Targeting Schools

Militarism was inseparable from imperialism in Britain, as in other imperialist nations, and its proponents saw schools as ideal means by which to give the nation's youth an early introduction to military drill. This book traces the history of military drill for pupils in elementary schools from 1870-1914.

Alan Penn

History of Education, Vol 29, No 2, March 2000
"Penn"s major contribution in this book is his detailed examination of the political processes surrounding the militarist campaign that "targeted schools" ... One of the significant contributions Penn makes is to our understanding of the persistence of militarism as an ideology underpinning the practices of physical education in British schools."
Albion
"addresses an important and hitherto neglected area of education history with skill and insight"
History of Education
"an engaging story of conflicting ideologies, shifting alliances and contestation of the form and substance of aspects of school practice.. Provides a clear illustration of the ways in which school practices are embedded in broader public discourses and so of the complexity of the relationship between school and society.