The Army of Hadrian's Wall

Newcastle upon Tyne: Frank Graham, 1972. - 48 pgs. Northern History Booklets No.
28. The Roman army was made up of groups of soldiers called legions. There were over 5,000 soldiers in a legion. Each legion had its own number, name, badge and fortress. There were about 30 legions around the Roman Empire, three of which were based in Britain at Caerleon, Chester and York. The garrison of Hadrian's Wall reflected the political rather than military purpose of the wall. The wall provided the soldiers with an elevated platform from which they could safely observe movement of the local population. It had heavy provision of cavalry which could sally out from any of the milestone gates though the garrison was neither expected nor trained to the level necessary to defend a city wall. Overall the fortifications appear to have required additional strengthening after the initial design and was stronger than its equivalent in Germany. Tombstones at Chester indicate that some men joined the legions young; two men had been only fourteen when they had joined up.