Inside the British Army

Inside the British Arm is both the anatomy ofan institution and a riveting study of a tribal society unique to this country. Never before have the very different parts of the Army been pieced together in such a vivid mosaic. Nor have the customs. rivalries, beliefs and fears been so perceptively described. Granted unprecedented access at all levels. Antony Beevor has created a picture in breadth and depth – guardsmen undergoing basic training, the process of selecting officers, paratroopers on their first jump, the nuances between regiments, single soldiers on the town, the social life of the sergeants’ mess, officers concerned for their careers, patrolling the streets of West Belfast, the strains on married life, the Byzantine organisation of the Ministry of Defence and the land/air battle both within the Army and between the Services.

From Rhine Army headquarters in Germany to underground bunkers in South Armagh, from Wellington Barracks to the Falklands, talking with generals. officers, NCOs and soldiers. Antony Beevor’s research coincided with a period of social and political change of dramatic implications. Revisiting the Army almost twenty years after leaving it, and spoken to with often startling frankness, he has been able to combine the understanding of an insider with the freshness of a new observer. This unusually candid book will fascinate the civilian while holding up a mirror to the professional soldier.