The Body and Becoming a Soldier in Britain during the Second World War

This chapter describes the men who joined the British Army between 1939 and 1945, in which the majority were conscripts enlisted under the government's National Service Acts. It examines the ways that the military authorities adapted doctrine and organization to meet the needs of the new civilian intake, including changes in selection, leadership, and education. It also looks at the essential aspect of raising manpower for a mass army, particularly the processes used to transform raw civilians into disciplined, fit, battle-ready soldiers. The chapter demonstrates the transition from civilian to soldier during basic army training in the Second World War by focusing on the recruit's body. It draws on the formal organizational control of soldiers' bodies within military institutions, including connections between the male military body and hegemonic masculinity.