A soldier is drawn from among the civilian, or unarmed, population, and is specially trained to fight.He joins an army, wears a uniform, and serves for anything from a couple of years to a lifetime.

Be an interactive eyewitness to the life and times of the fighting man and woman down the centuries,from the arms and armour of the ancient world to today's training, technology, and tactics.

The soldier

Joining up

Into the army

First days

Drill

Training

Rising through the ranks

Signals and intelligence

The engineers

Battle dress

Weaponry

Artillery

Ready for battle

The battle

Airborne troops

Tank troops

The marines

Special troops

The medical corps

Feeding the troops

Morale

The end of a campaign

Honouring the soldier

Prisoners of war

Guerrilla fighters

Women in uniform

Child soldiers

Soldiers for peace

Tomorrow's soldier

Timeline

Portraying the soldier

Find out more

Glossary

Index