The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fogler Library 2003 "The ra my isn't all work": Physical culture in the evolution of the British army, 1860-1920 James Dunbar Campbell Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Campbell, James Dunbar, ""The ra my isn't all work": Physical culture in the evolution of the British army, 1860-1920" (2003). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 185. http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/185 This Open-Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. "THE ARMY lSh1'1'ALL \VOKK": PHYSICAL CULTURE IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRITlSH ARMY, 1860-1920 BY James Dunbar Campbell B.A. Colby College, 1986 M.A. Un~versityof Malne, 1997 A THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Individualized in British History) The Graduate School The University of Maine December, 2003 Advisory Committee: William J. Baker, Professor of History, Advisor Richard Blanke. Professor of History Janet TeBl-ake, Assistant Professor of Ili,s!ory Robert LVhulen. Lecturer in Enylish Da\,id klclxan. t'rol'csso~. ot f listorq. Ki17z.i C'c*llczc 1.o1icl01~ "THE ARMY ISN'T ALL WORK": PHYSICAL CULTURE IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRITISH ARMY, 1860-1920 By James D. Campbell Thesis Advisor: Dr. William J. Baker An Abstract of the Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Individualized in British History) December, 2003 Between the Crimean War and the end of WWI the British Army underwent a dramatic change from being an anachronistic and frequently ineffective organization to being perhaps the most professional and highly trained army in the world. British Army physical culture was a central part of that transformation. It acted as a significant bridge between the Army and its parent society, over which flowed ideas and values in both directions. An investigation of the Army's physical culture provides an excellent means of gaining a clear understanding of how this transformation occurred. This dissertation does two primary things: First, it documents the origins and development of formal physical training in the late Victorian Army, and the ways in which the Army's gymnastic training evolved into what was perhaps the most important building block of the process of making a civilian into a fighting man. Second, it assesses the nature and extent of British m~litarysport, particularly regimental sports, during the Victorian period and throuzh WWI. During WWI the pre-war programs of physical training and command-sponsored games acted as a powerful means of assimilating the Commonwealth's civilian-soldiers. and then ensured that they were physically and mentally prepared for the rigors of fighting. Additionally, these same programs had been used since the middle of the nineteenth century to improve the perceived military effectiveness of Britain's imperial troops, and to inculcate them with the same ethos of athleticism that was a seminal part of the British Army's philosophy of training and leadership. The role of sport and physical training in the process of remaking the Army between 1860 and 1920 is only a small piece of the whole, but a critical one. British Army physical culture before and during WWI was an integral part of the Army's modem and highly effective training program. Much of current research on both WWI and the period before has tended to emphasize the unprepared and unprofessional nature of Britain's army; my research not only suggests the contrary, but that sport and physical training in the Army were major contributors to the Army's effectiveness throughout the period. DEDICATION To My Father - Thomas Philip Campbell Jr. 1937-1996 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In an endeavor such as the pursuit of a doctolal degree, one realizes very q~~icklythat without the assistance of many people, completing the project would be impossible. I have a long list of people to whom 1 owe much - I only hope that I can eventually repay some of them with more than a citation at the beginning of my dissertation. More than any other person, 1 owe a deep debt of gratitude to my academic advisor, Dr. William Baker. He started working with me when this project began as a Master's thesis -it was his idea for me to pursue my fascination with the Victorian Army and military training, by exploring British military sport. Little did either of us know that there would be such fertile ground in that field so as to lead me to develop the topic into a full-fledged Ph.D. dissertation. Dr. Baker's encouragement, admonishment, and superb editing has made this document what it is. The other members of my committee have all contributed in a large way to this project as well. Dr. Richard Blanke's critical eye and promptings about comparison with Continental armies, forced me to carefully maintain focus on the validity of sources and ideas. Dr. Janet TeBrake encouraged me to understand the connections between the Br~t~shArmy and its imperial counterparts, as well as the influence of the Army on the subjects of the Empire. Professor Robert Whelan's own interest in the nature of military leadership, and in how soldiers deal with the environment of war, provided me with a great sounding board and a kindred spirit on the committee. And finally. Dr. Dav~dMcLean's timely suggestions as to sources, and prodding me to pursue ,I complete and in-depth review of those sources, led me to discover much material that might otherwise have escaped me. I thank Dr. Mclean especially for his personal commitment to my project. There are many others who deserve my thanks. Dr. William TeBrake, Chairman of the Department of History at the University of Maine, kindly hired me to teach American Military History. I also thank my brother Ned Campbell and his wife Emily Hayes Campbell, for their hospitality, interest and encouragement on my many research trips to London. I am grateful to my commanders while I was assigned to the Army ROTC battalion at the University of Maine, especially Lieutenant Colonel Marc Girard, for his interest and encouragement, and his solicitude in allowing me to focus on things other than strictly military business. Many thanks also to my colleagues in the Maine Army National Guard, for their friendship, and for abiding my obsession with historical esoterica that was no doubt trying, at times, for focused military professionals. I would also like to thank the staff of the Reading Room at the National Army Museum in London. They run a superb institution. Their patience and helpful attitude allowed me to make the most of several all too brief visits - that museum will always be one of my favorite places. Thanks also to the staffs of the Imperial War Museum Reading Room, the British Library, and the Public Record Office. I cannot forget the assistance of the Director and Secretary of the Almy Sport Control Board, Major General (ret) S.W. Saint-John Lytle, CB, and Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Barry Lillywhite. Lieutenant Colonel L~llywhitenot only provlded me with a ride around Aldershot. but a kind tour of the tloal-d's facilities, and Major General Saint-John Lytle gave me access to the Board's historical files - something it was clear that few outsiders, if any, had ever had before. I owe a great debt to the staff of the Army Physical Training Coips Regimental Association, and to the Commander and staff of the Army Physical and Adventurous Training Group, Aldershot. Mr. Jim Pearson, a former Physical Training Corps NCO and Honorary Curator of the Army PhysicaI Training Corps Museum, proved to be perhaps the best source of material I could have hoped for. He gave unstintingly of his time, guided me around the school (with him at an age of over eighty, I was sweating while trying to keep up with him), and allowed me unfettered access to all of his materials. His tour of the museum gave me an appreciation for the history and proud traditions of the Corps, and put into context the sometimes disjointed material I had accumulated. Most importantly for me, Mr. Pearson provided me with copies of original documents, and found for me the only extant original typescript copies of the Staff's War History, reports produced during the First World War, and the original correspondence associated with those documents. I cannot adequately express my thanks to Jim for his trust and kind assistance. Finally, I would like to thank my wife and children. My wife has supported my fascination with the history of the British military for over twenty years, and has been the most important person in pushing me through the endurance race that completing this project has become. She is my life. My children have grown up around this document - they are probably unsure what their father- will be like when it is no longer- a daily part of our lives. TITAI LAMPADA" There's a breathless hush in the Close to-night -- Ten to make and the match to win -- A bumping pitch and a blinding light, An hour to play and the last man in. And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat, Or the selfish hope of a season's fame, But his Captain's hand on his shoulder smote -- "Play up! play up! and play the game!" The sand of the desert is sodden red -- Red with the wreck of a square that broke; -- The Gatling's jammed and the Colonel dead, And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.