healdav Posted 27 March , 2021 Share Posted 27 March , 2021 When did the term BEF begin to be used? I have just been reading a novel where it is said several times that one of the characters was 'in the BEF'. The novel is set in the late 1890s or so. Is this a misnomer for being in the army, or did the army or others refer to itself as being the BEF at that time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 27 March , 2021 Share Posted 27 March , 2021 The term was used at least as early as 1854 Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootrock Posted 27 March , 2021 Share Posted 27 March , 2021 The term "British Expeditionary Forces" appears in newspapers in the 1840s, in relation to China, according to a search of the British Newspaper Archives. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 27 March , 2021 Author Share Posted 27 March , 2021 So it was a sort of general term, not a novelist being silly. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ss002d6252 Posted 27 March , 2021 Share Posted 27 March , 2021 2 minutes ago, healdav said: So it was a sort of general term, not a novelist being silly. Thanks. Yes, it seems to have been regularly applied to overseas expeditionary forces. To be honest, I expected no earlier than Boer War before I looked. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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