The British Imperial Army in the Middle East

The First World War has often been understood in terms of the combat experiences of soldiers on the Western Front; those combatants who served in the other theatres of the war have been neglected. Using personal testimonies, official documentation and detailed research from a diverse range of archives, The British Imperial Army in the Middle East explores the combat experiences of these soldiers. The army that fought the Ottoman Empire was a multinational and multi-ethnic force, drawing personnel from across Britain's empire, including Australia, New Zealand, and India. By taking a transnational and imperial perspective on the First World War, this book ensures that the campaigns in Egypt and Palestine are considered in the wider context of an empire mobilised to fight a total and global war.

James E. Kitchen is Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK. He was formerly Lecturer in International History at University College Dublin, Ireland, and a member of its Centre for War Studies. He has also taught at the Royal Air Force College as Lecturer in Defence Studies for King’s College London, UK. His research interests lie in the history of modern warfare and imperialism, and he has published on the cultural and military history of the First World War in the Middle East, as well as the conflict’s colonial legacy.