National Serviceman
By C. B. RICKS (Ballioi College, Oxford) N the army you don't so much meet people as gradually come to know them. A face grows distinct from all the others, and you see it in the Naafi, in the queue outside e cookhouse, or being shaved with the help of a candle but , presumably intended to show thought and sensitivity, and s moustache which drooped. John Blake said something about the moustache being like D. H. Lawrence's beard, with which we all agreed, confident in vague ignorance. Garrick and Blake soon settled into permanent hostility, Since, for each man's personal safety, the squad needed butt, and since Garrick seemed the most promising, we sided with Blake. Garrick had made himself unpopular from the start anyway by being a fortnight senior to the rest of us, since 110 had come from another training depot. Instead of keeping quiet about it, he chose to take command as senior soldier, and was always saying how he expected it wouldn't be long before he went off for his selection board. Moreover, he wa$ the type that NCOs instinctively dislike—he had brought to° many books, including poetry, with him—and so it WO good policy to persecute him. The squad was divided into Potential Officers and Potential NCOs. This often led to a certain amount of friction, though the potential NCOs occasionally had the satisfactiod of seeing lank failures come back as company clerks or store. men, when they themselves had one or two stripes. A frequent cause of ill-feeling was the granting of a weekend pass to the man with the best kit during the week. One ambitious youth inconsiderately, and surreptitiously, jet-glaz,ed his bed and brassoed the springs,, and so we were ordered to do the saint/. But he got the pass, of course. Garrick was never in the least concerned about inspections; first, because he always judged nicely how much work would get him by; and second, because he never wanted to go out. Wile we were hurrying to goç out to the pictures, and illegally uging the firebucket fof blancoing, or rubbing away at brasses, he would lie nonchs' lantly with his head on the blankets squared off at the WI of the bed and interrupt his reading only to inquire of no one in particular, "What does No saber el Christus mean?" He mentioned his university education one day. He wa' determined to keep up his studies, he assured us, though he ust have found it difficult in a hut seldom free from Radio ernburg. But one day in the latrines I heard a gentle nirmur which I discovered was Garrick reading Les Plaideurs. je always fought back well in his arguments with Blake itInuligh he did call them logomachies), and perhaps he would ,ave been allowed a little peace had he not mentioned his ar°,etTY. Yes, it seemed he had had some published, oh just v'evy short pieces. Where ? In Dervish, the magazine for u„11:11g writers (it had run to three issues), and of course in his nmversity magazine. It was a pity that someone remembered ;iarrick's saying he had been a great friend of the editor. k a notebook, too, which he left lying about with a studied iciaarelessness. So we read it. I was surprised how bad his ndwriting was; it wasn't that it was hasty or inelegant, it in,,s simply childish and unformed. And what he wrote was wh"stlY precious or over-emphatic. He seemed more skilful e'en he moved away from his feelings to straightforward he,scription, as in an analysis of fascism among NCOs or the r.r'vafe soldier's attitude to the death of the King. The sergeant herci the notebook, and then gave us his opinion of the books :rnging to Garrick, particularly the Complete Works of sirthakespeare. We sycophantically agreed, but had difficulty. "ce we had read none, in also praising Hank Janson.
tel also flaunted a copy of a work expounding a new ig,ion, which was, it seemed, a synthesis of all that is greatest itne religions of the East and West, plus something from the who wrote it. Garrick was interested in comparative „'Igion, he told us, but admitted he doubted the value of this r:rticular one. In fact he had the book only because he had u,et, the lady who wrote it, on a. train; and then he showed „" Elle flyleaf: " To Kenneth Garrick, a delightful companion "nd an enthusiastic disciple." I forget the lady's name. Our only other amusement apart from Garrick was Standing liyclers, which contained such delights as: "When riding a rseYele, a soklier will NOT salute, but will sit up straight and ,"ak to his front, i.e., ride to attention." Nevertheless, the last 'UPle of weeks of basic training went quickly, and then most ?if :ids Passed our Selection Boards. I had decided I rather - Garrick, especially as I realised I baited him only from lel,"ee, and not for any personal reason. I couldn't help r21g amused, though, when two of us received our orders to ,Port to the Officer Cadet School before Garrick or Blake. 4ee. you in a fortnight," we shouted. But a fortnight later, , en I looked out the new squad to tell them what the place r.,"as like, there was only Blake. No, he didn't know why :3.arr1ek wasn't with them, except that he himself had received P05 movement order while he was on leave. Presumably the allet would be in the next batch, and therefore junior to us co" he suggested with amusement. The next squad to arrive Itained someone from the depot. We asked about Garrick. il',4" (t we heard ? And pleased to see we hadn't, he told us ahat Garrick wouldn't be coming; he murmured something au°,ut MI5, just to keep us in suspense, and then said that tilliYuoW somebody had found out that while Garrick was at
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