| Most important battle in British history ? 09:05 - May 26 with 10928 views | Keno |
I thought I try and raise the intellectual standard today with a little rhetorical question. I was watching an old series War & Remembrance in which comment is passed that El Alamein will be the last battle fought by 'the British' (a term used loosely as there was acknowledgement paid to the part paid by 'Empire')
I immediately thought well actually I guess the Falklands probably was 'our last war', although that could be argued as we got a lot of help from the Yanks
Anyway got me thinking which historically could be argued to be the most important/siginificant battle?
Ashdown
Hastings
Agincourt
Naseby
Culloden
Waterloo
Amiens
Cable Street
El Alamein
Feel free to add other!!
I doubt there is a right or wrong answer but there are several historians on here and I thought it might make for an interesting thread
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:06 - May 26 with 3557 views | hype313 |
Why not ask Facters, he would have lived through them and can give first hand experience. |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:06 - May 26 with 3550 views | chicoazul |
Suez |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:11 - May 26 with 3524 views | noggin |
Playford Road? |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:14 - May 26 with 3505 views | Keno |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:06 - May 26 by chicoazul |
Suez |
That really did mark 'end of Empire' didn't it | |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:15 - May 26 with 3502 views | Keno |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:11 - May 26 by noggin |
Playford Road? |
well obviously, devastation on a par with Hiroshima
Kesgarve will be a desolate wasteland for years [Post edited 26 May 2021 9:15]
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:17 - May 26 with 3483 views | chicoazul |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:14 - May 26 by Keno |
That really did mark 'end of Empire' didn't it |
Yes, and a lot of other things! | |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:25 - May 26 with 3455 views | vilanovablue |
Maybe the Roman invasion? I appreciate this wasn't really an individual battle per se. |  | | |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:30 - May 26 with 3442 views | GeoffSentence |
The Battle Of the River Idle |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:35 - May 26 with 3434 views | MedwayTractor |
Battle of Britain, if we lost, most of the world would be speaking German now.
Battle of Imphal, the high water mark of the Japanese forces and our victory prevented them from invading the sub-continent.
Battle of Normandy, which meant the eventual demise of the Thousand Year Reich, although, as we know, the only participants who mattered (to Hollywood, anyway) were the Yanks. The Canadians never get any credit, bearing in mind that they were allocated one of the five beaches on their own (plus some British support units, such as Royal Engineers). Also, the Canuks got furthest inland on D Day.
I take issue with you about the Yanks and the Falklands. I seem to remember that they were actively supporting the New World against the Old and doing their best to discourage us from doing anything but negotiating, which would most probably have result in grovelling capitulation. |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:36 - May 26 with 3427 views | footers |
The Cod War, hands down.
Those slippery suckers put up one hell of a fight. |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:39 - May 26 with 3417 views | Pinewoodblue |
Keeping it local
Solebay
Languard point
Colchester castle
Alternative suggestions
Bosworth Field
Trafalgar |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:46 - May 26 with 3404 views | Keno |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:35 - May 26 by MedwayTractor |
Battle of Britain, if we lost, most of the world would be speaking German now.
Battle of Imphal, the high water mark of the Japanese forces and our victory prevented them from invading the sub-continent.
Battle of Normandy, which meant the eventual demise of the Thousand Year Reich, although, as we know, the only participants who mattered (to Hollywood, anyway) were the Yanks. The Canadians never get any credit, bearing in mind that they were allocated one of the five beaches on their own (plus some British support units, such as Royal Engineers). Also, the Canuks got furthest inland on D Day.
I take issue with you about the Yanks and the Falklands. I seem to remember that they were actively supporting the New World against the Old and doing their best to discourage us from doing anything but negotiating, which would most probably have result in grovelling capitulation. |
From what I understand the US gave us a lot of intelligence and access to the satellite technology they had
There was as 'public' persona and private actions.
The US secretary of state was honoured by the Queen shortly afterwards for 'services to the crown' | |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:47 - May 26 with 3403 views | Ftnfwest |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:35 - May 26 by MedwayTractor |
Battle of Britain, if we lost, most of the world would be speaking German now.
Battle of Imphal, the high water mark of the Japanese forces and our victory prevented them from invading the sub-continent.
Battle of Normandy, which meant the eventual demise of the Thousand Year Reich, although, as we know, the only participants who mattered (to Hollywood, anyway) were the Yanks. The Canadians never get any credit, bearing in mind that they were allocated one of the five beaches on their own (plus some British support units, such as Royal Engineers). Also, the Canuks got furthest inland on D Day.
I take issue with you about the Yanks and the Falklands. I seem to remember that they were actively supporting the New World against the Old and doing their best to discourage us from doing anything but negotiating, which would most probably have result in grovelling capitulation. |
there's lots of candidates across history but i guess the further back you go they diminish somewhat as it could be argued the passage of time would/may have meant that other battles/periods negated the ones before. For our current existence it's probably the Battle of Britain with Dunkirk roped in as part of that overall campaign. We were very close to surrender, but having chosen to fight would have had to have accepted occupation if we'd lost. |  | | |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:51 - May 26 with 3393 views | Keno |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:39 - May 26 by Pinewoodblue |
Keeping it local
Solebay
Languard point
Colchester castle
Alternative suggestions
Bosworth Field
Trafalgar |
Bosworth is an interest shout, hadn't thought of that one | |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 11:08 - May 26 with 3325 views | EdwardStone |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:46 - May 26 by Keno |
From what I understand the US gave us a lot of intelligence and access to the satellite technology they had
There was as 'public' persona and private actions.
The US secretary of state was honoured by the Queen shortly afterwards for 'services to the crown' |
The U S also supplied logistical support at Ascension Island including insane amounts of aviation fuel....without which the outcome would have been very different |  | | |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 11:19 - May 26 with 3295 views | Darth_Koont |
Pablo vs. Kuqi 2004
Fierce fighting, hand-to-hand in some cases, but really all over by 2005 as Kuqi emerged victorious. |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 11:55 - May 26 with 3258 views | leitrimblue |
Anglesey
Boyne
Watling street |  | | |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 11:56 - May 26 with 3254 views | Keno |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 11:55 - May 26 by leitrimblue |
Anglesey
Boyne
Watling street |
Boyne was one I did think about adding to the original list as well as the Easter Rising | |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 11:59 - May 26 with 3245 views | wubilyu |
Battle of the Beanfields, 1985.
Trafalgar certainly has to go in there. Copenhagen, 1807. Maybe not the most famous but important to stop Napoleon from using the fleet of Denmark to invade the British Isles. Brutal at the time, like any war of course, the British bombarded the city with mortars.
The battle of Stilton Hill, 2021. Oh no, my mistake, I made that one up. |  | | |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:00 - May 26 with 3239 views | jeera |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 09:30 - May 26 by GeoffSentence |
The Battle Of the River Idle |
Lazy response. |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:01 - May 26 with 3239 views | Illinoisblue |
Blur v Oasis mid 90s. |  |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:04 - May 26 with 3232 views | GeoffSentence |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:00 - May 26 by jeera |
Lazy response. |
Jolly lucky that the defeated foe were too lazy to fight properly otherwise we would all be speaking northumbrian now. | |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:06 - May 26 with 3222 views | leitrimblue |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 11:56 - May 26 by Keno |
Boyne was one I did think about adding to the original list as well as the Easter Rising |
I sometimes think that the battle/slaughter in Anglesey in the days prior to the Boudiccan rebellion is possibly one of the most crucial turning points in UK history an culture. Obviously we still live with the repercussions of the Boyne now. Perhaps should have mentioned Easter rising, especially with the Sean Mac Diarmada connection | | | |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:16 - May 26 with 3190 views | Keno |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:06 - May 26 by leitrimblue |
I sometimes think that the battle/slaughter in Anglesey in the days prior to the Boudiccan rebellion is possibly one of the most crucial turning points in UK history an culture. Obviously we still live with the repercussions of the Boyne now. Perhaps should have mentioned Easter rising, especially with the Sean Mac Diarmada connection |
The Easter Rising is almost a text book example of how NOT to deal with a rebellion
are you related to Seán Mac Diarmada? | |
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| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:18 - May 26 with 3178 views | leitrimblue |
| Most important battle in British history ? on 12:16 - May 26 by Keno |
The Easter Rising is almost a text book example of how NOT to deal with a rebellion
are you related to Seán Mac Diarmada? |
Unfortunately not. His restored house is just around the corner from me | | | |
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