Q.6.a and Other places

London chambers give way to military training in Francis Buckley's account of his service during the First World War. After weak eyesight had frustrated his earlier attempts to enlist, he joins the Inns of Court Officers' Training Corps in 1915 and later receives a commission in the Northumberland Fusiliers. His recollections cover France and Flanders during 1916, 1917 and 1918, with the Somme occupying a central place in his remembrance of fallen comrades.

Buckley combines personal incidents with the practical concerns of an officer responsible for training men. One passage examines an infantry reorganisation, the shortage of time for instruction and the expense of equipment used in practice. Such details bring military decisions down to the level of the people expected to carry them out. Readers interested in wartime memoirs will find an account shaped by loyalty to his comrades, close attention to everyday duties and reflection on the demands of service.