"British losses in the Napoleonic Wars" Topic

Can any of the Great Minds of TMP help me: How many casualties did Great Britain sustain during the Napoleonic Wars?
Please also point me in the direction of references for the number.

Thanks in advance.

158 naval and 12 soldiers from the army.

Not entirely helpful, billsfan.

Yes, I was hoping for something a little more constructive.

@Green Leader,

The only number I have ever seen is 321,000 (c.90,000 RN and the remainder British Army). The latter seems high, but includes c.193,500 from disease – although this seems pretty high too tbh.

necrometrics.com/wars19c.htm

See Robert Burnham's article "The British Army in the Napoleonic Wars: Manpower Stretched to the Limits?" at link for a starter.

Also see link

Not THAT high if it covers 20 years of campaigning. That's about 15 000 a year.

1792-1815 (with about 1 year of peace 1802-03) and pretty much all over the known world of that time? I would say that 300,000+ deaths might be a touch on the low side.

This is excellent – thanks a lot chaps

I've seen a 312.000 figure, apparently drawn from White, but apparently for 1804-15:

Royal Navy, 1804–15
killed in action: 6,663
shipwrecks, drownings, fire: 13,621
wounds, disease: 72,102
Total: 92,386.

British Army, 1804–15
killed in action: 25,569
wounds, accidents, disease: 193,851
Total: 219,420

Regards

Edward

From Britain and Wellington's Army
Recruitment, Society and Tradition 1807-1815
by Kevin Linch Table 2.1

Year Deaths Discharges Desertions Total losses Recruits
1803 5,208 6,458 4,404 16,070 9,267
1804 6,119 4,598 5,468 16,185 9,630
1805 6,833 5,748 7,081 18,243 11,718
1806 6,495 4,688 5,748 16,931 11,862
1807 7,932 3,323 5,728 17, 538 19,114
1808 9,285 4,990 6,611 20,886 12,963
1809 16,343 3,323 4,901 24,567 11,780
1810 13,597 4,627 4,729 22,460 9,095
1811 13,448 3,986 5,026 25,493 11,772
1812 15,842 3,733 5,918 25,493 14,756
1813 15,012 3,621 5,822 24,455 14,647
1814 12,502 34,293 8,857 55,652 7,911
1815 8,124 29,342 7,403 44,869 15,237

The above numbers do not include captured troops or non-British recruits from outside the British Isles. It is obvious that the recruitment of volunteers did not keep up with losses. Many thousands of militia and volunteer troops were mustered into the army that are not shown above.

Sorry about the bunching. No matter how I space them, they come out bunched up…and I can copy in a table. there are no numbers over five figures.

Excellent – many thanks