The British Army

A Complete Study

The British Army during WW I The British Army was made up of the basic components of any army of the time. The infantry made up the backbone of the army and was supported by the cavalry and artillery. A typical infantry regiment consisted of 1000 men, 800 of which were combatants. 12 - 14 of these these regiments grouped into 3 battalions made up each division with the addition of an artillery and cavalry unit for support per battalion.

The standard equipment for an infantry soldier consisted of:
Pattern 1908 Mills Gear, (one 3" waistbelt, two 2" cross braces, a left and right side ammo pouch set with 5 pouches each able to hold a maximum of 150 rounds, a haversack for personal items, ration tins and tin cup, a canteen and carrier, mess tin and carrier, entrenching tool, carrier and handle, bayonet frog, and large pack attached to the cross braces in back.)
The No.1 Mark III or III* Short Magazine Lee Enfield .303 caliber rifle with the 1907 Wilkinson 17" blade bayonet, 100 rounds of extra ammunition held in cloth bandoliers, gas mask or phosgene helmet with carrier, and a mark II pattern steel hemet (introduced in 1916)

Layout of Standard British Equipment

The uniform was made of khaki material patterned in the 1902 service dress fashion. The typical battle uniform consisted of a 5 button tunic with closable collar, straight trousers held up by suspenders, a light blue/ gray collarless undershirt, black ankle boots, puttees or leg wraps which were wound from the ankle to the calf, a single breasted greatcoat or trenchcoat, trench cap, and leather jerkin during cold weather.

British Expeditionary Force

The original British Expeditionary Force that arrived in France in 1914 consisted of a little more that 120,000 men. It was by far the smallest army from a major power serving on the front. Under General Kitchner, supreme commander of the B.E.F., a plea went out for all able bodied men to enlist for the war effort. The plea was met enthusiastically by thousands of young men from all over Britain, Scotland and Ireland. The only problem now was suppling the massive numbers of men that flooded into the recruiting offices.

Due to supply shortages, most of these new recruits would not arrive in France until late in 1914 or early 1915. In the mean time, the professional army continued to fight bravely against the might of the German army facing them. The first major operations undertaken were at Mons and Ypres. The armies bogged down in the mud and the lines came to a stalemate. The French countryside was now scarred from the English Channel to the base of the Alps with a system of winding trenches.

Group Photo of British Soldiers

Infantry Equipment of the British Army

The Leaders of the British Army

Regimental Hat Badges of the British Army

Battle Insignia of the British Army

Back to the History of the British Army

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