Genuine thanks to Mr Alastair Wilson for the detailed comments.
Of course it is the case that we get angry about the loss of so many young and brave men, to which we owe alot, and look to criticise the ones in charge and latch on to terms like human "cannon fodder" etc. (When I was little, my grandfather told me about the effects of mustard gas which he endured).
However, this is the first time I have read anywhere that Soldiers were indeed well prepared before being sent to the front.
This means that my previous belief that the necessary training that soldiers need to stay alive was ignored over the need for pushing men to the front to replace the dead is incorrect.
The question remains. Was RK's 'rifle' club in Rottingdean meant as a tactful but blunt reminder to the Army that it was failing in this regard?
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