Scandalous Conduct: Canadian Officer Courts Martial, 1914–45 (Studies in Canadian Military History) - Softcover

Barrett, Matthew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0774867590 ISBN 13: 9780774867597

Publisher: UBC Press, 2022

Synopsis

Drunken disorderliness. Cowardice in battle. Writing bad cheques. Vulgarity. Sexual indecency. Adultery. Following courts martial for such disgraceful deeds, hundreds of Canadian officers lost their commissions during the First and Second World Wars. Scandalous Conduct investigates the forgotten experiences of these dismissed ex-officers to offer a new critical perspective on constructed notions of honour and dishonour. Matthew Barrett explores how changing definitions of scandalous behaviour shaped the quintessential honour crime known as “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.” As symbolized by the loss of commissioned rank, dishonour represented a direct challenge to the discredited officer’s prestige, livelihood, and sense of manhood. Drawing on fascinating court cases that have never before been studied, Scandalous Conduct convincingly demonstrates a surprising conclusion. The scope of officer misconduct revealed that the ideal of military honour was not nearly as stable as leaders preferred to believe; instead it depended on changing social circumstances and disciplinary requirements.

About this title

About the Author

Matthew Barrett is a military historian and a SSHRC postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian War Museum. His work has appeared in Canadian Military History, the Canadian Journal of History, and Histoire sociale/Social History, and he is the co-author and illustrator of a forthcoming graphic history about the First World War.

Edition details

• Publisher: UBC Press
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0774867590
• ISBN 13: 9780774867597
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 276