From the first performance of “The Grand Military Tournament and Assault At Arms” in June 1880 until “The Last Run” during the summer of 1999, the Royal Tournament held a unique place in the hearts of the Great British public. Watched live by tens of thousands each summer, and millions more on television, the Tournament thrilled audiences of all ages.

This book tells the story of the Tournament from its origins in the Victorian era at the Agricultural Hall in Islington to its move across London to Olympia, and finally the short distance to Earls Court Exhibition Centre in 1950. It explores the characters who created and reinvented the show throughout its 120-year history as well as the displays which made the Tournament famous across the world.