“A LOW, SURLY GROWL”: RETURNING TO BRITAIN AFTER THE NAPOLEONIC WARS Evan Wilson "Britain in 1815 was an empire of contrasts. It had just won a world war; it had just allowed its most dangerous enemy to return. It had enormously powerful armed services; it was dismantling those services to save money. It was leading the world in industrialization; it was deeply in debt. It was on the cusp of its greatest century; it was on the cusp of revolution...."
very interesting, in fact - all those last three books presented by Tom, all of high interest, at least for me.
I don’t think that’s really true. Pressgangs don’t really equate to conscription. Forced service certainly, but it was more akin to kidnapping. Nobody selected you, it was usually a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It also happened in peacetime.
Whilst Britain had to fully embrace fighting against Napoleon, she never had to introduce conscription. Despite rebellions in Ireland and the sideshow of Fishguard there had been no real action at home beyond the threat from Napoleon’s Army of England. It was never really a militaristic society or had to suffer the ignominy of foreign troops on it’s spoil. So, although the sentiment comes from a later period many would have subscribed to “Tommy this, and Tommy that!”