Timeline of the British Army facts for kids

This timeline tells the story of the British Army, from its early beginnings in 1537 to today. It covers important wars, battles, and events that shaped this famous military force.

Early Years: 1500s

• 1537 – A group called the "Fraternity or Guild of Artillery" was formed. King Henry VIII gave them a special permission (a royal charter) to help defend the country. This group is now known as the Honourable Artillery Company, and it's the oldest army unit still serving in the British Army!
• 1539 – The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineer Regiment started as a local defense group in Monmouth. Later, it became part of the Royal Engineers Reserve, which helps the main army.
• 1572 – The Buffs regiment was created from London's city defense groups. They went to Holland to help Protestants there. They later became 'The Holland Regiment' in the British Army and are now part of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.

Forming the Army: 1600s

• 1633 – The Royal Regiment of Foot, later known as the Royal Scots, became the oldest infantry (foot soldier) regiment in the British Army.
• 1642 – The Marquis of Argyll's Royal Regiment was formed. It later became the Scots Guards, another very old and important regiment.
• 1650 – George Monck's Regiment was created. This unit later became the Coldstream Guards, known for being the oldest infantry regiment that has served continuously.
• 1656 – Lord Wentworth's Regiment was formed. This became the Grenadier Guards, the most senior infantry regiment. They earned this high rank because they were very loyal to the King during the English Civil War.
• 26 January 1661 – King Charles II officially started what we now know as the British Army. This brought together English and Scottish regiments. However, the "British Army" as one force truly began later, when England and Scotland joined together.
• 1 October 1661 – The Tangier Regiment was formed. This unit is now part of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, the most senior English infantry regiment.
• 1684 – English forces left the Colony of Tangier.
• 1688 – A big conflict called the War of the Grand Alliance began.

Growth and Global Reach: 1700s

• 1702 – The War of the Spanish Succession started.
• 1707 – The Kingdom of Great Britain was formed. This was a huge moment because the Scottish and English armies officially joined to create the single British Army.
• 1722 – The Royal Regiment of Artillery was formed. These soldiers operate cannons and other big guns.
• 1742 – The War of the Austrian Succession began.
• 1743 – At the Battle of Dettingen, King George II led his troops into battle. He was the last British King to do this!
• 1746 – The Battle of Culloden took place. This was the last major battle fought on British soil. The British Army, made up of Scottish, English, and Irish soldiers, defeated Scottish rebels who were supported by France.
• 1751 – The Army started using a number system for its regiments, like "1st Regiment of Foot."
• 1755 – The Seven Years' War began, a big global conflict.
• 1759 – At the Battle of Minden, an army of British and German soldiers fought against the French.
• 1759 – British forces, led by General James Wolfe, captured French Quebec in Canada.
• 1775 – The American War of Independence began.
  • 17 June  – The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought.
• 1776 – The British won the Battle of Long Island.
• 1777 – The British won the Battle of Brandywine but were defeated at the Battle of Saratoga.
• 1781 – The British were defeated at the siege of Yorktown, a key moment in the American War of Independence.
• 1793 – Britain declared war on revolutionary France, starting the French Revolutionary Wars.
• 1795 – British forces captured Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
• 1796 – British forces were defeated by slave forces in Haiti, led by Toussaint L'ouverture.
• 1798 – A large rebellion happened in Ireland.
• 1799 – British forces captured Seringapatam in India.

A Century of Change: 1800-1898

• 1801 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed.
  •  – British forces took part in a campaign in Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars.
• 1803 – The Napoleonic Wars began, a long series of conflicts against France.
• 1803 – The Second Anglo-Maratha War began in India. Many battles took place, including Battle of Aligarh, Battle of Delhi, and Battle of Assaye.
• 1806 – British forces took control of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
  •  – An unauthorized invasion of Spanish South America began.
• 1808 – The Peninsular War began in Spain and Portugal.
  • 16 January – The Battle of Corunna was fought.
• 1810 – Key battles included the Battle of the Côa, Siege of Almeida (1810), and Battle of Bussaco.
• 1811 – More battles in the Peninsular War: Battle of the Gebora, Battle of Sabugal, Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, and Battle of Albuera.
• 1812 – The War of 1812 against the United States began.
  •  – Important battles in the Peninsular War included the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, Battle of Badajoz (1812), and the Battle of Salamanca.
• 1813 – More major battles in the Peninsular War: Battle of Vitoria, Siege of San Sebastián, and the Battle of the Pyrenees.
• 1814 – The Gurkha War began.
  •  – The Peninsular War continued with battles like Battle of Orthez and Battle of Toulouse (1814).
• 1815
  • 8 January – The Battle of New Orleans was fought.
  • 16 June – The Battle of Quatre Bras took place.
  • 18 June  – The famous Battle of Waterloo happened, where the French forces were defeated.
• 1819
  • 16 August  – The Peterloo Massacre took place, a sad event where people protesting were hurt.
• 1839 – The First Anglo-Afghan War began. Battles included Battle of Ghazni and the Siege of Kahun.
• 1842 – More battles in the First Anglo-Afghan War, including the tragic Massacre of Elphinstone's Army and the Battle of Kabul (1842).
• 1854 – The Crimean War began.
  • 19 September – The siege of Sevastopol started.
  • 20 September – The Battle of Alma took place.
  • 25 October  – The Battle of Balaklava happened, famous for the Charge of the Light Brigade.
  • 5 November – The Battle of Inkerman took place.
• 1855
  • 8 September  – The siege of Sevastopol ended.
• 1857 – The Indian Mutiny began, a major uprising in India.
  • 30 May – Indian rebels started the siege of Delhi and siege of Lucknow.
• 1858
  • 1 March – The Capture of Lucknow took place.
• 1859 – A volunteer movement called the Volunteer Rifle Corps began, due to fears of an invasion by France.
• 1870 – The Army left Australia and New Zealand.
• 1871 – The Army started using the Martini-Henry rifle.
  •  – The system of buying army officer positions was stopped.
• 1878 – The Second Anglo-Afghan War began. Battles included Battle of Ali Masjid and the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment.
• 1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War took place in Africa.
  • 22 January – British forces were defeated at the Battle of Isandlwana.
    •  – The brave defense of Rorke's Drift began, where many soldiers earned the Victoria Cross.
• 1880
  •  – Battles like Battle of Maiwand and Battle of Kandahar took place.
  • 20 December – The First Boer War began.
• 1881 – The Mahdist War began in Sudan.
  • 28 January – The Battle of Laing's Nek was fought.
  • 1 July – Major changes to the Army's organization, known as the Cardwell-Childers reforms, came into effect.
• 1884 – Battles like Battle of Tamai and Battle of Tofrek took place.
• 1885
  • January – The Battle of Abu Klea was fought.
  • 28 January – General Charles George Gordon was killed after the siege of Khartoum.
  • 27 February – The Battle of Majuba Hill took place.
• 1889 – The Maxim machine gun, an early machine gun, was introduced.
• 1898 – Battles like Battle of Atbara and the Battle of Omdurman took place.

World Wars and Beyond: 1899–1945

Second Boer War

• 1899
  • 11 October – War was declared in South Africa.
  • 20 October – The first major battle of the war took place at Talana Hill.
  • December – The Army suffered several defeats during "Black Week."
• 1900
  • 28 February – The siege of Ladysmith was lifted.
  • 1 April – The Irish Guards regiment was formed to honor Irish soldiers.
  • 17 May – The siege of Mafeking ended.
• 1902
  • 31 May – The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging.
• 1908 – The Territorial Force (later called the Territorial Army) was formed, made up of part-time soldiers.
• 1911
  • 1 April – The Air Battalion Royal Engineers was formed, an early air force unit.
• 1912 – The Vickers machine gun was introduced and used for a very long time.
  • 13 May – The Air Battalion Royal Engineers became the Royal Flying Corps, still part of the Army.

First World War

• 1914
  • 4 August – Britain declared war on Germany.
  • August – The British Expeditionary Force began to deploy to France.
  • 19 October – The First Battle of Ypres began in Belgium.
• 1915
  • 26 February – The Welsh Guards became the last of the Foot Guards regiments to be formed.
  • 25 April – Landings took place at Landings at Helles, Gallipoli.
  • 22 October – The Machine Gun Corps was formed.
• 1916
  • April – The Easter Rising took place in Dublin.
  • 1 July – The First Day of the Somme began. It was a very tragic day with about 60,000 casualties, including 20,000 killed.
• 1917
  • 28 July – The Tank Corps (later the Royal Tank Regiment) was formed, focusing on tanks.
  • 8 November – One of the last cavalry charges by the British Army happened at Huj.
  • 20 November – The Battle of Cambrai began, seeing the first large-scale use of tanks.
  • December – The Capture of Jerusalem took place.
• 1918
  • 11 November – The First World War ended with the signing of the Armistice.

Between the Wars and Second World War

• January 1919 – The Anglo-Irish War began, with British forces fighting against the Irish Republican Army.
• 1919 – The British Army took part in helping during the Russian Civil War.
• 28 June 1920 – The 'Corps of Signals' was formed, later becoming the 'Royal Corps of Signals'.
• 31 July 1922 – Six Irish regiments were disbanded because the Irish Free State was established.
• 1929 – The British Army of the Rhine left Germany.
• 1935 – The Abyssinian Crisis led to more troops being sent to Africa and the Middle East.
• 1936 – An uprising in Palestine began.
• 4 April 1939 – The Royal Armoured Corps was formed, bringing together tank and cavalry units.

Second World War

• 3 September 1939 – Britain entered the Second World War, declaring war on Nazi Germany.
• September 1939 – The British Expeditionary Force began to land in France.
• 17 May 1940 – The Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) was formed to defend Britain.
• 26 May 1940 – The Dunkirk evacuation began. Over 330,000 British and French soldiers were rescued.
• 22 June 1940 – The Parachute Corps (later The Parachute Regiment) was formed.
• April 1941 – Germany invaded Crete. British and Commonwealth forces were eventually evacuated.
• 25 December 1941 – The garrison at Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese.
• 15 February 1942 – The Singapore garrison surrendered to Japanese forces.
• 23 October 1942 – The Second Battle of El Alamein took place. Montgomery's British Eighth Army defeated the Afrika Korps.
• 10 July 1943 – The Allied invasion of Sicily began.
• 3 September 1943 – The invasion of the Italian mainland began.
• March 1944 – The Japanese launched an attack against India, leading to the battles of Imphal and Kohima.
• 1 April 1944 – The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) was officially formed.
• 6 June 1944 – On D-Day, British Army units landed at Gold and Sword in Normandy.
• 18 July 1944 – The Allied armored attack, Operation Goodwood, began.
• September 1944 – Operation Market Garden took place.
• 24 March 1945 – An airborne crossing of the Rhine, Operation Varsity, took place.
• 8 May 1945 – VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) marked the end of the war in Europe.
• 2 September 1945 – Japan formally surrendered, ending the Second World War.

Modern Era: 1945–Present

• 1 January 1948 – Four Gurkha regiments joined the British Army, forming the Brigade of Gurkhas.
• 28 February 1948 – The last British regiment left India.
• 1948 – The Malayan Emergency began.
• 1948 – The Army left Palestine.
• 1 January 1949 – National Service, a type of conscription (where people had to join the army for a time), was introduced.
• 1 February 1949 – The Women's Royal Army Corps was formed.
• 1950 – The Korean War began.
  • 22 April 1951 – The Battle of the Imjin River took place.
• 1952 – The Mau Mau uprising in Kenya began.
• 1956 – The last British troops left the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt.
• 31 October 1956 – Operation Musketeer, the invasion of Suez, began.
• 1 September 1957 – The Army Air Corps was formed, flying helicopters and other aircraft.
• 1961 – The Army sent troops to Kuwait to help prevent an invasion by Iraq.
• 1963 – The last person doing National Service left the Army.
• 1967 – The Army withdrew from Aden after a period of conflict.
• 1968 – This was the only year in the century when the British Army lost no soldiers in action.
• August 1969 – British troops were sent to Northern Ireland to help stop violence. This marked the start of "The Troubles."
• 5 May 1980 – The Special Air Service (SAS) ended the Iranian Embassy siege in London.
• 2 April 1982 – The Falklands War began.
  • 28 May – 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2 Para) defeated Argentinians at Goose Green.
  • 8 June – A bombing of ships killed 48 people, including 32 Welsh Guards.
  • 12 June – 3 Para defeated the Argentinians at Mount Longdon.
  • 14 June – The Falkland Islands were freed after Argentinian forces surrendered.

Recent History: 1990–Present

• 1991 – The Gulf War began, and the Army sent 28,000 troops.
• 1991 – The last British Army regiment left Gibraltar.
• 6 April 1992 – The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) was disbanded, and its members joined other Army units.
• 1 October 1992 – A major Army command, I (BR) Corps, was replaced by the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
• 1992 – British forces were sent to Bosnia as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.
• 31 March 1994 – The British Army of the Rhine in Germany was replaced by British Forces Germany.
• 30 June 1997 – The Black Watch regiment was the last British unit to leave Hong Kong.
• 1999 – The Kosovo War began.
• 2000 – 2 PARA arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to help evacuate citizens.
• 2000 – The Army deployed to the Republic of Macedonia.
• 7 October 2001 – The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan began. The SAS was a key part of the Army's early contribution.
• 20 March 2003 – The US-led invasion of Iraq began.
  • 27 March 2003 – The largest tank battle for the British Army since WWII took place.
  • 6 April 2003 – British forces, known as 'The Desert Rats', entered Iraq's second city, Basra.
• March 2005 – Private Johnson Beharry was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in Iraq.
• 6 April 2005 – The Special Reconnaissance Regiment began its operations.