Weekend Warriors No More: The History of the TA's (2013)
1h 0min
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- Synopsis:
Since 1908, Britain s Armed Forces have relied heavily on part-time soldiers, ranging from barristers to barrow boys. The major role they ve played in the country s military history has often been forgotten by historians, despite significant contributions in both World Wars, not to mention the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, where around 10 per cent of the British forces are reservists. They often stick around to clear up the mess too - after World War II, for example, the TA was not demobilised until 1947. They may be unfairly derided in some parts as weekend warriors , but they have to stand equal on the battlefield while fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with their full-time colleagues. The high numbers of reservist fatalities and casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan shows just how central they are to operations there. Weekend Warriors is a potted TV history of the Territorial Army, from its official formation by the Minister of War in 1908, to the professional fighting force of today. Importantly, the documentary will show exactly how important the TA has been during the recent history of British armed conflict. Territorials full-time careers often provides skills and expertise that are directly transferable to a specialist military role, such as NHS employees serving in TA medical units. All Territorial personnel have their civilian jobs protected by law when mobilised. Its original purpose was home defence, with reservists in the past also served as constables or bailiffs, even holding positions of civic duty as overseer of their parish. The more modern Yeomen of the 18th century were cavalry based units, which were often used to suppress riots. It's a long way from today s standards, where reservists have to be on top of every military manoeuvre and piece of technology available to them, if they are to keep up with their counterparts. This film is the story of just how they've done that... - Studio:
- Pen and Sword
- Genres:
- Documentary