THE BRAMALL PAPERS REFLECTIONS ON WAR AND PEACE
FIELD MARSHAL THE LORD BRAMALL’S WRITINGS ARE A VALUABLE WORK OF MILITARY PHILOSOPHY FROM ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST EMINENT VETERANS
The military world was a very different place 75 years ago, although it was also the period that created modern warfare. During World War II Britain was still the dominant naval power but jet fighters were being introduced and atomic weapons made their first appearance. It was into this apocalyptic crucible that many professional soldiers began their careers, but very few are alive today who continue to make highly informed opinions about military affairs. Nevertheless, Field Marshal
Lord Bramall is one of them.
With fighting experiences that stretch back to the 1940s, Bramall has had a remarkable career. He first fought in Normandy as a junior officer and received the Military Cross in March 1945. His subsequent service was a glittering litany of appointments and commands that included serving on Lord Mountbatten’s staff and commanding a battalion during the Indonesia-malaysia Confrontation.
Between 1979-85 Bramall rose to become the professional head of both the British Army and British Armed Forces as chief of the General Staff and chief of the Defence Staff respectively. In the former role, Bramall strongly supported the successful San Carlos landings during the Falklands War.
This highly decorated field marshal is consequently no ordinary veteran, and his book The Bramall Papers is a fascinating insight into one of Britain’s foremost military minds. With a foreword by Sir Anthony Seldon and edited by Robin Brodhurst, The Bramall Papers is a wideranging collection of lectures, speeches and letters dating from the 1950s to the present day. It is a serious study into the intensely complicated realities of modern warfare and its implications.
The book is initially structured chronologically and covers World War II and the Cold War, with Bramall being heavily involved in both. His perspective on World War II is interesting because he approaches his own experiences from a broader historical outlook rather than as a direct veteran testimony. Nevertheless, it is clear that the war left an indelible impression on him.
This is apparent in the larger part of the book where Bramall’s ideas on modern warfare are wide-ranging. His varied experiences at the top rank of military power give him an authoritative yet humane voice on everything from terrorism, insurgencies, peacekeeping and interventions, among many other topics.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Bramall’s philosophy is his opposition to nuclear weapons. The book makes clear his case for the slow, steady disarmament of Britain’s deterrent in order to set an example to other nuclear powers.
It is bold ideas such as these that make The Bramall Papers an indispensable book for military academics and professional officers alike. Although war is characterised by extreme destruction, the best soldiers never forget that armed forces have a moral duty to prevent conflict. As Bramall himself succinctly puts it, “Force must be considered a strategy for peace quite as much as it has always been for war.”
“IT WAS INTO THIS APOCALYPTIC CRUCIBLE THAT MANY PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS BEGAN THEIR CAREERS, BUT VERY FEW ARE ALIVE TODAY WHO CONTINUE TO MAKE HIGHLY INFORMED OPINIONS ABOUT MILITARY AFFAIRS. NEVERTHELESS, FIELD MARSHAL LORD BRAMALL IS ONE OF THEM”