Understanding our wartime experiences...

[Red Rat]

The British Army recruit has the option of discharging himself as well in the first few weeks of training. While that may weed out some the reality is that the British Army suffers very high wastage rates in training, primarily due to homesickness...

British Army recruits go through an extensive selection process once they have volunteered for service, including psychometric and physical evaluation; but there's no cure yet for homesickness.

Interestingly (worryingly) defence recruitment in the UK has just been outsourced. Understandably there are a number of concerns with this...

[Fuchs]

I've never seen a homesick boy whom I'd have considered promising for the military. Homesick boys are typically very dependant.

[JMA]

I've never seen a homesick boy whom I'd have considered promising for the military. Homesick boys are typically very dependant.

Not sure I buy this as being the greatest problem facing recruits joining European armies.

But Fuchs is correct... if mommy's little darling can't stand a few weeks of separation then the army should not keep him. Send him home to mommy.

That said if the psychological tests are worth anything then the excessively dependent should not even get to the point of starting the training.

[JMA]

The British Army recruit has the option of discharging himself as well in the first few weeks of training. While that may weed out some the reality is that the British Army suffers very high wastage rates in training, primarily due to homesickness...

The British army has always had a problem with recruiting... (read the chapter 'Scum of the Earth' in Richard Holmes' book 'Redcoats'.)

As with my comments of officer selection (in another thread) the same applies to wastage on recruit courses. Its all about selection.

Your man Moran (in his book 'The Anatomy of Courage') covers this aspect well in his chapter on selection. Not to be read... but rather to be studied!

British Army recruits go through an extensive selection process once they have volunteered for service, including psychometric and physical evaluation; but there's no cure yet for homesickness.

Then the news is bad... meaning the selection process (as with officers) is not as good as one would like to think.

Interestingly (worryingly) defence recruitment in the UK has just been outsourced. Understandably there are a number of concerns with this...

Its a horrific thought. Once again the unblooded civilians are tasked with selecting people for duties requiring characteristics beyond their understanding. The certainty is that its bound to fail.