of the 186 allied casualties at the Battle of Emsdorf in July 1760. Lieutenant Colonel William Erskine, commanding the regiment, presented King George III with 16 colours captured by his regiment after the battle, during the battle the French commander, Major-General Christian-Sigismund von Glaubitz, was taken prisoner. The regiment charged the French rear guard twice at the Battle of Wilhelmsthal in June 1762, in 1766 it was renamed for King George III as the 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons, the number being an attempt to create a new numbering system for the light dragoon regiments. However, the old system was quickly re-established, with the regiment returning as the 15th Regiment of Dragoons in 1769, the regiment landed at Ostend in May 1793 for service in the Flanders Campaign and fought at the Battle of Famars in May 1793. The regiment returned to England in December 1795 and was next in action at the Battle of Alkmaar in October 1799 during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland, the regiment was reconstituted as a hussar regiment in 1807 as the 15th Regiment of Dragoons. It landed at Corunna in November 1808 for service in the Peninsular War, at the battle two French lieutenant colonels were captured and the French 1st Provisional Chasseurs à cheval, who lost many men captured, ceased to exist as a viable regiment. However, the officer of the 15th Hussars, Colonel Colquhoun Grant, was wounded in the battle. The regiment embarked at Corunna for their home in January 1809. The regiment were ordered to support Sir Arthur Wellesleys Army on the Iberian Peninsula and it took part in the Battle of Morales in June 1813 and the Battle of Vitoria later in the month. It then pursued the French Army into France and supported the infantry at the Battle of Orthez in February 1814 and it returned to England in July 1814. The regiment was recalled for the Hundred Days and landed at Ostend in May 1815, it took part in a charge at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 and returned to England in May 1816. The regiment played a role in the notorious Peterloo Massacre in August 1819. Panic from the crowd was interpreted as an attack on the Yeomanry, the charge resulted in 15 fatalities and as many as 600 injured. The title of the regiment was simplified in 1861 to the 15th Hussars and it was stationed in Ireland between July 1824 and May 1827 and between April 1834 and May 1837. It was then stationed in India between spring 1840 and 1854, on 14 April 1915, the squadrons returned to regimental control and the regiment was placed under the command of the 9th Cavalry Brigade in the 1st Cavalry Division
15th Hussars
–
Louis Nolan, an officer of the 15th who gained notoriety as the bearer of the ill-fated order precipitating the
Charge of the Light Brigade
9.
Royal Scots
–
The regiment was first raised in 1633 as the Royal Regiment of Foot by Sir John Hepburn, under a royal warrant from Charles I, on the Scottish establishment for service in France. It was formed from a nucleus of Hepburns previous regiment, formerly in Swedish service, when in France it absorbed the remnants of a number of other Scottish mercenary units which had fought in Swedish service, and by 1635 had swelled to some 8,000 men. Lord James Douglas was appointed the new colonel, and the name of the corps was altered to the Régiment de Douglas, numbering some 1200 Scotsmen. The regiment fought with distinction under Douglas until he was killed in a skirmish near Douai in 1645 and his elder brother Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, was appointed in his place. In all the regiment served in France from 1633 to 1661, because the regiment had been formed by Royal Warrant, it was legally part of the Crowns armed forces, even though it had been out of the country for three decades. As such, it was recalled to secure the coronation of Charles II. 1678 marked the end of French service, with the regiment placed permanently on the English establishment. It was posted to Ireland in 1679, and in 1680 the regiment was sent to Tangier, in 1684, the regiment was titled His Majestys Royal Regiment of Foot, and withdrawn to England. In 1685 they fought for James II in the Monmouth Rebellion, at the Battle of Sedgemoor, in 1688, they were the only regiment of the army to remain loyal to James in the Glorious Revolution. During the War of the Grand Alliance, the regiment fought at the Battle of Walcourt, the Battle of Steenkerque, the Battle of Landen and they spent the late 1690s on garrison duty in Ireland. During the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment fought at the Battles of Schellenberg and Blenheim, the Battle of Ramillies, the Battle of Oudenarde and the Battle of Malplaquet. In 1751, the regiment was titled the 1st Regiment of Foot, the 2nd Battalion was sent to Nova Scotia in 1757, and saw service in the Seven Years War, capturing Louisburg in 1758, Guadeloupe in 1762 and Havana in 1763, returning home in 1764. Both then served as garrisons in the Mediterranean, the 1st in Gibraltar from 1768–75, and the 2nd in Minorca from 1771–75. The 1st Battalion was sent to the West Indies in 1781, fought in the capture of Sint Eustatius that year, and was itself captured at St. Kitts in January 1782 but exchanged later in the year. The 1st Battalion had returned to the West Indies as a garrison in 1790, the West Indies were hotbeds of disease, and the battalion lost more than half its strength to disease in this period. It was reformed from militia volunteers in Ireland in 1798, This year saw a major rebellion erupt in Ireland after years of simmering tension, the Lothian Fencibles fought with distinction at the Battle of Vinegar Hill, one of the more important engagements of the rebellion. After the rebellion was over in Ireland they were used in raids on the coast of Spain in 1800. Meanwhile, from 1793 to 1801, the 2nd Battalion was based in the Mediterranean, both battalions were subsequently dispatched to the West Indies, the 1st from 1801 to 1812, and the 2nd from 1803 to 1806
Royal Scots
–
The capture of San Sebastián, diorama in the Royal Scots Regimental Museum
Royal Scots
–
Regimental Cap Badge and The Royal Cypher within the Collar of the
Order of the Thistle with the badge appendant
Royal Scots
–
A raiding party of 11th Royal Scots preparing for action in July 1918
Royal Scots
–
Infantry of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots, serving as part of
44th Brigade in
15th (Scottish) Division, in
Kangaroo APCs, December 1944.
10.
English Tangier
–
English Tangier was an English overseas possession between 1661 and 1684. The marriage treaty was a renewal of the alliance between England and Portugal, opposed by Spain but clandestinely supported by France. England garrisoned and fortified the city, against hostile Moroccan forces, in 1684 the English blew up the defences and evacuated the city, which subsequently became part of Morocco. Tangier commands the entry into the Mediterranean and was the commercial centre on the North West coast of Africa. The Portuguese started their colonial empire by taking nearby Ceuta in 1415, years of conflict between Portugal and the Moroccans under the Wattasid and Saadi dynasties followed. However, by 1659, the position had changed, Rule of Morocco by the Saadi dynasty finally came to an end with the death of Ahmad al-Abbas, after the Dilai interlude the Alaouite Dynasty came to the forefront. Mulai al-Rashid took Fes in 1666, and Marrakech in 1669, essentially unifying all of Morocco, except the occupied by Portugal, Spain. Before then, in about 1657, Ahmad al-Khadir ibn Ali Ghaïlan and his family had control of much of the Gharb, the Rif. At about that time, Ghaïlan appears to have considerably increased attacks on the Tangier Garrison, but, at the same time, Ghaïlan was under pressure, separately, from the Alaouites based in Marrakech, and the last of the Dilaites remaining around Salé. Portugal, severely weakened and with support in other countries. The alliance had been adjusted and renewed in 1654 and was renewed in 1660 after the English Restoration. Portugal had been in possession of Tangier since 1471, but the Portuguese government was content to part with it, albeit many had reservations. The anchorage was not particularly safe for shipping and, exposed to the Atlantic and to the destructive Levanter winds, was expensive to maintain, khadir Ghaïlan had mounted a major attack on the city in 1657, forcing the governor and garrison to appeal to Portugal for assistance. Indeed, Portugal had offered Tangier to France in 1648 in soliciting support against Spain, however, cession of Tangier to England was not popular and the Governor of Tangier, Fernando de Meneses, refused to take part. He was replaced in 1661 by the more compliant Luis de Almeida, but Spain was strongly opposed to English possession of Tangier and insisted that the cession would be illegal. Indeed, the paper presented by the Spanish Ambassador in May 1661 openly threatened war, by a proclamation of 7 September 1660, Charles had declared peace with Spain, but in the same month, the Commons passed a bill annexing Dunkirk and Jamaica. There were further fears that Spain had enlisted Ghaïlans assistance to attack by land while Spain attacked by sea, the Dutch, in intense trade competition with England, had no wish to see the English navy further establish the Mediterranean power it had developed under Cromwell. Therefore, it also opposed English occupation of Tangier, any alliance between Portugal and England was an undesirable prospect, The Dutch hoped to seize further Portuguese overseas possessions and, in 1660, equipped a fleet for that purpose
English Tangier
–
Tangier circa 1670
English Tangier
–
Map of Tangier under English rule, 1680
English Tangier
–
History
11.
Yeomen of the Guard
–
The Queens Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard are a bodyguard of the British Monarch. The oldest British military corps still in existence, it was created by Henry VII in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth, as a token of this venerability, the Yeomen still wear red and gold uniforms of Tudor style. There are 60 Yeomen of the Guard, drawn from retired members of the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force and this ban on Royal Navy Personnel was lifted in 2011 and two sailors joined the ranks of the Yeomen of the Guard. However, the role of the Captain of the Queens Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a political appointment — the captain is always the government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords, today the Yeomen of the Guard have a purely ceremonial role. Armed with a Wilkinson sword and an ornamental partizan, they accompany the Sovereign at the annual Royal Maundy Service, investitures and summer Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace, in modern times officers from the Metropolitan Police carry out a more sophisticated additional search. In the eighteenth century some 40 Yeomen were on duty daily and this only ceased in 1813, and thereafter only one division was required daily until about 1837. Today they are only mustered when required, and receive three weeks duty notice in advance. They are active on some 30 occasions yearly, so each division appears for some 6–8 days a year. The Yeomen of the Guard are often confused with the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, popularly known as Beefeaters, a similar but distinct body. Gilbert and Sullivans operetta, The Yeomen of the Guard, is set in the 16th century, however, the Guard wear a red cross-belt, which distinguishes them from the Yeomen Warders. The current Guard is the size of a company in the British Army. The Guard has a total of six officers, the senior officer is the Captain, which is a political appointment. Ranking below the Captain is the Lieutenant, the Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant, the Ensign and two Exons, all of whom are required to have achieved a rank of at least Major. Each division has its own Divisional Sergeant-Major, plus pair of junior NCOs, the Yeoman Bed Hanger and Yeoman Bed Goer, the lowest rank in the Guard is Yeoman, which form the bulk of the strength. All Yeomen are over 42 years of age on appointment, and they must have at least reached the rank of sergeant or equivalent. They must also have had at least 22 years service and have awarded the Army, Royal Navy or RAF Long Service. On reaching the age of 70 years they become supernumerary and no longer are called for service, there are an average of four vacancies a year, which are filled by the Lord Chamberlain, who recommends the names to the Sovereign. The average age of members is perhaps 60 years
Yeomen of the Guard
–
Yeomen of the Guard in the procession to the annual service of the
Order of the Garter at
Windsor Castle
Yeomen of the Guard
–
Badge of the Yeomen of the Guard
Yeomen of the Guard
–
Yeoman of the Guard of the reign of
Queen Elizabeth the First.
12.
Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms
–
Her Majestys Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. The corps was formed as the Troop of Gentlemen in 1509 by King Henry VIII to act as an escort, armed with spear and lance to protect the sovereign. As his Body Guard, it accompanied Henry to France in 1513 and took part in the Battle of Guinegate, in 1526, they became a dismounted bodyguard armed with battleaxes. They last saw service in battle during the English Civil War and they were always intended as a primarily ceremonial unit, but were on regular duty until the 19th century. Under Henry VIII, the Troop of Gentlemen varied in size, as the Nearest Guard to the Monarch, the unit attracted an aristocratic and aspiring membership, which could be utilised as a cadre of young officers when levies were raised for overseas service. They also have three mess dinners annually, the Corps today consists of five Officers and 27 Gentlemen. The senior Officer is the Captain, an appointee who is now always the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords. The senior permanent officer is the Lieutenant, the Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant issues all orders to the Corps. The Harbinger runs the Mess and assists the Clerk, the Mess, at St. Jamess Palace, is run by a permanent Axekeeper and Butler also assisted by the house keeper. All Officers must have served in the Corps prior to promotion to officer rank, in the 17th century, there was also the office of Paymaster of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms and Co-Paymaster of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms. All subordinate officers, and all Gentlemen, must be under the age of 55 years on joining, the Gentlemen retain their prior military ranks. They must retire at 70 years, although all Gentlemen are retired officers, uniquely one recent member is also a clergyman. Colonel the Reverend Richard H. Whittington, MBE joined the Corps in 1999 after retiring from the Corps of Royal Engineers and he was ordained a deacon in 1993 and a priest in 1994. He was Chaplain of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 2001-13, the uniform is that of a Dragoon Guards officer of the 1840s. It has a skirted red coatee with Garter blue velvet cuffs, helmets with white swan feather plumes are worn when on duty, even in church. Cavalry swords are worn, and long ceremonial battle-axes, over 300 years old, are carried by all the Gentlemen, the uniforms are produced by the royal warrant holder Gieves & Hawkes from Savile Row in London. In the case of the Gentlemen at Arms, this is a standard of crimson edged in gold
Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms
–
The uniform of the Gentlemen at Arms, depicted on a
cigarette card produced for the
Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.
Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms
–
Badge of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
13.
British Empire
–
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It originated with the possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23% of the population at the time. As a result, its political, legal, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread, during the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, the independence of the Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the American War of Independence caused Britain to lose some of its oldest and most populous colonies. British attention soon turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, after the defeat of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century. In the early 19th century, the Industrial Revolution began to transform Britain, the British Empire expanded to include India, large parts of Africa and many other territories throughout the world. In Britain, political attitudes favoured free trade and laissez-faire policies, during the 19th Century, Britains population increased at a dramatic rate, accompanied by rapid urbanisation, which caused significant social and economic stresses. To seek new markets and sources of raw materials, the Conservative Party under Benjamin Disraeli launched a period of imperialist expansion in Egypt, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand became self-governing dominions. By the start of the 20th century, Germany and the United States had begun to challenge Britains economic lead, subsequent military and economic tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of the First World War, during which Britain relied heavily upon its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on the military, financial and manpower resources of Britain, although the British Empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after World War I, Britain was no longer the worlds pre-eminent industrial or military power. In the Second World War, Britains colonies in Southeast Asia were occupied by Imperial Japan, despite the final victory of Britain and its allies, the damage to British prestige helped to accelerate the decline of the empire. India, Britains most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence as part of a larger movement in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. The transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997 marked for many the end of the British Empire, fourteen overseas territories remain under British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies joined the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Kingdom is now one of 16 Commonwealth nations, a grouping known informally as the Commonwealth realms, that share a monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The foundations of the British Empire were laid when England and Scotland were separate kingdoms. In 1496, King Henry VII of England, following the successes of Spain and Portugal in overseas exploration, Cabot led another voyage to the Americas the following year but nothing was ever heard of his ships again
British Empire
–
A replica of The Matthew,
John Cabot 's ship used for his second voyage to the
New World.
British Empire
–
Flag
British Empire
–
African slaves working in 17th-century
Virginia, by an unknown artist, 1670.
British Empire
–
Fort St. George was founded at
Madras in 1639.
14.
Infantry
–
Infantry is the general branch of an army that engages in military combat on foot. As the troops who engage with the enemy in close-ranged combat, infantry units bear the largest brunt of warfare, Infantry can enter and maneuver in terrain that is inaccessible to military vehicles and employ crew-served infantry weapons that provide greater and more sustained firepower. In English, the 16th-century term Infantry describes soldiers who walk to the battlefield, and there engage, fight, the term arose in Sixteenth-Century Spain, which boasted one of the first professional standing armies seen in Europe since the days of Rome. It was common to appoint royal princes to military commands, and the men under them became known as Infanteria. in the Canadian Army, the role of the infantry is to close with, and destroy the enemy. In the U. S. Army, the closes with the enemy, by means of fire and maneuver, in order to destroy or capture him, or to repel his assault by fire, close combat. In the U. S. Marine Corps, the role of the infantry is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy fire and maneuver. Beginning with the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, artillery has become a dominant force on the battlefield. Since World War I, combat aircraft and armoured vehicles have become dominant. In 20th and 21st century warfare, infantry functions most effectively as part of a combined arms team including artillery, armour, Infantry relies on organized formations to be employed in battle. These have evolved over time, but remain a key element to effective infantry development and deployment, until the end of the 19th century, infantry units were for the most part employed in close formations up until contact with the enemy. This allowed commanders to control of the unit, especially while maneuvering. The development of guns and other weapons with increased firepower forced infantry units to disperse in order to make them less vulnerable to such weapons. This decentralization of command was made possible by improved communications equipment, among the various subtypes of infantry is Medium infantry. This refers to infantry which are heavily armed and armored than heavy infantry. In the early period, medium infantry were largely eliminated due to discontinued use of body armour up until the 20th century. In the United States Army, Stryker Infantry is considered Medium Infantry, since they are heavier than light infantry, Infantry doctrine is the concise expression of how infantry forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. It is a guide to action, not a set of hard, doctrine provides a very common frame of reference across the military forces, allowing the infantry to function cooperatively in what are now called combined arms operations. Doctrine helps standardise operations, facilitating readiness by establishing common ways of accomplishing infantry tasks, doctrine links theory, history, experimentation, and practice
Infantry
–
Early 20th-century infantry: The
Royal Irish Rifles at the
Battle of the Somme (July–November 1916) during the
First World War (1914–18).
Infantry
–
Janissaries are a very important example in the evolution of the modern infantry.
Infantry
–
20th-century infantry: Australian infantry at Tobruk, Libya, in 1941, during the Second World War (1939–45).
Infantry
–
19th-century infantry: Brigadier General
Winfield Scott leads American line infantry into the
Battle of Chippawa (5 July 1814) in Canada, during the Anglo–American
War of 1812 (1812–15).
15.
Cavalry
–
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the most mobile of the combat arms, an individual soldier in the cavalry is known by a number of designations such as cavalryman, horseman, dragoon or trooper. The designation of cavalry was not usually given to any military forces that used animals, such as camels. Cavalry had the advantage of improved mobility, and a man fighting from horseback also had the advantages of greater height, speed, another element of horse mounted warfare is the psychological impact a mounted soldier can inflict on an opponent. In Europe cavalry became increasingly armoured, and eventually became known for the mounted knights, in the period between the World Wars, many cavalry units were converted into motorized infantry and mechanized infantry units, or reformed as tank troops. Most cavalry units that are horse-mounted in modern armies serve in purely ceremonial roles, modern usage of the term generally refers to specialist units equipped with tanks or aircraft. The shock role, traditionally filled by heavy cavalry, is filled by units with the armored designation. Before the Iron Age, the role of cavalry on the battlefield was largely performed by light chariots, the chariot originated with the Sintashta-Petrovka culture in Central Asia and spread by nomadic or semi-nomadic Indo-Iranians. The power of mobility given by mounted units was recognized early on, Cavalry techniques were an innovation of equestrian nomads of the Central Asian and Iranian steppe and pastoralist tribes such as the Persian Parthians and Sarmatians. The photograph above left shows Assyrian cavalry from reliefs of 865–860 BC, at this time, the men had no spurs, saddles, saddle cloths, or stirrups. Fighting from the back of a horse was more difficult than mere riding. The cavalry acted in pairs, the reins of the archer were controlled by his neighbours hand. Even at this time, cavalry used swords, shields. The sculpture implies two types of cavalry, but this might be a simplification by the artist, Later images of Assyrian cavalry show saddle cloths as primitive saddles, allowing each archer to control his own horse. As early as 490 BC a breed of horses was bred in the Nisaean plain in Media to carry men with increasing amounts of armour. However, chariots remained in use for purposes such as carrying the victorious general in a Roman triumph. The southern Britons met Julius Caesar with chariots in 55 and 54 BC, the last mention of chariot use in battle was by the Caledonians at the Mons Graupius, in 84 AD. During the classical Greek period cavalry were usually limited to citizens who could afford expensive war-horses
Cavalry
–
French 4th Hussars at the
battle of Friedland, 1807
Cavalry
–
African horseman of
Baguirmi in full
padded armour suit
Cavalry
–
Assyrian cavalry
Cavalry
–
Parthian horseman, now on display at the
Palazzo Madama, Turin.
16.
Regiments
–
A regiment is a military unit. Their role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, in Medieval Europe, the term regiment denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted in one geographical area, by a leader who was often also the feudal lord of the soldiers. By the 17th century, a regiment was usually about a thousand personnel. In many armies, the first role has been assumed by independent battalions, battlegroups, task forces, brigades and other, similarly-sized operational units. By the beginning of the 18th century, regiments in most European continental armies had evolved into permanent units with distinctive titles and uniforms, when at full strength, an infantry regiment normally comprised two field battalions of about 800 men each or 8–10 companies. In some armies, an independent regiment with fewer companies was labelled a demi-regiment, a cavalry regiment numbered 600 to 900 troopers, making up a single entity. With the widespread adoption of conscription in European armies during the nineteenth century, the regimental system underwent modification. Prior to World War I, a regiment in the French, German, Russian. As far as possible, the battalions would be garrisoned in the same military district, so that the regiment could be mobilized. A cavalry regiment by contrast made up an entity of up to 1,000 troopers. Usually, the regiment is responsible for recruiting and administering all of a military career. Depending upon the country, regiments can be either combat units or administrative units or both and this is often contrasted to the continental system adopted by many armies. Generally, divisions are garrisoned together and share the same installations, thus, in divisional administration, soldiers and officers are transferred in and out of divisions as required. Some regiments recruited from specific areas, and usually incorporated the place name into the regimental name. In other cases, regiments would recruit from an age group within a nation. In other cases, new regiments were raised for new functions within an army, e. g. the Fusiliers, the Parachute Regiment, a key aspect of the regimental system is that the regiment or battalion is the fundamental tactical building block. This flows historically from the period, when battalions were widely dispersed and virtually autonomous. For example, a regiment might include different types of battalions of different origins, within the regimental system, soldiers, and usually officers, are always posted to a tactical unit of their own regiment whenever posted to field duty
Regiments
–
The
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on parade in England
Regiments
–
Standard
NATO symbol for a regiment of several battalions, indicated by the III. The shape, colour and pattern indicate friendly infantry.
Regiments
–
Regimental badge of the
Scots Guards.
Regiments
–
The Puerto Rican
65th Infantry Regiment 's
bayonet charge against a
Chinese division during the Korean War.
17.
Battalions
–
A battalion is a military unit. The use of the term varies by nationality and branch of service. Typically a battalion consists of 300 to 800 soldiers and is divided into a number of companies, a battalion is typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. In some countries the word battalion is associated with the infantry, the term was first used in Italian as battaglione no later than the 16th century. It derived from the Italian word for battle, battaglia, the first use of battalion in English was in the 1580s, and the first use to mean part of a regiment is from 1708. The battalion must, of course, have a source of re-supply to enable it to sustain operations for more than a few days, the battalion is usually part of a regiment, brigade, or group, depending on the organizational model used by that service. The bulk of a battalions companies are often homogeneous with respect to type, a battalion includes a headquarters company and some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company. The term battalion is used in the British Army Infantry and some including the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. It was formerly used in the Royal Engineers, and was used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Other corps usually use the term regiment instead, an infantry battalion is numbered ordinarily within its regiment. It normally has a company, support company, and three rifle companies. Each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding, the HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer, mechanised units usually have an attached light aid detachment of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men in it, and, as of 2012, with successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry regiments were reduced to a single battalion. A battalion group or battlegroup consists of a battalion or armoured regiment with sub-units detached from other military units acting under the command of the battalion commander. In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100–200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece, the nine regular force infantry battalions each contain three or four rifle companies and one or two support companies. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors, with the Dutch artillery units, the equivalent of a battalion is called an afdeling. Combat companies consist of infantry, combat engineers, or tanks, in the latter case, the unit is called an eskadron, which translates roughly to squadron
Battalions
–
Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in
NATO military graphic symbols
Battalions
–
Standard
NATO code for a friendly infantry battalion.
Battalions
–
Australian 11th (Western Australia) Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force posing on the Great Pyramid of Giza on 10 January 1915
Battalions
–
1980s Soviet motorised rifle battalion (BTR)
18.
Squadron (aviation)
–
In most armed forces, two or more squadrons will form a group or a wing. Some air forces use the term squadrons for non-flying ground units. In contrast to United States Air Force units where flying squadrons are separate from supporting administrative and aircraft maintenance squadrons, in United States Marine Corps Aviation the nomenclature squadron is also used to designate all battalion-equivalent, aviation support organizations. These squadrons include, wing headquarters, tactical air command, air control, air support, aviation logistics, wing support, exceptions are USN helicopter mine countrmeasures squadrons, USMC composite medium tilt-rotor squadrons, heavy helicopter and light/attack helicopter squadrons, and Marine attack squadrons. Although part of U. S. naval aviation, United States Coast Guard aviation units are centered on an air station versus a squadron or group/wing organizational structure, the one exception to this is the Coast Guards Helicopter Interdiction Squadron, which is engaged primarily in counter-narcotics interdiction operations. In U. S. Army Aviation, flying units may be organized in battalions or squadrons reporting to an aviation brigade, an escadron is the equivalent unit in Frances Armée de lAir. It is normally subdivided into escadrilles of eight aircraft, in the Air Training Corps of the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations, a Squadron is a group of cadets who parade regularly. In the U. S. Civil Air Patrol, a squadron is the administrative unit. In the Swedish Air Force a helicopter squadron is a detachment from the Helicopter Wing
Squadron (aviation)
–
A
United States Air Force F-86 Sabre squadron during the
Korean War, 1951.
19.
Company (military unit)
–
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain. Most companies are formed of three to six platoons, although the number may vary by country, unit type. Usually several companies are grouped as a battalion or regiment, the latter of which is formed by several battalions. Occasionally, independent or separate companies are organized for special purposes and these companies are not organic to a battalion or regiment, but rather report directly to a higher level organization such as a Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters. The modern military company became popularized during the reorganization of the Swedish Army in 1631 under King Gustav II Adolph, for administrative purposes, the infantry was divided into companies consisting of 150 men, grouped into regiments of eight companies. Tactically, the companies were organized into battalions and grouped with cavalry troops. From ancient times, some armies have used a base administrative. Furthermore, recent studies have indicated that humans are best able to maintain stable relationships in a group numbering between 100-250 members, with 150 members being the common number. The advent of accurate, long-range rifle fire, repeating rifles and this, coupled with the advent of radio communication, permitted relatively small numbers of men to have much greater firepower and combat effectiveness than previously possible. Companies, however, continue to remain within the range of 100-250 members, perhaps validating the premise that men fight best in organizations of around 150 members. These companies were not organic to any intermediate headquarters, but rather reported directly to the division headquarters, rifle companies consist of three platoons and a company headquarters. Until after the Second World War, the Royal Engineers and Royal Signals had both squadrons and companies depending on whether the units were supporting mounted or foot formations. The British Army infantry normally identifies its rifle companies by letter within a battalion, usually with the addition of a headquarters company and a support/heavy weapons company. Some units name their companies after regimental battle honours, this is commonly the case for composite units, for example the London Regiment with its Somme, Messines and Cambrai companies. The foot guards regiments use traditional names for some of their companies, for example Queens Company, Left Flank, Royal Marines companies are designated by a letter that is unique across the corps, not just within their command. The Intelligence Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Military Police, the defunct Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Pioneer Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps had companies, the Royal Corps of Transport had squadrons. British companies are commanded by a major, the officer commanding. The Honourable Artillery Company is in fact a regiment, not a company, in terms of organisation, canadian Army organisation is modelled after the British
Company (military unit)
–
Company B, 113th Regiment, in American Expeditionary Forces in France, 1919
Company (military unit)
–
Standard
NATO code for a friendly infantry company
Company (military unit)
–
1980s Soviet Motorised Company (BTR)
Company (military unit)
–
Company B, 3rd Battalion, of the
75th Ranger Regiment in Somalia, 1993.
20.
Platoons
–
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads/sections/patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, a platoon leader or commander is the officer in command of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer—a second or first lieutenant or an equivalent rank, the officer is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer, Platoons normally consist of three or four sections or squads. In some armies, platoon is used throughout the branches of the army, in others, such as the British Army and other Commonwealth armies, platoons are associated with the infantry. In a few armies, such as the French Army, a platoon is specifically a cavalry unit, a unit consisting of several platoons is called a company/battery/troop. According to Merriam-Webster, The term was first used in the 17th century to refer to a body of musketeers who fired together in a volley alternately with another platoon. The word came from the 17th-century French peloton, from pelote meaning a small ball, nonetheless it is documented that it took the meaning of a group of soldiers firing a volley together, while a different platoon reloaded. This implies an augmentative intention in the etymology, the modern French word peloton, when not meaning platoon, can refer to the main body of riders in a bicycle race. Pelote itself originally comes from the low Latin pilotta from Latin pila, meaning ball, the platoon was originally a firing unit rather than an organization. The system was said to have been invented by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1618, in the French Army in the 1670s, a battalion was divided into 18 platoons who were grouped into three firings, each platoon in the firing either actually firing or reloading. The system was used in the British, Austrian, Russian. Each platoon was divided into four sections, each commanded by a corporal, due to a shortage of officers, a non commissioned officer rank of Platoon Sergeant Major was introduced from 1938 to 1940 for experienced non-commissioned officers who were given command of platoons. In the Australian Army, an infantry platoon has thirty-six soldiers organized into three sections and a twelve-man maneuver support section. A lieutenant as platoon commander and a sergeant as platoon sergeant, accompanied by a platoon sig, a section comprises eight soldiers led by a corporal with a lance corporal as second in command. Each section has two fireteams of four men, one led by the corporal and the other by the lance corporal, each fireteam has one soldier with a 7. 62mm Maximi GSMG and the other three armed with Steyr F88 assault rifles. One rifle is equipped with an attached 40mm grenade launcher attachment for the lance corporal, more recently, the designated marksman of an Australian fireteam has been issued the HK417 in Afghanistan and possibly afterwards. The platoon may also have three MAG58 general-purpose machine guns, one M2 Browning heavy machine gun or a Mk 19 grenade launcher at its disposal and this may not be the case for all British Infantry units, since the 51mm mortars are not part of the TOE post-Afghanistan
Platoons
–
Platoon of
Marines of the
United States Marine Corps.
Platoons
–
Platoon ("Zug" in German) of the German
Bundeswehr
21.
Section (military unit)
–
A section is a military sub-subunit. It usually consists of six and 20 personnel, and is usually an alternate name for, and equivalent to. As such two or more sections usually make up a platoon or an air force flight. However, in the French Army and in armies based on the French model, under the new structure of the infantry platoon, Australian Army sections are made up of eight men divided into two four-man fireteams. Each fireteam consists of a leader, a marksman with enhanced optics, a grenadier with an M203. Typical fire team structure, At the start of World War I, the Australian Army used a section that consisted of 27 men including the section commander, during World War II, a rifle section comprised ten soldiers with a corporal in command and a lance-corporal as his second-in-command. The corporal used an M1928 Thompson submachine gun, while one of the privates used a Bren gun, the other eight soldiers all used No.1 Mk.3 Lee–Enfield rifles with a bayonet and scabbard. They all carried two or three No.36 Mills bomb grenades, post–World War II, and during the Vietnam War, a rifle section consisted of ten personnel comprising, a command & scout group, a gun group and a rifle group. The British Army section now consists of eight soldiers made up of a Corporal as the section commander, three sections together form a platoon. In conventional warfare, the section is split into two four-man fireteams, commanded by the corporal and lance-corporal respectively. With the switch from.303 to 7. 62mm NATO in the 1950s until the introduction of 5.56 mm calibre weapons in the late 1980s, the section was typically divided into two groups, a rifle group and a gun group. The gun group was commanded by the section 2IC with an L1A1, and comprised the gunner with the GPMG and this organization was abandoned in favour of fireteams when 5.56 mm assault rifles and SAWs were introduced in the late 1980s. These were the L85 IW and the longer-barrelled L86 LSW, the firepower of the team has now been extended by the L110A1 LMG. The LSW is now used as a designated marksmans rifle. Each fire team has two IW, one with a grenade launcher, one LSW and one LMG. An infantry section now consists of, Charlie Fireteam, Corporal, rifleman, armed with an L85A25. 56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher. Rifleman, armed with an L110A15. 56mm light machine gun, rifleman, armed with an L129A17. 62x51 mm sharpshooter rifle. Delta Fireteam, Lance Corporal, armed with an L85A25. 56mm rifle, rifleman, armed with an L85A25. 56mm rifle with 40mm underslung grenade launcher
Section (military unit)
–
Squad sized unit (8-12 soldiers)
22.
Scots Guards
–
The Scots Guards, part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Their origins lie in the bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced as far back as 1642, although it was placed on the English Establishment in 1686. In April 1809 the 1st Battalion made their way to the Iberian Peninsula where they were to part in the Peninsular War in Portugal. In late July 1809 the regiment took part in the Battle of Talavera, the 2nd Battalions flank companies took part in the disastrous Walcheren Campaign in the Low Countries. The 1st Battalion, part of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division, was part of the British Expeditionary Force which arrived in France in 1914. The Battalion took part in the Battle of Mons in August 1914, the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914 and the Battle of the Aisne also in September 1914. The 1st and 2nd Battalions then took part in the First Battle of Ypres in November 1914, the Battle of Aubers Ridge in May 1915 and the Battle of Loos in September 1915. In July 1916 the Scots Guards took part in the first Battle of the Somme and in July 1917, in March 1918 they fought at the second Battle of the Somme and in Autumn the regiment took part in the final battles of the war on the Western Front. In April 1940, the 1st Battalion, as part of the 24th Guards Brigade, took part in its first campaign of the war, during the expedition to Norway. In North Africa, as part of the 22nd Guards Brigade, in North Africa, in March 1943, the 2nd Battalion took part in the defensive Battle of Medenine, after the Germans had counter-attacked the Allies. In September 1943, the 2nd Battalion, as part of the 201st Guards Brigade of the 56th Division, in December 1943, the 1st Battalion, as part of 24th Guards Brigade, arrived in the Italian Theatre. At the Battle of Monte Cassino in early 1944, the 2nd Battalion suffered heavy casualties in tough fighting, the 1st Battalion, as part of its brigade, joined the 6th South African Armoured Division in May 1944. The regiment took part in many engagements throughout 1944, including those against the Gothic Line. The 2nd Battalion was once involved in war when it deployed to Malaya during the Malayan Emergency. Then in late 1951, the 1st Battalion was deployed to Cyprus and in February 1952, both the 1st and 2nd Battalion deployed to Northern Ireland during the Troubles in the early 1970s. During the Falklands War in 1982 the main force of the Scots Guards began its advance on the side of Mount Tumbledown. In 2004 the 1st Battalion deployed to Iraq on a 6-month posting as part of 4th Armoured Brigade, the 4th Brigade relieved 1st Mechanised Brigade, and joined the Multi-National Division, which was under UK command
Scots Guards
–
Regimental badge of the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
–
Recruits practicing drill on
Catterick parade square
Scots Guards
–
Scots Guards drummer, piper, bugler and bandsman, circa 1891
Scots Guards
–
Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles of the Scots Guards patrolling in
Helmand Province,
Afghanistan, in 2008
23.
Falklands War
–
It began on Friday,2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it had claimed over them. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval force to engage the Argentine Navy. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, in total,649 Argentine military personnel,255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders died during the hostilities. The conflict was an episode in the protracted confrontation over the territories sovereignty. Argentina asserted that the islands are Argentine territory, and the Argentine government thus characterised its military action as the reclamation of its own territory, the British government regarded the action as an invasion of a territory that had been a Crown colony since 1841. Falkland Islanders, who have inhabited the islands since the early 19th century, are descendants of British settlers. The conflict has had an effect in both countries and has been the subject of various books, articles, films, and songs. Patriotic sentiment ran high in Argentina, but the outcome prompted large protests against the military government. In the United Kingdom, the Conservative Party government, bolstered by the outcome, was re-elected the following year. The cultural and political weight of the conflict has had less effect in Britain than in Argentina, diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina were restored in 1989 following a meeting in Madrid, Spain, at which the two governments issued a joint statement. No change in either countrys position regarding the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands was made explicit, in 1994, Argentinas claim to the territories was added to its constitution. In December 1981 there was a change in the Argentine military regime, bringing to office a new junta headed by General Leopoldo Galtieri, Brigadier Basilio Lami Dozo. Anaya was the architect and supporter of a military solution for the long-standing claim over the islands. Such action would also bolster its dwindling legitimacy, the newspaper La Prensa speculated in a step-by-step plan beginning with cutting off supplies to the islands, ending in direct actions late in 1982, if the UN talks were fruitless. The Royal Navy ice patrol vessel HMS Endurance was dispatched from Stanley to South Georgia in response, the Argentine military junta, suspecting that the UK would reinforce its South Atlantic Forces, ordered the invasion of the Falkland Islands to be brought forward to 2 April. Britain was initially taken by surprise by the Argentine attack on the South Atlantic islands, despite repeated warnings by Royal Navy captain Nicholas Barker, on 2 April 1982, Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings off the Falkland Islands. The invasion was met with a defence organised by the Falkland Islands Governor Sir Rex Hunt. Word of the invasion first reached Britain from Argentine sources, a Ministry of Defence operative in London had a short telex conversation with Governor Hunts telex operator, who confirmed that Argentines were on the island and in control
Falklands War
–
Map outlining the British recapture of the islands
Falklands War
–
Lieutenant General
Leopoldo Galtieri, leader of the
Argentinian Junta
Falklands War
–
Admiral
Jorge Anaya was the driving force in the Junta's decision to invade.
Falklands War
–
The Argentine destroyer
ARA Santísima Trinidad landed Special Forces south of Stanley
24.
Battle of Mount Tumbledown
–
The Battle of Mount Tumbledown was an engagement in the Falklands War, one of a series of battles that took place during the British advance towards Stanley. This close-quarters night battle was dramatized in the BBC film Tumbledown. The Argentinian forces defending the mountains were Commander Carlos Robacios 5th Marine Infantry Battalion, the defending Argentines were already proving costly in lives. The attack was supported by gunfire from HMS Actives 4.5 inch gun. At the time of the battle, Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant Eduardo Villarrazas N Company held Mount Tumbledown, Mount William was just south of Tumbledown and the Marine battalions O Company under Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant Ricardo Quiroga was on its lower slopes. Major Oscar Ramon Jaimets B Company, 6th Regiment was in reserve behind N Company, Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant Rodolfo Oscar Cionchis M Company occupied Sapper Hill. The Argentinian defenders held firm under the British softening up bombardment, Major Jaimet later recalled, I heard the cries of the wounded calling for their comrades, twelve men wounded before nightfall. We thought we had suffered before, but what luxury and comfort compared to this, during the battle, the 5th Marines Command Post took five direct hits, but Commander Robacio emerged unscathed. The 1st Platoon, led by Midshipman Bianchi, was located 500 meters southwest of Mount William, the 2nd Platoon, led by Midshipman Oruezabala, was located a little more to the northwest of the 1st Section. The 3rd Platoon, led by Chief Petty Officer Lucero, was located north of Mount Tumbledown, the left flank of this section was very close to the Company HQ. The 4th Section, led by Lieutenant Vazquez, was located at the west end of Tumbledown, with their area of responsibility pointing west and south. The 5th Section, led by Lieutenant Mino, was at the west end of Tumbledown, behind the 4th Section, facing west, note that whilst, the standard composition of infantry companies, is of three platoons this can be augmented in times of war. In this case two further sections were added, the 4th and 5th sections, the 12.7 mm machine guns were located behind the 1st Section. 105 mm recoilless rifles divided, a group was at the end of the 1st Section. 60 mm mortar were between the 4th Section and the command post. The 5th Marine Battalion, Nacar Company, 4th Platoon was located on the edge of Mount Tumbledown. His forehead pointed south, the purpose of location was to beat with guns the flank of the valley that was left to his forehead. Approximately 1000–1500 meters to front of the 1st and 2nd platoon were located, Section had a frontline of about 150–200 m
Battle of Mount Tumbledown
–
Mount Tumbledown, Two Sisters, and Wireless Ridge from
Stanley Harbour
25.
Battle of Kapyong
–
The fighting occurred during the Chinese Spring Offensive and saw the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade establish blocking positions in the Kapyong Valley, on a key route south to the capital, Seoul. The Chinese then turned their attention to the Canadians on Hill 677, the two battalions bore the brunt of the assault and stopped an entire Chinese division during the hard fought defensive battle. The next day the Chinese withdrew back up the valley, in order to regroup, today, the battle is regarded as one of the most famous actions fought by the Australian and Canadian armies in Korea. Regardless, the relationship between General Douglas MacArthur and US President Harry S. Truman led to MacArthurs dismissal as Commander-in-Chief. Consequently, on 14 April 1951, General James Van Fleet replaced Ridgway as commander of the US Eighth Army, Ridgway flew to Tokyo the same day to replace MacArthur. Meanwhile, the offensive continued with a series of short thrusts, finally, in mid-April a further advance moved the US Eighth Army to the Utah Line. Following the Battle of Maehwa-San the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade had enjoyed a period in reserve as the UN forces had continued to push steadily northwards. Brigadier Basil Coad had departed for Hong Kong on compassionate leave on 23 March, in direct support was the 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery with its 3. 45-inch 25 pounder field guns. 3 RAR was now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Ferguson,2 PPCLI was commanded at this time by Lieutenant Colonel James Riley Stone. During this time 27th Brigade was attached to the US 24th Division, advancing north through the Chojong valley in late-March, the brigade was then released, advancing with IX Corps up the deep and narrow valley of the Kapyong River,10 kilometres to the east. From 3 April, the 27th Brigade moved further up the river, although the valley was not held in strength by the Chinese, it was skilfully defended by small groups of infantry dug-in on the hilltops that overlooked it. Advancing along the hills and ridges the brigade captured successive positions. Following a brief pause, the advance 5 kilometres to the Utah Line began on 11 April. Chinese resistance strengthened noticeably and the initial objectives were not captured by the Middlesex until 13 April. The approach to the Utah Line was dominated by two 900 metres hills—the Sardine feature 1 kilometre north, and Salmon a further 800 metres north, the Middlesex were repulsed during repeated attempts to capture Sardine on 14 April, before the task was allocated to 3 RAR. A Company,3 RAR subsequently captured the crest, killing 10 Chinese, the following morning, Salmon was captured by C Company without firing a shot, amidst light resistance. Chinese shelling after its capture resulted in two men wounded, while airstrikes then broke up an attempted Chinese counter-attack, meanwhile,2 PPCLI continued their advance on the right flank, capturing the Turbot feature on 15 April. Facing a spirited Chinese delaying action on successive positions, the Canadians did not capture their final objective—the Trout feature —until the following morning
Battle of Kapyong
–
Kapyong, South Korea
Battle of Kapyong
–
3 RAR occupying Chinese trenches on 'Salmon', 16 April 1951.
Battle of Kapyong
–
A British
Centurion tank disabled during the Battle of the Imjin River, late-April 1951.
Battle of Kapyong
–
Western and Central fronts, Chinese Spring Offensive, late-April 1951.
26.
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps
–
The Royal Hong Kong Regiment, formed in May 1854, was a local auxiliary militia force funded and administered by the colonial Government of Hong Kong. During the imperial age, home defence units were raised in various British colonies with the intention of allowing regular army units tied-up on garrison duty to be deployed elsewhere and these units were generally organised along British Army lines. The first locally raised militia in Hong Kong was the Hong Kong Volunteers and it was not a part of the reserve force of the British Army. The RHKR did however part of the ORBAT of 38 Gurkha Infantry Brigade and were under command of the commander of the British forces in Hong Kong. These locally raised defence units met British military standards in organisation, many of the officers and NCOs attended training in the UK. The regiment should not be confused with the separate Hong Kong Regiment formed in 1892, the Hong Kong Volunteers was formed in 1854 when the Crimean War led to a reduction of the British military presence in Hong Kong. To help bolster the defences at a time when marauding pirates were still a hazard on the China coast a call for volunteers was made. A total of 99 Europeans were recruited, mostly British but with some Portuguese, in 1862, the Hong Kong Volunteers was re-established and in 1864, they were called out to help subdue a serious outbreak of rioting between British and Indian soldiers. In 1866 it was disbanded again, in 1878, the Hong Kong Volunteers was reborn as the Hong Kong Artillery and Rifle Volunteer Corps. In 1933, the Hong Kong Defence Corps acquired their first armoured car, it was equipped with an armour-plated body, later, four others were bought by the colonial government, the bodywork was outfitted by the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company. These armoured cars all played an important role in the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, casualties among 3 Coy at the former, and 1 Bty at the latter, were extremely heavy. 1 and 2 companies also suffered losses, as did 5 Bty. Out of the strength of 2200,289 were listed either as missing or killed. Some, however, made their way into China where the British Army Aid Group was formed to assist the Chinese Government in the struggle against the Japanese, a number of these men later made way to Burma where they joined the famed Chindits under General Orde Wingate. The services of the corps were later recognised by the award of 19 decorations and 18 mentioned in despatch for gallantry. As a recognition of The Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps defence of Hong Kong during 1941, in 1949, The Hong Kong Regiment were reorganised and became part of the Hong Kong Defence Force, which also included separate air and naval units. In 1951 the new combined defence force was granted the title Royal, in the early 1960s, the role of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force changed from that of an infantry battalion to a reconnaissance regiment equipped with six British Ferret armoured cars were acquired. The regiment was reorganise to form a headquarters, headquarters squadron, during the 1967 leftist riots, the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force were called out during the six-month disturbances in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps
–
The coat of arms of the RHKR(V) with its
Latin motto which means "Second to none in the orient".
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps
–
Coat of arms of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers)
27.
Battle of Hong Kong
–
The Battle of Hong Kong, also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the British Crown colony of Hong Kong, the attack was in violation of international law as Japan had not declared war against the British Empire. The Japanese attack was met with resistance from the Hong Kong garrison, composed of local troops as well as British. Within a week the defenders abandoned the mainland and less than two weeks later, with their position on the island untenable, the colony surrendered. Britain first thought of Japan as a threat with the ending of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in the early 1920s, on 21 October 1938 the Japanese occupied Canton and Hong Kong was surrounded. British defence studies concluded that Hong Kong would be hard to defend in the event of a Japanese attack. Key sites of the defence of Hong Kong included the Wong Nai Chung Gap, Lye Moon Passage, the Shing Mun Redoubt, by 1940, the British determined to reduce the Hong Kong Garrison to only a symbolic size. Winston Churchill and the staff named Hong Kong as an outpost. C Force, as it was known, arrived on 16 November on board the troopship Awatea, a total of 96 officers, two Auxiliary Services supervisors and 1,877 other ranks disembarked. Included were two officers and two nurses, two Canadian Dental Corps officers with assistants, three chaplains and a detachment of the Canadian Postal Corps. The Royal Rifles had served only in the Dominion of Newfoundland and Saint John, New Brunswick, prior to posting to Hong Kong, the Japanese attack began shortly after 08,00 on 8 December 1941, fewer than eight hours after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The colony had no significant air defence, an earlier request for a fighter squadron had been rejected and the nearest fully operational RAF base was in Kota Bharu, Malaya, nearly 2,250 kilometres away. Hong Kong also lacked adequate naval defences, three destroyers were to withdraw to Singapore Naval Base. The Japanese bombed Kai Tak Airport on 8 December, two of the three Wildebeest and the two Walrus were destroyed by 12 Japanese bombers. The attack also destroyed several aircraft including all but two of the aircraft used by the air unit of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corp. The RAF and air personnel from then on fought as ground troops. Two of the Royal Navys three remaining destroyers were ordered to leave Hong Kong for Singapore, only one destroyer, HMS Thracian, several gunboats and a flotilla of motor torpedo boats remained. The crews evacuated 275 persons including Mme Sun Yat-Sen, the widow of Sun Yat-sen, the Commonwealth forces decided against holding the Sham Chun River and instead established three battalions on the Gin Drinkers Line across the hills
Battle of Hong Kong
–
Japanese troops in Tsim Sha Tsui during the Battle of Hong Kong
Battle of Hong Kong
–
Six weeks before the battle, this Canadian contingent arrives to bolster British presence.
Battle of Hong Kong
–
Japanese artillery firing at Hong Kong
Battle of Hong Kong
–
Canadian infantrymen in Hong Kong with a
Bren gun
28.
HMAS Sydney (D48)
–
HMAS Sydney, named after the Australian city of Sydney, was one of three modified Leander-class light cruisers operated by the Royal Australian Navy. Ordered for the Royal Navy as HMS Phaeton, the cruiser was purchased by the Australian government, on her return to Australia in February 1941, Sydney resumed convoy escort and patrol duties in home waters. On 19 November 1941, Sydney was involved in a mutually destructive engagement with the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, the wrecks of both ships were lost until 2008, Sydney was found on 17 March, five days after her adversary. Sydneys defeat is attributed to the proximity of the two ships during the engagement, and Kormorans advantages of surprise and rapid, accurate fire. The ship was laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend-on-Tyne, England, on 8 July 1933 for the Royal Navy as HMS Phaeton, named after the Greek mythological figure. However, in 1934, the Australian government was seeking a replacement for the light cruiser HMAS Brisbane, Sydney was commissioned into the RAN on 24 September 1935, drawing her ships company from Brisbane, which had been decommissioned earlier that day. Sydney was one of three Modified Leander-class light cruisers acquired by the RAN during the late 1930s, like most British cruisers, the Leanders were designed for long range patrols, scouting, and trade protection duties. Sydneys displacement ranged between 6,701 tons and 8,940 tons, with a displacement of 7,198 tons, improved fabrication. The ship was propelled by four Admiralty 3-drum boilers, feeding Parsons single reduction geared turbines, Sydney and her sister ships were constructed from 1-inch hull plating, with a 3-inch armour belt over the machinery spaces, and 2-inch plates over the shell rooms and magazines. Sydney was the first Australian warship fitted with asdic, a Type 125 unit in a retractable pattern 3069 dome, the retractable sonar dome, located near the bow, was a weak point in the hull. One of the cruisers early commanding officers, Royal Navy Captain J. W. A, waller, believed that the ships single director control tower was a weak point in the design. Sydneys main armament consisted of eight 6-inch breech-loading Mk XXIII guns mounted in four Mk XXI twin turrets, A and B forward, X and Y aft. All eight guns could be fired in salvo, elevated to an angle of 60° and depressed to −5°, four 4-inch quick firing Mk V guns, mounted on single, high angle, Mk IV mountings, were fitted to a platform around the aft funnel. These were primarily used to target aircraft at heights up to 28,750 feet and their replacement with eight Mk XIX high-angle/low-angle guns in four twin mounts, which was to occur in the late 1930s, was prevented by the outbreak of World War II. At launch, Sydney carried fourteen Lewis machine guns and two Vickers machine guns, but by the start of World War II, the Lewis guns had reduced to nine. Eight 21-inch torpedo tubes were fitted in two QR Mk VII quadruple mounts to the deck below the platform for the 4-inch guns, only eight Mark 9 torpedoes were carried. Sydney was fitted with a depth charge rail at the stern. Four 3-pounder quick-firing Hotchkiss guns were carried as saluting guns and these were removed during the August 1940 refit
HMAS Sydney (D48)
–
HMAS Sydney underway in 1940
HMAS Sydney (D48)
–
Sailors working on the 6-inch (150 mm) diameter barrels of "A" turret, following the
Battle of Cape Spada in 1940
HMAS Sydney (D48)
–
Sydney, circa 1935
HMAS Sydney (D48)
–
4-inch guns on HMAS Sydney
29.
German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
–
The German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran was a Kriegsmarine merchant raider of World War II. Originally the merchant vessel Steiermark, the ship was acquired by the following the outbreak of war for conversion into a raider. Administered under the designation Schiff 41, to the Allied navies she was known as Raider G and she is also known for sinking the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney during a mutually destructive battle off Western Australia on 19 November 1941. Damage sustained during the battle prompted the scuttling of Kormoran, while 318 of the 399 aboard the German ship were rescued and placed in prisoner of war camps for the duration of World War II, there were no survivors from the 645 aboard the Australian cruiser. The wreck of Kormoran was rediscovered on 12 March 2008, five days before that of her adversary, Kormorans success is commonly attributed to the proximity of the two ships during the engagement, and the raiders advantages of surprise and rapid, accurate fire. The merchant vessel Steiermark was constructed by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel for the Hamburg-Amerika Line, launched in 1938, the ship was to operate on the East Asia run, but had only completed sea trials when war was declared. Following World War I, German naval power had limits placed upon it by the Treaty of Versailles, merchant ships that could be converted into raiders were identified, and were to be taken up by the Kriegsmarine for conversion following a declaration of war. Steiermark was one of these ships, receiving the designation Schiff 41 for administrative purposes, she was taken into dockyard hands following the outbreak of World War II. Conversion of the merchant ship commenced in early 1940, and was prioritized as second only to work on the U-boat fleet, the conversion work included installation of camouflaged weapons, fitting of bunks for the sailors, creation of internal passageways leading to their stations. Prisoner accommodation, consisting of an area for hammocks and facilities to keep ships masters. The raider was also provided with equipment with which to modify her appearance, while the ship was being refitted, her future crew underwent training aboard the blockade runner Monte Pascoal. Korvettenkapitän Theodor Detmers was selected to command Schiff 41 in July 1940, Detmers named the ship Kormoran, inspired by SMS Cormoran and the cormorant. After a successful cruise in September 1940, Kormoran was commissioned on 9 October. Kormoran was one of nine civilian ships taken up by the German Navy for conversion into merchant raiders and she was the largest of the raiders, and the most recently constructed when she was taken up for modification. After modification, Kormoran was 164 metres long and 20.20 metres wide and she was propelled by four 9-cylinder diesel engines driving electric motors, which could propel the ship at 18 knots. The raider was fitted with six 15-centimetre SK L/45 guns as primary armament and these guns were World War I-vintage, gun 3 had been removed from the battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz in 1916. The forecastle and quarterdeck guns were hidden behind counter-weighted false hull plates, the secondary armament consisted of five 2-centimetre anti-aircraft guns. — two on the forecastle, two on the after deck, and the fifth in the quarterdeck
German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
–
Auxiliary cruiser Kormoran meets a German U-boat at sea
German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
–
Kormoran in 1940.
German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
–
Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney in 1940
German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
–
Survivors from Kormoran under tow in two of
Centaur 's lifeboats. The German lifeboat can be seen behind them.
30.
Royal Logistic Corps
–
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, the RLC flag is dark blue with the Corps Badge emblazoned on the centre. It has a Corps of Drums and a Marching Band, the RLC is the only Corps of the British Army with battle honours, derived from the usage of previous transport elements of the Royal Waggon Train, and their successors as cavalry. It is often seen on the insignia of Regiments and Corps with Royal in their title, RLC units include, RHQ The RLC. located at the Home of the Corps, Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut. Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Munitions and Search School formerly the Army School of Ammunition until 2009,15 Air Assault Close Support Squadron RLC. Attached to 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, Disbanded Units,2 Logistic Support Regiment RLC, based at Gutersloh. 8 Regiment - The Regiment formed in 1964 at Munster, Germany as 8 Transport Column, initially based in Nelson Barracks, it moved to Portsmouth Barracks and was disbanded in York Barracks on 27 March 2012. The regiment consisted of 3,5,13,27 and 64 Squadrons and in its time had attached pioneers from the RPC and it worked closely with the American Custodial Detachment whose role was maintenance of nuclear warheads and weapons components. The regiment directly supported the Gunners, firstly 24,39 and 50 Missile Regiments and this latter task was carried out in the UK from barracks at Catterick, 1993-2008. 12 Logistic Support Regiment - Disbanded at Abingdon 12 December 2013,19 Combat Service Support Battalion - a combined unit with a logistical squadron and an Equipment Support company. 23 Pioneer Regiment - a specialist pioneer unit with artisans, defence and Force Protection elements,24 Regiment - disbanded in Germany,30 January 2014. Part of 104th Logistic Support Brigade, drivers, Technicians, EOD all selected from the RLC. It is headed by a Colonel as the head of the Corps. There is also a head, who heads the Corps and its wider family such as the Associations and Cadets. Holders of the post include, General Sir Kevin ODonoghue Lieutenant General Mark Poffley The Sustainer is the magazine of the RLC Association, the Waggoner remains the Journal of the RASC/RCT Association. The RAOC Gazette that of the RAOC Association and the Pioneer of the RPC Association, the Review is an annual magazine of essays published by the Corps. The RLC has five Victoria Cross holders, Five derive historically from establishments that eventually became the Royal Corps of Transport, assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton VC. Second Lieutenant Alfred Cecil Herring VC. Army Service Corps, private Richard George Masters VC. Army Service Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
–
Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
–
Royal Logistic Corps landing craft, the
RCL Arezzo
31.
The Royal Waggon Train
–
The Royal Waggon Train was the name originally given to the Supply and Transport branch of the British Armed Forces, which would eventually become the Royal Logistic Corps. In 1793, Revolutionary French Forces invaded the Low Countries and declared war on Britain, existing military plans relied on local men to provide supplies and transport for the British Army overseas, which proved to be inadequate. Therefore, the first uniformed Transport Corps, named the Royal Waggoners, was created on 7 March 1794, one year later, after British forces withdrew from the Low Countries, the Royal Waggoners were disbanded. In 1799, Sir Ralph Abercromby led a British expedition into North Holland to break the French hold on the strategically important Scheldt estuary, another Transport Corps, overseen by Waggon Master General Digby Hamilton, Lieutenant Colonel, was created to support this effort. Initially titled the Royal Waggon Corps, it was renamed the Royal Waggon Train, due to the success of Abercrombies expedition, the Royal Wagon Train of five Squadrons was reinforced by a further seven Squadrons/troops and Hamilton was promoted to Major General. The train was required because civilian transport was controlled by the Treasury rather than the military and it was more sophisticated than the existing transport used by the Army Medical Department and was able to ferry many of the wounded, injured and sick to safety in large convoys. However, the convoys were limited by the technology of the age, wagons were prone to breakdown and often unable to cope with rough and torturous terrain of the battlefield, the animals pulling the wagons frequently died of starvation or exhaustion. The Train was heavily involved in the Peninsular War, supporting Sir Arthur Wellesleys forces as they sailed from Ireland to retake the French naval base at Lisbon in 1808. Moore did not survive the battle, but his tactics and planning allowed many of his forces to evacuate Spain, at Wellingtons request, Commissary General John Bissett was then brought in to oversee the Royal Waggon Train. By 1810, newly anointed Viscount Wellington had ordered the construction of the Lines of Torres Vedras, the Royal Waggon Train was responsible for transporting supplies and wounded during these key battles and throughout the Peninsula War. With public opinion against him, Emperor Napoleon was forced to abdicate on 31 March 1814, for its efforts in the Peninsula War, the Royal Waggon Train was awarded the battle honour Peninsula, and over thirty officers were also awarded the bar Corunna for the Army Gold Medal. After Napoleons exile, the Royal Waggon Train was reduced to five Troops, however, a year later Napoleon escaped Elba and resumed power, rekindling hostilities with the British. Plans to rebuild the Train were fast-tracked, Wellington well-aware of its importance to military success overseas, the Train expanded once more to twelve Troops, which included 1,400 horses. On 18 June 1815, allied British and Prussian forces faced Napoleons army at the Battle of Waterloo, eight companies from the Royal Waggon Train were involved, along with four companies of the Foreign Waggon Train. During the battle, allied forces took up defence of Hougoumont, along with supporting the front lines, the Royal Waggon Train drove much-needed supplies through enemy lines to the desperate Third Guard defending the chateau. The Trains heroics at Hougoumont were included in Sir Arthur Conan Doyles 1891 play Waterloo, Wellingtons forces were outnumbered and outgunned, withstanding a barrage of attacks from French forces throughout the day. That evening, Prussian forces led by Field Marshall Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher broke through Napoleons right flank and this planned attack allowed Britain and her remaining allied forces to counter-attack, driving the French Army from the battlefield. After the battle, the Royal Waggon Train was responsible for clearing over 4,000 allied dead from the battlefield, Napoleon abdicated shortly after and was exiled on Saint Helena, a mid-Atlantic island, where he remained until his death in 1821
The Royal Waggon Train
–
Royal Waggon Train
The Royal Waggon Train
–
Ceremonial Officers Sabretaches 1812 used at Croydon
32.
Royal Artillery
–
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery, is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name Royal Regiment of Artillery it actually consists of 13 Regular Regiments and 5 Reserve Regiments, the introduction of artillery into the English army came as early as the Battle of Crécy in 1346. Henry VIII made the armys artillery semi-permanent in the sixteenth century, before the 18th century, artillery traynes were raised by royal warrant for specific campaigns and disbanded again when they were over. On 26 May 1716, however, by warrant of George I two regular companies of field artillery, each 100 men strong, were raised at Woolwich. The title Royal Artillery was first used in 1720, in 1741 the Royal Military Academy was formed in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich to provide training for RA and Royal Engineers officers. The regiment expanded rapidly and, by 1757, had 24 companies divided into two battalions, as well as a company formed in 1741. During 1748, the presidential artilleries of Bengal, Madras and Bombay were formed,1756 saw the creation of the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery. In 1762 the Royal Artillery Band was formed at Minden, by 1771 there were 32 companies in four battalions, as well as two invalid companies comprising older and unfit men employed in garrison duties. During 1782, the regiment moved to the Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common, in January 1793, two troops of Royal Horse Artillery were raised to provide fire support for the cavalry, augmented by two more in November 1793. The Royal Irish Artillery was absorbed into the RA in 1801, during 1805, the Royal Military Academy moved to Woolwich Common. In 1819, the Rotunda was given to the regiment by the Prince Regent to celebrate end of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1832, the regimental motto, Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt, was granted. The motto signified that the regiment had seen action in all the conflicts of the British Army. The regiment was under the control of the Board of Ordnance until the board was abolished in 1855, thereafter the regiment came under the War Office along with the rest of the army. The School of Gunnery established at Shoeburyness, Essex in 1859, the third group continued to be titled simply Royal Artillery, and was responsible for ammunition storage and supply. Which branch a gunner belonged to was indicated by metal shoulder titles, the RFA and RHA also dressed as mounted men, whereas the RGA dressed like foot soldiers. In 1920 the rank of Bombardier was instituted in the Royal Artillery, the three sections effectively functioned as separate corps. This arrangement lasted until 1924, when the three amalgamated once more to one regiment. In 1938, RA Brigades were renamed Regiments, during the World War II there were over 1 million men serving in 960 gunner regiments
Royal Artillery
–
Cap Badge of the Royal Regiment of Artillery
Royal Artillery
–
General George Campbell of Inverneill CB., Esquire, commander of the Royal Artillery from 1874.
Royal Artillery
–
Red and Blue
Tactical Recognition Flash of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
–
BL 8-inch Howitzer Mk 1 – 5 8 in (200 mm) howitzers of the 39th Siege Battery,
Royal Garrison Artillery, in action near
Fricourt in
WWI.
33.
Royal Engineers
–
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers, and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. It is highly regarded throughout the military, and especially the Army and it provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is headed by the Chief Royal Engineer. The Regimental Headquarters and the Royal School of Military Engineering are in Chatham in Kent, the corps is divided into several regiments, barracked at various places in the United Kingdom and around the world. In Woolwich in 1716, the Board formed the Royal Regiment of Artillery and established a Corps of Engineers, the manual work was done by the Artificer Companies, made up of contracted civilian artisans and labourers. In 1782, a Soldier Artificer Company was established for service in Gibraltar, ten years later the Gibraltar company, which had remained separate, was absorbed and in 1812 the name was changed to the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners. The Corps has no battle honours, in 1832, the regimental motto, Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt, was granted. The motto signified that the Corps had seen action in all the conflicts of the British Army. In 1911 the Corps formed its Air Battalion, the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces, the Air Battalion was the forerunner of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. In 1915, in response to German mining of British trenches under the then static siege conditions of the First World War, before the Second World War, Royal Engineers recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall. They initially enlisted for six years with the colours and a six years with the reserve or four years. Unlike most corps and regiments, in which the age limit was 25. They trained at the Royal Engineers Depot in Chatham or the RE Mounted Depot at Aldershot, the Royal Engineers Museum is in Gillingham in Kent. Britain having acquired an Empire, it fell to the Royal Engineers to conduct some of the most significant civil engineering schemes around the world, some examples of great works of the era of empire can be found in A. J. Smitherss book Honourable Conquests. The Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment, commanded by Richard Clement Moody, was responsible for the foundation, the Royal Albert Hall is one of the UKs most treasured and distinctive buildings, recognisable the world over. Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the leading artists from every kind of performance genre have appeared on its stage. The Hall was designed by Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers, the designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres, but had also been exposed to the ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Much of the British colonial era infrastructure of India, of which survive today, was created by engineers of the three presidencies armies and the Royal Engineers. In 1838 he designed and built sea defences for Vizagapatam and he masterminded the Godavery Delta project where 720,000 acres of land were irrigated and 500 miles of land to the port of Cocanada was made navigable in the 1840s
Royal Engineers
–
Royal Engineers recruitment poster
Royal Engineers
–
Cap Badge of the Corps of Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
–
Corps of Royal Engineers Cypher
Royal Engineers
–
The
Royal Albert Hall, designed by
Captain Francis Fowke RE
34.
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. The third son of George III and younger brother and successor to George IV, he was the last king, William served in the Royal Navy in his youth and was, both during his reign and afterwards, nicknamed the Sailor King. He served in North America and the Caribbean, in 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. Since his two brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. Although William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, through his brother, the Viceroy of Hanover, he granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. William was succeeded in the United Kingdom by his niece, Victoria, William was born in the early hours of the morning on 21 August 1765 at Buckingham House, the third child and son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He had two brothers, George and Frederick, and was not expected to inherit the Crown. He was baptised in the Great Council Chamber of St Jamess Palace on 20 September 1765 and his godparents were his paternal uncles, the Duke of Gloucester and Prince Henry, and his paternal aunt, Princess Augusta, then hereditary duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. He spent most of his life in Richmond and at Kew Palace. At the age of thirteen, he joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and his experiences in the navy seem to have been little different from those of other midshipmen, though in contrast to other sailors he was accompanied on board ships by a tutor. He did his share of the cooking and got arrested with his shipmates after a brawl in Gibraltar. He served in New York during the American War of Independence, I am fully persuaded, that it is unnecessary to caution you against offering insult or indignity to the persons of the Prince or Admiral. The plot did not come to fruition, the British heard of it and assigned guards to William and he became a lieutenant in 1785 and captain of HMS Pegasus the following year. The two were friends, and dined together almost nightly. At Nelsons wedding, William insisted on giving the bride away and he was given command of the frigate HMS Andromeda in 1788, and was promoted to rear-admiral in command of HMS Valiant the following year. William sought to be made a duke like his brothers, and to receive a similar parliamentary grant. To put pressure on him, William threatened to stand for the House of Commons for the constituency of Totnes in Devon, Williams political record was inconsistent and, like many politicians of the time, cannot be certainly ascribed to a single party. William ceased his active service in the Royal Navy in 1790, the following year he spoke in favour of the war, expecting a command after his change of heart, none came
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
Portrait by Sir
Martin Archer Shee, 1833
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
William aged thirteen (left) and his younger brother
Edward, painted by
Benjamin West, 1778
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
William in dress uniform painted by Sir Martin Archer Shee, c.1800
William IV of the United Kingdom
–
Mrs. Jordan in the Character of Hypolita,
mezzotint by John Jones of London, 1791, after a painting by
John Hoppner
35.
Royal Horse Artillery
–
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery, dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army. Horses are still in service for ceremonial purposes but were phased out from deployment during the 1930s. Britain remained in conflict with France for almost 22 years, during which time significant progress was achieved in artillery development. The first two troops of Horse Artillery were raised in January 1793 at Goodwood, East Sussex, by the Master-General of the Ordnance and they were joined by two more troops in November 1793. Each troop had six 6-pounder guns, included in the establishment were 45 drivers and 187 horses, making it the first self-contained fighting unit of artillery. Initially, horses were hired with civilian drivers, in 1794 a Driver Corps was raised which, however, did not formally become a unit of the Royal Artillery until after Waterloo. There were many disadvantages of the control until horses and drivers were organised into the RHA troops. Another development was the formation of a headquarters staff providing a channel between the regiment and the Board of Ordnance, captain John Macleod was the first brigade major and became the first deputy-adjutant-general in 1795. By 1806, eleven troops had been formed, with ten companies of the Royal Irish Artillery incorporated, as the Seventh Battalion, the regiment wore light cavalry uniforms of blue with gold lace and red facings. Their overalls were grey with a red stripe and on their heads they wore the distinctive Tarleton helmets, if needed, they carried 1796 light-cavalry sabres or their own semi-official RHA 1796P sabre. In 1859, the battalion was replaced by brigade. The five Horse Artillery brigades consisted of two batteries each, between 1899 and 1924, the Royal Artillery was divided, with the creation of the Royal Field Artillery which utilised horse for its medium-calibre guns. When the Territorial Force was created in 1908, artillery units of the old Volunteer Force were converted into foot, horse, there were 14 batteries of horse artillery,12 of which belonged to the RHA, the remaining two being provided by the Honourable Artillery Company. Territorial batteries were of four guns each rather than the six guns of regular batteries, the principal weapon of Territorial RHA units was the Ordnance QF15 pounder although the Ordnance BLC15 pounder was issued to some second-line RHA units formed in 1914. At the outbreak of World War I the regular RHA comprised twenty-five batteries and they were equipped with the Ordnance QF13 pounder. In the 1920s, development of trucks and track vehicles brought an end to use of horses. By 1927, medium artillery was drawn by tractors instead of heavy draught horses, by 1937, nine field brigades had been mechanised as well as a brigade of RHA. The last battery to be mechanised was K Battery, in 1939, today, the ceremonial Kings Troop alone retains the glamour of the mounted batteries
Royal Horse Artillery
–
Astley, Worcestershire, grave of Major General Hill Wallace
CB (1923-1899), late RHA
Royal Horse Artillery
–
Major General George Campbell of
Inverneill CB, late RHA
Royal Horse Artillery
–
A Guard of the King's Troop at Horse Guards Parade
Royal Horse Artillery
–
The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at
Trooping the Colour, in 2012
36.
Royal Marines
–
The Corps of Royal Marines is the United Kingdoms amphibious light infantry force, forming part of the Naval Service, along with the Royal Navy. The Royal Marines were formed in 1755 as the Royal Navys infantry troops, as a highly specialised and adaptable light infantry force, the Royal Marines are trained for rapid deployment worldwide and capable of dealing with a wide range of threats. The Royal Marines have close ties with allied marine forces, particularly the United States Marine Corps. Today, the Royal Marines are a fighting force within the British Armed forces. The Royal Marines can trace its origins back as far as 28 October 1664 when at the grounds of the Honourable Artillery Company the Duke of York and Albanys maritime regiment of foot was first formed. On 5 April 1755, His Majestys Marine Forces, fifty Companies in three Divisions, headquartered at Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, were formed by Order of Council under Admiralty control. Initially all field officers were Royal Navy officers as the Royal Navy felt that the ranks of Marine field officers were largely honorary and this meant that the furthest a Marine officer could advance was to lieutenant colonel. It was not until 1771 that the first Marine was promoted to colonel and this attitude persisted well into the 1800s. During the rest of the 18th century, they served in numerous landings all over the world and they also served in the American War of Independence, being particularly courageous in the Battle of Bunker Hill led by Major John Pitcairn. In 1788 a detachment of four companies of marines, under Major Robert Ross, due to an error the Fleet left Portsmouth without its main supply of ammunition, and were not resupplied until the Fleet docked in Rio de Janeiro midway through the voyage. In 1802, largely at the instigation of Admiral the Earl St. Vincent, the Royal Marines Artillery was formed as a separate unit in 1804 to man the artillery in bomb ketches. These had been manned by the Armys Royal Regiment of Artillery, during the Napoleonic Wars the Royal Marines participated in every notable naval battle on board the Royal Navys ships and also took part in multiple amphibious actions. In the Caribbean theatre volunteers from freed French slaves on Marie-Galante were used to form Sir Alexander Cochranes first Corps of Colonial Marines and these men bolstered the ranks, helping the British to hold the island until reinforcements arrived. This practice was repeated during the War of 1812, where escaped American slaves were formed into Cochranes second Corps of Colonial Marines and these men were commanded by Royal Marines officers and fought alongside their regular Royal Marines counterparts at the Battle of Bladensburg. Throughout the war Royal Marines units raided up and down the east coast of America including up the Penobscot River and they fought in the Battle of New Orleans and later helped capture Fort Bowyer in Mobile Bay in what was the last action of the war. In 1855 the Infantry forces were renamed the Royal Marines Light Infantry, during the Crimean War in 1854 and 1855, three Royal Marines earned the Victoria Cross, two in the Crimea and one in the Baltic. In 1862 the name was altered to Royal Marine Light Infantry. The Royal Navy did not fight any other ships after 1850, in these Naval Brigades, the function of the Royal Marines was to land first and act as skimishers ahead of the sailor Infantry and Artillery
Royal Marines
–
Major General John Tupper His Majesty's Marine Forces.
Royal Marines
–
Crest
Royal Marines
–
Royal Marines parade in the streets of
Chania in spring 1897, following British occupation.
Royal Marines
–
British Commandos in action during
Operation Archery, Norway.
37.
History of Gibraltar
–
The history of Gibraltar, a small peninsula on the southern Iberian coast near the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea, spans over 2,900 years. The peninsula has evolved from a place of reverence in ancient times into one of the most densely fortified and fought-over places in Europe, as one historian has put it. Gibraltar was first inhabited over 50,000 years ago by Neanderthals, Gibraltars recorded history began around 950 BC with the Phoenicians, who lived nearby. Gibraltar became part of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania following the collapse of the Roman Empire and it was permanently settled for the first time by the Moors and was renamed Jebel Tariq – the Mount of Tariq, later corrupted into Gibraltar. The Christian Crown of Castile annexed it in 1309, lost it again to the Moors in 1333, Gibraltar became part of the unified Kingdom of Spain and remained under Spanish rule until 1704. It was captured during the War of the Spanish Succession by an Anglo-Dutch fleet in the name of Charles VI of Austria, at the wars end, Spain ceded the territory to Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713. Spain tried to control of Gibraltar, which Britain had declared a Crown colony, through military. Gibraltar was besieged and heavily bombarded during three wars between Britain and Spain but the attacks were repulsed on each occasion, by the end of the last siege, in the late 18th century, Gibraltar had faced fourteen sieges in 500 years. In the years after Trafalgar, Gibraltar became a base in the Peninsular War. The colony grew rapidly during the 19th and early 20th centuries and it was a key stopping point for vessels en route to India via the Suez Canal. A large British naval base was constructed there at great expense at the end of the 19th century, British control of Gibraltar enabled the Allies to control the entrance to the Mediterranean during the Second World War. It was attacked on several occasions by German, Italian and Vichy French forces, the Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco declined to join a Nazi plan to occupy Gibraltar but revived Spains claim to the territory after the war. As the territorial dispute intensified, Spain closed its border with Gibraltar between 1969 and 1985 and communications links were severed, Spains position was supported by Latin American countries but was rejected by Britain and the Gibraltarians themselves, who vigorously asserted their right to self-determination. Discussions of Gibraltars status have continued between Britain and Spain but have not reached any conclusion, since 1985, Gibraltar has undergone major changes as a result of reductions in Britains overseas defence commitments. Most British forces have left the territory, which is no longer seen as a place of military importance. Its economy is now based on tourism, financial services, shipping, Gibraltar is largely self-governed, with its own parliament and government, though the UK maintains responsibility for defence and foreign policy. Its economic success has made it one of the wealthiest areas of the European Union, the history of Gibraltar has been driven by its strategic position near the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a peninsula at the eastern side of the Bay of Gibraltar,6 kilometres from the city of Algeciras
History of Gibraltar
–
North View of Gibraltar from Spanish Lines by John Mace (1782)
History of Gibraltar
–
Annotated satellite view of the Strait of Gibraltar
History of Gibraltar
–
"
Gibraltar Woman " – a Neanderthal who lived in Gibraltar some 50,000 years ago
History of Gibraltar
–
The
Pillars of Hercules depicted erroneously as an island on the
Tabula Peutingeriana, an ancient Roman map
38.
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
George IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover following the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as Prince Regent during his fathers mental illness. George IV led an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the Regency era and he was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace and he even forbade Caroline to attend his coronation and asked the government to introduce the unpopular Pains and Penalties Bill in a desperate, unsuccessful attempt to divorce her. For most of Georges regency and reign, Lord Liverpool controlled the government as Prime Minister and his ministers found his behaviour selfish, unreliable and irresponsible. At all times he was much under the influence of favourites, taxpayers were angry at his wasteful spending at a time when Britons were fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. He did not provide leadership in time of crisis, nor act as a role model for his people. Liverpools government presided over Britains ultimate victory, negotiated the peace settlement, after Liverpools retirement, George was forced to accept Catholic emancipation despite opposing it. His only child, Princess Charlotte, died before him in 1817 and so he was succeeded by his younger brother, George was born at St Jamess Palace, London, on 12 August 1762, the first child of King George III of the United Kingdom and Queen Charlotte. As the eldest son of a British sovereign, he automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth, he was created Prince of Wales, on 18 September of the same year, he was baptised by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury. His godparents were the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Duke of Cumberland, George was a talented student, and quickly learned to speak French, German and Italian, in addition to his native English. He was a witty conversationalist, drunk or sober, and showed good, the Prince of Wales turned 21 in 1783, and obtained a grant of £60,000 from Parliament and an annual income of £50,000 from his father. It was far too little for his needs – the stables alone cost £31,000 a year and he then established his residence in Carlton House, where he lived a profligate life. Animosity developed between the prince and his father, who desired more frugal behaviour on the part of the heir apparent, the King, a political conservative, was also alienated by the princes adherence to Charles James Fox and other radically inclined politicians. Soon after he reached the age of 21, the prince became infatuated with Maria Fitzherbert and she was a commoner, six years his elder, twice widowed, and a Roman Catholic. Despite her complete unsuitability, the prince was determined to marry her, nevertheless, the couple went through a marriage ceremony on 15 December 1785 at her house in Park Street, Mayfair. Legally the union was void, as the Kings consent was not granted, however, Fitzherbert believed that she was the princes canonical and true wife, holding the law of the Church to be superior to the law of the State. For political reasons, the union remained secret and Fitzherbert promised not to reveal it, the prince was plunged into debt by his exorbitant lifestyle
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
Coronation portrait by Sir
Thomas Lawrence, 1821
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
George (left) with his mother
Queen Charlotte and younger brother
Frederick, portrait by
Allan Ramsay, 1764
George IV of the United Kingdom
–
Portrait miniature by
Richard Cosway, c. 1780–82
39.
Theater (warfare)
–
In warfare, a theater or theatre is an area or place in which important military events occur or are progressing. A theater can include the entirety of the air space, land, such a clearly defined idea as this is not capable of universal application, it is here used merely to indicate the line of distinction. Theater of operations is a sub-area within a theater of war, the boundary of a TO is defined by the commander who is orchestrating or providing support for specific combat operations within the TO. Theater of operations are divided into strategic directions or military regions depending whether its a war or peace time, the United States Armed Forces split into Unified Combatant Commands that are assigned to a particular theater of military operations. Strategic direction is a group of armies also known as task forces or battlegroups, also in the US Armed Forces the term of strategic is often associated with missile command dropping word missile out of use such as the United States Strategic Command. However it is an important strategic command that could be deployed in any theater of military operations. A strategic command or direction in general essence would combine a number of military formations or operational command. In modern military, a command is better known as a combat command that may be a combination of army groups. In a peacetime due to loss of a strategic direction fronts were transformed into military regions responsible for a section of operations. The Russian term is театр военных действий, teatr voennykh deistvii, abbreviated ТВД, as the armies advanced, both these zones and the areas into which they were divided would shift forward to new geographic areas of control
Theater (warfare)
–
Unified Combatant Command
40.
Military action
–
War is a state of armed conflict between societies. It is generally characterized by extreme aggression, destruction, and mortality, an absence of war is usually called peace. Warfare refers to the activities and characteristics of types of war. Total war is warfare that is not restricted to legitimate military targets. While some scholars see war as a universal and ancestral aspect of human nature, as concerns a belligerents losses in proportion to its prewar population, the most destructive war in modern history may have been the Paraguayan War. In 2013 war resulted in 31,000 deaths, down from 72,000 deaths in 1990, in 2003, Richard Smalley identified war as the sixth biggest problem facing humanity for the next fifty years. Another byproduct of some wars is the prevalence of propaganda by some or all parties in the conflict, the word is related to the Old Saxon werran, Old High German werran, and the German verwirren, meaning “to confuse”, “to perplex”, and “to bring into confusion”. In German, the equivalent is Krieg, the Spanish, Portuguese, the scholarly study of war is sometimes called polemology, from the Greek polemos, meaning war, and -logy, meaning the study of. Studies of war by military theorists throughout military history have sought to identify the philosophy of war, asymmetric warfare is a conflict between two populations of drastically different levels of military capability or size. Biological warfare, or germ warfare, is the use of weaponized biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, chemical warfare involves the use of weaponized chemicals in combat. Poison gas as a weapon was principally used during World War I. Civil war is a war between forces belonging to the nation or political entity. Conventional warfare is declared war between states in which nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons are not used or see limited deployment, cyberwarfare involves the actions by a nation-state or international organization to attack and attempt to damage another nations information systems. Information warfare is the application of force on a large scale against information assets and systems, against the computers. Nuclear warfare is warfare in which weapons are the primary, or a major. War of aggression is a war for conquest or gain rather than self-defense, the earliest recorded evidence of war belongs to the Mesolithic cemetery Site 117, which has been determined to be approximately 14,000 years old. About forty-five percent of the skeletons there displayed signs of violent death, since the rise of the state some 5,000 years ago, military activity has occurred over much of the globe. The advent of gunpowder and the acceleration of technological advances led to modern warfare
Military action
–
The War by Tadeusz Cyprian (1949), a photograph in the collection of the
National Museum in
Warsaw showing ruins of Warsaw's Napoleon Square in the aftermath of
World War II.
Military action
–
Mural of War (1896), by
Gari Melchers
Military action
–
Ruins of
Guernica (1937). The
Spanish Civil War was one of Europe's bloodiest and most brutal civil wars.
Military action
–
Japanese
samurai attacking a
Mongol ship, 13th century
41.
Governor General
–
Governor-General or governor general, in modern usage, is the title of an office-holder appointed to represent the monarch of a sovereign state in the governing of an independent realm. Governors-General have also previously been appointed in respect of major colonial states or other territories held by either a monarchy or republic, in modern usage, the term governor-general originated in those British colonies which became self-governing within the British Empire. In these cases, the Crowns representative in the federated Dominion was given the title of governor general. Another non-federal state, Newfoundland, was a Dominion for 16 years with the Kings representative retaining the title of governor throughout this time, since 2016, the title governor-general has been given to all representatives of the sovereign in independent Commonwealth realms. In these countries the governor-general acts as the representative, performing the ceremonial and constitutional functions of a head of state. The only other nation which uses the designation is Iran. In Iran, the authority is headed by a governor general. As such they held the prerogative powers of the monarch. The monarch or imperial government could overrule any governor-general, though this could often be cumbersome, the governors-general are entitled to wear a unique uniform, which are not generally worn today. If of the rank of general, equivalent or above. The report resulting from the 1926 Imperial Conference stated, in other words, the political reality of a self-governing Dominion within the British Empire with a governor-general answerable to the sovereign became clear. British interference in the Dominion was not acceptable and independent country status was clearly displayed, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were clearly not controlled by the United Kingdom. The governor-general, however, is appointed by the monarch. Executive authority is vested in the monarch, though much of it can be exercisable only by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign of the independent realm. Except in rare cases, the only acts in accordance with constitutional convention and upon the advice of the national prime minister. The governor-general is still the representative of the sovereign and performs the same duties as they carried out historically. In some realms, the monarch could in principle overrule a governor-general, in Australia the present Queen is generally assumed to be head of state, since the governor-general and the state governors are defined as her representatives. However, since the governor-general performs almost all national regal functions, to a lesser extent, uncertainty has been expressed in Canada as to which officeholder—the monarch, the governor general, or both—can be considered the head of state
Governor General
–
Lord Tweedsmuir was
Governor General of Canada from 1935 to 1940. The uniform shown here was the unique ceremonial dress for Governors General of Canada.
Governor General
–
Tim Healy First
Governor-General of the Irish Free State
42.
Regimental Colour
–
The Roman Empire also made battle standards a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, as armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiments ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its, and therefore its armys, success. In the chaos of battle, not least due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head-of-State during a ceremony. They were therefore treated with reverence as they represented the honour, Colours may be inscribed with the names of battles or other symbols representing former achievements. Regiments tended to adopt colour guards, composed of experienced or élite soldiers, as a result, the capture of an enemys standard was considered as a great feat of arms. They are never capriciously destroyed – when too old to use they are replaced and then laid-up in museums, religious buildings and other places of significance to their regiment. However, in most modern armies, standing orders now call for the Colours to be destroyed if they are ever in jeopardy of being captured by the enemy. Due to the advent of modern weapons, and subsequent changes in tactics, Colours are no longer carried into battle, but continue to be used at events of formal character. The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republics military Colours of the Argentine Army, Argentine Navy and Argentine Air Force are the Flag of Argentina as the National War Colour and the Unit Colour. The National War Colour is a variation of the Argentine national flag made for use, while the Unit Colour differs per service arm. Only the Regiment of Patricians uses company colors, cadet squadron colours are used by the Argentine Air Force Academy. Units of the Brazilian Armed Forces carry a stand of two Colours, differing per service, the standard of the Army measures 80 ×120 cm, white with the Army coat of arms in the centre, trimmed with gold fringe. The name of the service is inscribed in letters on a green scroll beneath the shield. Above the shield is a helmet with red and sky blue mantling. The staff is topped by a nickel-plated lance-head finial,32 cm high, ten red streamers with campaign honours inscribed in sky blue letters are also attached below the lance-head. The staff is 212 cm long, not including the lance-head and it is covered in sky blue velvet with a red spiral strip. The colour belt is 10 cm in width, covered with sky blue velvet with red velvet stripes, the Navys flag uses dark blue colours, the Air Force flag ultramarine blue. Brazilian military units also carry the flag as a National Colour
Regimental Colour
–
Napoleon I awarding the
Legion d'Honneur to a
dragoon for the capture of an
Imperial regimental flag.
Regimental Colour
–
In the age of line
tactics, the unit colour was an important rallying point for infantry soldiers.
Regimental Colour
–
Joint colour guard showing the organizational colours of each branch: L-R:
National,
Army,
Marine Corps,
Navy,
Air Force, &
Coast Guard.
Regimental Colour
–
The
130th Engineer Brigade, its subordinate units and their colours.
43.
Foot Guards
–
In some militaries, foot guards are senior infantry regiments. The Federation Guard is a tri-service Australian ceremonial unit that performs similar functions to the five British, the Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six active regiments of guards and one reserve regiment. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900 to 1901. There are various other distinguishing features of the uniforms of the regiments, such as the colour of the plume, which side it is worn on the bearskin, the collar badge and the shoulder badge. When all five regiments parade together, they are in the order of Grenadier Guards on the flank, then Scots Guards, Welsh Guards, Irish Guards. This is because although the Coldstream are ranked second in seniority and these companies perform ceremonial and security duties in London. The Foot Guards have a role as the garrison for the capital, for the military security of the Sovereign. Two battalions are appointed for public duties, with a third from an infantry regiment since 1996. These provide the Queens Guard, the Tower of London Guard, the Guards Battalions on Public Duties are located in barracks close to Buckingham Palace for them to be able to reach the Palace very quickly in an emergency. In central London, a battalion is based at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, however, as of 2010, the independent incremental companies of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards have been moved from Chelsea Barracks to the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. While F Company, Scots Guards, are now based at Wellington Barracks alongside the resident infantry battalion. The Guards Battalion stationed at Windsor generally provides the Windsor Castle Guard, the Windsor battalion is at Victoria Barracks, a quarter of a mile south of the Castle. The Guards Division received a new following the restructuring of the army in 2004. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was in existence during the Second Boer War from 1900 to 1901, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment was raised for service during the First World War. Initially, each brigade of the Guards Division had a gun company attached. In 1917, these companies were regimented to form a battalion, further battalions were formed by conversion of the Household Cavalry regiments, and King George V ordered that the regiment be classified as the Sixth Regiment of Foot Guards, or Machine Gun Guards. However, it was disbanded in 1920 and they trained at the Guards Depot in Caterham, Surrey
Foot Guards
–
Foot Guards of the Irish Guards, wearing bearskins, march to the Cenotaph on 12 June 2005 for a service of remembrance for British troops.
Foot Guards
–
Regimental badge of the
Coldstream Guards.
Foot Guards
–
Regimental badge of the
Scots Guards.
Foot Guards
–
Changing the Guard, at Buckingham Palace, London
44.
Heraldic flag
–
In heraldry and vexillology, a heraldic flag is any of several types of flags, containing coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices used for personal identification. When it is for the use of a monarch, it is a royal standard. Heraldic flags include banners, standards, pennons and their variants, gonfalons, guidons, specifications governing heraldic flags vary from country to country, and have varied over time. The pennon is a small elongated flag, either pointed or swallow-tailed and it was charged with the heraldic badge or some other armorial ensign of the owner, and displayed on his own lance, as a personal ensign. The pennoncelle was a modification of the pennon, in contemporary Scots usage, the pennon is four feet long. It tapers either to a point or to an end as the owner chooses. It is assigned by the Lord Lyon King of Arms to any armiger who wishes to apply for it. The banner of arms is square or oblong and larger than the pennon, bearing the coat of arms of the owner, composed precisely as upon a shield. In the olden time, when a Knight had distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry, in such a case, the point or points of the good Knight’s Pennon were rent off, and thus the. Small Flag was reduced to the form of the Banner. Banners of Knights of the Order of the Thistle are hung in the 1911 chapel of the Order in St Giles High Kirk in Edinburgh, banners of Knights of the Order of the Garter are displayed in St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle. From Victorian times Garter banners have been approximately 5 feet by 5 feet, banners became available to all English armigers as a result of a report by Garter to the Earl Marshal dated 29 January 1906. The report stated that the size of banner for Esquires and Gentlemen should be considered in the future, until that date they were available to all noblemen and knights banneret. In 2011, Garter Woodcock said that the banner for an Esquire or Gentleman should be the size as a Marquess’s and those of a lower rank down to Knight. In Scotland, the size of personal banners, excluding any fringes, are specified by the Lord Lyon, the heraldic standard appeared about the middle of the fourteenth century, and was in general use by personages of high rank in the two following centuries. The standard appears to have adopted for the special purpose of displaying badges. A standard is not rectangular, it tapers, usually from 4 feet down to 2 feet, in England any armiger who has been granted a badge is entitled to fly a standard. The medieval English standard was larger than the flags
Heraldic flag
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Banners of
Knights of the Thistle displayed in
St. Giles' Cathedral
Heraldic flag
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Heraldic banners at the funeral of
Elizabeth I. The queen's casket is escorted by mourners bearing the banners of her ancestors' arms marshalled with the arms of their wives.
Heraldic flag
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The
Zechariah Seal flag.
45.
Royal Gurkha Rifles
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The Royal Gurkha Rifles is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British army, soldiers are recruited from Nepal and their motto is, Better to die than live a coward. 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, formed by renaming the 1st Bn, 3rd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, formed by renaming the 1st Bn, 10th Princess Marys Own Gurkha Rifles. The 3rd Battalion was amalgamated with the 2nd Battalion in 1996 as part of run down of British forces in Hong Kong, in December 1995, Lieutenant-Colonel Bijaykumar Rawat became the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the first Nepalese to become a battalion commander in the RGR. He oversaw the departure of the battalion from Hong Kong just before that citys transfer to Chinese control, during this tour, Cornet Harry Wales was attached for a period to the 1st Battalion as a Forward Air Controller. Under Army 2020, the regiment was intended to provide two light battalions, rotating between Brunei and the UK, with their higher unit as 11th Infantry Brigade. However, in June 2015, the 2nd Battalion, then based in the UK, was reassigned to part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The two battalions of the RGR are formed as light role infantry, the first battalion is based at the British garrison in Brunei as part of Britains commitment to maintaining a military presence in Southeast Asia. The second battalion is based at Shorncliffe, near Folkestone in Kent as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, a post on the Gurkha Brigade website in August 2016 noted that the RGR will grow in personnel size in the future. Corporal Dip Prasad Pun of the 1st battalion was awarded Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for an act of bravery during the War in Afghanistan in 2010 and he alone defended his outpost against a force of up to 30 Taliban fighters. He fired more than 400 rounds,17 grenades, and one mine and he even resorted to fighting with his machine gun tripod after his ammunition had run out
Royal Gurkha Rifles
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Cap badge of the Royal Gurkha Rifles
46.
Corps of drums
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A Corps of Drums is a musical unit of several national armies. Drummers were originally established in European armies to act as signallers and this is the major historical distinction between a military band and a corps of drums, drummers would not play their instruments to entertain or delight, but rather as a utilitarian battlefield role. The drummers would be more aptly described as signallers than musicians, as time went on, the individual drummers and fife players in each company would be organized at battalion level. They retained their role in each company in battle, but would form one body of men at the head of a battalion on the march, several different strings of logic have seen corps of drums employed in many varied roles. The corps of drums role on the battlefield was originally to signal orders, Corps of drums were also deployed to march under the parley flag when officers of opposing met to discuss terms of surrender, etc. Therefore some corps of drums perform a liaison role, historical duties such as uncasing the colours on parade and various other privileges are continued in most units. Due to the specialist duties and ceremonial aspects of a drummers life, Corps of drums are drawn from the whole battalion, and are attached to the battalion HQ. Above the drum major as its head, the corps is answerable to the battalions adjutant. The British Army maintains a corps of drums in each infantry battalion except for Scottish, Irish, each battalion of a regiment will maintain a corps of drums which may be massed together on certain occasions. All corps-of-drums soldiers are called drummers regardless of the instrument they play, a Corps of Drums will deploy with the rest of the battalion, and will often form specialist platoons such as assault pioneers, supporting fire or force protection. Historically, the drum was used to convey orders during a battle, the main instrument is the Side drum. These were originally of a design with wide wooden hoops, a wooden shell. In the British Army, this model has been upgraded, with the inclusion of snares, more modern metal rod-tension. The current British Army 97s-pattern side drum also has nylon hoops, the side drum was increasingly decorated throughout the 19th century, until it bore the fully embellished regimental colours of the battalion, including its battle honours. As such a regiments drums are often afforded respect, the second instrument was originally the fife, replaced in the modern British Army by the five key flute. A wide variety of flutes and pitches is used, the fife and later the flute have been favoured as a warlike instrument due to shrill pitch and thus the ability to be heard above the noise of battle. Many tunes such as The British Grenadiers are traditionally played by military flutes, the bugle replaced the drum mid-way through the 19th century as the most common means of communication on the battlefield. These duties were carried out by the corps of drums
Corps of drums
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Corps of drums of the Moscow Military Conservatoire at the Victory Parade on Red Square, 2010. Note the red and white "swallows' nests" on the shoulders, characteristic of musicians' uniforms in European armies.
Corps of drums
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Corps of drums at a
tattoo (
Großer Zapfenstreich) in Germany, 2002.
Corps of drums
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Drummers in the centre foreground, in their original battlefield role, close to the officer and wearing the distinctive drummers uniform described below.
Corps of drums
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The late
Lee Rigby was a Drummer in the Royal Fusiliers
47.
Pipes and drums
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A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common. The entire drum section is known collectively as the drum corps, the tenor drummers and bass drummer are referred to collectively as the bass section. The band follows the direction of the major, when on parade the band may be led by a drum major. Standard instrumentation for a pipe band involves 6 to 25 pipers,3 to 10 side drummers,1 to 6 tenor drummers and 1 bass drummer, occasionally this instrumentation is augmented to include additional instruments, but this is typically done only in concert settings. Pipe bands have also established in countries with few Scottish or Celtic connections such as Thailand, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay. The pipe band began life in the military, but its origins are obscure and it is known that pipers served in regiments from the earliest times, the Royal Scots have records referring to pipers dating back to the early seventeenth century. Where pipers were employed as pipers, they were employed by the officers of the regiments as private pipers, any additional pipers in the battalion pipe band were and are equipped today by funds from the Officers Mess Fund of the battalion. By this time, pipers were playing together with drummers, probably modelling themselves on the fife. Drumming is as ancient as the concept of formed military units, by the end of the Crimean War, pipe bands were established in most of the Scottish Regiments. The first civilian organizations to adopt pipe bands were police and fire brigade bands, even today, by the time World War I broke out, the pipe band represented a popular image of Scotland, both internally and externally. Military pipers were killed and injured in significant numbers in the Great War, the ban was often not observed, Canadian piper James Richardson was awarded the Victoria Cross for playing in action in 1916. Pipes have occasionally played into battle, notably at El Alamein, Dieppe, the Normandy beaches, the Calgary Highlanders went into action for the first time at Hill 67 in Normandy with company pipers playing, it was the only time the Regiment did so. Military pipers have also served in both Gulf Wars, unlike civilian pipers, however, pipers in British military bands have additional military responsibilities. Nowadays, musicians in British Army bands are required to take on a secondary role in the battlefield as medics. However, in most cases the pipes and drums in a Scottish or Irish infantry regiment constitute a machine gun or mortar platoon, as a result, in addition to being musicians, members of the pipes and drums must also be qualified fighting soldiers. Unlike musicians, who belong to the Corps of Army Music, the British Army runs its own pipes and drums training facility, the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, in Edinburgh, Scotland. To be qualified as a major or drum major in the pipes and drums of a regiment of the British Army
Pipes and drums
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Lonach Pipe band,
Edinburgh Scotland, 2009
Pipes and drums
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Canada's
Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, winner of six
World Pipe Band Championships, performing in
George Square.,
Glasgow
Pipes and drums
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A military
Remembrance Day parade in
Ottawa,
Ontario.
Pipes and drums
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Pipe Sergeant
Jack Lee of the Simon Fraser University PB
48.
Baldric
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A baldric is a belt worn over one shoulder that is typically used to carry a weapon or other implement such as a bugle or drum. The word may refer to any belt in general. Baldrics have been used since ancient times, usually as part of military dress, the early Islamic Arabs wore baldrics with their armor. The design offers more support for weight than a standard waist belt, without restricting movement of the arms, alternatively, and especially in modern times, the baldric may fill a ceremonial role rather than a practical one. During ancient Roman times the balteus was a type of commonly used to suspend a sword. It was a belt worn over the shoulder, passing obliquely down to the side, typically made of leather, often ornamented with precious stones. There was also a belt worn by the Romans, particularly by soldiers. The word accintus meaning a soldier attests to this differing usage, many non-military or paramilitary organisations include baldrics as part of ceremonial dress. The Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Colour Corps uses a baldric as part of their uniform, the University of Illinois Marching Illini wore two baldrics as a part of their uniform until 2009, with one over each shoulder. They crossed in the front and back and were buttoned onto the jacket beneath a cape, today, the current Marching Illini wears one baldric with two sides, ILLINI is on one side and the traditional orange and white baldric from the previous uniform. A crossed pair of baldrics is often worn as part of uniform of Morris dance sides, the baldric appears in the literary canon. Britomart, in Edmund Spensers Faerie Queene, clothes herself in an armour with brave bauldrick garnished before embarking on her quest. Benedick, from William Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing, says But that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead or hang my bugle in an invisible baldric all women shall pardon me, a baldric features prominently in Chapter 4 of Alexandre Dumass The Three Musketeers. The yeoman in Chaucers Canterbury Tales is described as wearing a baldrick of bright green, the baldric of Pallas plays a key part in the Aeneid, leading Aeneas to kill Turnus. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Boromir is described, On a baldric he wore a great horn tipped with silver that now was laid upon his knees. Some Klingons wear baldrics in Star Trek, such as Kor, Koloth, the character Worf does so in almost every one of his appearances through two series and four films. In The Next Generation episode Conundrum, Worf, due to amnesia, mistakenly believes that the baldric indicates his rank or authority, baldrick is a character in the BBC comedy series Blackadder played by Tony Robinson
Baldric
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A cavalryman wearing a mail shirt with a baldric over his right shoulder.
Baldric
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The Marching Illini Drumline with double baldrics
49.
Drum Major
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A drum major or Field Commander is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The commands may be given verbally, through hand gestures, using a whistle or a baton. In modern-day high school and college marching bands, drum majors are responsible for leading the practices and performances of the band, in addition, they serve as the liaison between the band director and the band. Essentially a drum major is the leader that keeps the rhythm, the drum major often holds the responsibility to keep the band organized and structured. The position of drum major originated in the British Army with the Corps of Drums in 1650. Military groups performed mostly duty calls and battle signals during that period, with the arrival of military concert bands and pipe bands around the 18th century, the position of the drum major was adapted to those ensembles. This position faded in the 18th century, conductor Drum majors are responsible for knowing the music of the ensemble and conducting it appropriately. Controlling tempo What is appropriate conducting has evolved over the decades, current drum majors use a variety of conducting patterns and styles that suit the needs of their respective marching bands and/or drum corps. Performer Drum majors have different roles within the world of traditional show bands. Many college bands have drum majors who are very much part of the element of a field show. Rather than conduct as a drum major would, traditional drum majors often march on the field with the band, using a mace or baton to keep time. Drum majors in the Big Ten and HBCUs have a prominent role. While most of them do not conduct as much as a drum major, they lead the band onto the field. During dance routines, they move along with the bands. As traditional drum majors have much more of a role than corps drum majors, there are often many more of them. Leader The drum major position is one of leadership, instruction, and group representation, a band director or corps director assumes administrative responsibility. In the absence of the Band Director, the Drum Major carries the authority of the director or instructor, there are a number of specialized pieces of equipment that drum majors use to more effectively execute their duties. These include a whistle, a mace or baton, their uniform, uniform In British and European tradition, a drum major usually wears the same uniform as the rest of the band with the additional of a diagonal sash
Drum Major
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Gunnery Sgt. Benjamin Becker, Drum Major for U.S. Naval Forces Europe Band
Drum Major
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drum major (center)
Drum Major
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Marines on parade
Drum Major
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3 college drum majors from the
West Chester University Golden Rams Marching Band lead their band onto the field.
50.
Ceremonial mace
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A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the officials authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the mace used as a weapon. Processions often feature maces, as on parliamentary or formal academic occasions, the ceremonial mace was used as a symbol of authority of military commanders. By the 14th century, these sergeants maces had started to become increasingly decorative, as a weapon, the mace fell out of use with the disappearance of heavy armor. The history of the civic mace begins around the middle of the 13th century, the oldest civic mace in England is that of Hedon. However, the sergeants of London later gained this privilege, as did later those of York, Norwich, records exist of maces covered with silver in use at Exeter in 1387–1388, Norwich bought two in 1435, and Launceston others in 1467 and 1468. Several other cities and towns subsequently acquired silver maces, and the 16th century saw almost universal use, early in the 15th century the flanged end of the mace was carried uppermost, with the small button bearing the royal arms in the base. The Guildford mace provides one of the finest of the fifteen specimens of the 15th century, craftsmen often pierced and decorated the flanged ends of the maces of this period beautifully. These flanges gradually became smaller, and by the 16th or early 17th century had developed into pretty projecting scroll-brackets and other ornaments, the next development in the embellishment of the shaft was the reappearance of these small scroll-brackets on the top, immediately under the head of the mace. They disappear altogether from the foot in the last half of the 17th century, the silver mace-heads were mostly plain, with a cresting of leaves or flowers in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the reign of James I of England they began to be engraved and decorated with heraldic devices, as the custom of having sergeants maces began to die out about 1650, the large maces borne before the mayor or bailiffs came into general use. Thomas Maundy functioned as the maker of maces during the English Commonwealth. He made the mace for the House of Commons in 1649 and this mace is still in use today, though without the original head. The original head, which was not engraved with symbols, was replaced by one with regal symbols at the time of the Restoration of the monarchy. Oliver Cromwell referred to the House of Commons mace as a fools bauble when he dissolved the Rump Parliament in 1653, There are 10 large silver-gilt maces of the sergeants-at-arms kept as part of the Crown Jewels in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. Two date from the reign of Charles II, two from the reign of James II, three from William and Marys reign, and one from Queen Annes reign, all these are of a type almost universally adopted, with slight variations, at the Restoration. Each mace weighs an average of 10 kilograms, in the Houses of Parliament, two ceremonial maces represent the monarchs authority. The monarch is referred to as the part of Parliament and signs into law the Bills which are voted on
Ceremonial mace
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A court official holds the mace of the
Lord President of the Court of Session, Scotland, during a
Doors Open Day. This mace is also known as the Old Exchequer Mace. Made in London in 1667, of silver coated with
24 carat gold, and weighing 17 pounds, it carries the monogram C.R. for the then monarch
Charles II.
Ceremonial mace
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Mughal ceremonial mace (or "chob"), wood overlaid with mother-of-pearl; copper handle, c. 1600
Ceremonial mace
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Head of a French ceremonial mace, 18th century
Ceremonial mace
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Ceremonial Mace, 1694-5, Mark of Benjamin Pyne Victoria and Albert Museum, London
