Can you tell us something about the history of the British army?

Among the military museums in London, England, perhaps the National Army Museum is a relatively simple and humble one.

It is located on the side of Chelsea Royal Hospital Road in London. It consists of a two-story square building with a three-story exhibition hall in the basement. The symbol of the museum is two M/KLOC-0 field guns used by the British army during World War II. The brochure of the museum says, "Here, you can see the touching stories of British soldiers in wartime and peacetime, and learn about the life and combat readiness of British army soldiers from15th century to today. The National Army Museum is the British Army's own museum and the only museum in the UK that comprehensively introduces the British Army. "

The victory of "longbow"

The story told in the museum begins at 14 15. At that time, the British Isles got rid of internal disputes, and the king began to pay attention to the European continent while staring at the ocean, and went out of the island country to become the king's greatest wish. That year, King Henry V led 6,000 loyalists to Calais, a place called Agger Nicot in northern France, and defeated 25,000 French troops. Since then, the British army has frequently crossed the Strait and participated in wars in continental Europe.

According to the British understanding, the reason why King Henry V of England was able to win more with less was because his army adopted advanced military technology. The museum explained that the new weapon and equipment, namely the "longbow", was the key to the victory of the king's army. "Longbow" is a great invention of Britain in the age of cold weapons. It looks a bit like China's spear, but it is longer and heavier than China's spear. When fighting, the British tied the "longbow" together, relying on the horses to form rows of sharp blades and stabbed the enemy phalanx. Doing so can not only disrupt the opponent's offensive formation, but also effectively protect themselves. Long before he decided to fight in Europe, the king of England decided that boys should learn to use this weapon at the age of 6, and when they grow up to be around 20, they can become skilled "longbowmen". Once in actual combat, this weapon and its supporting tactics played an important role in ensuring that the British army defeated its mainland rivals.

The British also believe that every war will not be a repeat of the last one. Only by creatively using the weapons and equipment in hand, regardless of the past, can we continue to win the war.

"The lobster is back."

The more attractive exhibition rooms of the National Army Museum are the 500-year British Army uniform exhibition, the18th century British Army life exhibition and the Battle of Waterloo. Early British soldiers wore red uniforms. The museum explained: "Under the conditions at that time, red was a convenient and cheap dye. In the melee, red is easy to recognize ... In Elizabethan times, army officers and men in London began to wear red uniforms. 1645, the British' new infantry' used red as the basic color of military uniforms. By the end of17th century, the red military uniform had become the main color uniform of the British army. The' red coat' became the nickname of the British Army officers and soldiers. " And because it looks like a cooked lobster, there is a slang in English called "lobster back". When it comes to "lobster back" today, the British will tell you that it refers to their soldiers. British army officers and soldiers wore red uniforms for about two centuries. By the time of the Napoleonic Wars in 1845, British army soldiers were still wearing red uniforms.

Standing in front of the red military uniform, you can close your eyes and think. Suddenly, a shocking scene appears in your mind: a contest of cold weapons kicked off in a Yuan Ye in Europe. From a distance, British officers and men in Red Army uniforms are like clusters of red flames, flashing from time to time. The uniforms of the Red Army, led by cavalry, surged in the direction of the enemy in a phalanx. The battlefield dust raised by war horses and infantry can't cover the swords and shadows in the sun. The hissing steeds and deadpan soldiers are waiting for the enemy to approach. If they get close, there will be a dark scuffle. In the life-and-death melee, Rhett told his comrades where he was and tried to cooperate with each other to fight his opponent to the end.

With the widespread use of gunpowder, although phalanx and hand-to-hand combat are still the main ways of land warfare, the distance between the two sides has been widened by muskets or artillery. During the Napoleonic Wars, the red uniform of the British army gradually showed its shortcomings. The enemy could find clusters of red targets from a distance, and the red uniform became a living target of the enemy muskets. In addition, due to the increasing number of days that British soldiers go abroad to fight, for example, in hot Africa, blindly demanding red uniforms cannot meet the environmental needs of the combat areas. By the end of19th century, the uniforms of British army soldiers had undergone a new evolution, and the red uniforms were gradually replaced by black, gray, white and blue uniforms. By the Punic War of 1900 (British conquest of South African tribes), the regular troops of the British army had all given up red uniforms and changed to light-colored uniforms, especially white uniforms.

But for an ancient nation, until today, Britain has not completely eliminated the red military uniform. Anyone who has been to Britain will go to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lives, to watch the guard changing ceremony. Except in bad weather, this ceremony is usually held every other day at around 1 1 in the morning. From military bands to guards, soldiers on duty and laid off all wear the red uniforms worn by their predecessors centuries ago. They came here from the guard camp not far from Buckingham Palace either on foot or on neatly arranged high horses. In front of Buckingham Palace, the changing guards were kicking and stamping their feet, playing music and shouting, and they were very busy. Strange clothes take people back centuries, and the uniforms of the Red Army still try to tell the onlookers that Britain was once an old empire. However, times have changed. At this time, it was no longer Britain at that time. The red military uniform tells the ups and downs of Britain in front of Buckingham Palace.

At the Guard Museum near Buckingham Palace, I chatted with the doorman, the truck driver of the Normandy landing campaign, about the story of the red military uniform. He said that an elegant red uniform must be accompanied by a tall hat made of furry black bear skin. In the early years, furry black bear skins were imported from Russia to show the luxury and dignity of the royal family, but now, guard hats made of Russian black bear skins are rare. The old man said that he has one here, which has been handed down for generations, and the guards stationed nearby should try it every time they come. When I learned that I was a soldier from China, the old man happily took out a bearskin hat and put it on himself. The inside of the hat is a little greasy, and a lot of hair has fallen out. There must be a lot of people trying it on. In order not to spoil the old man's fun, I put on that big fluffy hat, and I didn't feel as heavy and warm as I thought. After the photo shoot, the old man dragged me for a long time. He said: "I know China, and I know that China soldiers have settled in Hongkong, and your military uniforms are also very beautiful. I hope to see China and your beautiful military uniforms with my own eyes one day. "

Early life in the British army

After seeing the evolution history of army uniforms, I entered the exhibition room of British army life in sequence.

/kloc-British soldiers in the 0/8th century were not as laid-back as British soldiers today. At that time, few officers and men enjoyed adequate medical security and allowances. The daily allowance for soldiers is 8 D (an abandoned British monetary unit, each D is equivalent to 3 p, 100 p is equivalent to 1 pound), of which 6 D is used for food and shelter, and the rest is used to buy uniforms and other necessary equipment besides supporting the family. /kloc-in the 0 th and 8 th centuries, soldiers' food was mainly boiled beef and noodles, and the army only served two meals a day. In order to save money, many officers and men do not live in military camps, but look for houses outside the camps. Because of low wages, few officers and men get married, and even if they get married, the British army is not allowed to admit it. Only a few officers and men can live with their families. At that time, there were some women in the British army, but they were not soldiers, but like civilian employees today. Their jobs are mainly cooking and washing clothes.

/kloc-the treatment of British officers and men did not improve much in the 0 th and 9 th centuries. 1800, 1 The daily salary of cavalry colonel (head) is 23 shillings (British currency unit is abandoned, between pound and penny), the daily salary of junior officers is 14 shillings, the daily salary of private soldiers is 1 shilling 3 D, and the daily salary of infantry colonel (head) is. A soldier's bill in 1808 reads: 1 bottle of cheap wine 1.5 d, 6 shillings for a pair of leather shoes, 5 pounds and 5 shillings for a young lady. Seymour Johnson, a British writer, wrote: "I think the life of British soldiers is much more difficult than that of people of the same class in society, such as laborers." Nevertheless, the discipline of the British army is still extremely strict, and those who violate discipline, such as drunkards, will be whipped by their superiors.

Three hundred years of "recruiting"

The regiment was once the basic organizational unit of the British infantry. Generally, 1 field officers are in command, and the regiment name is also named after the upper school. With the expansion of the British army, the phenomenon of duplicate names appeared. 175 1 year, the British army decided to add Arabic numerals before the regiment. 1782, the British infantry regiment began to be named after its county. For example, the 29th British Infantry Regiment was named Worcestershire Regiment.

The formation of the infantry regiment is authorized by the royal family, and the authorized person must have social status and economic foundation. With the consent of the royal family, the government will provide salaries and weapons and equipment for officers and men, and the authorizer will be responsible for the recruitment, management and training of soldiers. This is a completely commercial recruitment procedure. First of all, both sides should solve the problem of money. The government and recruiters determine the number of recruits according to the contract, and recruiters and recruits determine the service life according to the amount of money. This conscription system gave speculators an opportunity, and conscription became a good deal for them to make a fortune. They often falsely report the number of recruits, collect false salaries from the government, and finally enrich themselves.

Today, Britain's all-volunteer military service system highlights the relationship between employment and being employed. The difference is that the British Ministry of Defence replaced the middleman, and the recruitment of British troops was put on the government agenda. Similarly, whether at the station or in the cinema, you can still see the recruitment advertisements of various British services.

In the 18 and 19 centuries, not everyone in Britain wanted to be a soldier, and sometimes it was difficult to find soldiers. Recruiters spend their recruitment time in winter. There is not much farm work in winter, and there is also a peak of unemployment in cities. Although the salary is very low, many people have to make a living as soldiers. These people from the bottom of society have nothing but strength.

In most cases, recruiters have conditional requirements for new recruits. However, the conditions sometimes exist in name only, and the British army is dissatisfied at ordinary times, which is even more difficult in wartime. Helpless, recruiters had to relax their conditions, and some old, weak, sick and disabled people also put on military uniforms. After the war broke out, in order to supplement the troops, the government also let criminals join the army. Criminals can atone by joining the army, thus gaining "freedom". This reminds me of the American drama Garrison Death Squad in the 1980s. In World War II, the US military fought the Germans with petty theft with "special skills". The author suspects that the United States may be inspired by the British army's conscription in the past. In order to recruit new soldiers, recruiters greatly exaggerate the benefits of being a soldier. As a result, many people found that this was not the case after they became soldiers, and only a few allowances were left in their hands.

Waterloo with rich colors

The colorful exhibition hall in the museum is the Battle of Waterloo. /kloc-in the 0/7th century, Britain rose in the world and began to conflict with the empires in continental Europe, one of which was France. 1865438+June18. In 2005, in Waterloo, south of Brussels, the battle between the Anglo-Prussian Coalition and the French army became a turning point for Britain to lead in Europe. In the battle, the French army suffered about 30,000 casualties, thousands were captured, and the Anglo-Prussian Coalition forces suffered more than 20,000 casualties. The French army was defeated and Napoleon abdicated on June 22nd. There was no major war in Europe after the war 10, and the number of British troops decreased from 230,000 in 18 15 to 1828.

For this battle, the Army Museum made full use of photoelectric simulation and video equipment, and comprehensively introduced how the British troops in red uniforms broke Napoleon's phalanx under the command of General Wellington. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once commented on this period of British history: "... Nelson, Peter and Wilson defeated Napoleon 150 years ago ... In these world wars, we either maintained the dominant position in Europe or fought alone." It can be said that the protagonist of the British army is indispensable in these joint operations or individual operations.

Tell the story of the British army

Walking out of the museum, a small stone at the door attracted me. Take a closer look, it is engraved with the words of a British army soldier: "When you go home, please tell our story to the people around you and tell them that we lost today for your tomorrow." English romance reflects soldiers' hopes for the future. For the future of the British Empire and its subjects, the soldier gave everything.

Just as I finished writing this manuscript, I was asking myself: Is the series of activities to visit the British War and Military Museum to tell the stories of British soldiers to people around me? The answer is yes.

Pan yingbin