This book fills a significant gap in the historiography of British military thought, doctrine and practice for the First World War (1914-18) and the generation beforehand, including the Boer War (1899-1902). It investigates a major doctrinal controversy: what the role and tactics of horsed soldiers were to be in the face of increasing firepower and demands placed upon them by the expansion of mass armies. Contrary to widely held modern belief, the doctrine developed proved quite successful in dealing with the conditions that they faced on the battlefield.

Stephen Badsey is Professor of Conflict Studies at the University of Wolverhampton. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Cambridge University, where he was awarded a PhD in 1982; and he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1995. Further information can be found at his website www.stephenbadsey.com

Contents: Preface; Doctrine and the cavalry 1880-1918; The Wolseley era 1880-1899; The Boer War 1899-1902; The Roberts era 1902-1905; The Haldane era 1905-1914; The First World War 1914-1918; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.