Books published by Naval & Military Press Ltd

A substantial regimental history of a distinguished unit down to the South African War a century ago, and of its two disbanded predecessors. The first '85th', the 'Royal Volunteers' was raised in 1759 and took part in the capture of the French island of Belleisle in the Bay of Biscay and also served in Spain and Portugal during the Seven Years' War before being disbanded in 1763. The second unit to bear the numerals '85', the Westminster Volunteers, had a truly tragic fate. IThis 85th was raised in 1779 and served in Jamaica where the ravages of Yellow Fever took such a toll that the remnants of the regiment not stricken by the disease were embarked for New York in a convoy which was wrecked by an Atlantic storm. There were very few survivors and remnants of the regiment was disbanded on arriving home at Dover. The third and final incarnation of the 85th begun life as the Bucks Volunteers in 1793, served in the French Revolutionary wars in the Netherlands, Madeira and Jamaica. Transformed into a Light Infantry unit, it again served in the Low Countiries - around Flushing and Walcheren - in the Napoleonic Wars in 1808. With an establishment raised to ten companies, the 85th fought in the Peninsula War, being present at the Battle of Fuentes d'Onoro. It returned to Spain for the final 1813-14 campaign of the war, serving at the Siege of San Sebastian, and fighting against Marshal Soult at the battle of the Nivelle. The unit ended the war at Bayonne. In the 1814 War with the United States, the 85th was present when Washington was captured and the White House burned. In the same war it also took part in the disastrous Battle of New Orleans. In the mid-century, the 85th was on garrison duty in Malta, Gibraltar, Ireland, Canada, India and the West Indies. It took part in the 1879-80 campaigns in Afghanistan. The final battle honours recounted in this volume were during the South African War when the 85th was present at the battle of Paardeburg and faced the legendary Boer commando leaders Generals De Wet and Botha. This exceptional book has many fine illustrations, including 11 colour plates illustrating the evolution of regimental uniforms; five appendices listing officers of the regiment; and many maps, drawings and sketches.

War Office manual of ammunition and explosives 1915. Includes details of all shell and small arms ammunition.The volume includes 115 colour plates and black and white drawings.

When war broke out the 13th Hussars were in India with the Meerut Cavalry brigade. The Regiment landed at Marseilles in December 1914 with 2nd Indian Cavalry Division and served on the Western Front till June 1916 when it left for Mesopotamia, arriving at Basra in August 1916 joining 7th Indian Cavalry brigade.The main object of the book is to give an account of the Regiment over the ten years of its service to 1920, but it begins with an overview of cavalry before the great War followed by a summary of the Regiment's earlier history from the year it was raised, 1715, to 1910 where this volume proper begins, in India where the regiment arrived in 1904. The main event in India in the four years preceeding the Great War was the Delhi Durbar honouring the new King Emperor, George V, involving 50,000 British and Indian troops. During its eighteen months on the Western Front the regiment was not involved in any major action, in fact the Indian Cavalry Corps was apparently known as 'The Iron Rations' - only to be used in the last extremity.Though they had had some turns in the trenches, involving a few caualties, they had seen no active work as cavalry. In Mesopotamia the Regiment saw plenty of action, on the Tigris, the recapture of Kut, occupation of Baghdad, operations in 1917/18. The history is based essentially on accounts of officers and men who took part and on extracts from letters and diaries.There are some good appendices: Roll of officers who belonged to or served with the Regiment during the war and another for the Other Ranks identifying casualties; a separate list of casualties which includes wounded with dates and location and PWs. There is a list of Honours and Awards, a list of officers who sailed for France from India in November 1914 and showing details of officers who subsequently joined or who were attached to other units. Finally there is an excellent index. This is a very good history