Brothers in Arms Trivia Quiz

Answer: Prime Minister

The Duke of Wellington had a distinguished military career, leading the British forces in the peninsular war against the forces of Napoleon as well as commanding the forces that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Following his military career he went into politics in the UK, serving as Prime Minister between 1828 and 1830.

His time as Prime Minister saw the passing of the Catholic Relief Act which removed most civil disabilities for Roman Catholics.

Answer: No

Eisenhower was actually the overall allied commander during the D-Day landings and subsequent Battle of Normandy. However, Bernard Montgomery was the commander of the Allied ground troops. More commonly referred to as 'Monty', Montgomery served as a junior officer in the First World War and rose through the ranks becoming chief of staff of the 47th Division by the end of the war.

He commanded the British Eighth Army in North Africa during World War II until the final defeat of the German forces in Tunisia in May 1943 and afterwards commanded the British Eighth Army in the invasions of Sicily and Italy.

After commanding the Allied ground troops during D-Day he took command of the 21st Army Group for the rest of war.

Answer: Navy

Neil Armstrong joined the US Navy as an aviator under the Holloway Plan. This meant that he got his college tuition funded by the military in return for service as an aviator. Armstrong saw active service during the Korean War and flew 78 missions. After completing his mandatory service period as per the Holloway Plan Armstrong left the Navy but became a member of the Naval Reserve.

After graduating from college Armstrong became a test pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Armstrong was invited to join the NASA Astronaut Corp in 1962 and in 1969 he was one of the astronauts who made the first moon landing.

Answer: The Second Punic War

Hannibal was a general from the city state of Cathage who lived during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. The Second Punic War took place between 218 and 201 BC and was a war between Carthage and the Roman Empire. Hannibal's crossing of the Alps took place near the start of the conflict and enabled him to launch a surprise attack on the Roman Empire.

The crossing of the Alps is also remembered due to Hannibal's decision to bring 38 war elephants with him over the Alps. However, the elephants were unable to cope with the harsh conditions in the Alps and many of them did not survive the journey.

Answer: True

William Westmoreland graduated from West Point in 1936 having been awarded the Pershing Sword, an award for the cadet with the "highest level of military proficiency". Westmoreland started his career as an artillery officer and served in World War II becoming chief of staff of the 9th Infantry Division in October 1944. During the Korean War Westmoreland commanded the 187th Airborne Reginmental Combat Team.

In 1964 he became the commander of the US troops in Vietnam, a position he held until 1968.

He was 'Time Magazine's' "Man of the Year" in 1965 a title granted to someone the editors of the magazine deem to have "done the most to influence events of the year".

Answer: Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1797)

Horatio Nelson joined the Royal Navy in 1771 at the age of twelve when he joined the crew of the HMS Raisonnable which was commanded by his uncle. Nelson rose through the ranks eventually achieving the rank of Vice-Admiral. The Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife started on 22 July 1797 and was an attempt by the British to capture the Spanish port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, located in the Canary Islands.

The attack did not succeed and the British failed to capture the city, eventually withdrawing under a truce on 25 July. During a landing attempt at night on July 24th Nelson was hit in his right arm by grapeshot and the resulting injury was so bad that the arm had to be amputated.

Answer: Boston

George Washington started his military service in the British militia where he was a major during the French and Indian War. In 1755 he was commissioned as Colonel of the Virginia Regiment which was the first full-time American regiment. When Continental Congress created the Continental Army in June 1775 Washington was appointed as Commander-in-Chief.

In July 1775 Washington took command of the Continental Army in the field at the Siege of Boston which eventually became the site of his first victory when the British were forced to evacuate the city in March 1776.

Answer: Siege of Mafeking

Robert Baden-Powell started his military career in 1876 when he joined the 13th Hussars as a lieutenant before being posted to South Africa in the early 1880s. During the Second Boer War Baden-Powell and his force were garrisoned in the city of Mafeking when it was besieged by the Boer Army.

The siege lasted for 217 days and Baden-Powell became a national hero in Britain for his role in defending the city. It is believed that the Mafeking Cadet Corps, a group of boys who assisted in non-combat ways during the siege, inspired Baden-Powell to found the Boy Scouts. Baden-Powell organised the first scout camp on Brownsea Island in 1907 and published a book 'Scouting for Boys' in 1908 with the movement growing from these beginnings into the international movement it is today.

Answer: Royal Air Force

T.E. Lawrence, more famously known as Lawrence of Arabia, was an archaeologist who worked in Military Intelligence and as an army officer during the First World War. In this conflict he helped to start the Arab Revolt an uprising of Arab peoples against the Ottoman Empire thereby weakening the Ottoman Empire.

His role in the Arab Revolt saw him awarded a Victoria Cross, the highest UK military medal. After the war Lawrence worked as a diplomat but disliked the fame that his war antics had gained him. To try to escape this in 1922 he enlisted in the RAF under a false name and, apart from a short time in the Royal Tank Corps remained with the RAF until 1935. Shortly after leaving the RAF Lawrence was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Answer: Lord Protector

Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan who was a Member of the English Parliament in the 1620s and 1640s. During the English Civil War, a conflict that started due to Parliament's difference with King Charles I, he sided with the Parliamentarians and formed and commanded the New Model Army.

This was the first time England had had a unified national army. Cromwell was one of the signatories to the order to execute King Charles I after which a republic called the "Commonwealth of England" declared. In 1653 John Lambert proposed a new constitution for the commonwealth in which Cromwell was made Lord Protector a position which Cromwell held until his death from natural causes in 1658.

In 1660 Charles II was invited back from exile by parliament to become King and in 1661 Cromwell's body was subjected to a ritual execution as a traitor.