Army reform Flashcards
what was the McNeill-Tulloch Report in response to?
the major failures suffered by the BA in Crimea
when was the first section of the McNeill-Tulloch Report published?
June 1855
when was the second section of the McNeill-Tulloch Report published?
January 1856
what was in the first section of the McNeill-Tulloch Report?
the condition of soldiers fighting in Crimea:
- diet
- supply of food
what was in the second section of the McNeill-Tulloch Report?
the supply of equipment
the medical situation
what did the McNeill-Tulloch report find out about the diet and health of British soldiers in Crimea?
most of the casualties were due to disease
poor health of soldiers can be linked to lack of fresh food
army was not providing troops with a full ration
what did the McNeill-Tulloch report find out about the distribution of supply?
the army was slow distribute supplies sent from Britain
lime juice incident
lack of communication between supply officer and army command
what was the lime juice incident?
lime juice was unloaded at Balaklava in December 1854
was not distributed until February 1855
led to high cases of scurvy
what did the McNeill-Tulloch report find out about the extent of medical care in Crimea?
it was almost non-existant
army was short of medicine and medical supplies
what was recommended by the McNeill-Tulloch Report?
major reform to the organisation of the army
improvement to supply procedures
what impact did the McNeill-Tulloch Report have on the organisation of the army?
1858 royal warrant which reformed the Commissariat which now became under the control of the BA
meant that the BA had full control over the supply of British troops
INTEGRATION and better COMMUNICATION
what impact did the McNeill-Tulloch report have on improving military medicine?
little impact
more done through the work of Nightingale and Russell
what was the MAIN impact that the McNeill-Tulloch Report had on the army?
led to greater government intervention in the BA
failings of the BA leadership in Crimea led to politicians taking more control over the running of the BA instead of the monarch and generals
CENTRALISED THE ROLE OF THE BA
why was there a lack of army reform post-Crimea?
Britain’s focus shifted away from Europe and instead on the growing British Empire
the army was seen as less important as it was only intended for fighting in small colonial wars
when did Cardwell become the secretary of state for war?
1868
what was the changing strategic situation in Europe?
the Prussian army was achieving major success across Europe against the Danes, Austrians and the French
when did Germany unify?
1871
what was significant about the Prussian army in comparison with the the BA?
it was a modern professional army
well organised
well equipped
well supplied
what was the system of deployment in the Prussian army?
regulars were backed by reservists
how many men did the Prussian army put out against the Austrians in 1866?
400,000
how large was Britain’s European army in 1866?
75,000
HARDLY ANY RESERVISTS
what were the main issues in the BA before the Cardwell reforms?
recruitment/army appeal
the promotion system
recruitment/army appeal
the BA was no longer an attractive option for young men as factory work paid better and provided better working conditions
army life was harsh with flogging and branding still in use by the BA
minimum term of 12 years meant many soldiers were separated from their family for long times
the promotion system
the purchase system:
men had to purchase the next rank if they wanted to get promoted
led to landed gentry and aristocracy dominating the upper ranks of the BA
examples of purchase system working
Duke of Wellington
Rowland Hull
Thomas Picton
were all important in the British victory over the French and were promoted via the purchase system
examples of purchase system not working
Lord Cardigan
Lord Lucan
were far less competent and were major reasons for difficulties in Crimea
how much did promotion to the rank of ‘ensign’ cost in 1837?
£450
cheapest rank for purchase
what were the aims of the Cardwell reforms?
improve the organisation of the BA
alter the social structure
make the BA more appealing to men
what was abolished under Cardwell?
flogging and branding
purchase system
when was flogging and branding abolished?
1871
impact of the abolishment of flogging and branding
the use of flogging and branding in the BA made army life very harsh
thus it’s abolishment led to a more appealing army lifestyle which young men may be attracted to
when was the purchase system abolished?
1871
impact of the abolishment of the purchase system
army became more of a meritocracy
promotion on merit
what were the dominions of Britain?
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
what did the Cardwell reforms do to the self-governing dominions of Britain?
they were given responsibilty for their own security and began raising their own armies
impact of the reform in self-governing dominions
it released more British soldiers whoc could return to Britain and merge with the European force
by 1871, how many British servicemen returned to Britain due to the reform to the dominions?
26,000
how much £ did the parliament agree to provide the army in 1870?
£2 million
how many more troops did parliament agree to pay for?
20,000
what were the issues with enlisting in the BA?
12 year minimum years of service was too long of a commitment to make
when was the Army Enlistment Act?
1870
what was the Army Enlistment Act?
soldiers were able to serve 6 years in the regulars and then 6 years in the reserves as part of their minimum term
instead of the old 12 years minimum regular service
impact of the Army Enlistment Act
made the army more appealing as it made enlistment less of a long-term commitment
when was the Regulation of the Forces Act?
1871
what were the issues surrounding overseas deployment?
men did not want long postings overseas as they were afraid of fighting in tropical areas where disease was more likely
what was the Regulation of the Forces Act?
ALSO KNOWN AS THE:
Localisation Act
ended general service
each foot regiment was assigned a county and would have two regular battalions
at any one time, one would be posted overseas while the other would be kept at home and serve as a reinforcement
each regiment also had two reserve battalions
impact of the Regulation of the Forces Act?
meant that soldiers could serve half their time in their local area
only half of their time was spent overseas
improved moral of men and made army more appealing as less time was spent abroad
what were the issues surrounding overseas deployment?
men did not want long postings overseas as they were afraid of fighting in tropical areas where disease was more likely
what were the issues surrounding overseas deployment?
men did not want long postings overseas as they were afraid of fighting in tropical areas where disease was more likely
did the Cardwell reforms improve the pay of a soldier?
nope
was still very low
what was the relative pay a private would recieve in the BA?
same as a farmer
less than manual city worker
thus BA seemed less appealing
what aspect of being in the BA was appealing?
the job security
did the abolishment of the purchase system work?
not really
structure of meritocracy REMAINED
however the upper class continued to dominate the officer ranks in the BA
those with wealthy backgrounds and uni degrees benefitted
overall impact of Cardwell reforms
improved organisation of the troops in the BA and made it more similar to the Prussian competition
made the BA more appealing with a reform to the terms and conditions
however, a class divide still existed in the BA as well as a lack of recruits in the BA
did nothing to deal with the pay issue
what were the issues regarding the BA which were highlighted by the Second Boer War?
the Boer’s use of terrain, speed and long-distance shooting made British columns ineffective
British supply network was poor
equipment was sub-standard
quality of British troops was poor
when were the Haldane reforms?
1906-1912
what did Haldane reform the army into?
into two forces:
- the BEF
- the Territorial Army
what was the BEF?
British Expeditionary Force
rapid action force which was prepared to fight a continental war against Germany
highly trained and sufficiently equipped soldiers
what were the limitations of the BEF?
limited to budget of £28 million
limited to only 6 infantry divisions
only 100,000 men which was much smaller than the millions of men available to the French and Germans
impact of the formation of the BEF
army gained a more specific purpose with surplus units merged and amalgamated into larger divisions
outdated weapons were phased
when was the Territorial Army formed?
1907 with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act
what was the TA?
reserve volunteer army which would be serve on the home front
had their own support services and operated independently from the BEF
limitations of the TA
poor pay
was a less trained and less professional force
made up of volunteers —> not full time soldiers
impact of the TA
provided a reserve force for the BA
the home front could now be defended while the BEF could handle overseas warfare
TA size in September 1913
236,000
what did Haldane combine the cadet groups in Britain into?
the OTC
The Officer Training Corps
what was the OTC split into?
the upper division - universities
the lower division - schools
OTC size by 1914
20,000 schoolboys
5,000 undergraduates
impact of the OTC
men from the OTC would be trained and prepared for life in the BA as an officer
created a future force of loyal and well trained men who could act as strong leaders in future warfare
what were the issues around coordinating the BA in the Boer War?
local imperial forces pretty much ran themselves
little coordination from government London
most imperial forces ignored British generals and conducted the war themselves with their own aims and ambitions
what did Haldane introduce to deal with improving the coordination of the BA?
the Imperial General Staff
what were the imperial forces of the BA?
South African Army
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC)
British Indian Army
what was the role of the Imperial General Staff?
to oversee all strategic matters in the Empire
by coordinating the imperial forces
impact of the Imperial General Staff
increased coordination and effectiveness of the imperial forces which would fight alongside the BEF
these imperial forces were also highly trained and efficient fighters who were vital in providing support to BEF troops in WW1
1/5 of BA in WW1 were Indian
