Soldiers at the Rear: Difference between revisions

* In ''War Story'' by ''[[Derek Robinson]]'', the newly arrived gung-ho pilot, Paxton, is surprised to see the squadron clerk, a mere lance-corporal, is a on old boy from his prestigious public school. He asks why his old schoolfriend is in the ranks, when surely a chap like you has family, has connections, knows people? You should be at least a captain by now? To which the public-school corporal replies that he'd successfully dodged recruitment until enlistment became compulsory. Then he took a typing course, as men who can type are so rare in the Army that they are never ever sent into the front-line trenches. Then he enlisted as a private soldier, and with any luck will actually ''survive'' the bloody war.

{{quote| And they say life expectancy for a new pilot is, ooh, sixteen hours, sir? }}

* Victor Henry goes through most of [[World War II]] like this in Hermann Wouks wind's of war/war and remembrance duology. He does get a fighting command in the Solomons and at Leyte though. He also takes opportunities to go on observation missions up forward.