Why, despite the appalling conditions in the trenches of the Western Front, was the British army almost untouched by major mutiny during the First World War? Drawing upon an extensive range of sources, including much previously unpublished archival material, G. D. Sheffield seeks to answer this question by examining a crucial but previously neglected factor in the maintenance of the British army's morale in the First World War: the relationship between the regimental officer and the ordinary soldier.

Foreword by Peter Simkins Preface Abbreviations Introduction Officer-man Relations and Discipline in the Regular Army, 1902-14 The Prewar Army: The Auxiliary Forces and Debates on Discipline The British Officer Corps, 1914-1918 British Military Leadership 1914-18: Influences and Training Officer-man Relations: the Disciplinary and Social Context Officer-man Relations: The Officer's Perspective Officer-man Relations: The Other Rank's Perspective Officer-man Relations, Morale and Discipline Comparisons Conclusion Appendix 1: The Morale of the British Army on the Western Front, 1914-1918 Appendix 2: British Army Conscripts Appendix 3: Discipline and Continuity in Small Units Appendix 4: Published Guides to Officership Sources and Select Bibliography Index

G. D. Sheffield is with the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.