The Transition and Reinvention of British Army Infantrymen Dissertation for PhD School of Social Sciences Cardiff University May 2018 Barrie Meek For Missy & The man that bridged the Rhine 1 Abstract Social sciences approaches to the study of Armed Forces Veterans and their capacity to cope with social reintegration, have tended to focus on medicalised accounts of post-service trauma, characterized by Veteran mental health, homelessness, and suicide amongst our Short Service Leavers. Whilst the findings of these largely quantitative projects continue to present new and compelling data, they have a tendency to neglect key aspects of observable phenomenon and often fall-short in representing the broader experience of Veterans transitioning from martial to civilian space. By contrast this study drawns on a mixed- methods approach to reveal a more authentic picture of resettlement, indeed the project proposes that resettlement is better understood when viewed as a component of a much broader occupational life-story; one that has a past, a present and importantly a future. With few notable exceptions (Ashcroft, 2014; Walker 2012; NAO, 2007) research into the British experience of Armed Forces resettlement is extremely difficult to locate, in a sense the process is hindered further by the outsourcing of Resettlement to Right Management Limited in 2015 and delivery, at a cost of £100 million, of the ‘Career Transition Partnership’ (CTP). And whilst the CTP claim to have helped thousands of veterans into sustainable employment within six months of leaving the Armed Forces; beyond such un-evidenced claims made in their own literature, neither UK government nor CTP has published any evidence based research representative of the degrees of success claimed by the CTP, in delivering cost effective programmes of resettlement. Moreover in the absence of empirical data, and on the basis of this analysis, an alternative account of resettlement is proposed, one that tests the assumption that the MoD’s approach to the resettlement of Armed Forces personnel is either fit for purpose or relevant to the contemporary Armed Forces Veteran. Whilst aspects of the martial life-course have been explored, knowledge of the broader journey that carries the schoolchild to the point of being a veteran has not. Nor have notions of transitioning into and out of the Armed Forces been articulated as public and profoundly sociological issues, as opposed to the medical and psychiatric accounts that dominate this field of study. 2 Acknowledgments I should like to take this opportunity to thank several key individuals who have without doubt influenced and encouraged me in realising the project. First and foremost the ongoing support of my supervisors Professors Paul Atkinson and William Housley has been exceptional, their assistance and ongoing motivation ultimately made the study possible. Likewise the interest and ongoing encouragement of Doctors Ian Welsh and Robin Smith has been significant, their grasp of problems faced and capacity to rationally guide progress has on several occasions been outstanding. I would also like to thank each of the respondents without whom there would have been no study, with particular gratitude to the six respondents who lasted the course and continued to provide their support throughout the six years of the study and beyond. Their generosity and openness produced both powerful and fascinating narratives, which doubtless made the study as a direct result of their compelling, vivid and priceless accounts of becoming and being. Thanks to Professor John Evans for sharing his perceptions of past, and methods of analysing landscape present, likewise for encouraging his students to think well outside the box. To Dr. Daniel Gordon I owe a great debt of thanks, his pragmatic engagement and interest in the project has endured the course of the study, likewise his capacity to share often complex abstract concepts and theory in plain language has been nothing short of inspirational. Similarly thanks to Dr Simon Charlesworth, whose sociological and philosophical grasp of the problem, brought the conceptual clarity that enabled the key concepts to be revealed. Thanks also to the Professional Services staff at the Glamorgan Building, their patients and ongoing support has been steadfast, in particular thanks to Miss Corinda Perkins and her predecessor Miss Liz Renton, likewise thanks to Miss Deborah Watkins, Mr. Andy Smith and Miss Vicky Parkin for their friendship and support with University Veterans Institute activities and in particular Remembrance Sunday’s. I should like to close by thanking the principal members of the Armed Forces Community who have each provided invaluable technical support; thanks to Major Hayden Davies (R) (1RRW), WOII Squadron Sergeant Major Thomas Perkins (1RTR/21SAS), WOII Paul Bennett (REME), Colour Sergeant Tony Price [69] (1WG), Corporal Claude Jones (RE), Lance Sergeant Mark Smith (1CG), and Guardsman Glenn Jones [60] (1WG). 3 4 CONTENTS Title Sheet Dedication 1 Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 3 Contents 5 A Story 12 CHAPTER I 13 INTRODUCTION Becoming and Being 1.0 Introduction 14 1.1 Becoming Soldiers: Recruitment and Training 15 1.2 Being Soldiers: The working unit 16 1.3 Becoming Civilians: The Pre-Exit period 18 1.4 Being Civilians: Resettlement 19 1.5 Orientation of the study 20 CHAPTER II 23 A REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.0 Introduction 24 2.1 Boy Soldiers 27 2.2 A choice occupation 28 2.3 Becoming: An apprenticeship in Arms 29 2.4 Welcome to Catterick Garrison 31 2.5 The forcing house 33 2.6 A Greedy institution 35 2.7 Invisible lives 37 2.8 Earning One’s spurs 38 2.9 Self policing 39 2.10 Uniform differentiation 41 2.11 The Art of being 42 2.12 Rites of passage 43 2.13 Moral Careers 44 2.14 Occupational narrative 46 2.15 The Chief Storyteller 47 2.16 Swinging the lantern 48 2.17 Future selves 49 2.18 Neither fish nor fowl 52 5 CHAPTER III 58 METHODOLOGY AND METHODS 3.0 Introduction 59 3.1 Transition and Reinvention 60 3.2 Character of the sample 62 3.3 Generalizability 63 3.4 The dynamics of the sample 65 3.5 Finding Nemo 65 3.6 Anonymizing soldier identities 66 3.7 Study Design 67 3.8 Interviews 68 3.9 Reflections on initial phase 70 3.10 Ethics 72 3.11 Use of pen-pictures 74 3.12 Transcribing true voice 75 CHAPTER IV 88 THE RECRUTMENT AND TRAINING OF BRITISH ARMY INFANTRYMEN Theme: Social Honour Transition: Civilian to Soldier Reinvention: Adolescent to Adult Section i 4.1.0 Introduction 89 4.1.1 A Pen Picture of a British Army Infantryman, (the Rifleman) 89 4.1.2 Selecting Soldiers 96 4.1.3 Five New Pence 99 4.1.4 Becoming Soldiers 100 4.1.5 Recruits and Soldiers Under Training 106 4.1.6 Becoming Infantrymen, the Combat Infantryman’s Course 110 ANALYSIS: BECOMING Section ii 120 4.2.0 Introduction 121 4.2.1 Recruiting Soldiers (“it takes a Soldier to Recruit a Soldier”) 124 4.2.2 The shape of things to come 126 4.2.3 Legally Bound 132 4.2.4 The Incentives 135 4.2.5 External Interaction & Personal Self 145 4.2.6 You’re in the army now... 153 6 CHAPTER V 164 OCCUPATIONAL ACCTUALISATION Theme: Biographic disruption Transition: Trained Soldier to Combat Veteran Reinvention: Non-Combatant to Combatant Section i 5.1.0 Introduction 165 5.1.1 A Pen Picture of a British Army Infantryman, (the PARA) 165 5.1.2 The Maroon Machine (From PPE to PPS) 168 5.1.3 Operational Wings 171 5.1.4 The Tempering 173 5.1.5 Trial by Fire 178 5.1.6 Just another Job 182 5.1.7 Journeys End (Never if, but when) 185 ANALYSIS: BEING Section ii 194 5.2.0 Introduction 195 5.2.1 Mind Fields 201 5.2.2 Swinging the Lantern 204 5.2.3 Black Letter Days 211 5.2.4 What’s the point? 217 5.2.5 Till death do us part 221 5.2.6 Conclusion 224 CHAPTER VI 228 RESETTLEMENT AND THE PRE-EXIT PERIOD Theme: Betrayal Transition: Professional to Neophyte Reinvention: Self-Assuredness to Uncertainty Section i 6.1.0 Introduction 229 6.1.1 A Pen Picture of a British Army Infantryman, (the Highlander) 229 6.1.2 Harrogate un al ‘at 234 6.1.3 Action Tam 236 6.1.4 A Rough Passage Home 240 7 ANALYSIS: BETRAYAL Section ii 246 6.2.0 Introduction 247 6.2.1 Outflow, risk and need 248 6.2.2 The Loss of Honour 250 6.2.3 Tri-Service Resettlement Policy 257 6.2.4 The Termination Timeline 269 6.2.5 No Man’s land 280 6.2.6 Not knowing what to know 280 6.2.7 Dependant dependence 281 6.2.8 Timescale and planning 282 CHAPTER VII 291 THE EX-SERVICEMAN OR HM FORCES VETERAN Theme: Disdain Transition: SL to Job-Seeker Reinvention: Soldier-self to Citizen-self Section i 7.1.0 Introduction 292 7.1.1 A pen picture of a British Army Infantry Veteran (The ex-Guardsman) 292 7.1.2 Nulli Secundus 294 7.1.3 Leaving the Colours 296 7.1.4 Civi Street 298 7.1.5 Marching Out 300 7.1.6 An Ordinary Life 304 ANALYSIS: DISDAIN Section ii 310 7.2.0 Introduction 311 7.2.1 Post Service Employability 312 7.2.2 Soldier speak 321 7.2.3 Veteran housing 325 7.2.4 Life Skills 330 7.2.5 Hindsight 335 7.2.6 Education 335 7.2.7 Employment 336 7.2.8 Housing 338 8 CHAPTER VIII 348 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 8.1 Introduction 349 8.2 Recommendations Mental Health 353 Education 353 Housing 355 Employment 355 Recruitment and Basic Training 356 Pre-Exit & Resettlement 356 8.3 Conclusions 357 APPENDICIES Appendix A Outline to question sets 77 Appendix B Statement of Ethical Practice for the British Sociological Association 78-79 Appendix C Notes on PTSD 80 Appendix D PTSD Checklist, military: PCL-(M) Description 81 Appendix E PTSD CHECKLIST (Military) 82 Appendix F Informant attrition rate (Gang Chart) 83 Appendix G