Posted by John Wilson on September 06, 2006 at 13:34:35 from 202.154.130.47 user hugo.
In Reply to: Re: Bob & his history posted by PeterH on September 06, 2006 at 10:13:14:
Re English “Class” differences, Cecil Malthus wrote about his experiences in the New Zealand Army in WWI in his classic book “Anzac A Retrospect” and in “Armentières to the Somme”. He had to explain to English relatives that in the NZ Army you were not automatically made an officer if you had been to university. He was a Sergeant, and postwar was a Professor of Modern Languages. He wrote that when he returned to an English restaurant at which he had eaten with an officer and was refused entry, he felt like punching the man who refused him entrance.
Perhaps the RAF was less class-conscious than the British Army though, as the official (ONS GRO) microfiche lists of wardead are not divided into Officers & Other Ranks (unlike the British Army lists, both WWI & WWII I think). And I have read that the USAAF (WWII) had a greater division than the RAF between officers and NCOs, even in the aircrew.
Re people in their thirties, there were some locals in the Lakes stories: Sammy the Policeman & his brother Billy the odd-job man (eg driving, learnt in the Army?), and Robin Tyson (Mrs Tyson is a widow). In CC/BS Mr Farland is a widower.