Military Identities

The regimental system has been the foundation of the British army for three hundred years. This iconoclastic study shows how it was refashioned in the late nineteenth century, and how it was subsequently and repeatedly reinvented to suit the changing roles that were forced upon the army. Based upon research in the National Archives, regimental museums and collections, and other depositories, this is the first book to strip away the myths that have been deliberately manufactured to justify or to condemn the system.