Jeremy A. Crang

The Abolition of Compulsory Church Parades in the British Army

The compulsory church parade was one of the oldest traditions in the British army, dating back to the seventeenth century. In 1946, shortly after the end of the Second World War, the practice was abolished. This was a significant moment in Army–Church relations since the compulsory attendance of soldiers at divine worship had been an official acknowledgement of the importance of religion as a guiding force in the corporate life of the army. This article explores the background to this historic decision and the unsuccessful efforts of senior officers in the late 1940s to restore the ritual.

The British army and the people's war 1939-1945

Other rank selection officer selection officer promotion officers and men the soldiers working life army welfare army education conclusion appendix.

From San Carlos to Stanley: The Falklands Land/Air Operations

From the perspective of 2006 the land campaign fought by the British Army and the Royal Marines in the Falklands conflict appears both dated and forward-looking. It was fought without the benefit of two factors today taken for granted – formal doctrine and institutionalised jointery – but although it took place in the depths of the Cold War, it anticipated the era of expeditionary operations that commenced in the 1990s. The story of the land fighting is well covered in Lawrence Freedman’s tour de force. However, this is not its primary focus, which he explicitly states is ‘British policy and strategy’ (vol. II, pp. xxi–xxii). Thus his examination of the land and supporting air operations occupies a relatively modest proportion of the book. While Al Haig’s shuttle diplomacy is recounted in minute detail, for example, 45 Commando’s attack on Two Sisters is covered in less than two pages. Since readers might have been preconditioned by other Official Histories to expect a particular kind of book, it is perhaps helpful to examine what this one does not attempt to do. Clearly, the Falklands Official History is not intended to serve as an account of record. A Falklands veteran who reads the book hoping to see his name in print is likely to be disappointed. In this respect Freedman’s Official History is different from others in the genre, notably the Australian official histories of the two world wars by C. E. W. Bean and Gavin Long. These placed great emphasis on the impact of individuals on events and contained a significant number of mini-biographies of prominent figures. In contrast, Freedman avoids such a personality-driven approach and, in particular, stresses that ‘it has expressly not been my task to highlight the failures of individuals’ (vol. II, p. xxiii). This leads to some anomalies, such as his reluctance to identify the officer in charge of the Welsh Guards on board the illfated Sir Galahad on 8 June – who refused to disembark his troops despite repeated requests to do so – even though the name has appeared in other published accounts. It would be instructive to know the rationale behind the decision to be sparing in the use of such names – whether this is the result of official policy, or a self-denying ordinance on the part of the author. The Falklands Official History is not a detailed operational narrative along the lines of J. E. Edmonds’s multi-volume history of the Western Front during the First World War. What Freedman provides are accurate and informative, but concise, accounts of land and air actions. His approach more closely resembles that of the campaign volumes of J. R. M. Butler’s official British history of the Second World War, which tended to paint the ‘big picture’ while being sparing on tactical detail. Indeed Butler stated that the seeker after ‘detailed narratives’ must consult ‘unit or formation histories’. Similarly, Freedman points the reader towards individual