{"title":"Ian F Beckett","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into military history with Ian F. Beckett, a distinguished voice on 20th-century conflicts and the British Army. Explore insightful analyses and rediscover pivotal moments through his expert lens.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"rommel-a-reappraisal-book-ian-f-beckett-9781781593592","title":"Rommel - A Reappraisal","description":"How should history judge the life and career of Erwin Rommel, the most famous German general of the Second World War, 70 years after his death on 14 October 1944? In his own time and in the years immediately after the war his reputation as a great and chivalrous commander grew to the point where it took on almost legendary proportions, and the legend is still with us today. His support for the plot to remove Hitler from power in 1944 and the manner of his death, committing suicide in order to protect his family from Nazi retribution, further enhanced his image as an honourable, professional soldier. But does he deserve this legendary status? Can his exploits as a soldier and commander and his conduct of the war be separated from the aggressive aims of Hitler and the Nazis whom he and the German army served? 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It gives a brief history of each of the former county regiments, lists the battle honours on their Colours, their marches, customs, Victoria Crosses, nicknames, badges, facings, mottoes and memorials and describes their amalgamations and later lineage.  Details of the regimental museum are also given, together with churches where regimental Colours are lodged.  This information is offered in order that others may discover something of the endeavour which preserved Britain's national liberties.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49549141377297,"sku":"GOR002234173","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50116876730641,"sku":"CIN0747805067G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50338517942545,"sku":"CIN0747805067VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51315573719313,"sku":"GOR012722763","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0747805067.jpg?v=1751440015"},{"product_id":"britain-s-part-time-soldiers-the-amateur-military-tradition-1558-1945-book-ian-f-beckett-9781848843950","title":"Britain's Part-time Soldiers: the Amateur Military Tradition 1558-1945","description":"In this classic study, first published over 20 years ago, Ian Beckett gives a comprehensive and scholarly overview of the development of the amateur military tradition in Britain from the mid-sixteenth century to the present day. He shows how standing armies in Britain have been viewed with distrust and how the preference for amateur and temporary soldiers has heightened the importance of the auxiliary forces in defence against both foreign invasion and domestic disorder. His meticulously researched account of these part-time soldiers will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in or studying British military or social history. The story of the auxiliary forces is traced from the early evolution of a national militia through to the more systematic organization of local auxiliaries. Close attention is given to the development of such forces as the militia, yeomanry, volunteers, territorials and home guard. Ian Beckett describes the continuity between these forces and the important role they played in local society, highlighting not only their military purpose, but also their function as tools of social control and law-keeping. 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Here, within thematically arranged sections, this wealth of material is systematically listed and explained. Sources of every conceivable aspect of the war are covered, from government decision making and the military conduct of the war in all arenas to home front issues such as food supply and the management of morale. Some generally unknown or unused records are detailed here for the first time and cover topics such as attitudes to the conflict in British universities, war finance and labour. The thematic arrangement also reveals at a glance all the details available for key areas such as gas warfare, military intelligence, the role of women and strategic bombing.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49562102825233,"sku":"GOR006062846","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49636782178577,"sku":"GOR005651575","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49651927286033,"sku":"GOR011424307","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1903365414.jpg?v=1750964136"},{"product_id":"haig-s-generals-book-ian-f-beckett-9781844158928","title":"Haig's Generals","description":"An in-depth study of Douglas Haig's army commanders on the Western Front during the First World War. 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Perhaps this is especially important today in the wake of the attacks on America and the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is why this new edition of a pioneering survey of the subject, first published 25 years ago, is of such immediate relevance today. 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As evidence, he presents 40 key documents, including the King's rallying cry to the nation to 'eat less wheat', reports on social phenomena from anti-German riots to the drinking habits of women and juveniles, and Kitchener's initiatives to raise his New Armies.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49584790339857,"sku":"GOR002144180","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49810401132817,"sku":"CIN1903365813G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50728296218897,"sku":"CIN1903365813VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52942311620881,"sku":"GOR006159048","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1903365813.jpg?v=1751427933"},{"product_id":"haig-s-generals-book-ian-f-beckett-9781844151691","title":"Haig's Generals","description":"An in-depth study of Douglas Haig's army commanders on the Western Front during the First World War. 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A fascinating and original contribution to the history of the war in the trenches.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49593910395153,"sku":"GOR002061144","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52324701700369,"sku":"GOR003173100","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1844151697.jpg?v=1751346153"},{"product_id":"victorians-at-war-book-ian-f-beckett-9781852852757","title":"The Victorians at War","description":"The men of the Victorian army ruled a large part of the world. As the visible power behind the greatest empire there had ever been, they were involved in wars and policing wherever British interests demanded it, whether in Canada, the Crimea, Afghanistan or the Sudan. Very small by continental standards, the Victorian army combined a strong sense of tradition with considerable professionalism. The variety of tasks it had to undertake gave its officers and men an extraordinary range of challenges and experiences: putting down the Indian Mutiny, fighting in the jungles of West Africa, facing a Zulu impi and Boer sharpshooters, or garrisoning the many outposts of the empire. 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From a small regular force of barely 250,000, the British army rapidly expanded into a national force of over five million. A Nation in Arms brings together original research into the impact of the war on the army as an institution, gives a revealing account of those who served in it and offers fascinating insights into its social history during one of the bloodiest wars. The opening chapter focuses on the extent of military participation in wartime Britain and its repercussions. The authors go on to examine the regular army in 1914, the officers, Kitchener's New Armies, the Territorials, soldiers and civilians, the relationship of the army as an institution to society, and a final chapter reassesses the post-war army. To illuminate their general theme, the authors highlight the experience of individual units, among them the Black Watch, the Buckinghamshire battalions of the Territorial Force and the Welsh 113th Brigade of the New Army. an important pioneering work that is indispensable reading' (Stand To - Peter Scott)  'cohesive and comprehensive...well research ed and cogently argued' (Albion - David Woodward)  'a comprehensive guide to research. ..important contribution in First World War historiography' (History - Brian Bond)  'the authors...demonstrate how much be gained by seeing the history of an army as an aspect of general social history' (THES - Keith Robbins)  'a deeper and invigorated understanding of the extraordinary relations between modern war and the social engines that produce it' (R.E .Canjar)","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50268599451921,"sku":"GOR009122994","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51568671424785,"sku":"GOR008224930","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52154012401937,"sku":"GOR014497681","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1783461837.jpg?v=1751279835"},{"product_id":"modern-insurgencies-and-counter-insurgencies-book-ian-f-w-beckett-9780415239332","title":"Modern Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies","description":"Ian F. 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