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Delve deeper into stories of the Army and its soldiers, exploring events across the globe and down the centuries.

Army Structure

Medal ribbons

The colours of medal ribbons carry symbolic meanings, drawing on deep-rooted traditions in military history and heraldry. This symbolism is an important part of medal design.

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1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment, Iraq, 2004

Equality and the Army

The modern British Army declares itself an equal opportunities employer. But becoming so has presented challenges for an institution deeply rooted in hierarchy, routine, regiment and tradition.

Defeat in the West

In the summer of 1940, the Germans defeated France and drove the British out of Western Europe. Following their evacuation from Dunkirk, the British found themselves facing the threat of invasion.

Kenya Emergency

The Kenya Emergency, or Mau Mau Revolt, was one of the British Army's bloodiest and most controversial post-war conflicts.

Rugby match featuring members of the 3rd County of London Yeomanry, 1942

Sport and British Army recruitment

Although factors like patriotism, financial security and the chance to travel have persuaded men and women to enlist, sport has also played a major role in British Army recruitment.

Why did the Indian Mutiny happen?

In 1857, Indian soldiers rose up against their British commanders. The reasons behind the rebellion stretch back to the very origins of British involvement in Indian affairs.

Decisive events of the Indian Mutiny

The rebellion that broke out in 1857 was the biggest threat to Britain's colonial power during its rule of the Indian subcontinent.

Between 1839 and 1842, British-Indian forces fought a war with Imperial China that served the interests of opium smugglers. Their resulting victory opened up the lucrative Chinese trade to British merchants.

Cyprus

In the early 1950s, a revolt in favour of union with Greece began in British-controlled Cyprus. British troops remain on the island to this day as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force.

Edward Walker: Eyewitness to civil war

Sir Edward Walker was Secretary at War to King Charles I during the British Civil Wars. His papers provide a first-hand account of the Battle of Lostwithiel and offer many other illuminating insights on the wider conflict.

The last British troops to leave India, 1948

Independence and Partition, 1947

The birth of India and Pakistan as independent states in 1947 was a key moment in the history of Britain’s empire and its army. But the process of partition was attended by mass migration and ethnic violence that has left a bitter legacy to this day.

Battle, Afghanistan, 2010. Oil on linen by Jules George, 2010

Painting in the line of fire

Operating as non-combatants in some of the most dangerous environments in the world, war artists face a variety of challenges. Here, we take a look at how they get by.

Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, Helmand, 2011

A timeline of women in the Army

Since 2018, all British Army combat roles have been open to female soldiers. However, the history of women's service in the Army stretches much further back in time.

Stories of remembrance

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