The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. As of 2021, the British Army comprises 82,230 regular full-time personnel and 30,030 reserve personnel.

The British soldier is second to none in the communities of fighting men. Some may possess more élan, others may be better disciplined; but none excels him in all-round character. ~ Bernard Montgomery

TWO YEARS AGO THE BRITISH EMPIRE STOOD ALONE - NARA - 515889

D-day - British Forces during the Invasion of Normandy 6 June 1944 B5044

Row of Challenger 2 tanks at a firing range at British Army Training Unit Suffield in Canada

The Defence of Rorke's Drift

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

• The British soldier is second to none in the communities of fighting men. Some may possess more élan, others may be better disciplined; but none excels him in all-round character. We require no training in bravery in Britain; we can trust to our own native manliness to see us through. So it is with the soldier. It is his natural pride which gives him his fighting qualities. How often he has stood firm before tyranny and oppression, the last hope of the free world! In the midst of the noise and confusion of the battlefield, the simple homely figure of the British soldier stands out calm and resolute—dominating all around him with his quiet courage, his humour and his cheerfulness, his unflinching acceptance of the situation. May the ideals for which he has struggled never vanish from the world! May he never be forgotten by the nation for which he has fought so nobly! I know better than most to what heights the British soldier can aspire. His greatness is a measure of the greatness of the British character, and I have seen the quality of our race proved again and again on the battlefield.
  • Bernard Montgomery, Memoirs (London: Collins, 1958), pp. 543-544.

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

External links