Description
Book SynopsisDrunken disorderliness. Cowardice in battle. Writing bad cheques. Vulgarity. Sexual indecency. Adultery. Following courts martial for such disgraceful deeds, hundreds of Canadian officers lost their commissions during the First and Second World Wars. Scandalous Conduct investigates the forgotten experiences of these dismissed ex-officers to offer a new critical perspective on constructed notions of honour and dishonour. Matthew Barrett explores how changing definitions of scandalous behaviour shaped the quintessential honour crime known as conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. As symbolized by the loss of commissioned rank, dishonour represented a direct challenge to the discredited officer's prestige, livelihood, and sense of manhood. Drawing on fascinating court cases that have never before been studied, Scandalous Conduct convincingly demonstrates a surprising conclusion. The scope of officer misconduct revealed that the ideal of military honour was not
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Honour and Dishonour in the British Army Tradition
2 Dismissal and Cashiering in the First World War
3 Coming Back and Making Good
4 Dishonourable Records and the Interwar Period
5 Dismissal and Cashiering in the Second World War
6 Reclassification, Removal, and Re-enlistment
7 De-officered and De-citizened
Conclusion
Appendix: Courts Martial Data
Notes; Bibliography; Index
