Britannia's Shield
Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Hutton and Late-Victorian Imperial Defence

Through an in-depth biographical study of Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Hutton, this book investigates imperial land defence prior to 1914.

Craig Stockings (Author)

9781107094826, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 May 2015

360 pages
23.6 x 16 x 2.3 cm, 0.69 kg

Britannia's Shield: Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Hutton and the Late-Victorian Imperial Defence presents an in-depth, international study of imperial land defence prior to 1914. The book makes sense of the failures, false starts and successes that eventually led to more than 850,000 men being despatched from the Dominions to buttress Britain's Great War effort – an enormous achievement for intra-empire military cooperation. Craig Stockings presents a vivid portrayal of this complex process as it unfolded throughout the late-Victorian Empire through a biographical study of Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Hutton. As a true soldier of the Empire, the difficulties and dramas that followed Hutton's career at every step – from Cairo to Sydney, Aldershot to Ottawa, and Pretoria to Melbourne – provide key insights into imperial defence and security planning between 1880 and 1914. Richly illustrated, Britannia's Shield is an engaging and entertaining work of rigorous scholarship that will appeal to both general readers and academic researchers.

Introduction: imperial defence: one man within an empire
1. 'The common duties of the Empire': developments in the imperial defence idea, 1848–92
2. 'An intelligent and most active officer': Hutton's formative years, 1848–92
3. 'I suppose he sent me a blister': a colonial commandant, 1893–96
4. A 'Trojan Horse' in the colony?: federal and imperial defence in Australia, 1893–96
5. 'One general policy – elastic as it may be': back in Britain, 1896–98
6. 'Making soldiers of them rapidly': reforming the Canadian militia, 1898–99
7. 'I am here as one of yourselves': political difficulties and imperial imperatives, 1898–99
8. 'Pregnant of great results': Canada and an Imperial War, 1899–1900
9. 'Quite as much political and Imperial, as it is military': Hutton's war in South Africa and raising an Australian army, 1900–03
10. 'Unfortunately not in touch or sympathy': difficulties and disappointments, 1903–04
11. 'Hopelessly ignorant of our self-governing colonies': the New Australian Army and imperial defence, 1902–04
Epilogue: 'how far his vision ranged': the twilight years, 1905–23.

Subject Areas: Military history [HBW], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]