The United Kingdom (UK), was a country in Europe before the Great War and may still exist in the Fallout universe.
Background
The United Kingdom was formed in 1801 with the Act of Union between the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland; Great Britain itself being formed in 1707 with a similar act of Union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England (incorporating Wales).[1]
From 1775 to 1783, the United Kingdom fought the newly formed United States, made up of thirteen of its North American colonies. The colonies won the war, leading to their independence from the British Empire. The United Kingdom also fought on the side of the Allied Powers during World War II, as one of the four leading countries of the alliance.
The UK also controlled many overseas territories, and at its peak led the largest empire in human history. Due to the divergence, the status of the empire, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the overseas territories is a mystery. As of 1945, such areas included Canada, parts of China, and what became Israel.
The relationship between the United Kingdom and the Irish state are unknown, since Ireland did not officially declare itself a republic or leave the Commonwealth of Nations until 1949. It is likely, however, that these events still transpired as this was shortly after or before the divergence. The capital city of Wales is also unknown; while it is Cardiff in our world, Cardiff did not become the Welsh capital until 1955.
 | The following is based on J.E. Sawyer's Fallout RPG and is not canon. |
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The United Kingdom was a member of the European Commonwealth until its dissolution in 2060. The UK bickered with other former members of the Commonwealth over the last remaining drops of oil on Earth, sparking a bloody conflict known as the European Civil War.
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Dialogue suggests that the country was ruled by a queen before the outbreak of the Great War.[2]
No details are known about the state of the British Isles after the Great War. However, in the 23rd century, Allistair Tenpenny left the country for the Capital Wasteland in the United States to seek wealth and fortune, hinting at some of the possible conditions in post-War Britain. The ancestors of Colin Moriarty also left Ireland for the Capital Wasteland shortly after the Great War for unknown reasons.
The UK in Fallout
- J.E. Sawyer has expressed a desire to make a Fallout game set during the Resource Wars, involving members of the British Armed Forces.
There are several references to the United Kingdom in published Fallout games:
England
- Mister Handy and Mister Orderly models of robot speak with posh English accents.
- In Fallout, Loxley speaks with an English accent and seems to be aware of English folk-tales such as Robin Hood, although he is not English himself.
- The Magna Carta, an important document written in England in the year 1215, can be found in the National Archives in Fallout 3.
- In Fallout 3, Allistair Tenpenny traveled to the Capital Wasteland from England to seek his fortune.
- Music by Sid Phillips is played on Galaxy News Radio in Fallout 3.
- In the Fallout 3 add-on Point Lookout, Desmond Lockheart was a high-ranking agent working for the British government.
- Music by Bert Weedon is played on Mojave Music Radio and Radio New Vegas in Fallout: New Vegas.
- The song Jazz Club Blues by Harry Bluestone is played in Fallout: New Vegas.
- In the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues, the Sink Central Intelligence Unit and Sink both speak in posh English voices. In addition, the Courier's brain recites a line from a musical number from H.M.S. Pinafore, a British comic opera made in Victorian times.[3]
- Captain John Smith was an English explorer that was the first European to discover Point Lookout in 1612. In addition, two English settler ships, the Ark and Dove, landed near Point Lookout in 1634, and began the process of the founding of Maryland.[4]
 | The following is based on information from Fallout Tactics. |
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- In Fallout Tactics, Sharon's family is claimed to stretch back to the English county of Essex. In addition, one of Martin's ancestors once ran a software company in England that ended up going out of business.
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- In Fallout 4, Whitechapel Charlie, who has a cockney accent, is named after the London district which was notorious for crime in the 19th Century, particularly the infamous Jack the Ripper murders.
- Proctor Quinlan speaks with an English accent, although no background is given as to how he came to the Commonwealth.
- In Far Harbor, one Harborman will say his family hails from Yorkshire, a county in northern England.
Scotland
- In Fallout, MacRae, a Scotsman, appears as an Unarmed combat trainer for the Blades.
- Scotch is a type of whisky that originates from Scotland.
- Music by Billy Munn is played on Galaxy News Radio in Fallout 3.
Wales
- In Fallout 4, the Brotherhood of Steel own an armored airship that flies through the skies of the Commonwealth named The Prydwen. Prydwen is the name of King Arthur's ship in the poem Preiddeu Annwfn.
Ireland
While there are several characters of Irish descent in the Fallout series, no information is given as to whether they originate from Northern Ireland or the Republic.
- Colin Moriarty speaks with an Irish accent. He claims he has lived in the United States for most of his life but does not specifically state where he came from.
- Cait speaks with an Irish accent.
- In Fallout 4, there are three companions of Irish descent such as John Hancock (real surname is McDonough), Cait and Robert Joseph MacCready, this is not surprising considering the rich Irish heritage and culture of Boston.
Other
- In Fallout, Patrick the Celt is part of an Americanized Celtic family, who strives to keep his heritage alive. What part of the British Isles his family came from is unknown.
- The American Revolutionary War and several key British figures during the timeframe are heavily referenced to in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4.
- In the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts, the icon for the Sneering Imperialist perk features Vault Boy dressed in a British soldier's uniform during the times of the Empire.
| The following is based on information from Fallout Tactics. |
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- Some examples of British military equipment exist in the Fallout universe. Weapons such as the Sten gun and the light support weapon were developed by Royal Small Arms Factory.
- The Light support weapon (LSW) being featured in the Fallout universe may give a lot of information about the UK, as the weapon was developed and issued in the mid-1980s and is past the point of Divergence. Furthermore, the LSW was influenced by the FN-FAL, which was created in the 1950s.
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 | The following is based on Van Buren design documents and is not canon. |
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- A British Boudicca-78/S motorcycle was to be the first vehicle found for use in Van Buren.
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- In Fallout 4, a Mr. Handy called Whitechapel Charlie has a small Union Flag on his chassis. This suggests that, unlike the United States, the United Kingdom retained its real flag prior to the Great War.
Known Locations
England
- Essex (Mentioned in Fallout Tactics)
- London (Mentioned in Fallout)
- Yorkshire (Mentioned in Far Harbor)
Appearances
The United Kingdom or nations within it are mentioned or referenced in Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3 and its add-on Point Lookout, Fallout: New Vegas and its add-ons Dead Money, Honest Hearts, and Old World Blues, Fallout 4, Fallout Tactics, and Van Buren. The United Kingdom was also to appear in the hypothetical Fallout: Resource Wars.
Behind the scenes
- "Allistair Tenpenny came to the Capital Wasteland from Great Britain to seek his fortune, so that alone tells you that the U.K. was also hit in the war. And if he came to U.S. to succeed, that says a lot about how screwed up Europe must be. So we just allude, a little bit, to the state of the rest of the world. We like to leave a lot to the players' imaginations, and somebody like Tenpenny serves as a catalyst for those thoughts." - Emil Pagliarulo[5]
References
- ↑ Tomkins and Turpin, British Government and the Constitution, 4th edition, Chapter 1
- ↑ Mister Handy dialogue
- ↑ The Courier's brain's dialogue: "A British tar is a soaring soul, as free as a mountain bird..."
- ↑ Fallout 3 loading screens
- ↑ Fallout 3 Afterthoughts
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