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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Army
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Until the 17C there was no standing army in Britain. The larger of the two kingdoms, England, had always depended for defence on its navy – enlisting men for military campaigns only when required. Cromwell's *New Model Army of 1645 was the first step in a new direction. It was only a little later – at the Restoration – that the oldest regiments in today's regular army were established (the Grenadier, Coldstream and Scots Guards in the infantry, the Life Guards and Horse Guards in the cavalry, and the Royal Marines). Many regiments were founded in two subsequent periods of prolonged warfare, the early 18C and the early 19C. In recent years regiments have been increasingly merged as the size of the army shrinks.
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