No major battle has taken place on British soil since the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Almost three centuries of the absence of war on the island has generated a complacency which blinds us to the horrific violence and bloodshed which raged on these isles for over 1,700 years. For many younger people, war is a seeming anachronism, a reminder of an unsophisticated, almost barbaric past. For other people, our military history recalls more glorious days, when British military skill helped to establish a vast overseas empire. Martin Wall examines our long and blood-soaked history from the Roman invasions until modern times. This is by no means just a story of honour, courage and glory, but of the terrible suffering war has caused through the centuries – and the epigenetic trauma it has bequeathed us, which continues to influence our national culture even today.