Discipline and Morale: The British Non-Commissioned Officer on the Western Front 1914-1918

The purpose of this study is, in part, to examine the vital part played by the British NCO in the maintenance of discipline on the Western Front in World War One. But its chief aim is to shed light on the largely neglected, but equally vital, contribution made by the British NCO to the upkeep of morale; not just the morale of the private soldier, but also that of the officer. In recognising that the British NCO had a more complex role to perform than has been hitherto acknowledged, it is hoped that this will in some small way serve to challenge the stereotype of the NCO which has endured for so long.