An Army officer must lead men into frightening and dangerous situations and sometimes make them do things that they never thought they could do. This book recounts how British officers have led their men, and commanded their respect, from the days of Marlborough to the Second Iraq war of 2003. "The British Officer" examines the changing social origins of the officers as well as the soldiers they lead, exploring their relationships with their men as well as the duties they carried out during various campaigns. Clayton also explores who the officers, men and now women, have been and are, where they came from, what ideals or traditions have motivated them, and their own perceptions of themselves and the changes in public attitudes to the military. His account tells the fascinating story of how the role of the military officer evolved, illustrated by a selection of captivating images, and the personal memoirs, biographies and autobiographies of officers.

Introduction: the history of a profession -- The officer in the Restoration Army -- The officer in the armies of the later Stuarts -- The officers of the Georgian Army to 1793 -- The officer in the era of Wellington -- The officer from Waterloo to the Crimea -- The Crimea and the Indian Mutiny -- The Victorian Army officer -- The Edwardian Army officer -- The Regular officer, 1914-18 -- The Regular officer between the two World Wars -- The officer, 1940-45 -- The officer in the first post-war years -- From Aden to Belfast and Basra -- British officers of Imperial regiments -- The officers of the Support Services -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1 : Address given by Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Collins to his battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment on the day before the opening of the 2003 Iraq War -- Appendix 2 : The maintenance of tradition in the British Army of 2004-05 -- Appendix 3 : Income, pay and expenditure -- Appendix 4 : Officers Training Corps.