Editing British Army (section)

== {{anchor|Modern British Army}}Modern army ==
=== Personnel ===
[[File:Trooping the Colour MOD 45155754.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Blues and Royals]] [[Trooping the Colour]] in 2013]]

The British Army has been a volunteer force since national service ended during the 1960s.<ref name="M 384" /> Since the creation of the part-time, reserve [[Territorial Force]] in 1908 (renamed the Army Reserve in 2014), the full-time British Army has been known as the Regular Army. In July 2020 there were just over 78,800 Regulars, with a target strength of 82,000, and just over 30,000 [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|Army Reservists]], with a target strength of 30,000.<ref name="statistics2021">{{Cite web |title=Quarterly service personnel statistics 1 October 2021 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2021/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-1-october-2021 |access-date=13 February 2022 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> All former Regular Army personnel may also be recalled to duty in exceptional circumstances during the 6-year period following completion of their Regular service, which creates an additional force known as the [[Regular Reserve (United Kingdom)#Army Reserve (Regular)|Regular Reserve]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=British Army – Reserve Forces – The Regular Reserve – Armed Forces – a11a4|url=http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0071.html|access-date=21 November 2020|website=www.armedforces.co.uk}}</ref>

The table below illustrates British Army personnel figures from 1710 to 2025.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
! colspan="10" |British Army strength{{refn| 1710–1900,<ref name="Rasler">{{cite book | title=The Great Powers and Global Struggle, 1490–1990 | date=1994 | publisher=University Press of Kentucky | isbn=0-8131-3353-X | location=United States | page=149 | last1=Rasler | first1=Karen}} (Figure 8.1 Change in the Size of the British Army 1650–1910)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Recruiting Victorian armies |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/victorianarmies/ |website=UK Parliament}}</ref> 1918 & 1945,<ref name="Summers">{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14218909 | title=The time when the British army was really stretched | date=23 July 2011 | publisher=BBC | agency=BBC News | last1=Summers | first1=Chris | access-date=5 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822232109/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14218909 | archive-date=22 August 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="a">End of the First World War</ref><ref name="b">End of the Second World War</ref> 1920,<ref name="Hansard1920">{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1920/jun/23/mesopotamia-1#S5CV0130P0_19200623_HOC_328 | title=23 June 1920 | website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] | publisher=Hansard – House of Commons | access-date=5 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820130447/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1920/jun/23/mesopotamia-1#S5CV0130P0_19200623_HOC_328 | archive-date=20 August 2016 | date=23 June 1920 | url-status=live}}</ref> 1930,<ref name="Hansard1930">{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1930/nov/02/strength#S5CV0134P0_19301102_HOC_62 | title=Strength (Territorial Army) – 2 November 1930 | website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] | publisher=Hansard – House of Commons | access-date=5 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819235603/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1930/nov/02/strength#S5CV0134P0_19301102_HOC_62 | archive-date=19 August 2016 | date=2 November 1930 | url-status=live}}</ref> 1950,<ref name="Rutherford">{{cite book | title=International Affairs and Defence: Army 2020 | last2=Rutherford | first2=Tom | date=26 July 2012 | publisher=House of Commons Library | location=United Kingdom | page=13 | last1=Brooke-Holland | first1=Louisa }}</ref><ref name="Hansard1950">{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1950/mar/20/territorial-army-recruitment | title=Territorial Army (Recruitment) – 20 March 1950 | website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] | publisher=Hansard – House of Commons | access-date=5 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090127/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1950/mar/20/territorial-army-recruitment | archive-date=4 March 2016 | date=20 March 1950 | url-status=live}}</ref> 1960,<ref name="Rutherford" /><ref name="Hansard1960">{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1960/jul/20/the-territorial-army | title=The Territorial Army – 20 July 1960 | website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] | publisher=Hansard – House of Commons | access-date=5 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516193716/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1960/jul/20/the-territorial-army | archive-date=16 May 2013 | date=20 July 1960 | url-status=live}}</ref> 1970,<ref name="Hansard1970">{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1970/mar/12/army-estimates-1970-71-vote-a | title=Army Estimates – 12 March 1970 | website=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] | publisher=Hansard – House of Commons | access-date=5 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043312/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1970/mar/12/army-estimates-1970-71-vote-a | archive-date=4 March 2016 | date=12 March 1970 | url-status=live}}</ref> 1980–2000,<ref name="Berman">{{cite web | url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/rp00-99/ | title=House of Commons: Defence Statistics 2000 | date=21 December 2000 | publisher=House of Commons Library | location=United Kingdom | pages=16–17 | last1=Berman | first1=Gavin | access-date=5 July 2016}}</ref> 2010,<ref name="MoD2010">{{cite book | url=http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/archive/quarterly-personnel-report/2010-01-01/1_january_2010.pdf | title=UK Armed Forces Quarterly Manning Report | date=4 March 2010 | publisher=Ministry of Defence | location=United Kingdom | page=13 | archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140116142443/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/archive/quarterly-personnel-report/2010-01-01/1_january_2010.pdf | archive-date=16 January 2014 | url-status=dead | access-date=5 July 2016}} (Table 2a – Strength of UK Armed Forces1
 – full-time trained and untrained personnel)</ref><ref>{{cite book |url = http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/reserves-and-cadets-strengths/2010-04-01/2010-revised.pdf | title=UK RESERVE FORCES STRENGTHS | date=22 September 2010 | publisher=Ministry of Defence | location=United Kingdom | page=3 | archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140116142443/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/reserves-and-cadets-strengths/2010-04-01/2010-revised.pdf | archive-date=16 January 2014 | url-status=dead | access-date=5 July 2016}} (Table 1 – Strengths of All Services Reserves)</ref> 2015,<ref name=":1" /> 2020<ref name="statistics2021"/>}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FOI-Size-of-the-UK-Armed-Forces-Since-1700.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/FOI-Size-of-the-UK-Armed-Forces-Since-1700.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=An Annual Times Series For The Size Of The Armed Forces (Army, Navy & RAF) Since 1700|website=bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com|publisher=Ministry of Defense|date=28 April 2017|access-date=15 June 2022}}</ref>

|-
! colspan="2" |[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|25px]]<br />{{Small|[[United Kingdom|(1707–1810)]]}}
| rowspan="99" |
! colspan="2" |[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|25px]]<br />{{Small|[[United Kingdom|(1810–1921)]]}}
| rowspan="99" |
! colspan="4" |[[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|25px]]<br />{{Small|[[United Kingdom|(1930– Present)]]}}

|-
! Year
! Regular Army
! Year
! Regular Army
! Year
! Regular Army
![[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|Army Reserve]]
!'''Total'''

|-
| 1710
| 68,000
| 1820
| 93,000
| 1930
|188,000
|
| —

|-
| 1720
| 20,000
| 1830
| 89,000
| 1945
|2,930,000
|{{Small|Included in Regular}}
| '''3,120,000'''

|-
| 1730
| 17,000
| 1838
| 89,000
| 1950
| 364,000
| 83,000
| '''447,000'''

|-
| 1740
| 46,000
| 1840
| 94,000
| 1960
| 258,000
| 120,000
| '''387,000'''

|-
| 1750
| 79,000
| 1850
| 99,000
| 1970
| 174,000
| 80,000
| '''256,000'''

|-
| 1760
| 65,000
| 1860
| 236,000
| 1980
| 159,000
| 63,000
| '''222,000'''

|-
| 1770
| 24,000
| 1870
| 185,000
| 1990
| 153,000
| 73,000
| '''226,000'''

|-
| 1780
| 35,000
| 1880
| 165,000
| 2000
| 110,000
| 45,000
| '''155,000'''

|-
| 1790
| 53,000<ref name="Linch">{{cite book |last1=Linch |first1=Kevin |title=The British Army, 1783–1815 |date=2024 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books |location=Barnsley |isbn=9781526737991 |pages=83–84}}</ref>
| 1890
| 210,000
| 2010
| 109,000
| 29,000
| '''142,000'''

|-
| 1800
| 200,000<ref name="Linch"/>
| 1900
| 302,000
| 2020
| 79,000
| 30,000
| '''116,000'''
|-
|1810
|281,000<ref name="Linch"/>
|1918
|3,838,000
|2025
|74,000
|26,000
| '''108,000'''
|}