Her doctoral research bridges military history and animal studies to examine the role of horses and mules in shaping operations and institutional development within the British Army and imperial forces between 1918 and 1945. By writing equines into the history of the Second World War, she aims to offer a new interpretive lens for understanding institutional culture, adaptation, and the conduct of war - illuminating both the animals themselves and the evolving character of the British Army during a pivotal period in its history.

A Burma Star Memorial Fund Scholar, Lucy is the author of Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945(Osprey, 2025), which draws on unpublished first-hand accounts to explore the experiences of XV Corps during the Third Arakan Campaign, focusing on 3 Commando Brigade and the Kangaw Blockade.

As a public historian, she has worked with Channel 4, Global Radio, the BBC, National Geographic, and PBS, and co-presented Channel 4’s 48 Hours to Victory and the BBC Sounds podcast Obsessed With… SAS Rogue Heroes.

www.lucybetteridgedyson.com

Research Interests

• First and Second World War history
• Burma Campaign
• Animals in conflict
• Equine history
• Conflict memorialisation

PhD title: More Than Muscle: Equines and the British Army, 1918–1945

This project investigates the role, experience, and agency of equines in the British Army and associated imperial forces from the end of the First World War to the conclusion of the Second. Drawing on methodologies from animal studies and insights from equine behavioural science, it seeks to write equines - non-human actors - into military history and challenge the anthropocentric framing of twentieth-century warfare. Analysing operations across Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Burma - including Operations Longcloth and Thursday and the Battle of Monte Cassino - it examines how equines contributed to operational outcomes and what their presence reveals about institutional change, morale, and the army’s adaptation to environmental and logistical challenges.

Recent publications

Books

• Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945 (Osprey, 2025) https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/jungle-commandos-9781472866646/

Articles

• ‘The Equine Learning Curve: Horses and mules in British Army transport services during the First World War’ https://bjmh.gold.ac.uk/article/view/1652
• ‘Animals (Version 1.1)’, in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War, ed. by Ute Daniel, Peter Gatrell, Oliver Janz, Heather Jones, Jennifer Keene, Alan Kramer, and Bill Nasson, issued by Freie Universität Berlin