THE BOER WAR AND ITS EFFECTS ON BRITISH MILITARY REFORM. (VOLUMES I AND II).
Item
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Title
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THE BOER WAR AND ITS EFFECTS ON BRITISH MILITARY REFORM. (VOLUMES I AND II).
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Identifier
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AAI8601696
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identifier
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8601696
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Creator
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STONE, JAY CHARLES.
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Contributor
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William O. Shanahan
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, Modern
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Abstract
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It has often been suggested that man for man the British army was the finest in the world in 1914. It is this paper's thesis that the great majority of military reforms of the pre World War I era have their roots in the Boer war and not with the Haldane reforms which were merely the logical capstone of a decade of transition.;This work attempts to integrate for the first time the organizational, technical and tactical evolution of the British Army between 1898 and 1911. The primary sources consulted include parliamentary, ministerial and military papers in addition to the writings of numerous personages concerned with British defense affairs. Technical manuals and journals have also been consulted extensively. Lastly, as a control by which one may measure the perceptiveness of the official British reaction to the various "lessons" of the War, the studies of various foreign experts and observers have been analyzed.;A description of British military organization at the beginning of the War gives way to a discussion of mobilization plans in the early part of the work. In order to define the problems encountered in South Africa, Boer force structure, armament, strategy and tactics are next examined. Battle accounts are then provided to establish a common ground of experience for future reform.;The short term solutions to outmoded or inappropriate training, equipment, troop composition and logistical support are detailed, especially in terms of infantry, cavalry and artillery tactics. Considerable attention is next focused upon the postwar effort to incorporate the various "lessons" of the War and to determine why some were adopted and others were not. Final emphasis is placed on the elements of continuity evident in Haldane's program and the changing international scene that was beginning to alter defense requirements.;Ultimately the conclusion is reached that had there been no Boer war there would not have been such a thorough reform of the Army. If such were the case then the British Expeditionary Force would have been a negligible factor in World War One and Paris may well have fallen.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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History
