Fascinating Facts
17th Century
1633 - The Royal Scots are formed and are the oldest serving regiment in the British Army. Sir John Hepburn raises the regiment to fight in France.
1642 - Charles I commissions Archibald, 1st Marquess of Argyll to raise a regiment. They are disbanded in 1651 after the defeat at Worcester but are reinstated in 1660 as The Scotch Guards. In 1887 they become The Scots Guards.
1660 - Monck's Regiment of Foote march from Coldstream to London. The Londoners refer to them as the Coldstream regiment. Monck is created Lord General but when he dies in 1670, the regiment become known as the Coldstream Guards.
1661 - The Tangier Regiment (later to become the Queen's Royal Regiment) are formed at Putney to garrison the Port of Tangier which Charles II has acquired upon his marriage to Catherine of Braganza. Tangier could be said to be the first acquisition which would lead to the founding of the British Empire.
1661 - The 'standing army' is created. Until this time armies in Britain are only raised when required.
1665 - The 1st Regiment of Foot Guards (later to become the Grenadier Guards) are formed. Charles II decrees that their senior company would be the Sovereign's personal bodyguard. This company still finds the guard for Coronations and State Funerals.
1689 - The Bill of Rights is passed. This means that a 'standing army' cannot exist in peacetime without Parliament's consent. To this day, a continuation notice has to be passed in Parliament annually.
18th Century
1715 - The Battle of Preston is the last battle to be fought on English soil (although there is a skirmish at Penrith in 1745).
1716 - Two permanent companies of artillery are formed at Woolwich. Before this time, the Train of Artillery has civilian drivers and part-time gunners and is very inefficient.
1718 - James Puckle of London invents the 'Puckle Gun', the first machine gun.
1736
-
The British Army’s first Field Marshal,
George Hamilton, 1st Earl of
Orkney, is appointed. Orkney has served as a general during the Nine Years War
and the War of the Spanish Succession.
1741 - The Royal Military Academy at Woolwich is opened.
1743 - George II is the last British King to lead his army in person. This is at the battle of Dettingen, during the War of the Austrian succession. George VI fights during the First World War but he is still Duke of York and not King, at the Battle of Jutland.
1746 - Culloden becomes the last battle to be fought on British soil.
1757 - The Dorset Regiment are the only regiment to carry the battle honour of Plassey. Commanded by Clive of India and supported by 2,000 native troops, they defeat an enemy force of 50,000.
1760 - The 15th Light Dragoons are the only regiment with the Battle Honour 'Emsdorff''. They have only been in service for a few months when they defeat and capture five battalions of French infantry with nine colours and five guns.
1783 - The first manned balloon flight takes place in Paris. However, it is not until 1880 that the British Army begin to make use of balloons.
1787 - At the age of 18, the future Duke of Wellington, then Arthur Wellesley joins the 73rd Highlanders as an Ensign. His mother does not think him likely to succeed as a soldier, saying "Arthur has put on his red coat for the first time today. Anyone can see he does not have the cut of a soldier."
1797 - The parachute is invented, however, British airborne forces are not formed until 1940. British balloonists and other countries' air forces in the First World War have access to parachutes but the Royal Flying Corps have to wait until 1918 before they are allowed parachutes.
1799 - Henry Darlot of the General Post Office is appointed as the first Army Post Master.
19th Century
1801 - The 28th Foot (North Gloucestershire) fight with their rear and front ranks back-to-back to beat off a French attack from both directions at the Battle of Alexandria. To commemorate this they wear a cap badge on the the back and front of their berets.
1803 - At Assaye in India, Sir Arthur Wellesley (later to become the Duke of Wellington) defeats a Maratha army of 75,000 men and 80 cannon. Wellesley's forces number no more than 7,000 men and 20 cannon.
1804 - First use of shrapnel in combat at Surinam. Shrapnel is invented by Henry Shrapnel of the Royal Artillery.
1805 - First use of the rocket developed by William Congreve.
1811 - The Middlesex Regiment earn the nickname, 'The Die-hards' at the Battle of Albuhera. Colonel Inglis falls wounded and cries out "Die hard, 57th, die hard!". Over 80% of the regiment are casualties that day.
1812 - The Royal Military College at Sandhurst is opened.
1813 - The 14th Light Dragoons loot King Joseph Bonaparte's carriages at Vittoria in the Peninsular War. Their main trophy is the King's solid silver chamber pot. They nickname this pot 'The Emperor' and it is been used in mess rituals ever after.
1814 - The British Army burn down the Whitehouse and many other buildings in Washington, during the 1812-14 War with America.
1815 - The Waterloo Medal becomes the first medal issued to officers and all-ranks for taking part in a campaign. It is also the first campaign medal issued to next-of-kin.
1838 - Colonel Pasley introduces diving into the Royal Engineers.
1843 - First introduction of boots specifically designed for the left and right foot. Before this soldiers are instructed to alternate their footwear to ensure even wear on both boots.
1849 - At the battle of Gujerat in India, anaesthetic is used for the first time.
1851 - The musket that had been in service for over 100 years is at last replaced by the Minie rifle. The Minie is accurate up to about 800 yards as opposed to the Brown Bess or Tower musket which is accurate only up to 80 yards.
1854 - The Electric Telegraph Company offers the use of the telegraph to Royal Engineers in the Crimea.
1854 - The only two German nationals to be awarded the VC both win it in this year. William Johnstone is serving aboard HMS Arrogant in Finland and Charles Wooden is serving with the 17th Lancers at Balaclava.
1856 - Queen Victoria institutes the Victoria Cross. She wants a medal that can be awarded to anybody serving in her armed forces and is the highest decoration that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth troops.
1857 - The largest number of VCs won in a single day, twenty four, happens at the second relief of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.
1857 - Lieutenant Raynor becomes the oldest man to win the VC at 61.He is one of nine men who defend the Magazine at Delhi during the Indian Mutiny for more than five hours against large numbers of rebels and mutineers, until, on the wall being scaled and there being no hope of help, they fire the Magazine.
1858 - The Staff College at Camberley is opened.
1858 - Lieutenant William McBean wins the VC at Lucknow, during the Indian Mutiny killing 11 men by his own hand in the main breach of the Begum Dagh. McBean held every rank in the British Army from Private to Major-General.
1863 - Jane Shaw-Stewart becomes the first women to appear in the British Army List. She is appointed to be Superintendent General for military nurses at the Army Training School at Netley.
1869 - Flogging soldiers is abolished in peacetime, but continues on active service until 1881.
1871 - Edward Cardwell's army reforms abolish the purchase of commissions for officers.
1871 - The Snider rifle is replaced by the Martini-Henry rifle.
1877 - Telephones are first used in the field by the army.
1879 - The largest number of VCs won in a single action, eleven, happens at Rorke's Drift during the Zulu War.
1881 - At the battle of Laings Nek during the First Boer War, the 58th Foot carry their colours into action. This is the last time that colours are carried into battle by the British Army.
1885 - At the battle of Ginnis, during the First Sudan War, the British infantry wear their famous red coats into action for the last time.
1889 - The Maxim machine gun is introduced into the British Army. This is the first self-powered machine gun. It is capable of firing 500 rounds per minute. Previous guns have been hand-cranked.
1891 - Smokeless powder is introduced, soldiers firing from cover are not given away by a puff of white smoke.
1896 - The shortest ever war takes place in Zanzibar. A usurper seizes the throne, three British warships in the harbour bombard the palace and 45 minutes later the usurper flees.
20th Century
1900 - The Irish Guards are raised when Queen Victoria wishes to honour the bravery of the Irish regiments fighting in the Boer War.
1905 - King Alfonso of Spain is Colonel-in-Chief of the 16th Lancers until 1939. The King arrives on a visit of inspection with his Sam Browne belt on back to front. The Lancer officers reverse their belts to avoid embarrassing the King and wear them reversed to this day.
1908 - The Territorial Force (later Army) is formed.
1910 - Lieutenant Cammel of the Royal Engineers makes the first official military flight in a Bleriot.
1912 - Captain Oates sacrifices himself on the South Pole Expedition with Captain Scott. His regiment, the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, commemorate this act with 'Oates Sunday' as their Regimental Day.
1912 - The Vickers machine gun is introduced in the British Army and sees service until 1968.
1912 - The Royal Flying Corps are formed from the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. In 1918 the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service are combined to form the Royal Air Force.
1914 - Arthur Martin-Leake, a surgeon in the RAMC becomes the first person to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice. He is first awarded it in 1902 (during the Boer War) for tending wounded when under fire and the second award in 1914 is for similar heroism.
1914 - Private James Brown of the North Staffordshire Regiment is surprised to see his dog, Prince, appear in the trenches at Armentieres. Prince, an Irish Terrier, had gone missing from his home in London a few weeks earlier.
1915 - Anti-aircraft searchlights are used in the defence of London.
1915 - British soldiers are the first victims of poison gas attack when the German Army uses it for the first time in Flanders.
1915 - The Welsh Guards are raised by order of King George V and Welshmen from other Guards regiments are drawn to fill the ranks of the new regiment.
1916 - Tanks are used for the first time at the battle of Flers-Courcelette, during the First World War.
1916 - Steel helmets are issued to the British Army, two years into the First World War. This results in 75% less head wounds.
1916 - Conscription is first introduced in Britain.
1916 - A unit is set up within the Royal Engineers to provide camouflage and deception support to the army. Artists are employed, including Solomon J. Solomon the oil painter and Wallis Mills, a caricaturist from Punch magazine.
1917 - During a camel charge against Turkish infantry, Lawrence of Arabia accidentally shoots his own camel in the back of the head.
1917 - The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps are formed. This is the first time that non-nursing women have been recruited into the army.
1917 - Noel Chavasse, a surgeon in the RAMC becomes the second man to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice. He is awarded the first in 1916. Both awards are for tending wounded soldiers under heavy fire.
1918 - The Devon Regiment receive a unit award of the Croix de Guerre avec Palme from the French Government. The Devons were surrounded at Bois de Buttes but they still defeated all enemy attempts to advance.
1919 - A scheduled air-mail service is inaugurated between Folkestone and Cologne to deliver post to the British Army of the Rhine.
1920 - William Robertson is promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. In 1877 he enlists as a private in the army and is the first private to be promoted to Field Marshal.
1925 - The Royal Tank Corps adopt a black beret as their headgear. The idea has originally been mooted in 1917 when Tank Corps officers admire some French Alpine troops' berets. Thinking the French beret a little sloppy, they write off to English girl's schools asking for samples to be sent to them and choose the black beret they wear today.
1939 - Conscription reintroduced in Britain.
1940 - Royal Engineer bomb disposal sections are set up to dispose of unexploded German bombs.
1940 - The Local Defence Volunteers are formed from men not already serving in the armed forces. Later in the year the name is changed to the Home Guard. In 1942, service in the Home Guard becomes compulsory.
1941 - The Cheshire Yeomanry perform the last cavalry charge by the British Army against Vichy French forces in Syria.
1942 - Charles Upham becomes the third and last man to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice. He is a New Zealander serving with 2nd NZEF. The first award is in 1941. On both occasions the award is for great gallantry in close-quarter fighting and he is severely wounded on both occasions.
1942 - King George VI awards the George Cross to the Island of Malta to recognise the bravery of all the people on the island.
1943 - 68,000 Allied POWs and 200,000 Asian prisoners complete the Thailand-Burma railway for the occupying Japanese forces. Due to cruelty and atrocious conditions, 18,000 Allied POWs and 78,000 Asians die in the construction.
1944 - The 13th/18th Hussars are one of the first units to go ashore on D-Day in Normandy in their specialised DD tanks. The 13th Hussars also lead the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimea in 1854.
1944 - The Special Air Service Regiment is formed to administer existing SAS units.
1945 - Princess Elizabeth (later to become Queen Elizabeth II) is commissioned into the Auxiliary territorial service.
1947 - National Service is introduced in Britain.
1948 - The 1st Battalion, The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) become the last British regiment to leave India. The Dorsetshire Regiment (then the 39th) are the first to serve in India in 1757, hence their motto, Primus in Indis.
1948 - Four Ghurkha regiments are transferred from the Indian Army to the British Army, forming the Brigade of Ghurkhas.
1949 - The Women's Royal Army Corps are formed.
1957 - The Army Air Corps are formed.
1963 - National Service is ended.
1980 - Although the SAS are formed by David Stirling in 1941, it is the successful ending of the siege at the Iranian Embassy which brings the activities of the SAS to public attention.26 hostages are rescued in 11 minutes, 5 terrorists are killed and 1 captured.
1982 - During the Falklands War, Royal Marines from 45 Commando 'yomp' 80 miles from San Carlos to Port Stanley in three days, carrying 120 lbs of equipment each.
1991 - The last British Army regiment leave Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Regiment are subsequently placed on the British Army's regular establishment.
1991 - During the first Gulf War, 7 British soldiers are killed by the Iraqi army, a further 9 are killed by the US Army in friendly fire incidents.
1997 - 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) become the last British unit to leave Hong Kong.
21st Century
2000 - SAS troopers and men from the Parachute Regiment rescue seven hostages in Sierra Leone from the West Side Boys militia.
2003 - The largest tank engagement by the British Army since WWII takes place; 14 Challenger 2 tanks of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards destroy 14 Iraqi T-55s.
2005 - Private Johnson Gideon Beharry of the 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment is the first person to receive the Victoria Cross since 1982 and the first living recipient since 1965. The award is for two separate acts of gallantry whilst in Iraq in 2004.
2005 - The Special Reconnaissance Regiment become operational.
2006 - Alice Baker dies, aged 107. She is the last female service veteran of World War I. She was an aircraft mechanic in the Royal flying Corps during the war.