Written by: Ken and Denise Guest
Submitted By: Robert Douglas
Great Britain is rich in history and strewn with old battlegrounds. For centuries, cultures diverse in language and customs have fought to gain control of a land with green rolling hills, wild forests, and thriving farmsteads. Saxons, Vikings, Normans, Scots. The Houses of York and Lancaster. Royalist and Parliamentarian. Hanoverian and Jacobite.
With brief yet superbly written descriptions of each engagement, whilst cleverly illustrated by photographs from colourful re-enactment society events, this book brings 'British Battles' to life. More particular explanations on arms, armour, equipment, uniforms, famous people, regimental parlance, army formations, and much more can be found throughout the text. Maps accompany each battle site, giving the reader an immediate idea of terrain, starting positions, and developments during the battle.
This is excellent reading material for beginners wishing to grasp some sense of Britain's war-like past backed by fascinating facts and in-depth information. However, it concentrates on post-Roman Britain, while the Dark Ages are lightly examined; bear in mind this is an English Heritage title that recognizes only KNOWN battlefields (and even asserted claims are sometimes disputed!).
Ken and Denise Guest are war journalists who between them have covered nightmarish locations, including: Cambodia, Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq War, Bosnia, Khurdistan, and many UN peacekeeping operations.
