''Officers and Gentlemen'' is a 1955 novel by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

novelist

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires '' Decl ...

''Sword of Honour'' trilogy

''Officers and Gentlemen'' is the second novel in Waugh's ''

Sword of Honour The ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh which loosely parallel Waugh's experiences during the Second World War. Published by Chapman & Hall from 1952 to 1961, the novels are: ''Men at Arms'' (1952); ''Officers and Gent ...

'' trilogy, the author's look at the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The novels loosely parallel Waugh's wartime experiences. The first was ''

Men at Arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a kni ...

'' (1952), the third was ''

Unconditional Surrender An unconditional surrender is a surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. It is often demanded with the threat of complete destruction, extermination or annihilation. In modern times, unconditional surrenders most ofte ...

'' (1961).

Plot summary

Sent back to the UK in disgrace at the end of the

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, Guy Crouchback – heir of a declining aristocratic English Roman Catholic family – manages to find a place in a fledgling

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brigade, training on a Scottish island under an old friend, Tommy Blackhouse. Tommy is also the man for whom Guy's wife Virginia left him. Another trainee is Ivor Claire, whom Guy regards as the flower of English chivalry. Guy learns to exploit the niceties of military ways of doing things with the assistance of Colonel "Jumbo" Trotter, an elderly

Halberdier A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

who knows all the strings to pull. Guy is posted to Cairo, Allied headquarters for the Mediterranean and Middle East. He becomes caught up in the evacuation of Crete, where he acquits himself well, though chaos and muddle prevail. At this time he meets the slippery Corporal-Major Ludovic. (Waugh may have based the character of Ludovic on one or two real people: the soldier of fortune and novelist John Lodwick,Geoffrey Elliott, ''A Forgotten Man: The Life and Death of John Lodwick'' (2018). London; Bloomsbury. p. 115. and/or the future press tycoon and politician

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster. Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from N ...

.) In the final stages of the evacuation, they escape with a few others in a small boat, but run out of fuel. The sapper Captain in command becomes delirious, and subsequently disappears (there is an implication that he has been disposed of by Ludovic). Eventually they reach Egypt, where Ludovic carries a disoriented Guy ashore. Apparently a hero, Ludovic is commissioned as an officer. As Guy recovers in hospital,

Mrs Stitch Mrs. Algernon Stitch, more familiarly known as Julia Stitch, is a character created by Evelyn Waugh, best known for her role in the novel ''Scoop''. The character was inspired by Waugh's friendship with the well-connected socialite, Lady Diana Coope ...

, a character who turns up in other Waugh books, takes him under her well-connected wing. She also tries to protect Claire, who was evacuated from Crete even though his unit's orders were to fight to the last and then surrender as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. She sends Guy the long way home to England, possibly to prevent him from compromising the cover story worked up to protect Claire from desertion charges. Guy finds himself once more in his club, asking around for a suitable job.

Dramatisations

''Officers and Gentlemen'' was dramatised for television in 1967 and 2001 along with the two other novels in the ''Sword of Honour'' trilogy, featuring first

Edward Woodward Edward Albert Arthur Woodward, OBE (1 June 1930 – 16 November 2009) was an English actor and singer. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he began his career on stage. Throughout his career, he appeared in productions ...

and then

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

References

External links

*
A Companion to Evelyn Waugh's ''Sword of Honour'': Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Officers and Gentlemen 1955 British novels British novels adapted into films Catholic novels Chapman & Hall books Novels by Evelyn Waugh Novels set during World War II