Nick Evans, 'Raising the Territorial Force, 1899-1914', Autumn 2008 The variable performance of the existing auxiliary forces in South Africa and the increasingly threatening international situation focused attention on the need to reform the structure of British army reserves. This a
Charles Fair, 'The Changing Character of the London Territorial Force 1914-18: The case of the 19th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (St. Pancras)', Spring 2009 This rare study of a working class territorial battalion describes the factors influencing recruitment such
William Philpott explores the complex range of soldiers’ representations of the war, which were much more varied than suggested by the hitherto predominant narrative of disenchantment, disillusionment and tragedy. In fact there were ‘myriad attempts to find meaning’: the war remains a
George Bailey, ''Our youngest son': Eric Heaton, the Unrecognised Hero of Beaumont Hamel', Summer 2012 Frame-by-frame analysis of the iconic film ‘The Battle of the Somme’ and comparison with personal letters as well as official records enables identification of one of the casualties
Spyros Tsoutsoumpis, 'Morale, Ideology and the Barbarisation of Warfare during the Balkans War', Spring 2013 The Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 prefigured the First World War in their use of modern technology and military organisation. This study examines how the motivation of Greek soldier
Dan Todman, 'The First World War in History', Spring 2013 This is one of two keynote lectures at the BCMH conference ‘Re-engaging with the First World War’ held in Birmingham in November 2012. Dan Todman addresses developments in the cultural and social history of the war over the las
Richard Dunley, 'The Danish Option: The Success and Failure of Inter-Service Planing against Germany, 1907-08', Spring 2013 This case study highlights a fundamental flaw in the structure of British defence planning in the lead-up to war. Informal discussions between the Admiralty and
Andrew Duncan, 'Professionalism in the British Army before 1914: A Statistical View', Spring 2013 Through statistical analysis of records from the important Journal of the Royal United Services Institute, this article argues that in the run up to war British officers were more profess
Tim Gale, ‘A Guide to Researching the French Army in the Great War’, BCMH First World War Research Tool, No. 1 (2014) This research guide explores the literature surrounding the French Army of the First World War. It covers some of the key texts in both English and French as well as p
Richard S. Grayson, 'Ireland’s New Memory of the First World War: Forgotten Aspects of the Battle of Messines, June 1917’, British Journal for Military History, Vol. 1, No. 1 (2014) The narrative of the 16th (Irish) and 36th (Ulster) divisions fighting side-by-side at Messines in June
Spencer Jones, ‘‘Shooting Power’: A Study of the Effectiveness of Boer and British Rifle Fire, 1899–1914’, British Journal for Military History, Vol. 1, No. 1 (2014) The effectiveness of Boer rifle fire had a significant legacy on the development of British musketry standards. This wo
Gary Sheffield, ‘A Once in a Century Opportunity? Some Personal Reflections on the Centenary of the First World War’, British Journal for Military History, Vol. 1, No. 1 (2014) In this article Gary Sheffield sets out his opinions on the current commemoration plans and media responses