God and the British Soldier: Religion and the British Army in the First and Second World Wars [Hardcover]

Drawing on a wealth of new material from military, ecclesiastical and secular civilian archives, Michael Snape presents a study of the experience of the officers and men of Britains vast citizen armies, and also of the numerous religious agencies which ministered to them.

Historians of the First and Second World Wars have consistently underestimated the importance of religion in Britain during the war years, but this book shows that religion had much greater currency and influence in twentieth-century British society than has previously been realised.

Snape argues that religion provided a key component of military morale and national identity in both the First and Second World Wars, and demonstrates that, contrary to accepted wisdom, Britains popular religious culture emerged intact and even strengthened as a result of the armys experiences of war.

The book covers such a range of disciplines, that students and scholars of military history, British history and Religion will all benefit from its purchase.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Copyright acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1 Diffusive Christianity and the religion of the soldier
2 God and the generals
3 Command and the clergy: generals, chaplains and morale
4 The church in khaki

5 Religion, morality and war
6 The army and religious philanthropy
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Michael Snape is Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Birmingham and a member of the University of Birminghams Centre folã;