On 25 October 2018, It was announced by the Defence Secretary that all roles in the British Armed Forces are now open to women. From Thursday 25 October 2018, women: Already serving in the British Army can apply to transfer into the Infantry. Civilians will be able to apply from 21 December 2018. Basic training… Read More
“In several nineteenth-century battles, about 5 percent of the combatants contracted tetanus infections; of those, about 80 percent died. Approximately 5 percent of the wounded combatants in ancient wars contracted gangrene, another infection caused by bacteria in soil. Washing of the wound could reduce the incidence, and amputation might save an infected limb, but if the… Read More
“The Roman military had a medical system that was extraordinary for the ancient world. It was based on the teachings of Greek medicine and emphasized both prevention – maintenance of conditions for good public health – and healing of battle-wounded soldiers. A nutritious diet, a carefully monitored water supply, and strict rules about sanitation helped… Read More
“As happens in many battles, the losers and winners differed not only in the proportions of men killed and wounded but also in the types of wounds suffered and, especially, in the ways they died. In ancient battles for which detailed historical documentary is available, usually fewer than 5 percent of the soldiers on the victorious… Read More
“The first rockets were Chinese. In the 1230s the armies of the Song dynasty, who were fighting Mongol invaders, started launching “fire arrows” propelled by gunpowder some 300 metres into enemy lines. When the Song’s artillerymen realised that these arrows continued to fly straight even after their fiery exhaust had burned away their feathers, they removed the fletching and the… Read More
“Starting in the 18th century, the Gulf emirs came under the protection of the British empire, which sought to keep rivals away from the approaches to India. The British imposed truces on the internecine fights of the emirs (hence the region’s name, “the trucial coast”).” (The Economist, 2018, p.5). Reference The Economist. (2018) From Pearls to Black Gold: How Oil… Read More
The slang used by men in the First World War became popular and fashionable in wartime Britain, with a number of words and phrases remaining in the English language. Prior to the Great War, slang had mostly remained within the army but, during the war, it transferred from soldiers to civilians. Table 1: 10 Military… Read More
