Portal:British Army

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Flag of the British Army (1938-present).svg

The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with unification of the governments and armed forces of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in the Acts of Union 1707. The new British Army incorporated regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and was controlled by the War Office from London. As of 2006, the British Army includes roughly 107,730 active members and 38,460 Territorial Army members. The professional British Army has also been referred to as the Regular Army since the creation of the Territorial Army. The British Army is deployed in many of the world's war zones as part of a fighting force and in United Nations peacekeeping forces.

In contrast to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include "Royal" in its title, because of its roots as a collection of disparate units, many of which do bear the "Royal" prefix, such as the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers. Template:/box-footer

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Map of the Western Front
Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Both sides then dug in along a meandering line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France. This line remained essentially unchanged for most of the war.

Between 1915 and 1917 there were several major offensives along this front. The attacks employed massive artillery bombardments and massed infantry advances. However, a combination of entrenchments, machine gun nests, barbed wire, and artillery repeatedly inflicted severe casualties on the attackers and counter attacking defenders. As a result, no significant advances were made. In an effort to break the deadlock, this front saw the introduction of new military technology, including poison gas, aircraft, and tanks. But it was only after the adoption of improved tactics that some degree of mobility was restored. In spite of the generally stagnant nature of this front, this theater would prove decisive. The inexorable advance of the Allied armies in 1918 persuaded the German commanders that defeat was inevitable, and the government was forced to sue for conditions of an armistice.

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Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found. Arthur Edward Jeune (James) Collins (18 August 1885–11 November 1914), typically known by his initials AEJ Collins, was an English cricketer and soldier. He is most famous for achieving the highest-ever recorded score in cricket: as a 13-year-old schoolboy, he scored 628 not out over four afternoons in June 1899. Collins' record-making innings drew a large crowd and increasing media interest; spectators at the Old Cliftonian match being played nearby were drawn away to watch the junior school house cricket match in which Collins was playing.

Collins chose to follow an army career, passing his entrance exams to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in September 1901 and representing the Royal Military Academy at both football and rugby as well as cricket, scoring a century in a match against Sandhurst. He joined the British Army the following year, being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in 1904. He played at Lord's in 1913 for Royal Engineers against Royal Artillery, scoring 58 and 36 runs in the two innings, but he never played first-class cricket. He also joined Clifton Rugby Football Club in February 1905, but never rose above the 2nd XV. of Clifton RFC. He served with the 2nd Sappers and Miners in India, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1907. He married Ethel Slater in the spring of 1914, and was sent to France when World War I broke out later that year.

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Irish Guards, wearing bearskins, march to the Cenotaph (Whitehall, London, England) on June 12th 2005, for a service of remembrance for British soldiers
The Irish Guards is a regiment of the British Army, which is part of the Guards Division. The regiment has seen some truly "non-traditional" recruits, notably Zimbabwean Christopher Muzvuru, who qualified as a piper before becoming one of the regiment's two fatal casualties in Iraq in 2003.

Irish Guards officers tend to be drawn from the ranks of graduates of elite British public schools, particularly those with a Roman Catholic affiliation, such as Ampleforth College and Stonyhurst College.

One way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards is the spacing of buttons on the tunic. The Irish Guards have buttons arranged in groups of four. They also have a prominent blue plume on the right side of their bear skins.

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Accuracy International Arctic Warfare - Psg 90.jpg

The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a family of bolt-action sniper rifles designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police and military rifle since its introduction in the 1980s.

Generally Artic Warfare rifles are outfitted with a Schmidt & Bender PM II telescopic sight with fixed power of magnification or with variable magnification. Variable telescopic sights can be used if the operator wants more flexibility to shoot at varying ranges, or when a wide field of view is required. Accuracy International actively promotes fitting the German made Schmidt & Bender PM II product line as sighting components on their rifles, which is almost unique for a rifle manufacturer. The German Army preferred a telescopic sight made by Zeiss over Accuracy Internationals preference.

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Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Air Force Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
Royal Navy RAF United Kingdom

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Pikemen escorting John Stuttard, Lord Mayor of London during the 2006 Lord Mayor's Show.
Credit: David Illiff
Pikemen escorting John Stuttard, Lord Mayor of London during the 2006 Lord Mayor's Show. The Pikemen and Musketeers (formed 1925, given a Royal Warrant 1955) are made up of veteran members of the Active Unit they are the personal bodyguard of the Lord Mayor of London and form his Guard on ceremonial occasions.


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FA A. E. J. Collins

FA Arthur Ernest Percival

FA Battle of Albuera

FA Battle of Arras (1917)

FA Battle of Barrosa

FA Battle of Blenheim

FA Battle of Greece

FA Battle of Schellenberg

FA British anti-invasion preparations of World War II

FA Battle of Ramillies

FA Frederick Russell Burnham

FA Invasion of Normandy

FA Crawford expedition

FA Operation Varsity

FA Isaac Brock

FA Issy Smith

FA John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

FA Peterloo Massacre

FA Pontiac's Rebellion

FA Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell

FA Siege of Malakand

FA Victoria Cross

FA War of the Fifth Coalition

FA Webley Revolver

FA Western Front (World War I)

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Portal:British Army
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Battle of Tug ArganA ForceAnglo-Norwegian Joint CommitteeArmy Motor ReserveArmy Regulation BillThomas Best (soldier)Francis BlanchainRichard BonythonBernard Brocas (Royalist)Cannon KopjeCombined Operations DirectorateDonkeymanDublin BrigadeHumphrey GaleGeneral Service Enlistment ActInfantry Junior Leaders BattalionCharles Morgan (army officer)John Norris (army officer)Operation RayonDonat Henchy O'BrienOperation SharkRadfan uprisingRoyal Sicilian VolunteersThree-Two BattalionNarendra Bir SinghThirty CommitteePaul Mainwaring JonesSiege of CartagenaCounty Galway VolunteersGurkha Security Guards LimitedKeeni-Meeni ServicesLifeguard (mercenary company)James Patterson StewardSaladin SecurityTrident MaritimeEuan McPherson (commander in Lord Loudoun's army) • Headquarters Theatre Troops (British Army current unit) • Remote Radar Head (RAF radar station classification) • Landing at Kesang RiverLanding at PontianBattle of Plaman Mapu
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Battle of GermantownRoulementAddiscombe Military AcademyHome Defence ExecutiveOperation AccumulatorWilliam RowanRichard James DacresFrederick HainesCádiz Expedition (1625)Battle of Skerki BankCádiz ExpeditionRichard Clement MoodyArthur Reid LempriereHenry Spencer PalmerRoyal Engineers, Columbia detachment8x57mm IS (nomenclature as "7.92mm" by Poland and GB?) • William Vavasour
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Siege of Calcutta
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