In this second of a two-volume history of the life and times of the British infantryman, featuring the period since 1915, the author sets out to show how the regimental system has evolved and what it has meant to the infantryman himself. Thus the descriptions of military actions through the ages are not mere blow-by-blow accounts with lists of the regiments present, but they concentrate on what battle was actually like for the individual infantryman, and how battalion tactics changed. The book also describes pay and conditions, and how the infantryman was lodged, equipped and clothed; it examines his training, his rations, and his recreational pursuits; it identifies his characteristics, and the origins of customs and traditions that have made each regiment unique; and it allows the infantryman to speak for himself, with numerous quotations of experiences in both peace and war.