Military kit through the ages: from the Battle of Hastings in 1066 to Helmand Province in 2014

From the crude weaponry and armour of the Battle of Hastings, to the high-tech kit of modern conflict, a new photographic survey explores the personal equipment carried by the common British soldier through the past 1,000 years.

Tom Atkinson’s photos of everything a British soldier carried in the field from the 11th century (the Battle of Hastings was in 1066) right up to today. Not only are they curiously beautiful to look at, Atkinson posses the remarkable talent of being able to lay things out on the floor in an extremely pleasing way, but the objects capture how technology has changed our lives throughout the centuries. (all photos credit to Tom Atkinson. What an amazing job!)

"Soldiers ’ Inventories" the name of the project, starts with the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and chronicles infantry equipment in 12 battles throughout history, from the battle of Waterloo to the war in Afghanistan. The British empire was built on military campaigns and the evolution of its warfare was vital to its success in establishing a territory that once covered almost a quarter of the planet, the largest empire in history.

Picture shown above is of Huscarl, Battle of Hastings, 1066. Next up is Mounted Knight, Siege of Jerusalem, 1244. Scroll down to see the pictures. Click on them for bigger and better views.

Picture below: Fighting Archer, Battle of Agincourt, 1415

Yorkist Man at Arms, Battle of Bosworth, 1485

Trained Band Caliverman, Tilbury, 1588

Private Sentinel, Battle of Malplaquet, 1709

Private Soldier, Battle of Waterloo, 1815

Private Soldier, Rifle Brigade, Battle of the Alma, 1854

Sergeant, Battle of the Somme, 1916

Lance Corporal, Parachute Brigade, Battle of Arnhem, 1944

Royal Marine Commando, Falklands Conflict, 1982

Close Support Sapper, Royal Engineers, Helmand Province, 2014

For the detailed inventory (item by item), check out the post HERE at The Telegraph

Related posts:
October 27, 2012 – An army girl's life in Afghanistan - The Real Deal posted HERE
September 16, 2008 – Royal Treatment posted HERE
August 15, 2008 – The Royals are coming - Yay! featured on my toy blog HERE