The Cenotaph is a 1920 war memorial on
Whitehall in
London designed by
Sir Edwin Lutyens as the United Kingdom's national memorial to the British and
Commonwealth dead of the
First World War. It has since come to represent British casualties from later conflicts. A cenotaph is an empty tomb: during the First World War, most of the dead were buried close to where they fell; thus, the Cenotaph symbolises their absence and is a focal point for public mourning. The original temporary Cenotaph was erected in 1919 for a parade celebrating the end of the First World War. Calls for the Cenotaph to be rebuilt in permanent form began almost immediately. After some debate, the government agreed and construction work began in May 1920. Lutyens added
entasis (curvature) but otherwise made minimal design alterations. The memorial met with public acclaim and has largely been praised by academics, though some Christian organisations disapproved of its lack of overt religious symbolism. The
National Service of Remembrance is held annually at the site on
Remembrance Sunday; it is also the scene of other remembrance services.
The Battle of Raymond, part of the
American Civil War, was fought on May 12, 1863, near
Raymond, Mississippi, during attempts capture the strategically important
Mississippi River city of
Vicksburg. A portion of Grant's army consisting of Major General
James B. McPherson's 10,000 to 12,000-man
XVII Corps moved northeast towards Raymond. In response, the
Confederate commander of Vicksburg,
Lieutenant GeneralJohn C. Pemberton, ordered
Brigadier GeneralJohn Gregg to Raymond. Neither commander was aware of the strength of his opponent, and Gregg acted aggressively, thinking McPherson's force was small enough his men could easily defeat it. McPherson, in turn, overestimated Confederate strength and responded cautiously. After two brigades of Major General
John A. Logan's
division fought against the Confederate force, McPherson brought up Brigadier General
John D. Stevenson's brigade and Brigadier General
Marcellus M. Crocker's division, and Gregg decided to disengage after the Confederate line cracked. The battle at Raymond changed Grant's plans for the Vicksburg campaign, leading him to first focus on neutralizing the Confederate forces at Jackson before turning against Vicksburg, capturing it on July 4.
The Battle of Lalakaon was fought in 863 between the
Byzantine Empire and an invading Arab army in
Paphlagonia (modern northern Turkey). The
Byzantine army was led by
Petronas, the uncle of Emperor
Michael III, although Arab sources also mention the presence of the Emperor in person. The Arabs were led by the
emir of Melitene (
Malatya),
Umar al-Aqta. Umar al-Aqta overcame initial Byzantine resistance to his invasion and reached the
Black Sea. The Byzantines then mobilized their forces and encircled the Arab army near the Lalakaon river. The subsequent battle ended in a Byzantine victory and the emir's death on the field, and was followed by a successful Byzantine counteroffensive across the border. These victories were decisive; the main threats to the Byzantine borderlands were eliminated, and the era of Byzantine ascendancy in the East (culminating in the 10th-century conquests) began.
The sieges of Berwick were the Scottish capture of the town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed on 6 November 1355 and their subsequent unsuccessful siege of
Berwick Castle, and the English siege and recapture of the town in January 1356. In 1355 the
Second War of Scottish Independence had been underway for over 22 years. On 6 November a Scottish force led by
Thomas, Earl of Angus, and
Patrick, Earl of March, captured the town of Berwick in a pre-dawn
escalade. They failed to capture the castle, which they besieged. Edward returned from France and gathered a large army at
Newcastle. Most of the Scots withdrew, leaving a 130-man garrison in Berwick town. When the English army arrived the Scots negotiated a safe passage and withdrew.
The Battle of Van Buren' was fought at
Van Buren, Arkansas, on December 28, 1862, during the
American Civil War. After defeating
Confederate forces led by
Major GeneralThomas C. Hindman at the
Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862, Union forces under
Brigadier GeneralsJames G. Blunt and
Francis J. Herron prepared for a raid against the Confederate positions at Van Buren and
Fort Smith. Disease, lack of supplies, and
desertion had previously forced Hindman to begin withdrawing most of his force from the area. Setting out on December 27, the Union troops struck an outlying Confederate
cavalry unit near Drippings Spring, north of Van Buren, on the morning of December 28. The Confederate cavalry fled to Van Buren, which was then overrun by Union troops. The Union pursued and captured three
steamboats on the
Arkansas River, and captured some Confederate troops and many goods in Van Buren. Across the river in Fort Smith, the Confederates destroyed supplies and also burned two steamboats trapped upriver. An artillery duel took place at Van Buren, while after nightfall a minor skirmish was fought downriver at Strain's Landing. After the battle, Hindman withdrew his men to
Little Rock and the Union force returned from the raid, unable to maintain a supply line to Van Buren across the
Boston Mountains. The battles of Prairie Grove and Van Buren broke Confederate strength in the region.
The
Rhodesian government actively recruited
white personnel from other countries from the mid-1970s to address manpower shortages in the
Rhodesian Security Forces during the
Rhodesian Bush War. It is estimated that between 800 and 2,000
foreign volunteers enlisted, with the exact number not being known. The most common motivation was opposition to governments led by
black people, but other volunteers were motivated by
anti-communism or a desire for adventure. They generally joined the Rhodesian Security Forces individually after seeing advertisements or after being contacted by recruiters. The volunteers frequently received a hostile response from Rhodesians in the units they were posted to, and many ended their contracts early as a result.
About The Bugle
First published in 2006, the Bugle is the monthly newsletter of the English Wikipedia's Military history WikiProject.
The Cenotaph is a 1920 war memorial on
Whitehall in
London designed by
Sir Edwin Lutyens as the United Kingdom's national memorial to the British and
Commonwealth dead of the
First World War. It has since come to represent British casualties from later conflicts. A cenotaph is an empty tomb: during the First World War, most of the dead were buried close to where they fell; thus, the Cenotaph symbolises their absence and is a focal point for public mourning. The original temporary Cenotaph was erected in 1919 for a parade celebrating the end of the First World War. Calls for the Cenotaph to be rebuilt in permanent form began almost immediately. After some debate, the government agreed and construction work began in May 1920. Lutyens added
entasis (curvature) but otherwise made minimal design alterations. The memorial met with public acclaim and has largely been praised by academics, though some Christian organisations disapproved of its lack of overt religious symbolism. The
National Service of Remembrance is held annually at the site on
Remembrance Sunday; it is also the scene of other remembrance services.
The Battle of Raymond, part of the
American Civil War, was fought on May 12, 1863, near
Raymond, Mississippi, during attempts capture the strategically important
Mississippi River city of
Vicksburg. A portion of Grant's army consisting of Major General
James B. McPherson's 10,000 to 12,000-man
XVII Corps moved northeast towards Raymond. In response, the
Confederate commander of Vicksburg,
Lieutenant GeneralJohn C. Pemberton, ordered
Brigadier GeneralJohn Gregg to Raymond. Neither commander was aware of the strength of his opponent, and Gregg acted aggressively, thinking McPherson's force was small enough his men could easily defeat it. McPherson, in turn, overestimated Confederate strength and responded cautiously. After two brigades of Major General
John A. Logan's
division fought against the Confederate force, McPherson brought up Brigadier General
John D. Stevenson's brigade and Brigadier General
Marcellus M. Crocker's division, and Gregg decided to disengage after the Confederate line cracked. The battle at Raymond changed Grant's plans for the Vicksburg campaign, leading him to first focus on neutralizing the Confederate forces at Jackson before turning against Vicksburg, capturing it on July 4.
The Battle of Lalakaon was fought in 863 between the
Byzantine Empire and an invading Arab army in
Paphlagonia (modern northern Turkey). The
Byzantine army was led by
Petronas, the uncle of Emperor
Michael III, although Arab sources also mention the presence of the Emperor in person. The Arabs were led by the
emir of Melitene (
Malatya),
Umar al-Aqta. Umar al-Aqta overcame initial Byzantine resistance to his invasion and reached the
Black Sea. The Byzantines then mobilized their forces and encircled the Arab army near the Lalakaon river. The subsequent battle ended in a Byzantine victory and the emir's death on the field, and was followed by a successful Byzantine counteroffensive across the border. These victories were decisive; the main threats to the Byzantine borderlands were eliminated, and the era of Byzantine ascendancy in the East (culminating in the 10th-century conquests) began.
The sieges of Berwick were the Scottish capture of the town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed on 6 November 1355 and their subsequent unsuccessful siege of
Berwick Castle, and the English siege and recapture of the town in January 1356. In 1355 the
Second War of Scottish Independence had been underway for over 22 years. On 6 November a Scottish force led by
Thomas, Earl of Angus, and
Patrick, Earl of March, captured the town of Berwick in a pre-dawn
escalade. They failed to capture the castle, which they besieged. Edward returned from France and gathered a large army at
Newcastle. Most of the Scots withdrew, leaving a 130-man garrison in Berwick town. When the English army arrived the Scots negotiated a safe passage and withdrew.
The Battle of Van Buren' was fought at
Van Buren, Arkansas, on December 28, 1862, during the
American Civil War. After defeating
Confederate forces led by
Major GeneralThomas C. Hindman at the
Battle of Prairie Grove on December 7, 1862, Union forces under
Brigadier GeneralsJames G. Blunt and
Francis J. Herron prepared for a raid against the Confederate positions at Van Buren and
Fort Smith. Disease, lack of supplies, and
desertion had previously forced Hindman to begin withdrawing most of his force from the area. Setting out on December 27, the Union troops struck an outlying Confederate
cavalry unit near Drippings Spring, north of Van Buren, on the morning of December 28. The Confederate cavalry fled to Van Buren, which was then overrun by Union troops. The Union pursued and captured three
steamboats on the
Arkansas River, and captured some Confederate troops and many goods in Van Buren. Across the river in Fort Smith, the Confederates destroyed supplies and also burned two steamboats trapped upriver. An artillery duel took place at Van Buren, while after nightfall a minor skirmish was fought downriver at Strain's Landing. After the battle, Hindman withdrew his men to
Little Rock and the Union force returned from the raid, unable to maintain a supply line to Van Buren across the
Boston Mountains. The battles of Prairie Grove and Van Buren broke Confederate strength in the region.
The
Rhodesian government actively recruited
white personnel from other countries from the mid-1970s to address manpower shortages in the
Rhodesian Security Forces during the
Rhodesian Bush War. It is estimated that between 800 and 2,000
foreign volunteers enlisted, with the exact number not being known. The most common motivation was opposition to governments led by
black people, but other volunteers were motivated by
anti-communism or a desire for adventure. They generally joined the Rhodesian Security Forces individually after seeing advertisements or after being contacted by recruiters. The volunteers frequently received a hostile response from Rhodesians in the units they were posted to, and many ended their contracts early as a result.
About The Bugle
First published in 2006, the Bugle is the monthly newsletter of the English Wikipedia's Military history WikiProject.