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‘Lord Anglesey shows how superior the British cavalry was compared to those of the French and German s. He concentrates on the first five months of the War. ‘

‘The late 7th Marquess of Anglesey did military historians and the public at large a huge favour when he set out on his mammoth task to document the history of the British Cavalry between 1816 and 1919. Thankfully he completed his labour of love, and these volumes are a fitting epitaph to him.
In common with other volumes in this series that I have read, the book is written in such an easy and engaging style that even those with no particular interest in either cavalry or military history could easily find themselves drawn to the subject matter. Furthermore, adopting conventions which were the norm in books written a hundred years ago or more, we find a single line précis at the head of each page – the key point on each picked out so that we, the readers, can quickly skim if we want to, making sure that we don’t miss the key messages. This particular volume benefits from the odd cartoon or illustration dotted throughout but it is the Marquess’s easy and fluid style coupled with rigorous research (backed up with source notes) that makes this book such a joy. I always got the feeling that the author was a man who had an enormous fondness for his subject matter and was someone who didn’t pull punches. He succinctly gets his points across time and time again without ever making heavy weather of what, at times, is a difficult subject. Concluding his preface to this volume, the 7th Marquess of Anglesey writes, “Increasingly strict censorship of letters home from all ranks is a curse for historians of war from 1914 onwards. A great deal of first-hand evidence such as was available in earlier conflicts has been lost for ever. It is especially sad to contemplate how many anecdotes – intrinsically interesting and revealing, yet of no use to the enemy – must have fallen to the scissors of the censor.” I should add finally, that the bibliographies included in these volumes are also extremely useful and I have used these on many occasions to augment my own collection of military memoirs.’

George Charles Henry Victor Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey DL, FSA, FRHistS, FRSL (8 October 1922 – 13 July 2013), styled Earl of Uxbridge until 1947, was a British peer and a military historian. He gained the rank of major in the Royal Horse Guards (Blues) and fought in the Second World War. Postwar he served as Lieutenant-Colonel and Commandant of the Anglesey and Caernarvonshire Army Cadet Force1948–50, and as a captain in 635th (Royal Welch) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, in the Territorial Army 1950–52.He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant of Anglesey in 1960, Vice-Lieutenant of Anglesey between 1960 and 1983 and Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd between 1983 and 1989.

Lord Anglesey wrote the books The Capel Letters 1814–1817 (1955), consisting of the edited correspondence between the first Marquess’s sister in England and his nieces; One Leg: The Life and Letters of 1st Marquess of Anglesey (1961), a biography of his ancestor; Sergeant Pearman’s Memoirs (1968); and A History of the British Cavalry 1816–1919, Volumes I–VIII, which began appearing in 1973, and has been described as “the definitive history” of this branch of the army.

He was Vice-President of the Society for Army Historical Research and a Member of the Council of the National Army Museum. He was Hon. President of the Crimean War Research Society. He was awarded an Honorary D. Litt by the University of Wales in 1984, and the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies awarded him the Chesney Gold Medal for his contribution to military history in 1996. He chaired the Historic Buildings Council for Wales (1977–1992) and was the founding President of the Friends of Friendless Churches (1966–1984). He served as a Vice-Chairman of the National Trust (1975–1985) and was a President of the National Museum of Wales (1962–1968). He was a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission (1965–1971) and a Trustee both of the National Portrait Gallery (1979–1991) and of the National Heritage Memorial Fund (1980–1992).