Aldershot is proud to be ‘The Home of the British Army’, and its history is inextricably linked with that of the military. The town has been shaped by the presence of the Army since it was selected as the site of Britain’s first permanent training camp, and probably every regiment has been stationed in Aldershot at some time in its history. The camp was founded during the Crimean War, and soldiers from Aldershot have fought in all major conflicts since then, including the Zulu War, wars in Egypt, the Sudan and South Africa, the two world wars, and more recent conflicts including the Falklands War, Iraq and Afghanistan.

This book is a celebration of Aldershot’s rich and continuing military heritage. In following the development of the camp, it reveals the immense contribution Aldershot has made to the British Army from the 1850s to the present, including some of the colourful personalities who have left their mark on it, together with the many fine buildings and memorials which remind us of our military predecessors to whom we owe so much.