This book surveys the medals awarded to British personnel for military service around the world and in two world wars. During the course of the twentieth century the role of Britain's forces changed considerably - from imperial conquest and peace-keeping to full-scale participation in two world wards, campaigns for the withdrawal from Empire and finally service as a prominent member of the United Nations and NATO.  The campaign medals awarded for these military actions have become a popular field for collectors, since the majority of British awards were officially named, thus making it possible to research the military career of an individual or regiment.  Collectors feel that the objects in their collection give them a vivid and personal link with the people and events of the past and with major incidents in Britain's military history.

British Campaign Medals 1914-2000 (Shire Album)

History

Duckers, Peter

Military

Shire Publications

Since the ancient times soldiers have been honoured for gallantry in battle, and since the 1850s specific acts of bravery 'in the face of the enemy' by British and Imperial forces have been recognized by the award of a range of wearable decorations. These provide a visual indication both of the bravery of the recipient of its recognition by the government and nation. Collecting awards for gallantry and researching them and their recipients has become a significant hobby within the world of militaria and numismatics: it provides enthusiasts with a feeling of real contact with those who experienced the dangers and excitement of the great events of military history, and it helps to keep alive the memory of brave men and women who served their country around the world. This book surveys these British decorations and medals from their origins in the Crimean War of 1854-6 up to the twentieth century.

British Gallantry Awards, 1855-2000 (Shire Library)

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Antiques & Collectibles

Shire

For over two hundred years the British maintained a powerful military system in India. If it is recalled at all in the popular imagination of today, the Victorian Indian Army remembered as much for its use in the pomp and ceremony of grand imperial occasions as for anything else - as a colour adjunct to the parades, processions and rituals of British India. But although Britain is regarded as primarily a naval power in the heyday of Empire in the late Victorian era, possession of the Indian Army gave her a major land-power status east of Suez. This military might was vital to the protection of British interests in India itself and for the defence of its often turbulen frontiers. It was equally important as a tool of imperial expansion overseas: the Indian Army was deployed in China, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere to safeguard the flanks of the Indian Empire and it also contributed in a significant manner to the extension and maintenance of British rule in the tropics.

British-Indian Army 1860-1914 (Shire Library)

World

Orders of knighthood and chivalry have existed since the Middle Ages, when they were intended to unite important noblemen in bonds of loyalty to their monarch, and act as impressive rewards for their services. They have survived into modern times as a means of rewarding people of all classes and occupations for their contributions at international, national, or local levels. Peter Duckers introduces the insignia of such orders, ranging from the 'Great Orders' of the Garter and the Thistle, to the Order of the British Empire. The insignia worn by the various ranks within the Orders are often of the highest quality and, like campaign medals and decorations, have become a popular area for collecting and research.

British Orders and Decorations (Shire Library)

Reference

Genealogy

A spinning bullet leaving a 'rifled' barrel is much more accurate than a musket ball but the technology of grooving a barrel and shaping the projectile to make an efficient and reliable weapon has exercised military minds for centuries. Here is a concise history of the attempts to develop and improve the British Army's most important individual weapon - from the Ferguson of the American Revolution, to the Baker of the Napoleonic Wars, the Brunswick, the Snider, the Maritini-Henry and the famous Lee-Enfields - and the ammunition designed for it.

British Military Rifles (Shire Library)

Europe

This book surveys the medals awarded to British personnel for military service between 1914-2005, including two world wars. During the course of the twentieth century the role of Britain's forces changed considerably-from imperial conquest and peacekeeping to full-scale participation in both world wars, campaigns for the withdrawl from Empire and service as a prominent member of the United Nations and NATO. The campaign medals awarded for these military actions have become a popular field for collectors, since the majority of British awards were officially named, thus making it possible through them to research the military career of an individual or regiment. This second edition has been extended to include the operations of British forces in the opening years of the twenty-first century.

British Campaign Medals 1914-2005 (Shire Library)

Since the early Middle Ages, the Royal and princely families of Europe have conferred a wide range of Orders of Knighthood and Chivalry both to reward loyal service to the Crown or Royal Family and to strengthen the bonds of loyalty which existed between sovereign and subject. Although many ancient Orders have fallen into disuse over time, many European states continue to award Orders for distinguished service. Badges of the highest quality are worn to show membership of an Order. The manufacture, and the materials used in creating these badges are exquisite and these decorative objects are studied and collected widely. In this volume, expert medal collector Peter Duckers describes the range of European Orders conferred before 1945, some of which stretch back hundreds of years. A brief introduction to a fascinating subject, this is an ideal reference book for anyone interested in collecting these rare and valuable objects.

European Orders and Decorations to 1945 (Shire Library)

Britain has issued medals rewarding war service since at least the early nineteenth century, and increasingly through the period of its imperial expansion prior to 1914, but examples of many of the early types are now scarce. However, few families escaped some involvement with "the Great War" of 1914-18, and many still treasure the medals awarded to their ancestors for wartime service. Today, with a growing interest in British military history and particularly in family history and genealogy, more and more people want to trace their ancestors' past. This book looks in detail at the origin, types and varieties of the British medals awarded for general war service between 1914 and '18, and gives advice on researching the awards and their recipients.

British Campaign Medals of the First World War (Shire Library)

In the days of Empire, thousands of British men and women spent their lives in India. The men found active employment in the Army, the police, commerce, the railways, or industry. The vast majority of these one-time inhabitants of India have left little evidence of their own careers and of the lives of the women, children, and families who shared their experience of life under the raj. This book records the history of one such family. Members of the Mein family served in India over the space of 150 years, and unlike so many others, left behind a fascinating legacy of photographs and documents chronicling their military service, their family life and the social environment of British India.

On Service in India: The Mein Family Photographs 1870-1901

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Tempus

The Azoff Campaign 1855

Mitchell, Neil

Squirrel Publications (dump)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Duckers, Peter. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Duckers, Peter