The Navy and Army Illustrated

It was relaunched in 1906 and again in August 1914 with the outbreak of World War I when it was republished in a new series and reverted to its original title.

[2][3] The magazine was aimed at a wide audience - 'all who are interested in the welfare of the British Empire and those who had friends or relatives in the service of the Queen'[4] - and profusely illustrated with photographs and artwork in black and white, of battleships, historic military events such as battles, military parades, officers and men in elaborate uniforms and soldiers and sailors going about their duties, set against a backdrop of the home barracks such as Aldershot contrasted with settings from the far flung and exotic British Empire.

For many young men who sought a life of travel and adventure the magazine was a subtle means of recruitment into the pre-WWI British armed forces, encouraging them to serve 'Queen or King and Country'.

[1] While much of the periodical's content concerned the might and majesty of the Royal Navy and British Army occasionally more human experiences were covered such as the story of the brave young sailor 1st Class Boy C. R. Field who in a posed photograph taken on board the training ship Impregnable in 1897 proudly wears the bronze Brave Conduct Medal awarded to him by the Royal Humane Society for his unsuccessful attempt to rescue a drowning comrade who had fallen overboard one night.

Without thought for his own personal safety Field had leapt into the stormy sea but soon got into difficulty himself leading to both being rescued by a boat.