Home of the British Army: The Story of Aldershot Garrison

No location has been more important to the development of the British army than the garrison at Aldershot. This comprehensive history of Aldershot Garrison from its founding to the present day examines the development of the camp, the conditions for the soldiers, and its vital contribution to Britain's national defence. Home of the British Army uses numerous contemporary documents and personal accounts, many previously unpublished, to provide insights into military life and the importance of Aldershot to British military history. It was the first permanent training camp, and its success provided a model for all subsequent army camps. By far the largest British garrison, troops from Aldershot fought in every major war since the 1850s. In both world wars priority was given to mobilising Aldershot's resident units, which formed the First Corps of the British Expeditionary Force. Since 1945 Aldershot found new roles, firstly as the base for the Airborne Forces and latterly as the location of national and regional army headquarters, specialised infantry, and logistic units. The size and nature of Aldershot promoted new thinking and innovations in almost all aspects of army life, work and technology. More effective and realistic training was developed, and innovations included the start of scientific physical training, the first military police, experiments with ballooning and kiting, and improvements in transport, mechanisation, signalling, food and veterinary services. Home of the British Army will appeal to anyone interested in British military or social history of the last 170 years. AUTHOR: Paul Vickers worked for the Army Library and Information Service for 40 years, was Librarian of the Prince Consort's Library, Aldershot, from 1983 to 1991 and was Head of Library Information Systems from 1991 to 2015. He was a member of the Aldershot Military Historical Trust, a founder member of the Friends of the Aldershot Military Museum, and is their current Chair. He has an MSc in Information Science from University College London and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. He has written six books on Aldershot history as well as numerous magazine articles. 16 b/w illustrations, 84 b/w photos, 7 colour photos, 7 b/w maps, 9 tables