First published
in 1955, ‘Officers and Gentlemen’ is the
second volume in the ‘Sword of Honour’
Trilogy. The
book is somewhat more
fast-paced and exciting than its prequel, ‘Men at Arms’, and as such makes for
an excellent read. The reader follows
the novel’s hero, Guy Crouchback, as he returns to the Halberdier barracks
following his escapades in Africa. Guy is then posted to the Isle of Mugg in Scotland, where he joins a newly formed Commando
brigade. The brigade is then shipped off
to Egypt via Cape Town, and eventually
ends up in Crete where they attempt, in vain, to defend
the island from a German attack.
‘Officers and Gentlemen’ ends with Guy having come full circle as he
ends up at the Halberdier barracks one year after he left.
The
prose in
‘Officers and Gentlemen’ is as excellent as one would expect from a writer of
this calibre, and Waugh’s ability to nurture the reader’s interest makes it
difficult to put this book down. The
book’s characters are also exceptionally well constructed and it is a delight
to stumble across such eccentric individuals as Doctor Glendening-Rees, an
expert in survival techniques who experiments with a troop of Commandos by
making them eat nothing but seaweed for a week, and Mugg, a Scottish laird who has
a strange enthusiasm for explosives.
Waugh’s writing
in this book is by no means confined to well-structured prose and memorable
characters. Indeed, through the novel’s
hero, Guy Crouchback, one is exposed to Waugh’s cynical observation of the
often ill-organised British army, and to descriptions of warfare which conjure
up Apocalypse Now-like images of tired, frightened soldiers caught in the chaos
of retreat. ‘Officers and Gentlemen’
also expands on the themes which Waugh hints at in ‘Men at Arms’; those of the
virtues of paternalist hierarchy and of tradition. Guy Crouchback’s belief that these virtues
still exist is obviously put under great strain by his experiences in Crete and by an event which occurs towards the
end of the book; the alliance between Russia and Britain.
‘Officers and Gentlemen’
offers us an incredibly articulate insight into the life of a British army
officer during the Second World War, and Waugh’s humour and gift for producing
sublime and beautiful prose make this a superb second volume in the ‘Sword of
Honour’ Trilogy.