Mark Jones

(he/him)

MA (Hons) Scots, MA

Research

Thesis

A ‘Regimental Way’ of Counterinsurgency? Ethos, Identity and the British Army’s Learning Process in Northern Ireland, 1969 – 1999

The purpose of this research is to understand how the British Army’s learning process in Northern Ireland influenced its tactics and operational art, and the role played by the regimental system in the development and implementation of these processes. In doing so, it is intended that this study will intersect several themes pertaining to the study of armed forces. Firstly, this research will contribute to ongoing studies relating to the theory and practice of counterinsurgency. Secondly, it will employ methodologies derived from the field of ‘Military Innovation Studies’, most notably the roles of adaption, innovation and knowledge-sharing within armed forces. Thirdly, it will seek to draw on sociological studies of military organisations to understand the role played by regimental identity, ethos and culture in shaping learning processes. Finally this research will sit firmly within the sphere of ‘new’ military history, adopting theories and methodologies found within the social sciences and other associated fields.

The significance of this project lies in its potential to unify different aspects of research within m in the context of the Northern Ireland conflict. Existing studies have contributed greatly to our understanding of the sociology of armed forces, the processes of learning, innovation and adaptation in military organisations, the study of counterinsurgency, and the operational history of the British Army in Ulster. However, to date, no study has attempted to unify these different strands of research. Taken together, it is intended that this approach can address a lacuna within the historiography, utilising an interdisciplinary approach to understand how the Army inculcated the lessons it drew from combat and the role identity and ethos played in shaping these processes. Such a study will not only inform our understanding of the historical past, but will provide an understanding of how the British Army’s legacy from Northern Ireland informed its subsequent operations.

Biography

Education, Qualifications and Academic Background:

• PhD Politics & International Relations, Cardiff University (2025 - Present)
• MA Military History, University of Birmingham (2022 - 2024)
• MA (Hons) Archaeology, University of Edinburgh (2006 - 2010)

Publications:

• Jones, MA. "Ich Dien: The Anatomy of The Prince of Wales’s Own Leinster Regiment, 1911 to 1922", Offaly Heritage 12 (2023).
• Jones, MA. "Resurrecting the Rangers: Attrition, Adaption and Innovation in 12/Londons from the Frezenberg Ridge to the Gommecourt Salient". In London Pride: The London Territorial Force in Peace and War, 1908-1921, edited by Charles Fair, Richard Hendry and Tom Thorpe, Helion, 2026.

Professional Experience:

• Organisational Development Manager, Trussell (2021 - Present)
• Head of Community Engagement & Volunteer Resource, John Taylor Hospice (2016 - 2021)
• Patient Relations Officer, NHS CrossCity Clinical Commissioning Group (2014 - 2016)
• Complaints Officer, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust (2011 - 2014)

Honours and awards

• Western Front Association Masters Grant (2023)

Speaking engagements

• Resurrecting the Rangers: Attrition, Adaption and Innovation in 12/Londons from the Frezenberg Ridge to the Gommecourt Salient - London Pride: The London Territorials in Peace and War (1908 - 1921) Conference, the Western Front Association, London, 2024.
• "Little Men Have Made History": the Rise and Fall of the 35th (Bantam) Division - an online talk for History Indoors, 2023.
• The British Army and the "Regimental System": 1881 to 1911 - an online talk for History Indoors, 2023.

Supervisors

Huw Bennett

Professor of International Relations

Thomas Leahy

Senior Lecturer in Politics