Britain’s Soldiers

Social and Cultural Histories of Britain’s Military, 1660-1918

Series Editors: Kevin Linch, Associate Professor of Modern History, University of Leeds and Timothy Bowman, Reader in Military History, University of Kent

While there is much written about the wars and battles in this period, examining the everyday military life of Britain’s soldiers continues to offer new opportunities to explore the historical experiences of millions of people who were in, or touched by, service in Britain’s land forces.  This new series aims to publish a range of interesting books which explore a variety of questions about soldiering in this period.  Subjects covered will include who were the soldiers and the officers?; how did their careers develop?; their cultural attitudes, including the changing nature of masculinity; the growth of professionalism; how soldiers related to their families and wider society; changing approaches to military discipline and organisation; and much more.

The series will cover all the different forces of the British crown – the regular army, militia, home defence forces, part-time soldiers, conscripts, auxiliaries; and officers, NCOs, rank and file, camp followers and military families.  Besides studying the forces raised in Britain and Ireland, the series will also examine troops raised overseas including “foreign” units and forces recruited in the colonies and the Empire.  Soldiering had a lifecycle – from recruit, to life as a soldier, then discharge and returning to the community, all of which could be repeated – the series overall aims to provide rich detail on exactly what this life was like.