Mr. Kipling's Army: All the Queen's Men

Author provides key insights into the British Army within the Victorian period, the manning, training and equipping. Thorough, well presented and enjoyable, if the subject is for you.

Be very careful before buying this book. It has been published elsewhere under a different name. I think this is the US version. I now have two identical books. It is a good book but be sure you don't make the same mistake I did.

I have been a huge fan of the author's other book Queen Victoria's Little Wars for years, so when I saw this on Amazon I had to buy it. It is a quick and easy read but repeats a lot of material from Queen Victoria's Little Wars. I would have loved to see more details on soldiers kit, life in barracks, more information on the British Indian Army, etc. But overall, recommended

As a military officer in the present, reading this book was very interesting. Many of our traditions stem from this era, and while we may look at it as a quaint time, these things always had a deadly serious undercurrent. The authors writing is fantastic, and he paints a picture that is both informative yet extremely entertaining. If you have any interest in the lives of military officers and soldiers during the highest point of the British Empire, this book is for you!

Mr. Farwell is my premier author I use for anything British during the Victorian Era.The is a very good look into what was good and what was bad in the regimental system of the British army, why it was stopped, and what replaced it.One "deduction" from your meager pay at the time was ribbons for the SgtMaj's wife's hair.