- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Phoenix (4 Jan 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0753821818
- ISBN-13: 978-0753821817
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 337,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
'This is a fascinating analysis of military catastrophes' (SOLDIER MAGAZINE )
'Worth a look for anyone who has a healthy scepticism about the supposed moral and military superiority of Great Britain and the United States' (TRIBUNE )
'[An] interesting and illuminating perspective on the Victorians, which will appeal to the general reader as much as to the military history enthusiast' (ARMOURER )
'Worth a look for anyone who has a healthy scepticism about the supposed moral and military superiority of Great Britain and the United States' (TRIBUNE )
'[An] interesting and illuminating perspective on the Victorians, which will appeal to the general reader as much as to the military history enthusiast' (ARMOURER )
ARMOURER
'[An] interesting and illuminating perspective on the Victorians, which will appeal to the general reader as much as to the military history enthusiast'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent book for anyone interested in the experiences of the British Army during the Victorian age.
It shows that far from being an unbridled success for the worlds first Industrialised power over local native forces the period was also full of many defeats and much tragedy.
Highlighting a number of key engagements with many eyewitness accounts the author shows how inept leadership and lack of organization led to a succession of disasters for the British Army.
The book also illustrates how these eventually led to a number of reforms improving the overall efficiency of the army and the soldiers lot.
A really good read for anyone interested in Victorian history.
It shows that far from being an unbridled success for the worlds first Industrialised power over local native forces the period was also full of many defeats and much tragedy.
Highlighting a number of key engagements with many eyewitness accounts the author shows how inept leadership and lack of organization led to a succession of disasters for the British Army.
The book also illustrates how these eventually led to a number of reforms improving the overall efficiency of the army and the soldiers lot.
A really good read for anyone interested in Victorian history.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A reasonable but far from comprehensive overview of some of the military blunders which befell then British Army throughout the Victorian era (the retreat from Kabul, the Zulu war, the Boer wars, Spion Kop etc.)
This is probably best approached with some background knowledge of the Victorian military - without it the reader may struggle to follow the various references and personalities mentioned in this book - and when all is said and done - if you have the background knowledge on the subject already, why read this book? there is nothing new here that cant be found, in far more detail, in numerous other books.
This is probably best approached with some background knowledge of the Victorian military - without it the reader may struggle to follow the various references and personalities mentioned in this book - and when all is said and done - if you have the background knowledge on the subject already, why read this book? there is nothing new here that cant be found, in far more detail, in numerous other books.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
The other side of those "British abroad" Movies.
9 Sep 2000
Format:Paperback
It is good to see that Mr. Judd's survey of 19th Century British military disasters has been returned to print. Although it has often been said that history is written by the victors, this book demonstrates it is far more true that history is written by the side with the printing press and mass media, regardless of whether it won or not. Recall all those "British abroad" type movies of yesteryear, "The Drums", "Gunga Din", "Beyond Mombasa", etc., in which it appeared that a pith helmet, the Union Jack and, possibly, bagpipes were all that was needed to tame savage races. Mr. Judd's book goes far towards refuting that Elstree/Hollywood image.
The book covers six significant British military campaigns/wars from the dawn to the twilight of the Victorian era. Included are such well-known events as the Crimean War to considerably more obscure ones, such as the Zulu War of 1879. In all cases, Mr. Judd has done an excellent job of researching the subject matter and he provides many interesting insights. For example, the inital campaign of the Zulu War was lost in large part due to a shortage of screwdrivers. (You will have to read the book to learn the full story behind that!) There is also considerable discussion about the various efforts at reorganizing the British Army to rectify the errors of previous campaigns.
My only complaint with the book (and hence my 4 star rating) is that it is awfully short (189 pages) for such a rich subject. I would have liked to either have more information about the campaigns/wars already presented, or more such events could have been included. For example, the Riel Rebellion of 1885 would have been an excellent choice for inclusion in a work like this. The book is, however, a terrific introduction to a largely ignored subject area of military history. If this book interests you in the Boer Wars, I would recommend that you follow up with "The Boer War" by Thomas Pakenham.
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