The British Army was virtually destroyed in the original outbreak of the Rage virus. Unable to stop or even much slow the infected down, the Army lost most of its strength trying to do so while England, Wales and Scotland were all overrun. It has yet to recover or reclaim its home territory.
Units and bases located abroad and in Northern Ireland may have survived the events of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, but the loss of most of the mainland UK would still have an immense impact on the Army's strength.
In 28 Days Later
During the original outbreak of the Rage virus, the British military was mobilized in an effort to contain the outbreak and defend the civilian population. As the infection spread throughout mainland Britain, the British Army was tasked with protecting the population by blockading the entrances to major cities such as London and Manchester in an effort to save those remaining in the cities from becoming infected. These blockades, however, were quickly overrun by the infected, allowing the virus to take hold in the cities and presumably collapsing most of the British military.
Major Sanders, of the US Army, when Clint Harris questioned about the british army, he answered: "¿What british army? The last time we heard of any soldier in the mainland was when that poor lot holed in just outside Manchester", implyining than the attempt to defend Manchester was the last organized british military operation, and his members the last organized groups of that force. One of these groups, an army brigade, commanded by Major Henry West, defending the 42nd blockade outside Manchester, was able to protect their post the longest out of the remnants of the Army, before they too were overrun. Ten soldiers, including Major West himself, survived and then found the deserted Worsley House in the nearby woods. They fortified and defended it against the infected and began to broadcast messages of hope to other survivors, promising "the answer to infection", which was waiting for the infected to starve to death.
However, they also planned to force any female survivors they found and rescued into sexual slavery in order to repopulate the country. When the brigade found and rescued Jim, Hannah and Selena, they promised to protect them and then tried to force Hannah and Selena into sexual servitude. Sergeant Farrell was shot for trying to protect Hannah and Selena from the other soldiers; Jones, Davis and Mitchell were killed by Jim; and West and the rest of the brigade were all either infected or killed. (28 Days Later (film))
Another officer in the British Army, Captain Stiles, the last known survivor of it, was apparently able to escape Britain during the outbreak. When he discovered that Major Henry West, his good friend, had been killed, he blamed the "Manchester Three" and seeked revenge on two of them (Selena and Hannah). However, he was killed when he went to the Worsley House with a hostage Selena and set off a landmine. (28 Days Later (comic series))
Members of the British Army
- Major Henry West
- Sergeant Farrell
- Corporal Mitchell
- Private Jones
- Private Mailer
- Private Clifton
- Private Davis
- Private Bedford
- Private Bell
- Unnamed African-British Soldier
- Captain Stiles