Did you know that...
‘Tommy Atkins’, the nickname of the British soldier, actually dates back to 1815?
In that year, a soldier’s Account Book was introduced by the War Office. It used ‘Thomas Atkins’ as a specimen name on its sample forms, and the name was soon applied to British soldiers everywhere.
Did you know that...
‘The thin red line’ specifically relates to the crucial stand of the 93rd (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot at the Battle of Balaklava in 1854?
Deployed in line to meet advancing Russian cavalry, the 93rd were described by William Howard Russell (the correspondent of The Times) as that ‘thin red streak, topped with a line of steel’. The expression is now more often used to refer to the British infantry in general.
Did you know that...
A British commercial business once had an army that was bigger than that of most nation states?
At the height of its power in the early 19th century, the East India Company’s army was 250,000 strong.
Only about 15,000 of these soldiers were European. But the offer of good pay, status, security and honour meant that the Company could always recruit sepoys (Indian soldiers) to make up the bulk of its force.
Did you know that...
The term ‘blighty’ is derived from the Urdu words ‘bilayati/wilayatt’ meaning foreign country?
It was taken up during the 19th century by British troops serving in India to refer to Britain.
Did you know that...
The West India Regiments were initially recruited from Creole slaves and newly imported Africans?
Because many European soldiers in the Caribbean fell victim to tropical diseases, the British Army was forced to look elsewhere for recruits. From 1795 to 1807 it is estimated that the British purchased 13,400 slaves for its West India Regiments. The reliance on the slave trade to staff the force was a factor in prolonging that trade to 1807.
