"The 20 greatest battles in British history" Topic

Did they miss anyone?

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Amicalement
Armand

Lexington???

Goose Green?? what about the HYW?

Hastings
Poitiers
Crecy
Agincourt
Towton
Bosworth
Edgehill
Brentford & Turnham Green

- to name but several!

Battle of the Atlantic, Battle of Britain? And I agree with The Gray Ghost and Goose Green.

Crap journalistic reporting as usual. Going to the National Army Museum site it states
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"Exploring 400 years of British Army history, from the English Civil War to the current conflict in Afghanistan, this exhibition gives you the key facts, describes the impact and looks at the legacy of 20 of Britain's greatest battles."

They must not be using "Greatest" to mean "Victorious".

Lexington
Balaclava
Gallipoli
Somme

That's very British. We actually prefer "Blundering about and finally coming out alright" to actual victories. In fact, "Blundering about and losing" will do – we know much more about the retreat from Kabul in 1842 than the rather routine victories over the same enemy.

It's the National Army Museum (a fine place), which covers the era from the civil war onward, so no medievals, naval or air battles are included.

I'd vote for Quebec. One volley, two dead generals, the enemy forgetting to close the gates of the city, and that's half a continent in the bag.

I can name quite a few that was embrassing. Yorktown, Saragota, Isandlwana, etc. Not a fan of the British empire. Where are they now after WW2. Empires are made to be broken. Man pays the price. What is glory and greatness when you invade take lives or another nation. Think about it!

HussarL has a point perhaps Battles on our own turf should count only .
Stamford Bridge, Spanish Armada ,Battle of Britain.The Iceni battles versus the Romans.

Stuff the Roman ,Persian and Mongol Empires too did not do anything for us at all.

I can name quite a few that was embrassing. Yorktown, Saragota, Isandlwana, etc. Not a fan of the British empire. Where are they now after WW2. Empires are made to be broken. Man pays the price. What is glory and greatness when you invade take lives or another nation. Think about it!

I have thought about it, deeply.

Its too soon for an objective view of the results of the British Empire, particularly as regards its legacy compared to other empires. There are too many ex colonial politicians still relying on the 'evil consequences' of Empire to justify their corruption and greed to have it any other way…

However I do believe that future historians, in several milennia from now, will attribute the following to exposure to Anglo Saxon norms:

The concept of equality before the law and an independent judiciary, the right to trial by jury;

The concept of a professional, honest and impartial Civil or Public service;

The ideal that overseas military service should be embarked on willingly;(Whilst the UK had compulsory military service when required, I don't believe this was ever exported to the Empire/Dominions/Commonwealth)

The ideal of free speech and expression balanced by the legally testable concepts of slander and libel;

Above all, the concept of one man=one vote.

Of course by then all the physical infrastructure bequeathed by the empire, still in use in many parts of the world, will be gone by then…

However, economically, the ideal of free trade and free navigation has resulted in our unparalleled global wealth…

I don't think they are evaluating the battles on the merits of the reason they were being fought, but the military prowess displayed in their executation.

We will have to agree to differ on the rights and wrongs of the British Empire, but I do respect your right to your opinion.

Just to clarify, the last line of my previous comment was in answer to HussarL

I think the WWll Battle of Britain was the greatest in the sense that it was significant and a lose could have been the ballgame,but reading closer they mean a land battle in its traditional sense. By that standard I'd have to go with Waterloo. While I like Balaclava for all the heroics and the poem, it settled nothing that day; just a major Russian attack on British flank which sort of dwindled away.I consider Alma a "greater" battle but nobody wrote any poems about that.

"I can name quite a few that was embrassing. Yorktown, Saragota, Isandlwana, etc. Not a fan of the British empire. Where are they now after WW2."

Not a fan of the English language either, it seems.

El Alamein.

Interesting you nominate El Alamein in this context. One could argue that it was the last major, and decisive, battle fought under British command, mainly by Commonwealth forces.

With all due respect to those who took part in the liberation of the Falklands, of course, I meant on a World War scale…

Well apart from Kohima, Imphal, Meiktila and the race for Rangoon you mean?

Blenheim for me, the first time an AngloBritish Army fought and won on the continent in 250 years and the emergence of Britain as an outward looking country after 200 years+ years of internal divisions and navel gazing.

Well apart from Kohima, Imphal, Meiktila and the race for Rangoon you mean?

No I don't mean. 'Stalingrad, El Alamein, Kursk, D-Day, Bagration, Kohima, Imphal, Meiktila' – doesn't quite work, does it?

I guess the poor old 14th Army is still forgotten, but, nonetheless, I don't think I'm alone in not immeadiately thinking of these last 3 battles, important as they were and grateful as I am for the sacrifice of those involved, as major and decisive battles of WW2 – and of course they required major logistic support from the US, so I stand by my original point.

What about the Cod War?

Sparker. I agree with your list, but I think you have left out a major one: the English language. I would suggest that the English language is one of the major legacies of the British Empire.

I suppose it depends on the criteria for 'greatness', given the somewhat narrow remit of the NAM (1640 onwards, no air, no naval).

The Somme is an interesting choice as it isn't an immediately popular one, however it made the Germans determined never to fight another battle like it. Personally I would substitute Amiens for either Megiddo or Gallipoli.

If you really want a victory against huge odds, then Operation Compass, or does fighting the Italians not count?

Sparker. I agree with your list, but I think you have left out a major one: the English language. I would suggest that the English language is one of the major legacies of the British Empire.

Indeed. But I can't see it being a lasting legacy. Already, around these parts, it is suffering gross indignities…

Dey spika da Stralian roun ere, Innit!

As English is not my first language, I would ask "greatest"… what they actually mean by "greatest"? Do they mean as synonym of "more historically decisive"? Or as "most brilliant victory"? Or "most heroic"? The answer would depend on what they actually mean by "greatest", I would say.

Sparker,
I was going to reply to your list but I thought it would start a political row.

Not may of the greatest battles in the list. Memorable and with cosequences certainly.
Where would we have been without the success of the Burma veterans? We wouldn't have been able to call up the Indian soldiers if we had lost India.