While much attention has been paid to the commemoration of conflict in the twentieth century, this book is the first to consider conflict memory in the long term, arguing that modern practices were not created out of the mud of the trenches, but evolved from much longer practices. From the fourteenth century to the present day, this work analyses the changing commemoration and memories of British battlefields at home and overseas, from Bannockburn (1314) to Bosworth (1485) to Basra (1914-1921). Across these seven centuries, there have been a series of recurring post-battle rituals that have shaped and continue to shape memories of conflict. Three distinct but overlapping periods of memory can be delineated: In the later Middle Ages battlefields were consecrated by the burial of the fallen and often by the erection of a battlefield cross, or chapel or chantry to pray for the dead. The second phase began with the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s, when pilgrimage and prayers for the dead was abolished, and battlefield chantries were dissolved and many battlefield crosses were demolished. Memories shifted from the dead to the living, especially the bodies of surviving veterans who commemorated the conflict by their wounds, and from soil and stone to print and ink. The third phase began in the eighteenth century when antiquaries and others established new monuments on past battlefields. Monuments to survivors and the dead were established on contemporary battlefields such as Waterloo, once again hailed as sacred ground hallowed by bloodshed, fit destinations for a pilgrimage. Not just officers but ordinary soldiers began to be memorialized by name on the battlefield, culminating in the cult of the names of the dead enshrined by the creation of the War Graves Commission in 1917, and the idea that battlefields should be preserved unchanged as seen in modern heritage management. Drawing on a wide variety of literary and historical sources and taking a uniquely longue durée approach, the book explores and links memory-making practices from across the period to reconsider the ways in which battlefields are commemorated and re-commemorated. In so doing, it makes a unique contribution to a wide range of historiographical fields: British history since the fourteenth century, memory studies, heritage studies, landscape history, conflict archaeology, and military history.

This book is about all of the major battles fought on British soil. Lets the reader visit the country, in effect, and the scene of the struggle.

"For much of its long history, Britain has been bloodily ravaged by war and internal strife- foreign invasions have devastated British society, bitter battles have been fought over social and political rights, and brutal warlords have torn the country apart in their struggles for dominance. In Battlefield Britain , father and son team Peter and Dan Snow tell the story of eight decisive battles that have done much to shape the Britain we know today- Boudiccas revolt against Rome (AD 601); the Battle of Hastings (1066); the Battle for Wales (140010); the Spanish Armada (1588); the Battle of Naseby (1645); the Battle of the Boyne (1690); the Battle of Culloden (1746) and the Battle of Britain (1940). For the first time, ground-breaking computer graphics are used to recreate the ebb and flow of these famous battles in dramatic and vivid detail. Peter Snow, as well known for his strategic analysis as his swingometer, and Dan, a young military historian, combine their skills to form a unique writing team. In addition to explaining the battleplans of the great military commanders they also reveal what it was like to be an ordinary soldier on the front line, where the battle was at its

The United Kingdom was united in battle - and some of those battles, though an important part of British history, have been forgotten.

Very few living men have taken part in a battle, and many must wonder how they would acquit themselves if ever they had to. A medieval battle was a very complex affair; it was far from being a simple kill or be killed. It could be won or lost at any stage; it could turn on the action of one man, and it could settle nothing, or alternatively the fate of a nation. But for the majority, when thinking of a battle, the overriding question would be: how would I behave? What would happen to me? Would I emerge unscathed and join in the celebrations, or would I be left wounded on the battlefield waiting for someone to save me, or for some ghoul to finish me off? Would I lose all fear in the excitement? In Volume 2 - The North, Philip Warner, one of Britain's foremost military historians describes the battles from the actual locations they were fought bringing not only a military but a human eye to this chapter in our history. Volumes 1-5 are also available.

Written by the noted historian C. V. Wedgwood, Battlefields in Britain dives deep into the major battles within the British Isles from the Norman Conquest of the eleventh century up to the 1940s. Spanning centuries of tumultuous British history, the accounts of battles are accompanied by a map of each battle area, offering a full scope of the combat. Wedgwood provides wonderfully detailed accounts of conflicts such as the fierce Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, between the Norman-French and English armies who fought for the throne, and the fifteenth-century battle of Tewkesbury, which effectively wiped out the royal Lancaster family. In her edge-of-your-seat description of the Battle of Culloden, Wedgwood speaks of the palpable impending doom of the invasion, while in the Battle of Britain, fought mostly by plane in British skies, she describes the airmen who "left the quivering air signed with their honor." Wedgwood was famous for visiting the grounds of the original battle sites--often during the season or month that the battles took place--to pace out the paths of combat, making sure she had a clear vision of the battle scene, and her research is evident in her riveting accounts. Battlefields in Britain includes battles of the Welsh Wars, Falkirk, Bannockburn, Barnet, Bosworth, Flodden, Edgehill, Marston Moor, Inverlochy, Naseby, Dunbar, Killiecrankie, and Culloden, among many others, making it an indispensable resource for both historians and war buffs.

The British Isles have witnessed hundreds of battles, both great and small, in their two thousand years of recorded history, but not all are widely remembered today. Many of these battles are well known, due to their far-reaching consequences, their sheer scale or the involvement of famous protagonists. Even so, many battles have never been properly investigated, perhaps because their importance was never understood or because they have never been included in previous books on British battlefields. In this book, Martin Hackett examines ten forgotten British battles, covering the length and breadth of Britain and some 900 years of warfare. For each, he provides a concise account of the battle itself and analyses its military, archaeological and political significance. Each entry is accompanied by current photographs of the location, a modern map of the battlefield with suggested tours and information on exploring the site today.

Two Men in a Trench 2 provides an examination of six major battles: Bannockburn, Sedgemoor, Edgehill, Killiecrankie, RAF Hornchurch (The Battle of Britain 1940) and the Big Guns of World War II at Dover and Calais. Each chapter of the book presents a clear understanding of the events and causes of each battle, before its aftermath is considered. The personalities, armies, weapons and tactics involved are described; the archaeological techniques explained; and the groundbreaking results and their impact on our understanding of events discussed. sense of humour, Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver capture the drama, action and tragedy of past events and provide an insight into some of the bloodiest episodes of British history.

Philip Warner¿s four volume battlefield series published between 1972 and 1975 covers all major battles in England and Scotland from the Anglo-Saxon conquest to the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745. It includes all the great medieval battles, the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. Concise accounts, written in Philip Warner¿s very accessible style, these are intended for the general reader as much as the specialist: a good introduction to British military history and a handy guide to keep in the car on holiday. The original volumes were: British Battlefields: The South, The Midlands and The North plus Scotland and the Border.