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Quiz about British Battles
Quiz about British Battles

British Battles Trivia Quiz


Identify the battle from the information given

A multiple-choice quiz by se01dct. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
se01dct
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
337,196
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
17 / 25
Plays
1264
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 92 (20/25), Guest 72 (16/25), Guest 86 (16/25).
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Question 1 of 25
1. Which was the last battle where a British monarch led his/her troops into battle? Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. This little-known battle during the Korean War prevented the Chinese breaking through to Seoul, but meant the loss of almost an entire regiment - the Glosters. Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. This war saw the only ship (formerly the USS Phoenix) sunk by a nuclear submarine. Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. Winston Churchill once said of this battle, "Before XXX we never had a victory. After XXX we never had a defeat." Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. In 878 the Battle of Ethandun ensured the Vikings were expelled from Wessex by which king? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. This battle was immortalised with Alfred Lord Tennyson's words; "Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die." Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. Which of these Normandy Beaches did NOT involve British and Commonwealth troops? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. This battle was preceded by the signal, "England expects that every man will do his duty." Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. This battle in 1704 saw the Duke of Marlborough and his allies march the 250 miles from Bedburg (near Cologne) to the Danube in order to prevent Vienna falling into enemy hands. The Duke was later to name his residence after this battle. Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. This battle in 1415 is the main event in William Shakespeare's "Henry V". Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. This war was code-named Operation Telic by the British and includes the battle honour "Al Basrah". Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. The Duke of Wellington had two horses shot out from under him in this battle and he referred to it as his hardest fought battle. Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. Seen by many to be the turning point in the American War of Independance, this battle in 1777 saw the British under General Burgoyne surrender. Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. This battle in 1879 saw the Zulus wipe out a substantial British force and possibly led to the introduction of "Ammunition Boots" in the British Army. Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. The events before and during this battle are shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, and it was one in the eye for Harold Godwinson. Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. This battle in 1759 saw the death of General James Wolfe and the beginning of the end for New France. Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. This battle in 1746 saw the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie. It is the last pitched battle fought on British soil, but is not a battle honour for any British regiment. Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. The opening day of this battle saw the heaviest losses by the British Army in a single day - almost 60,000 casualties. Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. Lt Chard led the British forces in this battle and was one of 11 to win the Victoria Cross. Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. This war was the focal point for novels such as Bravo Two Zero and The One That Got Away and was code-named Operation Granby. Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. This battle in 1815 occured two days after Quatre Bras and saw the final defeat of Napoleon. It has also inspired the naming of a song by ABBA and a major train station in London (not to mention streets, bridges and pubs across Britain). In fiction it sees Richard Sharpe as a Lieutenant-Colonel on the Prince of Orange's Staff and Matthew Hervey as a Cornet in the 6th Light dragoons. Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. This battle in 1485 was arguably the last battle of the Wars of the Roses. It is during this battle that Richard III says (in Shakespeare's play), "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. This war at the turn of the 19th-20th century was infamous for the use of concentration camps by the British, who were commanded by Lord Kitchener for most of the war, and saw Robert Baden-Powell become a national hero. Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. This battle in 1645 was the key battle of the English Civil War and saw Sir Thomas Fairfax defeat King Charles I. The Royal Navy ship that was named in honour of the battle was renamed HMS Royal Charles following the Restoration. Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. This battle in 1141 saw King Stephen defeated and captured by the forces of Empress Matilda. A battle by the same name was fought in 1217 between King Henry III and the future King Louis VIII of France. Hint



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Most Recent Scores
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which was the last battle where a British monarch led his/her troops into battle?

Answer: Dettingen

Part of the War of the Austrian Succession, the Battle of Dettingen (1743) saw King George II lead the British forces (in alliance with Hanover and Austria) to victory against the French.
2. This little-known battle during the Korean War prevented the Chinese breaking through to Seoul, but meant the loss of almost an entire regiment - the Glosters.

Answer: Imjin River

The Glosters lost approximately 600 men (of a strength of about 750) and succeeded in slowing down the Chinese advance for three days; long enough for the UN forces to realign and prevent the capture of Seoul. During the battle Drum Major Buss was ordered to play "any call except retreat" to confuse the Chinese, who were using trumpets to co-ordinate their attacks.
3. This war saw the only ship (formerly the USS Phoenix) sunk by a nuclear submarine.

Answer: The Falklands War

The ARA General Belgrano was sunk by HMS Conqueror in 1982. Previously the ship had served in the US Navy during World War II.
4. Winston Churchill once said of this battle, "Before XXX we never had a victory. After XXX we never had a defeat."

Answer: El Alamein

The First Battle of El Alamein saw the Allies stall the Axis advance before the decisive Allied victory of the second battle in 1942.
5. In 878 the Battle of Ethandun ensured the Vikings were expelled from Wessex by which king?

Answer: Alfred the Great

Alfred defeated Guthram "the Unlucky" and Wessex was safe from invasion for many years.
6. This battle was immortalised with Alfred Lord Tennyson's words; "Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die."

Answer: Balaklava

The words were part of his poem, 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. Despite this ill-fated charge, the result of the battle was indecisive. For the Russians it was a boost in morale, with the capture of seven British guns. However, the British, French and Ottoman force of 4,500 had prevented a Russian force of 25,000 breaking through to the port of Balaklava and disrupting British supplies for the siege of Sevastopol.
7. Which of these Normandy Beaches did NOT involve British and Commonwealth troops?

Answer: Omaha

Omaha and Utah beaches were the US landing points, with Gold, Juno & Sword providing the toehold for British and Canadian forces.
8. This battle was preceded by the signal, "England expects that every man will do his duty."

Answer: Trafalgar

The signal was sent by Lord Nelson at the start of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and is engraved on Nelson's Column and Nelson's tomb in St Paul's Cathedral. The Royal Navy defeated the combined navies of France and Spain, but at the cost of their most famous admiral.
9. This battle in 1704 saw the Duke of Marlborough and his allies march the 250 miles from Bedburg (near Cologne) to the Danube in order to prevent Vienna falling into enemy hands. The Duke was later to name his residence after this battle.

Answer: Blenheim

Blenheim Palace is one of the few residences in the United Kingdom called a palace which does not belong to the royalty and is still owned by the 11th Duke of Marlborough. The battle thwarted France's assault on Austria and was part of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714).
10. This battle in 1415 is the main event in William Shakespeare's "Henry V".

Answer: Agincourt

A diseased and weakened English and Welsh army of approximately 5,000 faced more than 35,000 Frenchmen (numbers vary from 30,000 to 100,000!) and achieved a decisive victory. Despite further gains in the years to come, including the capture of almost half of France (including Paris), the English were eventually defeated and forced out of France (except for Calais, which was held until 1557).
11. This war was code-named Operation Telic by the British and includes the battle honour "Al Basrah".

Answer: Iraq War

The US originally intended to name the war Operation Iraqi Liberation, but changed it to Iraqi Freedom (perhaps to avoid the acronym OIL!). The British choose their operation names at random to ensure operational security.
12. The Duke of Wellington had two horses shot out from under him in this battle and he referred to it as his hardest fought battle.

Answer: Assaye

The battle in 1803 saw just under 10,000 British soldiers under Major General Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) defeat the Maratha Confederacy force of approximately 50,000. It opened the way for British conquest in central India.
13. Seen by many to be the turning point in the American War of Independance, this battle in 1777 saw the British under General Burgoyne surrender.

Answer: Saratoga

Benedict Arnold was one of the American generals at Saratoga - he would later switch sides to the British, making his name a byword in the USA for treachery.
14. This battle in 1879 saw the Zulus wipe out a substantial British force and possibly led to the introduction of "Ammunition Boots" in the British Army.

Answer: Isandlwana

At the Battle of Isandlwana the quartermasters struggled to open ammo boxes fast enough, and shortly after Ammunition Boots became the standard footwear of the British Army until the 1950s. It was said that the iron-studded sole was designed to break open ammo boxes, although they had the pleasing (to the military) effect of making a crunching sound as troops marched, earning them the nickname "Crunchies." They are still used for ceremonial duties and drill.

The battle itself saw a crushing defeat of the British forces and led to a second (reinforced) invasion of Zululand.
15. The events before and during this battle are shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, and it was one in the eye for Harold Godwinson.

Answer: Hastings

Before '1066 and all that', William the Conqueror was known as William the Bastard, due to his illegitimacy. The Normans were descended from Vikings that had conquered Northern France. (The name comes from "Northman").
16. This battle in 1759 saw the death of General James Wolfe and the beginning of the end for New France.

Answer: Quebec

After a three-month siege the battle lasted only 15 minutes. The victory earnt James Wolfe the posthumous title of "the Conqueror of Quebec" and "the Conqureror of Canada," as the victory was followed by France being driven out of Canada altogether. New France was the area in North America colonised by France and later became part of Canada.
17. This battle in 1746 saw the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie. It is the last pitched battle fought on British soil, but is not a battle honour for any British regiment.

Answer: Culloden

Culloden was the last attempt by the Charles Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender, to restore the House of Stuart to the throne in Britain. The battle was fought between British government troops and the Jacobites, who were supported by the French.
18. The opening day of this battle saw the heaviest losses by the British Army in a single day - almost 60,000 casualties.

Answer: The Somme

The Somme Offensive lasted from July to November 1916 and resulted in over a million casualties. Although it was more beneficial to the Allied war effort than it was to the Germans, the British and French gained just 7 miles, and just a few months later the German Army withdrew to the Hindenburg Line, a well prepared defensive position running from Lens to Verdun.
19. Lt Chard led the British forces in this battle and was one of 11 to win the Victoria Cross.

Answer: Rorke's Drift

The battle occured immediately after the British defeat at Isandlwana and of approximately 20,000 rounds of ammunition held in reserve, only 900 were left by the end of the battle.
20. This war was the focal point for novels such as Bravo Two Zero and The One That Got Away and was code-named Operation Granby.

Answer: The Gulf War

1st (UK) Armoured Division deployed to the Middle East under US VII Corps and formed part of the 'left hook' that was designed to take the Iraqis by surprise (the coalition had made it look like they would simply advance north from Saudi Arabia).
21. This battle in 1815 occured two days after Quatre Bras and saw the final defeat of Napoleon. It has also inspired the naming of a song by ABBA and a major train station in London (not to mention streets, bridges and pubs across Britain). In fiction it sees Richard Sharpe as a Lieutenant-Colonel on the Prince of Orange's Staff and Matthew Hervey as a Cornet in the 6th Light dragoons.

Answer: Waterloo

The Duke of Wellington held off Napoleon long enough for Blucher to march to his aid, and the combined armies defeated Napoleon who was later captured trying to escape to America. (He didn't surrender, as ABBA suggest).
22. This battle in 1485 was arguably the last battle of the Wars of the Roses. It is during this battle that Richard III says (in Shakespeare's play), "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"

Answer: Bosworth

Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth (also called the Battle of Bosworth Field) enabling Henry Tudor to become Henry VII and effectively ending the Wars of the Roses.
23. This war at the turn of the 19th-20th century was infamous for the use of concentration camps by the British, who were commanded by Lord Kitchener for most of the war, and saw Robert Baden-Powell become a national hero.

Answer: The Boer War

Baden-Powell would later start the Scouting Movement. His 1922 design for the Medal of Merit included a swastika (it is likely that Baden-Powell came across the symbol during his time in India, where it is a symbol of good luck), but this was removed in 1935 due to its use by the Nazi Party.
24. This battle in 1645 was the key battle of the English Civil War and saw Sir Thomas Fairfax defeat King Charles I. The Royal Navy ship that was named in honour of the battle was renamed HMS Royal Charles following the Restoration.

Answer: Naseby

Although not the last battle, Naseby marked the end for the Royalists in the First Civil War. Charles I was later imprisoned and four years after the Battle of Naseby he was tried, convicted and executed for high treason.
25. This battle in 1141 saw King Stephen defeated and captured by the forces of Empress Matilda. A battle by the same name was fought in 1217 between King Henry III and the future King Louis VIII of France.

Answer: Lincoln

Empress Matilda was the daughter of Henry I and granddaughter of William the Conqueror. Her claim to the throne of England was disputed by her cousin, Stephen, who would rule as king during the civil wars known as the Anarchy. Upon Stephen's death Matilda's son became Henry II.

After the 1217 battle, English troops sacked the city of Lincoln as it had declared its loyalty to the French king.
Source: Author se01dct

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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