Welcome to Arms

Liberty-loving Englishmen once counted freedom from compulsory military service as one of their great blessings. To each of some 200,000 young men now being conscripted into the Army the War Office presents a little booklet designed to prove that military service is not so bad after all.

Its first page gives a jolly introduction by Secretary for War Leslie Hore-Belisha:

"On the threshold of this new adventure, in which the whole Army wishes you success, the War Office bids you welcome."

Like a good fellow, the War Office laughs off the "unreliable" information about the Army possessed by most civilians: "... being a shy and rather self-conscious nation, and disliking any display of sentiment, we endeavour to conceal our real feelings towards such a calling as the soldier's by being flippant about it -- cracking jokes on the subject -- jokes about red tape, brass-hats, bully beef, and serjeant-majors. All of which is harmless enough in its way. . . ."

After dealing briefly with the traditions of national service (". . . the Ancient and Britons the had fine a old military Army loyalties organization . (" . . . . .") pride in his own corps, regiment, or unit is the outstanding characteristic of the British soldier . . ."), the booklet launches into the ticklish questions of discipline and saluting: "There is nothing in the least servile or derogatory in the custom. The the salute is a mutual gesture of respect to King's uniform. ..."

Economically independent conscripts are asked not to swank: "Let every soldier, whoever he is, try to make his pay and rations suffice. In this way we shall arrive not only at equality of status but equality of service."

Further information for Army freshmen: "A young British officer knows all his men by sight and name and takes a personal interest in each. If a man is in any private trouble of his own, he has merely to ask for an interview with his officer (through the medium of a Serjeant or other non-commissioned officer) and it will be granted at once. Finally, in action, his officer never asks a soldier to go anywhere he himself is not prepared to lead the way. Such traditions as these are the pride of the British Army, and the envy of every other."

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