British Battles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dettingen

Part of the War of the Austrian Succession, the Battle of Dettingen (1743) saw King George II lead the British forces (in alliance with Hanover and Austria) to victory against the French.

Answer: Imjin River

The Glosters lost approximately 600 men (of a strength of about 750) and succeeded in slowing down the Chinese advance for three days; long enough for the UN forces to realign and prevent the capture of Seoul. During the battle Drum Major Buss was ordered to play "any call except retreat" to confuse the Chinese, who were using trumpets to co-ordinate their attacks.

Answer: The Falklands War

The ARA General Belgrano was sunk by HMS Conqueror in 1982. Previously the ship had served in the US Navy during World War II.

Answer: El Alamein

The First Battle of El Alamein saw the Allies stall the Axis advance before the decisive Allied victory of the second battle in 1942.

Answer: Alfred the Great

Alfred defeated Guthram "the Unlucky" and Wessex was safe from invasion for many years.

Answer: Balaklava

The words were part of his poem, 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. Despite this ill-fated charge, the result of the battle was indecisive. For the Russians it was a boost in morale, with the capture of seven British guns. However, the British, French and Ottoman force of 4,500 had prevented a Russian force of 25,000 breaking through to the port of Balaklava and disrupting British supplies for the siege of Sevastopol.

Answer: Omaha

Omaha and Utah beaches were the US landing points, with Gold, Juno & Sword providing the toehold for British and Canadian forces.

Answer: Trafalgar

The signal was sent by Lord Nelson at the start of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and is engraved on Nelson's Column and Nelson's tomb in St Paul's Cathedral. The Royal Navy defeated the combined navies of France and Spain, but at the cost of their most famous admiral.

Answer: Blenheim

Blenheim Palace is one of the few residences in the United Kingdom called a palace which does not belong to the royalty and is still owned by the 11th Duke of Marlborough. The battle thwarted France's assault on Austria and was part of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714).

Answer: Agincourt

A diseased and weakened English and Welsh army of approximately 5,000 faced more than 35,000 Frenchmen (numbers vary from 30,000 to 100,000!) and achieved a decisive victory. Despite further gains in the years to come, including the capture of almost half of France (including Paris), the English were eventually defeated and forced out of France (except for Calais, which was held until 1557).

Answer: Iraq War

The US originally intended to name the war Operation Iraqi Liberation, but changed it to Iraqi Freedom (perhaps to avoid the acronym OIL!). The British choose their operation names at random to ensure operational security.

Answer: Assaye

The battle in 1803 saw just under 10,000 British soldiers under Major General Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) defeat the Maratha Confederacy force of approximately 50,000. It opened the way for British conquest in central India.

Answer: Saratoga

Benedict Arnold was one of the American generals at Saratoga - he would later switch sides to the British, making his name a byword in the USA for treachery.

Answer: Isandlwana

At the Battle of Isandlwana the quartermasters struggled to open ammo boxes fast enough, and shortly after Ammunition Boots became the standard footwear of the British Army until the 1950s. It was said that the iron-studded sole was designed to break open ammo boxes, although they had the pleasing (to the military) effect of making a crunching sound as troops marched, earning them the nickname "Crunchies." They are still used for ceremonial duties and drill.

The battle itself saw a crushing defeat of the British forces and led to a second (reinforced) invasion of Zululand.

Answer: Hastings

Before '1066 and all that', William the Conqueror was known as William the Bastard, due to his illegitimacy. The Normans were descended from Vikings that had conquered Northern France. (The name comes from "Northman").

Answer: Quebec

After a three-month siege the battle lasted only 15 minutes. The victory earnt James Wolfe the posthumous title of "the Conqueror of Quebec" and "the Conqureror of Canada," as the victory was followed by France being driven out of Canada altogether. New France was the area in North America colonised by France and later became part of Canada.

Answer: Culloden

Culloden was the last attempt by the Charles Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender, to restore the House of Stuart to the throne in Britain. The battle was fought between British government troops and the Jacobites, who were supported by the French.

Answer: The Somme

The Somme Offensive lasted from July to November 1916 and resulted in over a million casualties. Although it was more beneficial to the Allied war effort than it was to the Germans, the British and French gained just 7 miles, and just a few months later the German Army withdrew to the Hindenburg Line, a well prepared defensive position running from Lens to Verdun.

Answer: Rorke's Drift

The battle occured immediately after the British defeat at Isandlwana and of approximately 20,000 rounds of ammunition held in reserve, only 900 were left by the end of the battle.

Answer: The Gulf War

1st (UK) Armoured Division deployed to the Middle East under US VII Corps and formed part of the 'left hook' that was designed to take the Iraqis by surprise (the coalition had made it look like they would simply advance north from Saudi Arabia).

Answer: Waterloo

The Duke of Wellington held off Napoleon long enough for Blucher to march to his aid, and the combined armies defeated Napoleon who was later captured trying to escape to America. (He didn't surrender, as ABBA suggest).

Answer: Bosworth

Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth (also called the Battle of Bosworth Field) enabling Henry Tudor to become Henry VII and effectively ending the Wars of the Roses.

Answer: The Boer War

Baden-Powell would later start the Scouting Movement. His 1922 design for the Medal of Merit included a swastika (it is likely that Baden-Powell came across the symbol during his time in India, where it is a symbol of good luck), but this was removed in 1935 due to its use by the Nazi Party.

Answer: Naseby

Although not the last battle, Naseby marked the end for the Royalists in the First Civil War. Charles I was later imprisoned and four years after the Battle of Naseby he was tried, convicted and executed for high treason.

Answer: Lincoln

Empress Matilda was the daughter of Henry I and granddaughter of William the Conqueror. Her claim to the throne of England was disputed by her cousin, Stephen, who would rule as king during the civil wars known as the Anarchy. Upon Stephen's death Matilda's son became Henry II.

After the 1217 battle, English troops sacked the city of Lincoln as it had declared its loyalty to the French king.