The Imperial Army Project: Britain and the Land Forces of the Dominions and India, 1902-1945

How did the British Army manage to integrate or work with the 2.6 million troops that India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa raised during the First World War, and how did they do it again with 3.9 million Indian and dominion soldiers during the Second World War? There was an enduring and evolving plan – an imperial army project – to make the land forces of the empire into standardized pieces that could be multiplied, expanded, and joined together in time of war. It started with efforts to fix the British Army in the wake of its disappointing performance during the South African War (1899-1903) and lasted until the end of the Second World War (1939-1945). Britain needed the manpower and the military resources of its empire during the two world wars. The Imperial Army Project explains how it got them – despite the growing autonomy of the dominions and India.