Mr. Kipling's Army: All the Queen's Men by B Farwell (10-Feb-1988) Paperback

by Byron Farwell

The outrageous, but often glorious, story of Britain's pre-World War I Army. This is an upstairs-downstairs view of the Victorian-Edwardian army, one of the world's most peculiar fighting forces. The battles it fought are household words, but the idiosyncracies and eccentricities of its soldiers and the often appalling conditions under which they lived have gone largely unrecorded. Byron Farwell explores here the lives of officers and men, their foibles, gallantry, and diversions, their discipline and their rewards.

Genres: History, Military History, Military Fiction, War, Nonfiction, European History, 19th Century

Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Farwell graduated from Ohio State University and the University of Chicago (M.A., 1968). He served in World War II as a captain of engineers attached to the Mediterranean Allied Air Force in the British Eighth Army area and later also saw combat in the Korean War. He separated from the military after seven years of active duty.

As a civilian, he became director of public relations and director of administration for Chrysler International from 1959 to 1971. He also served three terms as mayor of Hillsboro, Virginia (1977-81).

He published articles in the New York Times, Washington Post, American Heritage, Harper's, Horizon, Smithsonian Magazine as well as serving as a contributing editor to Military History, World War II, and Collier's Encyclopedia. Farwell also published biographies of Stonewall Jackson, Henry M. Stanley, and Sir Richard Francis Burton.

He was a fellow of the MacDowell Colony and a member of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Literature.

Farwell gave his papers to the University of Iowa.

Reviews

[Vanessa M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a smaller volume containing a history of the British army from the Victorian era to World War I. Farwell is a very good writer, making regimental history interesting along with covering topics such as sport, games, eating and drinking, sex, dress, religious life, the culture and class of officers and the men among the lower ranks, etc. I thought it was very insightful from a social historical perspective.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a fan of Farwell's writing, this book did not disappoint. However, the first couple of chapters were a bit slow but I did not need to worry, since the book picked up speed and was rather a delight, as well as somewhat disturbing.

The author uses Kipling's poetry as a backdrop for a view of the Victorian/Edwardian army which J.B.Priestly called "the small, odd, rather absurd British Army". And indeed it was. The reader gets an inside look at the attitudes, customs, pleasures, mannerisms, opinions, and prejudices of both the Officer's class and the Tommy.

The Army was still employing the tactics unchanged since Waterloo and the officers chose the bayonet as the weapon of choice and the charge on horseback. Commanding officers positions were purchased, regardless of experience which in many cases was disastrous. The Army was viewed as the protector of the Empire and was not influenced by other armies on the continent who were developing in a different manner.

Through modern eyes, the Army of that time looked somewhat ludicrous but, as the author states "the British officers and soldiers were the bravest of the brave......". It is a revealing book and I would recommend it.

[George Siehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Kipling's Army is a quirky little book that begins in seeming trivia, but is eventually very rewarding. Farwell begins his account with small details about the naming and numbering of British regiments, the organizational elements of the Army at the time. More anecdotal material follows on such topics as the pet animals owned by the various units. It seems a primer for going on Jeopardy and choosing "Old British Regiments" as your category. Not really; instead, you are discovering the stones that will build an informing mosaic of "A peculiar little army."

That the army was "little" is clear. It numbered some 186,000 men while Prussia fielded 888,000 against France in 1870, Russia had 780,000 and Italy 629,000 soldiers. Farwell writes, "In the 1860s Bismarck is reported to have said if the British army ever landed on the Prussian coast, he would send a policeman to arrest it." But the most relevant adjective in Farwell's description is the "peculiar." Each of the over one hundred regiments was unique: they were of different sizes, internal organization, and had varied regimental uniforms. They were not part of any organized unit larger than themselves until military reforms in the 1890s allowed creation of division sized units. Most startling was the fact that no single person in the British government had control over all of the regiments.

Within the regiment there were the officers and the "other ranks." The army reflected the class system endemic to Britain at the time. The chief requirement to be an officer was that the man was of "the right sort," a gentleman. Farwell writes of Frederick Roberts, "one of the two best generals of the Victorian era," that, "in addition to having only one seeing eye as a result of a childhood illness, was only five feet three inches tall and would not have been accepted had he tried to enlist as a private. However, he came from a good family and his father was a general."

At the time, gentlemen could purchase their commission with prices varying by rank and by the prestige of the regiment. There was a posted price for each rank, but there was an unofficial actual price based upon supply and demand. The price shown for commission as an ensign was posted at 1,200 pounds for the Foot Guards, but only 450 pounds for a line infantry regiment. The comparable prices for being a Lieutenant-Colonel were 9,000 and 4,500 pounds. Once in a unit, officers were faced with additional expenses, primarily for food, as there was a Mess funded directly by the officers. Subscription for other activities, such as athletics and entertaining guests added to the costs of being an officer.

To meet these expenses officers needed outside income sources to supplement their pay. This was
a burden for officers not coming from wealthy families. One alternative was marrying well, but this was not easily done, so many men delayed marriage until age 40, or more. Farwell notes that wife and children did not rank high on most officer's set of concerns. They were focused on the regiment and the social home it provided. Farwell notes an alternative in India "during the early day of the Raj." There, "it was a common and generally accepted custom for officers to take native mistresses; it helped them learn the language."

Enlisted men, the "other ranks," largely came from the opposite extreme of society, farm boys for some time, with a shift to young men from the growing urban slums linked to industrialization.
Their education level was low and for a time many were illiterate. As education standards rose in Britain the share of literate enlisted men increased. Enlistment to escape poverty was common. The term of enlistment was long term, 21 years until reforms shortened the term to 12 years, part of which was served on active duty and the rest in reserve or militia status. The shortened term did
serve to increase enlistments, while the reserve time requirement helped to ensure availability of trained men if need in a war.

While some Regiments seldom if ever went abroad, other deployed more frequently. One battalion was stationed in India for 26 years. Soldiers who married local women, although this was strongly discouraged, faced severe economic challenges. In a few cases, wives could be employed on the base as a nanny for officers or as a washerwoman. If there were children, there was no way for a soldier to take the family with him when he returned to Britain.

Ultimately, Farwell's mosaic reveals a most idiosyncratic structure, one bearing few similarities to national armies of today. Despite this, he offers this assessment: "Ill-educated and badly trained as they were, officers and other ranks possessed the British ability to make do, to muddle through, and to fight against all odds. Yet, it is sad when character must be counted on to replace foresight, and bravery to replace brains--when blunders must be paid for in blood."

The book's title, Mr. Kipling's Army, pays tribute to Kipling who served as Boswell to the imperial army. Farwell draws upon Kipling's verse to highlight throughout the book those Victorian era circumstances presented here. Numerous period illustrations enhance this colorful tale.

This is a recommended, unusual, account of military history as Britain approached its role in WWI.
The war itself is not covered, but the army portrayed during the Victorian era, "remained extraordinarily homologous for an incredibly long time, for generations, in fact, until its last remnants disappeared in the mud and blood in Flanders."

[Numidica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten I read this (about 30 years ago) until I saw it on Jill's feed. It was interesting to me at the time, and I think I picked it because I had just watched Breaker Morant.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a survey of British Army life in the later part of the Victorian era -- with enough history and looks forward to situate it. Given that in 1850 the army still had officers who had served under Wellington at Waterloo, and other officers led the troops in World War I, that's a far stretch. (Indeed, at one point it goes back to Cromwell's time, since one unit of Cromwell's army had, by a legal fiction, survived the Restoration.)

Goes through all sorts of topics. Regiments, their conflicts and traditions. Officers and gentlemen get two chapters, one on their character as officers, the other as gentlemen -- and the sort of outside income you needed above and beyond buying your commission to be an officer, and the leisurely sort of life you might lead in a fashionable regiment. The lower ranks. Food -- one general complained of the invention of a portable stove on the grounds it would make the men too comfortable. Relationships with women -- young officers were strongly discouraged from marrying (down to a ball where the captains and subalterns were told they could not dance except with married women), and all officers were expected to snag a woman with some money. The lower ranks needed permission to marry, and this was to be granted seldom because there were only a few places for women to do work about the regiment and they would need to support themselves.

Anyone interested in the social history of that army will find it useful book.

[William DuFour · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well thought out book on the British Army of that era with all its assets and liabilities brought forth in an enlightening and interesting read.

[Alec · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely interesting view into the British army before the first world war. So many interesting and sometimes outrageous facts are found within this book. If you had any interest in the british army and would like a view at the actually army behind the polished look that is given and down into the dirt. This book would be a good read.

[Jkterp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adds real life cynicism to Britain's colonial Army. The only question it leaves readers is how did Britain maintain its colonial empire with such a force? How does an undermanned force fight off colonial forces with primtitive weapons such as the Brown Bess for so long?

[Fred Svoboda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look into what is for us in the 21st century the weird world of the British Empire's professional military. This is a serious book, but also a series of "fun facts." For example, at one point Britain spent millions of pounds to buy back the army from its officers, who owned it. You can't make up stuff like this, or the fact that in some eras promotion to general officer could be a disaster because one's investment in his regiment would not be refunded. This world in which only independently wealthy "gentlemen" are qualified to be officers probably pretty much died in WWI, or was at least dealt a solid blow, but it's amazing that the Brits managed to rule the world with officers who spent much of their time in play and were forbidden to discuss their profession over dinner. ("No shop talk.")

This underlines the fact that the hilarious Flashman books are not so much satire as reportage.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting topic that isn't very well structured. The book ends on a chapter about women (wives and prostitutes) in which the conclusion of the entire book is a single sentence amounting to "wow, isn't it wild that the British could conquer so much of the work with such a strange army?" Yes Mr. Farwell, it is. That is what I was thinking much of the time, but you could wrap this up a bit for me. The information about regimental structure, history, equipment, etc... is very interesting but overall, the book is a series of statements of fact. Not much effort was put into creating a good story. Nonfiction doesn't require a narrative arc, but it can help.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Farwell's books. This one has less of a narrative flow, because it keeps shifting around in time as different topics are addressed. As much a history of the British Army as a social institution as it is of the military aspects.

[Sam Seitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tremendously entertaining and informative read, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in either British history or 19th-century European military history. The book, as its title suggests, is a detailed examination of the idiosyncratic and bizarre customs and practices of the Victorian military. Packed full of interesting nuggets of information and typical British wit, the book systematically examines every facet of the life and service of British soldiers from around the 1860s to early 20th-century. While every chapter is informative, I found those detailing enlistment and recruitment to be the most captivating. The British army was, after all, quite inferior to its continental brethren for most of the period covered in this book. Indeed, as Farwell notes, Parliament had to pay several million pounds to purchase the army from its officers who, due to the bizarre graft-infested commissioning system, effectively owned the nation’s armed forces. The one shortcoming of the book is that is not well-cited and fairly unsystematic. Pairing it with a book like Military Planning for the Defense of the United Kingdom, 1814-1870 (which I also highly recommend) is, therefore, likely a good idea if you desire a more rigorous, academic treatment of the subject. But dry, academic books are boring; this book is not. That makes it absolutely worth reading even if this topic is only of passing interest to you.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immensely fun, funny, and sometimes deeply moving look at the curious institution that was the British Army between about 1830 and 1914, warts and all. Farwell is an American, but you'd never know it from reading this; he has a near-perfect understanding of the British psyche and a very dry wit. I consider this book almost indispensable to any understanding of the late Victorians, along with Massie's Dreadnought and Tuchman's The Proud Tower.

[Devon Start · Rating 2 out of 5]

a bit dull and i have to say not one of my favourites.
contains sections on the various aspects of a soldiers life. filled with anecdotes and little facts, short on actual reading pleasure.
i thought it a bit too "english" maybe. the subject matter on some of the sections was dull and seemed remarkably dated or foreign to me.
there was a lot of "who cares" moments for me in this one

[Herb Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a gifted writer to make an interesting book out of what could have been a dry catalog of Regiments. Farwell is a gifted writer. Anyone with interest in the Victorian era should find something to enjoy, and learn from in this book.

[Eric Knudsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because you really need to know the difference between a dragoon and a hussar...

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great look into the culture and organization of the Victorian/Edwardian British Army.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great volume on the traditions of the British before ww1.

[J.D. Brayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A keeper for my library and as a reference for my literary pursuits. Very funny at times-particularly when presented with the absurdities rampant in the British Army at the time of Kipling.