Boab - it may sound dreadfully cheesy but that is most often the way it panned out, certainly in the first war and the early years of the second.

Officers commissions were bought rather than earned so only those with money could afford to be officers. After a few years, the middle officers (Lieutenants, Captains, Majors) were lost in action and promotions had to be made up through the ranks. If you had enough money you could buy up a Major's commission without even donning a uniform.

In the early years of the British Army, you could only win promotion to Sergeant if you could read and write. Certain acts of extreme bravery got you a promotion, and they were used as 'bribes' to get volunteers to rush a breach in a wall or storm the gates of a fort, but they were never past Sergeant unless the recipient could read. Again, those with the priviledged or monied backgrounds were most likely to rise above Sergeant.

That isn't to say that there were no officers or pilots who came up through the ranks, but if they did, they were under extreme pressure to conform to the 'norm' - the "upper class" accent, the devil-may-care attitude and lifestyle... Ordinary soldiers hated them because it was felt they'd betrayed their roots. Fellow officers hated them because they were seen to be 'above their station' and they very rarely fit in.

If it's the language you have a problem with, remember - foul language such as you hear on any parade ground these days, was just NOT used in the context or frequency it's used now. It was a different era and different rules applied.

LTS