Global Role

3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment searching for snipers in Gaynaeim village, 1951

Suez Canal Zone

Between 1945 and 1956, British soldiers garrisoned bases on the Suez Canal in Egypt. A harsh climate, disease and attacks by local nationalists made Suez one of the most unpopular Army postings.

Major-General James Wolfe, 1759

James Wolfe: The heroic martyr

Major-General James Wolfe was one of Britain’s most celebrated military heroes. But his death at the moment of his greatest victory at Quebec in 1759 earned him a reputation as a patriotic martyr.

On patrol in the jungles of North Borneo, c1964

Indonesian Confrontation

Between 1963 and 1966, British Commonwealth forces fought against Indonesia in a conflict that focused on the future of Brunei and North Borneo.

Aden Emergency

Aden Emergency

The Aden Emergency (1963-67) was an insurgency against British rule in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. The unrest hastened British plans for withdrawal and marked the end of 20 years of decolonisation.

British infantry vehicles advancing, Iraq, 1991

Gulf War

The war against Iraq in 1990-91 saw the largest single deployment of British troops since the Second World War. Altogether, about 35,000 British servicemen and women served in the campaign.

9th Hodson's Horse in General Chauvel's march through Damascus, 1918

Battle of Megiddo

Fought in September 1918, this was the climactic battle of the Sinai and Palestine campaign of the First World War. Ottoman forces found themselves encircled by British Empire forces under General Edmund Allenby.

A 25-pounder of 45 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, fires at enemy positions on the Imjin, 1951

Battle of the Imjin River

Fought in April 1951 in Korea, this was the bloodiest engagement endured by the British Army since the Second World War. For three days, the 29th British Independent Infantry Brigade Group thwarted massed Chinese attacks.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Clive at Plassey, 1757

Battle of Plassey

Robert Clive's victory at Plassey on 23 June 1757 led to the British becoming the greatest economic and military power in India.

The storming of Magdala, 1868

Abyssinia Expedition

The 1868 expedition to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) was one of the most ambitious and expensive military campaigns ever undertaken by the British Army.

Battle of Aliwal, 1846

Battle of Aliwal

This battle was fought on 28 January 1846 during the First Sikh War. A British-Indian force took on the Sikh army of the Punjab. It ended in a decisive British victory and is seen by some as a ‘near perfect battle’.

Battle of Lexington, 1775

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The Battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, the famous ‘shot heard ‘round the world’, marked the start of the American War of Independence.

The landing at Quebec, 1759

Battle of Quebec

The Battle of Quebec in 1759 was one of Britain's greatest victories of the Seven Years War (1756-63). Major-General James Wolfe’s triumph ultimately led to the British conquest of Canada.

Explore Global Role events

A private of the 8th West India Regiment, c1804
Talk
21 Mar 2025 FREE

Soldiers of Uncertain Rank: The West India Regiments in British Imperial Culture

Professor David Lambert explores the history of the West India Regiments and their impact on the culture of the Caribbean.

The Battle of Lexington, 1775
Talk
11 Apr 2025 FREE

Mutiny: A Revolutionary Act?

Join Dr Krysten Blackstone to discuss the ways in which rebelling American soldiers expressed dissatisfaction, while also upholding the ideals of the Revolution.

General Washington, c1780
Talk
25 Apr 2025 FREE

Patriot Resistance on the Path to Revolution

Hear from Dr Megan King as she recounts the decade leading up to the American War of Independence, as ideological resistance became the first battleground.

Explore Global Role learning resources

Army and Empire: Gallery Trail
Trail

Army and Empire: Gallery Trail

Follow this gallery trail to find out more about the Army’s role in the British Empire.