Changes in Organising the Military Flashcards
When was the modern British army formed and how were they paid for?
- 17th century
- By taxation
What were the 3 traditional fighting arms and support services of the army?
Fighting arms:
- Infantry (food soldiers)
- Cavalry (mounted soldiers)
- Artillery (heavy weaponry)
Support services:
- Engineers
- Medical support
- Commissariat
Commissariat:
Department of army responsible for transportation and supply
What was the main organisational unit of the army?
- The regiment
- Every soldier belonged to one, which had its own HQ, flag and admin staff
- Inspired great loyalty from those in it
Regiment:
Military unit of ground troops usually commanded by a colonel
Traditionally how were people enlisted into the army and navy and until when was this the case?
- All were volunteers
- Until late WW1, at which point conscription was introduced in army
- Unlike army, navy was allowed to conscript at some times like they did in world wars
Which of the 3 fighting arms fight in battalions, how many men are there in a battalion and how many battalions are there in a regiment?
- Infantry
- 400 to 1000 men
- 1 or more battalions
What is each battalion broken down into and what is this also broken into?
- Company
- Company is broken into platoon
Which sections will the artillery belong to, what is the tactical unit and how many guns does it consist of?
- Royal Artillery Regiment/Royal Horse Artillery Regiment
- Battery
- 6 to 8 guns
Do cavalry regiments fight together or in squadrons?
Often they fight together, but sometimes in squadrons if they are assigned separate duties
Which 3 regiments are grouped together to form brigades?
- Infantry
- Battalions
- Cavalry
What would brigades be combined into and what are these?
- Division
- Fighting unit with about 1000 men of infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineers
What was the French organisational system adopted by the British in WW1?
- Corps system
- Large army unit where 2 or more divisions constitute a corps and several corps make up army
What are the basic units of Royal Navy?
- Basic units are ships, all under title HMS
- Each ship had a nominal homeport
What are ships organised into and what are these then organised into?
- Flotillas
- Then organised into fleet (usually named after area they were serving)
What are ships graded by and why?
- By size
- Often defined their function
Advantages of regimental system: (2)
- Every servicemen had home barracks
- Army could be administered relatively effectively
Disadvantages of regimental system: (2)
- Difficult to attract new recruits as pay was poor and the possibility of being posted to an unpopular regiment for min 12 years was disliked
- Perceived as a stronghold of privilege , as the rich just purchased ranks
At the beginning of the 19th century, what munitions were used?
- Brown Bess muskets (basic infantry gun)
- Swords
- Canister shots (metal container w/ small iron balls)
What problems did the Brown-Bess musket have (2) and as a result what did armies do?
- Might fire 3 bullets/min in hands of expert
- Only fires for few mins before barrel needs to be cleaned of burnt powder
- Armies had time to produce bullets for themselves using mobile forges
What were muzzle-loading muskets replaced by and what made these better?
- Rifles that were breech-loading
- Reloading was much faster and much higher rate of fire
How did breech-loading rifles improve over the 19th century?
Needed specially made bullets in cartridges rather than metal balls
When were machine guns developed and what did they increase the demand of?
- 1870s/80s
- Increased demand for bullets
As a result of the improvement in weapon designs, what could no longer be done?
Could not make munitions themselves; it would have to be made in factories
What was the state of British uniform and give an example to show this:
- Very poor
- Dye ran, turning red army into shade of grey-brown
What was unique about the British army’s approach in wars and why did they do this?
- Did not live off the land (looting punished severely)
- Wanted to keep local pop on gd terms
As the British Empire expanded, how did the supply of armed forces become an issue?
- Need to send forces to many parts of world increased
- Could no longer be done on ad hoc basis: a professional service was needed
Why were diplomat McNeill and army administrator Tulloch sent to report on the management of the campaign in where?
- Gov was alarmed by reports of poor conditions of serving soldiers and poor leadership
- Scutari then Crimea (Crimean War)
How many stages was the McNeill Tulloch report divided into, when did each release and what was the focus of each?
2 stages:
- June 1855 –> condition of common soldier, specifically diet and food supply
- Jan 1856 –> supply of equipment and medical situation
Findings of McNeill-Tulloch report: (11)
- Majority of casualties coming from Crimea was because of disease not enemy action
- Poor health of troops could be attributed to lack of fresh food
- Army wasn’t providing all units w/ full daily ration
- Camp kettles often mislaid, meaning soldiers had to cook for themselves in mess tins
- Ordinary soldiers still attended to their duties despite poor health
- Officers provided care for those they were responsible for
- Army was slow to distribute supplies to frontline
- Lack of feed for horses
- Communication between supply officer and army command was poor
- Short of medicine and medical supplies
- Replacement clothing slow to arrive to frontline
What was the main recommendation made by McNeill and Tulloch?
- Improvement in organisation of army and its supply procedures
- Materials were there but the distribution was not happening quickly enough
What changes were made in the Crimea because of the McNeill-Tulloch report?
- Oct 1858 –> Royal warrant providing for professional reform of commissariat w/ more operations being controlled by army (rather than previous civilian undertaking)
- Improvement to military medicine
- Gov was given more control in management and reformation of army
What was the reaction to the McNeill-Tulloch report and what happened as a result?
- Scandal as politicans and publics were unaware of how bad the conditions were
- Chelsea Board set up to downplay the findings of the report
- Individuals had to conduct campaigns to defend their reputations
Why did the concern shift away from reforming the army after the Crimean War? (2)
- The growing British Empire meant fighting small colonial wars took more importance
- Generals did not want change
When did army reform appear on the agenda again and why?
- 1868
- Gov felt expansion of empire required large army and navy
- Strategic situation was also changing eg Prussian Army which had initially fared badly was now winning successively and new Germany
Who became the Secretary of State for War in 1868 and what was his job?
- Edward Cardwell
- Reforming army
What other aspect of the army was disliked and hence lead to people not wanting to join?
Army life was harsh w/ flogging and branding still used
Why was 1850s and 1860s a tough time for army recruitment?
- Time of economic prosperity
- Means full employment, where people could enjoy higher pay and better conditions in a factory
How does purchasing rank work in Britain, how much was the cheapest rank and give an example of how this system failed in the Crimean War?
- Officers had to purchase next rank from holder if they were still alive or from army if not
- Cheapest was £450 (expensive), which meant only the wealthy rose through the ranks
- Lord Cardigan and Lucan had bought their way up and were incompetent
What was changed through Cardwell reforms (general), what stayed the same and what was the aim?
- Organisation of army
- Reservist units, militia and yeomanry stayed same
- Aim: Make it more appealing
What were the Cardwell reforms? (6)
- Flogging banned in 1868, then abolished in 1871
- Dominions Canada, Australia, NZ given responsibility for own troops (thus releasing British soldiers)
- 1870 –> Order issued abolishing bounty money for new recruits
- 1871 –> Purchasing of commissions was abolished
- Change to Army Enlistment Act (1870)
- Introduction of the Regulation of the Forces Act (1871)
Bounty money and what was the point of this:
- Money paid to recruiting sergeant for every new recruit brought into army
- Less inclined to trick men into the army
By 1871, how many servicemen returned to Britain from overseas?
26,000
Besides admin reforms, what did Cardwell manage to secure in Aug 1870?
Extra 2 mil to pay for another 20k troops (voted by parliament)
What change was made in the regimental system?
Move back to regional regimental system
What change was made to the Army Enlistment Act of 1870? (4)
- Soldiers served for 6 yrs in regulars and 6 years in reserves, where they would be expected to attend a short period of training every year
- If there was a war, they’d rejoin army for duration of war/end of service
- Could negotiate after 12 yrs to stay on if they wish
- Pension if you serve for 21 yrs
What was the Regulation of the Forces Act? (4)
- Ended general service, which is when a man could be assigned to any unit the army saw fit in the world
- Each infantry regiment now were assigned to a geographical area and had to have 2 regular battalions
- 2 regular battalions: at any time, one would be posted overseas whilst the other stayed home
- Also 2 reservist battalions that would undertake training w/ home battalion
Did the Cardwell reforms lead to many changes in the workings of the army and why?
- No
- Culture and habits take a lot longer to change
How was the recruitment problem solved in 1870s?
- British economy slowed down
- Prospect of position in army became more attractive
What was reintroduced in 1890s, with what changes and why?
- Bounty money, now payable to soldier
- Army under pressure in N Africa
What issues remained despite the Cardwell Reforms?
- Soldiers’ pay was still low
- 3/4 of soldiers’ pay would be claimed back as ‘stoppages’ (money for food, fuel and clothing used)
- Social divide in who fought for army was apparent
Meritocracy:
Idea that people should be promoted due to ability rather than patronage
